This county town was once called Maryborough. It was fortified during the reign of Philip and Mary as part of a plan to subdue the O’ Mores, the local chiefs, but nothing other than the outer wall of the tower remains today. Golf (18) at ‘The Heath’, tennis is still there. Further, a jazz festival is held at the beginning of June each year.
Laois (Accommodation, Laois, Ireland) also known as the “Queen’s County, a county of Ireland, bounded N and W by Offaly the King’s county, E by Kildare and part of Carlow, S by Kilkenny, and SW by Tipperary, 32 English m. long, and as many broad. Along the W boundary runs a range of high and steep mountains, and in the E the Dysart hills form a prominent and picturesque object. Its principle rivers are the Barrow and Nore. The principal mineral productions are coal and limestone. It sends 3 members to the British parliament. Also known as “Leix”, this region was part of the possessions of the O’Mores (or O’Moores) before the Norman invasion. As in so many cases, the Norman grant of the lands to the Fitzpatricks was largely unsuccessful and the 
native Irish remained a constant threat until the sixteenth century when, along with the neighbouring Offaly, Laois (Hotels, Laois, Ireland) was annexed to the English crown under Queen Mary and renamed “Queen’s county”. In case the Irish still hadn’t got the point, the principal town was also renamed Maryborough. The county was re-titled Laois (Bed and Breakfasts, Laois, Ireland) after Independence in 1922, and Maryborough became Portlaoise. The town is best known to most Irish people today as the home of the country’s only high-security prison.
| Abbeyleix Manor Hotel |
Rating: 3 Star |
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| Castle Arms Hotel |
Rating: 1 Star |
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