Ирландияның Портлейш қаласы

Town in County Laois, Ireland

Portlaoise (/p//ɔr//t/'/l//iː//ʃ
/ portLEESH), or Port Laoise , is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest towns and cities in Ireland from 2011 to 2016. However, the 2022 census shows that the town's population increased by 6.6% to 23,494, which was below the national average of 8%.

The town forms part of the Portlaoise local electoral area and municipal district for elections to Laois County Council. This includes the urban Portlaoise area, Abbeyleix and Ballinakill and surrounding rural areas. As of 2020, the total population of the Portlaoise local electoral area is 31,794 people. Portlaoise Town Council was abolished in 2014 in accordance with the Local Government Reform Act 2014. Portlaoise Town Hall on Market Square, which was designed in the French Renaissance style, was badly damaged in a fire in March 1945 and subsequently demolished. Portlaoise is twinned with Coulounieix Chamiers in the Dordogne département of France.

Portlaoise was among Ireland's fastest growing towns from 2006 to 2011, with a 37.9% increase in population. In the 2016 census it was again in the top 10 fastest growing regions, with the population of the town and its suburbs exceeding 22,000. Due to rapid population growth and its location in the commuter belt, Portlaoise has seen the development of additional services, including a new fire station and a large swimming leisure complex. Portlaoise has a high percentage of people under the age of 15, reflected in the recent construction of new secondary and primary schools.

Portlaoise has long been a major commercial and retail hub for the Midlands. Until the mid 20th century, the main industries of the town were flour milling and the manufacture of worsted fabric. Since their respective declines, among the largest employers are state owned bodies such as the maximum security Portlaoise Prison, which houses the majority of the Irish Republican prisoners sentenced in the Republic, the Midlands Prison, the Department of Agriculture and the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. State owned companies Córas Iompair Éireann (railways, with a National Traincare Maintenance Depot in Portlaoise), the ESB (utilities, with a training centre in the town) and also An Post are all major employers. In 2013 MyPay, a new central payroll system for 55,000 local authority employees across Ireland, was set up in Portlaoise. Due to its location and transport connections, the National Spatial Strategy chose Portlaoise as the location for Ireland's first "Inland Port". This designation encourages the town to focus on the growth of distribution, logistics and warehouse uses. An Post operates the second largest mail centre in Ireland (after Dublin) at their depot in Portlaoise.

Retail spaces include Laois Shopping Centre which is anchored by Tesco, The Kyle Centre which is anchored by Dunnes Stores, Parkside Shopping Centre which is anchored by Super Valu, the Kylekiproe road retail area which houses Aldi, Lidl and Shaws department stores as well as retail parks in Kea Lew and on the South Circular Road.

Tourist sites near the area include the Rock of Dunamase (6 km to the east), a hill top castle which dates from the 12th century. There is also a 12th century round tower 12 km away in Timahoe. Also close by is Fort Protector, a 16th century fort built to protect British colonists from Irish natives. Emo Court is a large Georgian estate designed by James Gandon at nearby Emo.

Portlaoise stands at a major crossroads in the Irish roads network (major roads to Dublin, Limerick, Cork) although construction in the 1990s of the M7 motorway, which bypasses the town, has reduced traffic congestion in the town centre. Portlaoise railway station is one of the busiest railway stations outside of Dublin, and is served by intercity trains between Dublin and Cork and by Dublin commuter services. Maryborough railway station opened on 26 June 1847. It is the terminus of the Portlaoise Commuter Service, which stops at all stations to Heuston and runs hourly off peak and every 20/30 minutes during peak times. It is the busiest county town railway station in the Midland Region, with up to 32 trains to Dublin (10 non stop) and 30 trains from Dublin (9 non stop) per day. Córas Iompair Éireann opened a rail depot south west of Portlaoise town centre in March 2008, with a maintenance and servicing facility for the 183 new intercity railcars and some facilities for outer suburban railcars serving the Kildare route. Bus Éireann operates an intercity service between Dublin and Cork/Limerick which calls at Portlaoise, though this was suspended indefinitely in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The town is also the terminus for Dublin Portlaoise coach services operated by Dublin Coach, which is at James Fintan Lawlor Avenue. The Stradbally Steam Museum in nearby Stradbally is dedicated to steam engines. It is home to a large collection of steam engines including the Mann Steam Cart and Fowler. The museum shows the transport of the past in Portlaoise and Ireland. The Steam Preservation Society have a 1 km train track on the grounds of Stradbally Hall which offers trips for train enthusiasts.

Portlaoise is the birthplace of aviation in Ireland. The first aeroplane made in Ireland was assembled in the town by Frank & Louis Aldritt, William Rogers & John Conroy, and made its first flight as reported in the King's County Chronicle on 4 November 1909. Put in storage during the World War I, it remained in storage until it was discovered over 50 years later in an English museum by Joe Rogers, son of William Rogers, one of the original builders of the aircraft. It was eventually brought back to Portlaoise where it has been restored. The "Old Fort Festival", which was moved from 2019 into the grounds of the old Fort itself, is an annual event but was postponed in 2020 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The 3 day heritage festival is based in and around the walls of the Old Fort Protector, the first of its kind built in Ireland between 1547 and 1548 during the tenure of Bellingham, Lord Justice of Ireland, in the reign of "the boy King" Edward VI. The Stradbally Steam Rally is an annual event held on the August bank holiday weekend in Stradbally Hall. It attracts visitors from all over Ireland and is the highlight of the year for steam enthusiasts. The All Ireland Scarecrow Festival is held in Durrow at the end of July each year. It has featured large scarecrows including King Kong, Pope Francis, Noah's Ark and Electric Picnic. The town is dotted with scarecrows made by local groups, children, businesses and people from neighbouring counties.

Since 2008, Portlaoise has been the Irish base of Self Help Africa, formerly Self Help Development International, a development agency engaged in implementing rural development programmes in Sub Sahara. Established at the time of the Ethiopian Famine of 1984, the organisation is the chosen charity of the Irish Farmers Association.

Portlaoise RFC, a local rugby club, is based outside the town at Togher. Portlaoise GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club and the most successful GAA club in Leinster. Other local sports clubs include Portlaoise Association Football Club and Portlaoise Senior Basketball Club. Sporting facilities in the area include Portlaoise Leisure Centre (which has a 25m pool, a gym, astro and soccer pitches, and a skate park) and Portlaoise Golf Club (which has an 18 hole course on the Abbeyleix Road). Portlaoise AFC is located on the Mountmellick road in Rossleighan Park.

Portlaoise College is situated just minutes from the heart of Portlaoise. Portlaoise College provides full time education for over 300 students in Junior and Leaving Certificate Cycle and has the worst record in Laois of pupils going on to third level, with 46% of students continuing education after obtaining their leaving certificate. Portlaoise Institute offers further education courses, including QQI Level 5 and 6 Courses. These include courses and professional certification in beauty therapy, hairdressing, healthcare, nursing, business studies, information technology, and sports and leisure management.