County Laois
Surrounded by some wonderful rural tranquillity, Laois is nestled in the heart of Ireland and boasts a host of hidden charms. History and culture abound in the small county, combined with a fine selection of first class accommodation, sporting and recreational facilities.
The county's main town of Portlaoise was originally established as the Fort of Maryborough in 1556 under the reign of Queen Mary, and many elements of its garrison past are still evident throughout the town. The old jail in Portlaoise town centre has been recently restored to create a multi-purpose arts centre, which regularly hosts a variety of cultural delights.
Along the Stradbally Road, six kilometers east of Portlaoise, the Rock of Dunamase is a fractured limestone hill covered with the remains of fortification. Laois's most historic site, the rock offers fine views of the flat surrounding countryside, including the Slieve Bloom mountains to the north and the Wicklow mountains to the east. Acknowledged outside Ireland as far back as 500 B.C., the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy wrote of a place called Dunum. It is thought that what Ptolemy was in fact referring to was Dun Masc, the Celtic name for Dunamase.
After a sacking by the Vikings in 845, little was left of the fortification. Dunamase was then later given away by Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster, as part of his daughter Aoife's dowry. She married Strongbow, the Norman Invader of Ireland in 1170. Towards the end of the fourteenth century the rock was captured by the local O'Mores clan. Dunamase went through various changes of ownership before being sacked by Oliver Cromwell in the seventeenth century.
