French
DeutschPortlaoise or Port Laoise (pronounced "leesh") is the county town of County Laois, in the midlands of Ireland. It's a large town that acts as a transport hub for the region and is within an hour's travel of Dublin. There's plenty of accommodation and similar amenities aimed at business and commercial travel rather than tourism. The town itself has few attractions but nearby sights are the Rock of Dunamase and Slieve Bloom mountains.
Understand
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The town grew up from the 16th century as Maryborough, named for Queen Mary, when the Tudors established a fort, ousted the Irish rulers the O'Mores, and colonised the area with "Plantations" of loyal English settlers. Growth was slow because of Irish counter-attacks, but the town developed industry and was a stop along the Dublin-Limerick highway. The railway arrived in the 19th century to put it within an hour or so of Dublin. At independence it was renamed Portlaoise and became a base for several state agencies, such as the Post, and there's a large maximum-security prison. In the 21st century Portlaoise grew rapidly as a commuter town for Dublin, and in 2022 the population was 23,500.
You’re Welcome Laois posts visitor information online.
Get in
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By train
[edit | edit source]Trains from Dublin Heuston run hourly from 6:30AM to 10PM. Commuter trains take 70 min, with stops at Dublin Park West & Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, Hazelhatch & Celbridge, Sallins (for Naas), Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin and Portarlington to terminate at Portlaoise. Inter-city trains take 45 min, stopping only at Portarlington; they continue south to Ballybrophy (for Roscrea and Nenagh), Thurles, Limerick or Cork, or go west to Tullamore, Clara and Athlone, thence either Galway or Roscommon and County Mayo. See Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.
1 Portlaoise station is north side of town centre.
By road
[edit | edit source]By road from Dublin follow N7 / M7 to junction 16 (East) then R445 into town, J17 (Central) then N77 into town or J18 (West), then R445 into town; there is no interchange with N80. The first section of N7 to Naas is very busy but is a good six lane dual carriageway.
By bus
[edit | edit source]Dublin Coach 726 (aka N7 or "The Green Bus") runs hourly round the clock from Dublin Airport via Red Cow LUAS stop, Naas, Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin, taking two hours to Portlaoise. On race days it also stops at Curragh racecourse near Kildare.
From Dublin city centre take a tram or local bus to Red Cow, or Dublin Coach M7 or M9, and change.
JJ Kavanagh Bus 735 also runs every two hours daily from Dublin Airport and Heuston station via Kildare. From Portlaoise it continues to Roscrea, Nenagh, UCL and Limerick.
JJ Kavanagh Bus 825 runs twice M-F from Abbeyleix to Portlaoise, Stradbally, Athy and Carlow.
Bus Éireann 73 traverses the midlands from Waterford via Thomastown, Kilkenny, Carlow and Stradbally to Portlaoise, continuing to Mountmellick, Tullamore, Clara and Athlone, twice M-Sa and once on Sunday.
Local Link Bus 823 runs from Birr via Kinitty and Mountmellick to Portlaoise, five times M-Sa with four on Sunday.
Local Link Bus 858a from Cashel and Bus 858b from Thurles both run four times daily to Urlingford then to Durrow, Abbeyleix and Portlaoise.
Local Link Bus 834 runs six times daily from Roscrea, taking an hour.
Slieve Bloom Coach 830 runs M-F every two hours from Tullamore, 50 min. Bus 829 also runs three times M-F from Tullamore via Portarlington.
2 Portlaoise Centre is the main bus stop, by the shopping centre.
Get around
[edit | edit source]The town is compact, but you need transport for outlying attractions.
Taxis wait at the railway station, Market Square and other central locations. Operators include Portlaoise Taxi (+353 87 227 8178), Emmanuel (+353 89 228 1772) and J Taxi (+353 87 242 1876).
Enterprise has a car hire base in Portlaoise.
See
[edit | edit source]- 1 Maryborough Fort survives only as a corner tower on Fitzmaurice Place and a couple of sections of wall. It's been tacked on to modern buildings and you can't go inside.
- Captain James Fitzmaurice (1898-1965), who gives his name to the square by the fort, was co-pilot on the first east-to-west transatlantic flight, in Bremen a Junkers W 33. On 12-13 April 1928 they flew overnight from Baldonnel near Dublin to Greenly Island off Quebec. Gloop! — yes, they flew all that way from Ireland just to find themselves in a bog, which wrecked the aircraft. The Fitzmaurice memorial is shaped like an aircraft wing, though Bremen didn't flop at quite such an angle.
- 2 Ridge of Maryborough Graveyard is perched atop an esker, a little hillock. The church has gone but the graveyard contains 18th / 19th-century headstones and tombs.
