Laois County Council is actively considering the development of serviced sites over the coming years at a number of locations.
The Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund launched in September, 2022 by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to be delivered by local authorities, aims to provide new choices for people to live in towns and villages in Ireland and will see local authorities make available serviced sites at reduced cost to support self-build home ownership.
In advance of finalising its plans, the Council wishes to establish that there are sufficient levels of interest. If you consider that you qualify and are interested in declaring an interest provisionally at this point, you are invited to complete an online assessment at the following link, subject to the important information contained in the survey and your acceptance of the terms in it:
This information is sought by the Housing Department of Laois County Council and retained in pursuance of the functions of Laois County Council as a Housing Authority.
The new series of Operation Transformation appeared on our TV screens on Wednesday 4th January 2023 following much behind the scenes engagement with SVT Activity and Wellness Hub, Healthy Laois and the Sports and Leisure Department in Laois County Council, The Leaders, including Andrea Daly from Portlaoise will host the event over the course of eight weeks, in the Malt House in Stradbally.
The Ad Break Challenge will move to a different town each week. The first Ad Break challenge took place on the 29th December, in Stradbally Village was led by Operation Transformation expert, Karl Henry and featured Stradbally native, Ann Simpson.
Laois County Council’s Healthy Laois Co-ordinator Emma O’Connor said: “Having the show broadcast from Laois will play a significant role in helping us deliver our goal of promoting a society where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health, and where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society. We hope the people of Laois will tune in and join the participants in commencing their journey to enjoying greater physical and mental wellbeing.”
Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Heidi, Brooke, Ben , Martina and Cody Lynch and Pamela O’Shea.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Ann Simpson ( Ad Break Hero ) and Karl Henry ( O.T. Fitness expert ) leading the exercises.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Karl Henry ( O.T. Fitness expert ) leading the exercises.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Marie Kinsella, Jill Sheehan, Katie Mc Grath, Sarah and Valerie Sheehan, Eddie Kitchin Carol Sheehan.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Karl Henry ( O.T. Fitness expert ) with young participants.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Karl Henry ( O.T. Fitness expert ) with Laois Co. Council officials – Tom Curran, Anne Marie Kirrane, Ann Marie Delaney and Emma O’Connor and Kathleen Sheridan ( SVT ).Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Marie Nestor with Harry and Ellan Brady.Pictured at Court Square , Stradbally for the Operation Transformation Ad Break Challenge, were: Ella O’Riordan, Sarah, Emer and Edel Ramsbottom and Darragh O’Riordan.
This week, on Friday 6th January at 7.00pm, participants will be welcomed to the scenic setting of Vicarstown where Annanough GAA will host the Ad Break Challenge. Operation Transformation will air every Wednesday from January 4th for eight weeks at 21:35 on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
As a mark of respect to the late Private Seán Rooney, a book of condolences will be opened at the offices of Áras an Chontae, Portlaoise from 3.00 p.m. today, December 21st 2022 for all Members of the public who may wish to sign it.
Laois County Council would like to express deepest condolences to Private Rooney’s family and friends at this very difficult time.
An online Book of Condolence to allow the people of Laois to extend their heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the late Private Seán Rooney has been opened.
All messages of sympathy will be printed and forwarded in a Book of Condolence to the Rooney family.
KPMG Future Analytics have been commissioned by Laois County Council to undertake a Town Centre Masterplan for Rathdowney. The plan will guide the regeneration of the town and provide the basis for future funding applications. For the plan to best fit the needs of the town and those who live and work in it, we need to hear from the people it is designed to help.
To allow Laois County Council to develop a comprehensive understanding of specific issues affecting Rathdowney Town, two surveys have been designed.
Laois County Council is seeking unoccupied properties in County Laois to provide temporary accommodation to those fleeing war in Ukraine, who need a safe and secure place to stay for a while.
Do you have an unoccupied property that you’re not using at the moment? A tax-free recognition payment of €800 per month is available to those who offer unoccupied properties.
