County Laois properties for sale privately by owner

County Area Description

County Laois, also spelt Laoighis or Leix (Irish: Contae Laoise), is a county in the midlands of Ireland. It is situated in the province of Leinster. Created in 1556 by Mary I of England as Queen's County, Laois received its present Irish language name following the Irish War of Independence. Portlaoise (previously Maryborough) is the county town. Laois was the subject of two Plantations or colonisations by English settlers. Neither plantation was fully successful due to a lack of tenants and because of continuous raids and attacks by the O' Mores. Finally, the county became home to a community of French Huguenots in the 1690s, who were settled in Ireland after their service to William of Orange in the Williamite war in Ireland. In addition to this, large numbers of Quakers settled in Mountmellick and developed the area. The county was renamed in the early 1920s, following a competition. The population of County Laois is expanding rapidly, given its easy commute to Dublin and affordable housing in pleasant surroundings. In the 2006 census the population had increased by 14% to 67,000 people. Source : [Wikipedia.org]