The pivotal urban public space in the revolution in Laois was the Market Square, Portlaoise. This was the centre piece for a range of demonstrations and rallies —with the focal point often the sadly no longer present Town Hall. We’ll look at a couple of these mobilisations here.Read More

In this article, and the next couple of articles, we’ll look at how public space and public buildings were used in the revolution or transformed in the revolution and at the role of these places in the story of how Maryborough became Portlaoise.Read More

Laois County Library has commenced its third Historian-in-Residence Programme with the appointment of Terry Dunne as the new Laois Historian-in-Residence. The aim of the residency is to reflect national policy on commemorations at a local level, bringing to life the experience of all sections of Laois society a hundred years ago.Read More

The Orange Pole in Mountmellick became the Loyalist testament to the suppression of the Nationalist Insurgents in 1798. It was located upon the Market House which was once situated in the centre of the Market Square, which we now know as O’Connell Square.Read More

Opening a window on the past: a reflection on the lives of Gertrude Lucy Maria Franks and Helen Maybury Roe This wonderful new publication by historian Regina Dunne explores the life of Lucy Franks and Helen Roe, two remarkable Laois women whose work impacted the history of Ireland. Gertrude Lucy Maria Franks of the Castletown...Read More