County Laois

County Laois, also spelt Laoighis or Leix (Contae Laoise), is a in the midlands of. It is situated in the of.

History
Created in 1556 by as Queen's County, Laois received its present  name following the. (previously Maryborough) is the county town. Laois was the subject of two or colonisations by English settlers. The first occurred in 1556, when the dispossessed the O'Moore clan from the area and attempted to replace them with English settlers. However, this only led to a long drawn out guerilla war in the county and left a small English community clustered around garrisons. There was a more successful plantation in the county in 17th century, which expanded the existing English settlement with more landowners and tenants from England. Neither plantation was fully successful due to a lack of tenants and because of continuous raids and attacks by the O' Moores.

Finally, the county became home to a community of French in the 1690s, who were settled in Ireland after their service to  in the. In addition to this, large numbers of settled in  and developed the area.

The county was renamed in the early 1920s, following a competition.

Geography
The county is landlocked and, uniquely amongst Irish counties it does not border any other counties with a sea coast. It is therefore considered to be "the most landlocked county in Ireland "

Economy
Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, with 70 % of the area (1,200 km²), farmed every year. The county is home to over 230,000 cattle, four cows for every person. The remaining area includes considerable stretches of raised bog, and the Sleive Bloom mountains, which are partially covered by coniferous forest.

The county has a small industrial base, with industrial parks at Portlaoise and Mountmellick. Over 1500 people work in the industrial sector in County Laois.

However, unemployment is higher than other Irish counties and annual income is lower than the national average, at about 88% of the average. Average incomes in Laois are also well below the national average, mainly due to the high incidence of agriculture as the basis of income. The county makes up part of the Border Midlands and West region for the purposes of EU funding.

Many people in Laois commute to nearby County Kildare, and further afield to County Dublin, where wages are much higher, due to an increased level of direct private sector investment.

Politics
Laois tends to strongly support the party in Irish elections. In the last local elections, however, there was a sharp swing to the opposition party. Historically important Irish figures, such as and  were born in County Laois. Laois is in the constituency for elections to.

Population
The population of County Laois is expanding rapidly, given its easy commute to the employment centres of Kildare and Dublin, and affordable housing in pleasant surroundings. In the 2006 census the population had increased by 14% to 67,000 people.

Towns and villages

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List of notable Laois people

 * The rock group 79Cortinaz hail from both Laois, and Ireland.
 * John Harrison (1979- ), Professional gambler
 * (1953- ), TV chef
 * John Barrett (1753-1821), Vice Provost, Trinity College, 1807-1821
 * Charles Beale (1850-1930), founding president of the Federated Chambers of Manufactures of Australia
 * Joseph Beale (1770-1815), Quaker industrialist
 * Joshua Bewley, tea merchant founder of Oriental Cafés in 1840.
 * , weathercaster
 * Claire Byrne, Anchor
 * Rev. Dr. (1882-1964),, 1928-1964
 * Evelyn Cusack, meteorologist
 * (1799-1867), responsible for the Industrial Exhibition, 1853
 * (1904-1972), British Poet-Laureate, 1967-1972
 * Dr. (1747-1814), Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
 * (1958- ), TV newscaster
 * (1920-1987), Minister for Defence, 1976-1977
 * Hon. (1832-1904), mayor of New York 1880-1885
 * James A. Graves (1827-1910), Australian commissioner of trade and customs, 1881-1883
 * (1981-), professional footballer playing for and
 * Rt. Hon. Joseph Hutchinson (1852-1928), Lord Mayor of Dublin 1904-1906
 * Peter Burrowes Kelly, (1811-1883), author "The Manor of Glenmore"
 * (1807-1849), Young Irelander
 * (1827-1889), leader of the Eureka Stockade miners revolt, Melbourne
 * John Lalor-Fitzpatrick (1875-1949), Nationalist MP for Ossory, 1916-1818
 * Dr. (1712-1759), founder, Rotunda Maternity Hospital, Dublin
 * (1892-1927), former
 * James Pim, railway engineer, "Quaker father of Irish railways"
 * (1773-1823), U.S. Naval Officer
 * (1820-1905), architect, Trinity College, Toronto, the Custom House and the Bank of Montreal