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Portlaoise Prison

1830 establishments in IrelandBuildings and structures in PortlaoisePrisons in the Republic of IrelandUse Hiberno-English from September 2015
Portlaoise Prison, 2021 07 21
Portlaoise Prison, 2021 07 21

Portlaoise Prison (Irish: Príosún Phort Laoise) is a maximum security prison in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. Until 1929 it was called the Maryborough Gaol. It should not be confused with the Midlands Prison, which is a newer, medium security prison directly beside it; or with Dunamaise Arts Centre, which was the original Maryborough Gaol built c. 1789. Portlaoise Prison was built in the 1830s, making it one of the oldest still operating today in the Irish prison system. It is the prison in which people convicted of membership of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other illegal paramilitary and designated terrorist organisations are usually detained. A number of IRA and dissident republican prisoners are housed in "E Block". Anyone charged under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act must be sent to the prison because of its unique security measures.Soldiers from the Irish Army patrol Portlaoise Prison on a permanent basis.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Portlaoise Prison (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 53.038 ° E -7.287 °
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Portlaoise Prison

Stradbrook
R32 H5PW
Ireland
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Portlaoise Prison, 2021 07 21
Portlaoise Prison, 2021 07 21
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Portlaoise
Portlaoise

Portlaoise ( port-LEESH), or Port Laoise (Irish: [ˌpˠɔɾˠt̪ˠˈl̪ˠiːʃə]), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest towns and cities in Ireland from 2011 to 2016. However, the 2022 census shows that the town's population increased by 6.6% to 23,494, which was below the national average of 8%. It is the most populous and also the most densely populated town in the Midland Region, which has a total population of 317,999 at the 2022 census.It was an important town in the medieval period, as the site of the Fort of Maryborough, a fort built by English settlers in the 16th century during the Plantation of Queen's County. Portlaoise is fringed by the Slieve Bloom mountains to the west and north-west and the Great Heath of Maryborough to the east. It is notable for its architecture, engineering and transport connections. On the national road network, Portlaoise is located 94 km (58 mi) west-southwest from Dublin on the M7, 170 km (106 mi) north-east from Cork on the M8/M7 and 114 km (71 mi) east-northeast from Limerick on the M7. It was once known for the manufacture of iron and steel buildings, tennis balls, rubber seals, tyres, electrical cabling, and Ireland's first aircraft. Today, Portlaoise is a commercial centre with the economy dominated by the service sector, and a hub of shopping, transport, and events for the surrounding catchment.