Please consider offering it as temporary accommodation for those fleeing this war. Your offer will make a huge difference for Ukrainian families. Visit offerahome.ie to make an offer or find out more. #OfferAHome
If you #OfferAHome to those fleeing war in Ukraine, you can expect Laois County Council will follow up with you quickly and keep you updated and informed throughout the process. Find out more at offerahome.ie
Start date of consultation: 30/11/2022
End date of consultation: 28/12/2022
Laois County Council is intending to enter into a Data Sharing Agreement under the Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019.
The proposed agreement, a Data Sharing Agreement between Enterprise Ireland and all Local Authorities (including Laois County Council) will be available for public consultation at: www.gov.ie/consultations/DSA/ for a period of 28 days from 30/11/2022 to 28/12/2022.
The public are invited to make submissions by email to
consultations.dsa@per.gov.ie
Please include the full Data Sharing Agreement name “EILAS 018/211122 DSA for LEO Suite of Services Data” in the subject line of your email. Only submissions made to this email address will be accepted.
Once the public consultation period has expired submissions cannot be accepted.
Documents for reference are:
*(Please note that this PDF document also includes a Data Protection Officer (DPO) statement and a Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA) where appropriate).
The Government’s Housing For All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland proposed a new tax to activate vacant land for residential purposes as a part of the Pathway to Increasing New Housing Supply.
The Residential Zoned Land Tax was introduced in the Finance Act 2021. The process to identify land to which the tax applies is now underway and the tax will be payable from 2024.
The objective of the tax is to activate land that is serviced and zoned for residential use or mixed use, including residential use, in order to increase housing supply and to ensure regeneration of vacant and idle lands in urban locations. These locations have been identified within statutory land use plans as being appropriate locations for housing and they have benefitted from investment in the key services to support the delivery of housing. 1990.
On Thursday, the 24th November, the Healthy Laois Unit of Laois County Council, led by Ms Emma O’Connor, Healthy Laois County Co-ordinator, held a Consultation Workshop in the LOETB Centre of Excellence, O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. The workshop brought together a broad cross section of Laois Community Groups and agencies, in addition to Service Users, to help inform the new Healthy Laois 2023- 2025 Strategy.
The Healthy Ireland Programme is based on the premise, that health and wellbeing is affected by all aspects of a person’s life, including education, socio-economic status and physical environment. Healthy Laois is working to ensure an increase in the proportion of people who are healthy at all stages of life, to reduce health inequalities and to create an environment, where every individual and sector of society, can play their part in achieving a healthier Laois for its citizens.
Speaking at the event, An Cathaoirleach Thomasina Connell, outlined how recent health studies have shown the need for preventative action to begin now, if we are to meaningfully address areas of concern such as physical activity, mental health, healthy activity, sexual health and substance abuse.
Healthy Ireland Laois embraces and recognises national policies and plans, and recognises the need to integrate and to implement them, at local level, and they are embedded into the county’s Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP), which is now also currently under review.
Siobhan Hourigan, Health Promotion Officer for the HSE, spoke about how existing Healthy Laois Programmes, such as the “We’re Breastfeeding Friendly Campaign” and the “Not Around Us”, Tobacco Free Campaign, demonstrated the value of interagency collaboration in creating meaningful initiatives, that can be actioned and serve to inform the new Healthy Laois Strategy for 2023-2025.
A series of round table consultations and feedback sessions ensued which were facilitated by Storm Powell and Jim O’Brien. These produced very good information and provided insight into the issues affecting the citizens of county Laois, with key actions and outcomes identified.
The workshop offered an opportunity for meaningful collaboration with groups and organisations and will ensure the Healthy Laois Plan can achieve the greatest impact possible on the health and wellbeing of all in Laois into the future.
If you wish to find out more about Healthy laois initiatives, please contact Emma O’Connor at eoconnor @laoiscoco.ie or please see https://laois.ie/departments/healthy-laois/
Laois County Council is seeking unoccupied properties in County Laois to provide temporary accommodation to those fleeing war in Ukraine, who need a safe and secure place to stay for a while.