- 3 4th Battalion Leinster Regiment Great War Memorial commemorates the 17 officers and 160 men of the regiment who died in the First World War. It's in Memorial Park, a narrow green strip at the junction of Church St and Ridge Rd.
- 4 Old St Peter's Church is a fenced-off ruin on Railway St. It was built around 1556 as an RC church, but when Catholic Queen Mary was succeeded by Protestant Queen Elizabeth, it smartly changed denomination. John Wesley, founder of Methodism, is said to have preached here on three occasions and to have declared it an elegant church, but it fell into ruin from 1804 when the new St Peter's was built on Market Square. Those within its graveyard include Bartholomew Mosse founder of Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital, and the highwayman Jeremiah Grant (see Drink). You'll have to make do with squinting through the wrought iron gate on the street.
- 5 James Fintan Lalor is the statue outside County Hall, the boxy modern building at the junction of Abbeyleix Rd and the boulevard now named for him. Lalor (1809-1849) was primarily a writer advocating for land reform, as his poor health gave him little scope for public speaking or physical revolutionary activities. "We hold the present existing government of this island and all existing rights of property in our soil, to be mere usurpation and tyranny . . . " and after his early death (probably from TB) the Great Famine reinforced his point. The next generation of republicans (such as Michael Davitt, James Connolly, Pádraig Pearse and Arthur Griffith) took his argument to its logical conclusion: that cruel and unjust land tenure was the inevitable result of imperial rule over Ireland.
Farther out
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- 6 Rock of Dunamase, Aughnahilla. 24 hr. A limestop outcrop rearing up 45 m from the plain, with the ruins of Dunamase Castle. Ptolemy's map of 140 AD marks Dunum hereabouts, which may or may not indicate Dunamase, but it's an obvious spot for a stronghold. The first known settlement was a 9th century monastery, but it wasn't fortified nearly enough, as the Vikings made two murderous raids upon it. It may then have lain unoccupied for some decades before becoming a bastion of Diarmait Mac Murchada or MacMurrough, king of Leinster. He was deposed in 1167, and he’d obviously failed to read the stirring words of James Fintan Lalor, because his next bright idea was to bring over a large Anglo-Norman army to reclaim his throne. Norman eyes lit up at what they found, and centuries of occupation followed; among their many fortifications they built up Dunamase into the stone castle you see today. But the Irish successfully counter-attacked, and by 1350 the castle was derelict, though Cromwell smashed it some more in 1650. Free.
- 7 Stradbally Hall is an Italianate pile built by Lanyon in 1860. It's a private residence with no tours, but it often hosts events - see below for these and the Woodland Railway.
- 8 Colt 1916 Memorial is on N77 towards Abbeyleix, 6 km south of town. Colt refers to the nearby village not the revolver, but the plaque commemorates the first shots of the Easter Rising. An order calling off the rising failed to reach many, so on the evening of Easter Sunday 23 April 1916, the Laois Volunteers acted on their earlier orders from Pádraig Pearse to sabotage the railway, to prevent British reinforcements being sent towards Dublin. They included a railwayman, so they succeeded while similar attempts that night failed; later a train derailed at the spot. Another railwayman challenged them but was chased away by three gunshots, confirmed as the rising's first, as the Good Friday capture of Casement and the German arms shipment were made without gunfire.
- 9 Timahoe has the remains of St Mochua's monastery. These are scrappy except for the splendid Round Tower, built in the 12th century and 30 m tall. The Heritage Centre is open Tu-Su 11AM-4PM.
- 10 Great Heath Barrow is 6 km NE of town by Exit 16 of M7. Barrows are common prehistoric burial structures and probably had other ritual purposes. This one is a ring barrow, a low mound surrounded by a concentric ditch with an external bank. It's the most visible of several nearby burial structures; what it most looks like is a golf hazard.
- 11 Morett Castle is the forlorn stump seen from M7 as you approach town. It was built for the Fitzgeralds circa 1580 and abandoned in the 18th century. It's on private land and hardly worth seeking out in the back lanes.
- 12 Emo Court: see Portarlington for this grand mansion.
Do
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- Dunamaise Arts Centre, Church St R32 W93P, ☏ +353 57 866 3355, info@dunamaise.ie. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM. This has a theatre, exhibition space and cafe.
- Odeon Cinema is a multiplex on Church St.
- Gaelic games: Laois GAA play football and hurling at O'Moore Park, capacity 22,000, on N77 half a mile south of town centre.
