LAOIGHIS

also spelled Laois, or Leix county in the province of Leinster, Ireland, formerly called Queen's county. It is bounded by County Offaly (north and west), by Kildare (east), by Carlow and Kilkenny (south), and by Tipperary (southwest). The county consists mainly of the valleys of the upper Nore and upper Barrow rivers. Within the county are the greater part of the Slieve Bloom, a range of mountains reaching 1,732 feet (528 m) in Arderin, and the northern part of the Castlecomer Plateau. The county seat is Portlaoighise (Portlaoise). Most of the county is lowland between the Slieve Bloom and the Castlecomer Plateau. More than four-fifths of the county is improved land. More than one-third of the county's population lives in towns and villages. A county council meets at Portlaoighise. Most of the farms in Laoighis are from about 70 to 80 acres (28 to 32 hectares) in size, and about three-fifths of the county's land area is permanent pasture, one-fifth bog, and one-fifth crops. Wheat, barley, and sugar beets for the factory at Carlow are the most important crops. Farming is mixed, with cattle fattening as a source of income. There is sheep rearing in the Slieve Bloom, where there are also forestry plantations. The country's industries include woodworking in Portarlington, a bacon factory in Mountmellick, a woolen mill in Portlaoighise, and pharmaceuticals at Abbeyleix. A branch of the Grand Canal was built through Portarlington to Mountmellick in the early 19th century. The main railway line to Cork from Dublin passes through Portarlington (which has a branch to Portlaoighise). Area 664 square miles (1,719 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 52,325.