County Laois
Contae Laoise | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: The O'Moore County | |
| Motto(s): Irish: I bpáirt leis an bpobal "In partnership with the community" | |
 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| Region | Eastern and Midland |
| Established | 1556[1] |
| County town | Portlaoise |
| Government | |
| • Local authority | Laois County Council |
| • Dáil constituency | Laois–Offaly |
| • EP constituency | South |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,720 km2 (660 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 23rd |
| Highest elevation (Arderin) | 527 m (1,729 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 91,657 |
| • Rank | 23rd |
| • Density | 53/km2 (140/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing keys | R32 (primarily) |
| Telephone area codes | 057 (primarily) |
| ISO 3166 code | IE-LS |
| Vehicle index mark code | LS |
| Website | Official website  |
 | |
County Laois (/liːʃ/ LEESH; Irish: Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922.[3] The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Historically, it has also been known as County Leix.
Laois County Council is the local authority for the county, and is based in Portlaoise.
At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 91,657,[2] an increase of 56% since the 2002 census.
- ^ "'Geographical loyalty'? Counties, palatinates, boroughs and ridings". 6 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Census of Population 2022 – Preliminary Results". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ Laois County Council site: History of Laois https://laois.ie/departments/heritage/history-of-laois/ Archived 7 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine