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Portlaoise
Port Laoise
Coat of arms of Portlaoise
Location
Location of Portlaoise
centerMap highlighting Portlaoise
Irish grid reference
S465986
Statistics
Province: Leinster
County: County Laois
Elevation: 139m (459ft)
Population (2006) 14,275 

Portlaoise (older spelling Portlaoighise; former name Maryborough), is the county town of County Laois in the midlands of Ireland. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic Grid references commonly used in Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland, The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A county town is the 'capital' of a County in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland. County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland, Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The name is Irish for "Fort of Laois", and properly pronounced /pɔrtˈliːʃə/; however, a more anglicised pronunciation of "Port Laois" (/pɔrtˈliːʃ/) is common. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Anglicisation or anglicization (see -ise vs -ize) is a process of conversion of verbal or written elements of any other language into a more comprehensible English The population in 2006 was 14,275. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Contents

History

The present town originated as a settlement around the old fort, 'Fort of Leix' or 'Fort Protector', the remains of which can still be seen in the town centre. Its construction began in 1548 under the supervision of the then Lord Deputy Sir Edward Bellingham in an attempt to secure English control in the county following the exile of native Celtic chieftains the previous year. The fort's location on rising ground, surrounded to the south and east by the natural defensive barricades of the River Triogue and an esker known locally as 'the Ridge', greatly added to its strategic importance.

The town proper was established by an act of Parliament during the reign of Queen Mary in 1557. Mary I (18 February 1516 &ndash 17 November 1558 was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death It was renamed Maryborough, and the county of Laois was renamed Queen's County, in Mary's honour. The following year, the fort was garrisoned in response to the threat posed by the O'Mores, the native chieftains of Laois; for the next fifty or so years, they waged a continual, low-scale war of aggression against the inhabitants of the town, who were mostly English in origin.

In 1570, a charter of Queen Elizabeth I raised the town to the rank of borough. A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice This allowed the establishment of a Corporation of the Borough, a body which consisted of a burgomaster, two bailiffs, a town clerk, and a sergeant at arms, as well as various other officers, burgesses and freemen. Until the Act of Union in 1801 and the abolition of its franchise, the town returned two members to the Irish Parliament. The phrase Act of Union 1800 (or sometimes Act of Union 1801) (Acht an Aontais 1800 is used to describe two complementary Acts whose official United Kingdom titles are Year 1801 ( MDCCCI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Tuesday The Corporation itself existed until 1830.

Local government

Portlaoise Town Council is an elected local government body, and mandated under the Local Government Act 2001 to provide civic leadership and a forum for the democratic representation of the community. The term Town Council was introduced into Local government in the Republic of Ireland by the Local Government Act 2001. The Local Government Act 2001 (No37 of 2001 was enacted by the Oireachtas of the Republic of Ireland on 21 July 2001. Responsibilities include amenity support, operation of the Litter Act, contribution to tourism development, event licensing, arts support, etc.

The Town Council executive comprises nine elected Councillors, headed by the town mayor. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The current mayor is Rotimi Adebari. Rotimi Adebari (born 1964 in Okeodan, Ogun State) is a Nigerian born Irish politician An Independent member of the city council, Adebari escaped religious persecution in Nigeria, sought asylum in Ireland in 2000, and is the first black mayor in the country[1] [2].

Portlaoise is twinned with Coulounieix-Chamiers in the Dordogne département of France. Coulounieix-Chamiers is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Dordogne (Dordonha is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Transport

Local economy

The town has long been a major commercial, retail, and arts centre for the Midlands. Until the early twentieth century, the main industries of the town were flour milling and the manufacture of worsted fabric. Since their respective declines, the government has been one of the major employers in the town: the maximum-security Portlaoise Prison, which houses the majority of paramilitary prisoners sentenced in the Republic, the Midlands Prison, and the Department of Agriculture are all large-scale employers in the town. Portlaoise Prison is a maximum security Prison located in Portlaoise, Co Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. This number is expected to increase further under the planned decentralisation of government departments from Dublin.

Portlaoise
Portlaoise

The National Spatial Strategy for Ireland has identified Portlaoise as an ideal location for an inland port. This designation encourages the town to focus on the growth of distribution, logistics and warehouse uses, which ties in well with its strong transport connections.

Tourism

Significant nearby local tourist sites include the ruins of an eight hundred year old hill-top castle at Dunamase; a large Georgian estate home designed by James Gandon and surrounding gardens at Emo; the town of Mountmellick, the site of a notable Georgian square; and the Slieve Bloom Mountains and Forest Park. James Gandon (1743 &ndash 1823 is today recognised as one of the leading architects to have worked in Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century See also Emo (disambiguation Emo ( is a Village in County Laois, Ireland. Mountmellick ( Móinteach Mílic in Irish) is a Town in the north of County Laois in Ireland. Georgian architecture is the name given in most English -speaking countries to the set of Architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840 The Slieve Bloom Mountains ( Sliabh Bladhma in Irish) rise from the central plain of Ireland to a height of 526 metres

Within the town itself, the former jail has been transformed into an arts centre comprising a cinema, performance space and exhibition space.

Sport

People

Portlaoise is the hometown of footballers Ian Fitzgerald, Colm Parkinson and aviation pioneer James Fitzmaurice. Ian Fitzgerald is a former Gaelic football player from County Laois in Ireland. Colm Parkinson from Meelick Portlaoise was born in 1979 He went to school in Portlaoise at the local Christian Brothers School James Fitzmaurice {DFC}( January 6, 1898 &ndash September 26, 1965) was an aviator pioneer The well-known poet Pat Boran was also born and grew up in the town. Pat Boran (born 1963 is an Irish poet Born in Portlaoise, Boran has lived in Dublin for a number of years In addition. Portlaoise was the bithplace of Bartholomew Mosse, the founder of the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin

Charity

Since early 2008 Portlaoise has been the Irish base of Self Help Development International, the Irish development agency engaged in implementing long term rural development programmes in Sub-Sahara. Bartholomew Mosse ( 1712 - February 16, 1759) was an Irish surgeon and Impresario responsible for founding the Rotunda Hospital The Rotunda Hospital ( Ospidéal an Rotunda in Irish) is one of the three main maternity hospitals in the city of Dublin, the others being The Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Self Help Development International is the former name of an Irish charity that engaged in promoting and implementing integrated long term Rural development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa is a geographical term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara, or those African countries Established at the time of the Ethiopian Famine of 1984, Self Help is the chosen charity of The Irish Farmers Association.

Twinning

Portlaoise is twinned with the town of Coulounieix-Chamiers in France. Coulounieix-Chamiers is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

See also

References

  1. ^ RTE News
  2. ^ Washington Post
  3. ^ Maryborough station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-11-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina.

External links

A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system.
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