- 1 Roll 'n Bowl, Clonminam Business Park R32 C942, ☏ +353 57 867 0005. Daily 10AM-7PM. Entertainment centre with ten-pin bowling, indoor soccer, mini golf, Laser Quest shooting game, bumper cars, roller skating disco, kiddy crafts, play area and arcade games.
- 2 Portlaoise Leisure Centre, Parkview R32 AE68, ☏ +353 57 868 1200. M-F 9:30AM-9PM, Sa Su 9:30AM-4PM. 25-m swimming pool, plus 10-m teaching pool and kiddy-pool. Plus gym, Astro turf pitches and a playground.
- People's Park is south side of town on R426 Timahoe Rd. There's an outdoor gym, children's play area, artificial lake and wildlife reserve.
- 3 Portlaoise Golf Club, Abbeyleix Road, ☏ +353 57 866 1557, portlaoisegolfclub@gmail.com. Parkland course, blue tees 5124 m, par 69.
- 4 Heath Golf Club, Greatheath R32 WR52, ☏ +353 57 864 6533, info@theheathgc.ie. 18-hole golf course on heathland, so it's sometimes described as "inland links"; blue tees 6118 m, par 71. With pro shop, driving range, restaurant and other facilities.
- 5 Togher Woods are popular for walking, jogging and birdwatching. From the M7 / N77 junction wind around Portlaoise Plaza to take the lane crossing south over the motorway.
- Stradbally Woodland Railway is a 914-mm (3-ft) gauge railway on 1 km of track at Stradbally Hall, with miniature steam and diesel locos. It's only open in summer on Sundays and public holiday weekends.
Events
[edit | edit source]- Laois Rose Final is an old-style beauty contest held in odd-numbered years in June in the Midland Park Hotel. The winner gets to try out for the Rose of Tralee in August.
- Gordon Bennett Classic Car Rally, open to vehicles of 30+ years, is based in Portlaoise and circles through Kildare, Stradbally, Athy and Carlow. It's held in June over the Bank Holiday weekend.
- Heartlands Rally is a motor-racing event in June.
- Old Fort Quarter Festival is at the end of June, with live music, street market and festival and suchlike.
- Stradbally Steam Rally is held on the August bank holiday at Stradbally Hall on N80.
- Electric Picnic is a music festival at Stradbally Hall in late Aug / early September.
- World & National Ploughing Championships are held at Ratheniska, 3 km west of Stradbally, in late September.
Buy
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- Laois Shopping Centre occupies the block south of James Fintan Lalor Ave by the main bus stop. There’s Lidl, Tesco Extra and a 24-hour Revolution Laundry.
- Kyle Shopping Centre is the next block south, with Aldi and Dunnes Stores (who have another store north on Green Rd).
- Portlaoise Retail Park is at junction 17 of M7 with Abbeyleix Rd N77. It's the place for homeware and sportswear and has Midway Food Court. Maldron Hotel is also here, see Sleep.
- Centra on Dublin Rd and on Mountmellick Rd have ATMs and are open 24 hours.
- Antiques: The Store Yard is an emporium of architectural salvage and other vintage and retro furnishings, west side of town on Kea-Lew Business Park. It’s open Tu-Sa 9:30AM-5PM.
Eat
[edit | edit source]- Market Square and Main Street has a slew of inexpensive places. They include Laois Kebab and Mezza Pizza on the square, Lana Thai at 40, Mayur at 47 (below), Nino's fish & chips at 49, Thanh Loi at 51, The Wandering Elk on Bull Lane, Jeremiah Grant at 65 (below), Bovine Burger at 68, Chocolate Brown coffee shop at 93 and Golden Grill at 98.
- Mayur, 47 Main St R32 VRX8, ☏ +353 57 866 6000. M-Sa 5-10:30PM, Sun 3-9:30PM. Reliable central spot for Indian food.
- Jeremiah Grant, 65 Main St R32 DX07, ☏ +353 57 866 3544. Su-Th noon-midnight, F Sa noon-1AM. Pub with three bars, decent food, and decor themed for Jeremiah Grant (1785-1816). Evicted from his farm, Grant turned to rustling; he was jailed but escaped three times. Then he became a highwayman, but was captured and publicly hanged across the street from the pub.
- Koh-i-Noor is at 17 Main Street YX2N, open M-Sa 4-11PM, Su 4-10PM.
- Akuyu is Japanese at 37 Main St R32 PK25, open W 4-10PM, Th-Tu 1-10PM.
- Laoise Shopping Centre and surrounds have Caffe Latte, LemoNick’s Café, Apache Pizza, Supermac's, Emperor's House and Eddie Rocket’s.
