County Dossier
Laois
A midland county of upland edges and central routes.
Laois lies in the central midlands, rising south-westward into the Slieve Bloom Mountains while opening out into lower farmland and bogland beyond.
At a glance
Laois at a glance
A midland county of upland edges and central routes.
- 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
Laois meets Offaly to the west and north-west, Kildare to the north-east, Carlow to the east and south-east, Kilkenny to the south, and Tipperary to the south-west. The county is shaped by the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the spread of the central plain, and the transition from river valleys to bog-edge country.
Laois is easy to recognise through Slieve Bloom, the midland plain, and the bog-edge country.
Map Reference
View Laois on the map
Laois is the county. The map shows its boundary, places, and neighbouring counties.
The county.
The county boundary.
Nearby counties and places.
Places and routes
Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Mountmellick, Mountrath, and Portarlington show the county from its central plain and Slieve Bloom side to its northern and eastern approaches.
Connections
The county’s routes have long crossed the plain through Portlaoise and Abbeyleix, run north-west toward Mountmellick and Portarlington, and turn south-west toward Mountrath and the Slieve Bloom side. Movement follows the same plain, bog-edge, and upland pattern.
Names
- Laois
- County Laois
- County of Laois
Laois is the county name restored from the older Irish form. County Laois is the formal historical style, the older historical background lies in Loígis and the O’More country, and the Laois name ultimately outlasted the later title Queen’s County.
Laois was shired in the sixteenth century, and its central position between plain, upland, and route corridor has kept the historic county geographically clear ever since.