Historic county of Ireland
Laois
Laois / County of Laois
Province: Leinster
Midland plain below, Slieve Bloom rising west.
Laois lies close to the centre of Ireland, where broad Midland lowland meets the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Much of the county is gently rolling or open agricultural country, with bog-edge landscapes adding another characteristic Midland element.
Westwards the change becomes much stronger. Slieve Bloom rises above the surrounding plain and gives Laois an upland identity which its central position might not immediately suggest. Plain, bog and mountain edge provide the county with a simple but effective geographical structure.
- Formed from Gaelic Loígis territory
- Ancient Loígis and O'More country
- Timahoe Round Tower built 12th Century
- Area: 660 sq miles / 1,709 km²
- Population: 80,559
- County Top: Arderin (1,729ft / 527m)
County geography
Where the Midlands rise
The Slieve Bloom Mountains form the county’s strongest relief.
Eastwards the terrain opens rapidly into lower farmland and the broad route corridors of the Irish Midlands, making the mountain edge particularly conspicuous.
Plain and bog country
Much of central and eastern Laois belongs to a lower landscape of pasture, farmland and waterways.
Towards the Midland bogs, cultivated country gives way to flatter and wetter terrain, providing a second strong contrast with Slieve Bloom.
An older territory beneath the county
The county created in the sixteenth century was formed across an older Gaelic territorial landscape associated with Loígis.
The county framework was new; the territory and identities beneath it were not.
County questions
Questions about Laois
Why was Laois once called Queen’s County?
The county received that name under Mary I in 1556. The older Laois name later returned to official use. These are successive names for the same geographic county, not two different counties.
Where does the name Laois come from?
It reaches back to the older Gaelic territory of Loígis.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County Laois
- Local name
- Laois
- Province
- Leinster
- Alternative name
- County of Laois
- Foundation
- 1556
Laois is one of the twelve geographic counties of Leinster. Its Midland plain, bog-edge country and Slieve Bloom uplands give it a clear landscape identity beneath its changing historical names.