- Kyle Shopping Centre the next block south has Namo Mexican and Insomnia coffee shop.
- Brew Cafe up Dublin Rd is handy for the two hospitals (and, come to think of it, the prison). It's open Tu-Sa 9AM-5:30PM.
- Midway Food Court is at Abbeyleix Rd, N77 at junction 17 of M7 two km south of town centre. Several budget outlets. It's next to Maldron Hotel.
- Francesco's is a traditional Italian chipper, with one outlet in Kilminchy and the other at Fairgreen, both next to O'Gorman's restaurants.
- The Bay Tree, 8 Hynds Square, 8 Main St R32 X662, ☏ +353 57 863 0489. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 10AM-5PM. Specialising in coeliac-friendly cooking , with gluten-free bread and desserts. Standard diets are also well catered for.
- Mulhall's Restaurant, Kellyville Park R32 Y429 (Above Supervalu), ☏ +353 57 866 0353. M-Sa 8AM-4PM. Comfy place for breakfast, lunch and afternoon bites.
- Kelly's Steakhouse, Jessop St R32 YP99 (within Midlands Park Hotel), ☏ +353 57 867 8588. W-Sa 5:30-10PM, Su 4-9PM. French bistro- and steakhouse, good reviews for food and service.
- 1 O'Gorman's, Kilminchy Village R32 DTW5, ☏ +353 57 868 2921. Daily 9AM-11PM. Bar and restaurant.
- 2 Treacy's, The Heath R32 X803 (R445 by golf club), ☏ +353 57 864 6539. M-Sa 8AM-11:30PM, Su 10AM-11:30PM. Pub in thatched cottage, established in 1780 and run by the Treacy family all these years. Good scores for trad food and service.
Drink
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- Market Square has Liam Casey's, Square Bar, EJ Morrissey (below), Manhattan Mixer, Maggie May's and Peigs.
- E J Morrissey, 15 Market Square R32 DV24. Daily 2PM-midnight. Trad pub, large bar with lots of snug corners, plus food and TV sport.
- Kavanagh's Bar & Venue, 28 Main Street R32 EP2K, ☏ +353 57 862 1744. M-Th 10:30AM-11:30PM, F Sa 10:30AM-12:30AM, Su noon-11PM. Ground floor is a trad pub with TV sport, first floor is a comedy club and live music venue.
- Main Street also has Sally Gardens, DM Shelly, the tiny Bergin's, Ryan's, Ramsbottom's and Hume's.
- Charter Bar & Eatery is within Midlands Park Hotel, see Sleep. It's open daily 8AM-midnight.
- Ballykilcavan Brewery is 2 km east of Stradbally on R428 towards Athy, tours available.
- Greenfield Global is a small chemical factory west edge of town. Among other things, they produce alcohol which is mixed into familiar spirits for drinking. No tours, but just so you know where your pricey, artfully marketed drink is really coming from.
Sleep
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- 1 Midlands Park Hotel, Jessop St R32 KV20, ☏ +353 57 867 8588, info@midlandsparkhotel.com. Good mid-range business hotel and conference centre. They have a leisure club with pool and bars and restaurants. B&B double €140.
- 2 Ivyleigh House, Bank Place, Church Street R32 TD36, ☏ +353 57 862 2081. Charming friendly B&B near the railway station.
- 3 Maldron Hotel, Abbeyleix Rd R32 HKN3, ☏ +353 57 869 5900. Modern business hotel with leisure centre, handy for motorists by the M7. It's next to Portlaoise Retail Park with Midway Food Court. B&B double €130.
- 4 Killeshin Hotel, Dublin Rd R32 TYW7, ☏ +353 57 863 1200, info@thekilleshin.com. Good business hotel with leisure club and pool. B&B double €130.
- 5 Gandon Inn, Emo R32 A256 (by jcn 15 of M7), ☏ +353 57 862 6622. An 18th-century coach house, temporarily closed for renovation.
- 6 Glamping Under The Stars, Cullenagh R32 WP7V, ☏ +353 86 065 1485. Hobbit-pods in tranquil country surrounds.
- 7 Ballyfin, Ballyfin R32 PN34, ☏ +353 57 875 5866. Sumptuous country house hotel at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, great comfort and service. They have activities and a spa. No children under 9, assistance dogs only. B&B double €1500.
Connect
[edit | edit source]As of Oct 2026, Portlaoise and its approach roads have 5G from all Irish carriers.
Go next
[edit | edit source]- Abbeyleix has lost its abbey, but instead has a bog, and the Heywood Gardens.
- Mountmellick is the main access for the north slopes of the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
- Athy on the navigable River Barrow has old castles and churches.