Abbeyleix

Abbeyleix
Mainistir Laoise
Town

Abbeyleix, Main St
Abbeyleix

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 52°54′50″N 7°20′56″W / 52.914°N 7.349°W / 52.914; -7.349Coordinates: 52°54′50″N 7°20′56″W / 52.914°N 7.349°W / 52.914; -7.349
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Laois
Elevation 95 m (312 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
  Town 2,569
  Urban 1,568
  Environs 1,001
Irish Grid Reference S435850

Abbeyleix (/ˈæbiliks/; Irish: Mainistir Laoise, meaning "Laois Abbey") is a town in County Laois, Ireland, located around 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the county town of Portlaoise.

Abbeyleix was formerly located on the N8, the main road from Dublin to Cork, and thus provided a bottleneck, with up to 15,000 vehicles passing along the town's main street every day. Since May 2010, however, the town has been bypassed by the M8 motorway, with the former N8 consequently downgraded to the N77 national secondary road.

History

Abbeyleix is one of the oldest planned estate towns in Ireland. It was largely built in the 18th century by Viscount de Vesci and is situated near a 12th-century Cistercian monastery beside the River Nore. Today, there is a large range of historical structures still standing in and around the small heritage town - ancient ring forts, burial grounds, churches and beautiful estate houses. The town once had a carpet factory, established in 1904 by Yvo de Vesci, the 5th Viscount – notably producing some of the carpets used on the RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic.[2]

Heritage House is the heritage centre, with visitor information and an exhibition on the county's history and local attractions. Original antique carpets and vintage costumes are on display alongside archaeological and historical artefacts.

Transport

Access to the M8 motorway to Cork is provided via the R433 road, while the N77 road links the town with the Dublin-Limerick M7 and to Kilkenny.

Abbeyleix railway station opened on 1 March 1865 and closed on 1 January 1963.[3]

Bus Éireann's expressway service between Dublin and Cork ceased to serve Abbeyleix on 30 June 2012. As an interim measure until 11 August 2012 Bus Éireann operated a shuttle service (route 128) to connect with Expressway services at Portlaoise.[4] Slieve Bloom Coaches also have a route from Borris-in-Ossory to Portlaoise which serves the town.[5]

Amenities

There is a District Hospital in the town, and a number of shops and pubs, such as Morrisey's which aims to be the oldest in Ireland. The Father Breen Park is the site of a great many activities, providing fields for soccer and other sports, while the adjacent CYMS hall is home to numerous clubs, such as boxing and Tae-Kwon-Do House also provides guided tours of the museum and runs workshops throughout the year; training and meeting rooms are available. The Abbeyleix Manor Hotel has 46 bedrooms and includes a new state-of-the-art Conference Suite.

Politics

Abbeyleix is part of the Electoral Area for Laois County Council. The area is largely regarded as supportive of the Fianna Fáil in both local and Dáil Éireann elections.[6]

Buildings of note

Plaque on Market House

Notable residents

Sport

See also

References

  1. "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
  2. "Titanic Carpet Factory". Retrieved 2011-12-10.
  3. "Abbeyleix station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  4. http://buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=251#July_1
  5. http://www.slievebloomcoaches.ie/borrisinossory_18.html
  6. http://www.electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=2009L&cons=302
  7. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Abbeyleix.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abbeyleix.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.