Do you have an unoccupied property that you’re not using at the moment? A tax-free recognition payment of €800 per month is available to those who offer unoccupied properties.
Please consider offering it as temporary accommodation for those fleeing this war. Your offer will make a huge difference for Ukrainian families. Visit offerahome.ie to make an offer or find out more. #OfferAHome
If you #OfferAHome to those fleeing war in Ukraine, you can expect Laois County Council will follow up with you quickly and keep you updated and informed throughout the process. Find out more at offerahome.ie
Laois Age Friendly are holding a social event in the Parish Centre , Portlaoise on Tuesday the 6th of December.The HSE will be joining us as they are designing a booklet and are seeking a focus group to complete a poll to inform them.
This poll should take approximately 1 hour, and we will follow this up with some card & board games, refreshments and possibly more….numbers are limited so if you are interested, please pre book with Tom Curran, Age Friendly Laois, as soon as possible.
Tom Curran 086 0363426 tcurran@laoiscoco.ie
We will have scrabble, chess & draughts, Connect 4 and card games. We will have some music in the background so get your requests in!!!
A major new publication on the Rock of Dunamase “The High Fortress” edited by Peigin Doyle and published by Wordwell Books was published in Portlaoise last night (23rd November 2022).
Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer; Michael Parsons, Laois Heritage; Cllr Thomasina Connell, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council and Virginia Teehan, Chief Executive, the Heritage Council at the launch of The High Fortress: A Guide to the Rock of Dunamase. Picture: Alf Harvey.
Launching the book, Cllr Thomasina Connell, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council said “A special site like this, deserves a very special publication, and I am absolutely delighted to say that this book published by Wordwell, with Laois County Council and the Heritage Council, fills that need very well. As Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council I am proud to be associated with this wonderful book. It will be a must-read for anyone exploring this amazing site or learning about the history of Laois.”
The book is the result of a collaborative process between the Laois Heritage Forum and authors working with Editor Peigín Doyle. Peigin is an author and journalist whose specialist areas are history, heritage, and archaeology. The contributing authors are:
Dr John Feehan, author of “Laois, an Environmental History” and “The Geology of Laois and Offaly”;
Dr Sharon Greene, research archaeologist and the editor of “Archaeology Ireland” magazine;
Dr Matthew Stout, author of “Early Medieval Ireland 431–1169” and
Brian Hodkinson an archaeologist who has directed key Irish excavations such as the Rock of Cashel, Nenagh Castle and on Dunamase itself.
Nick Maxwell and Una MacConville from Wordwell (publishers); Catherine Casey, Laois Heritage Officer; John Mulholland, Chief Executive Laois County Council; Peigín Doyle, Editor; Angela McEvoy, Director of Services Laois County Council and Hugh MacConville at the launch of The High Fortress: A Guide to the Rock of Dunamase. Picture: Alf Harvey.
The ruins of an Anglo-Norman fortress built over an Early Christian Irish dún, Dunamase was fought over, occupied, fortified, reinforced, seized, abandoned, and blown up. Today, silhouetted against the Laois skyline, it has the power still to stir imaginations. Plundered by Viking raiders in 843AD, it became the dowry of Aoife, the bartered daughter of Diarmait Mac Murchada, when she married Richard De Clare, Strongbow, as the price for the Anglo-Norman invader restoring Diarmait as king of Leinster.
Fortified by a murder hole, arrow slits, portcullis, drawbridge and high protecting walls, the struggles between Gaelic Irish versus invading forces played out around the fortress of Dunamase for centuries. Weapons and armour, buckles and spurs, gaming pieces and arrowheads, Gaelic metalwork and medieval coins, all unearthed in excavations, bear witness to its role as a focal point for critical events in Irish history.
Chief Executive of Laois County Council John Mulholland thanked each of the authors for their insight, and dedication into getting all aspects of the human and natural history of this site right. He particularly mentioned the photographers, illustrators and image owners who allowed images to be used in this publication – saying that the imagery really lifts the whole publication beyond the ordinary. Archaeological illustrator Dan Tietzsch Tyler contributed the wonderful reconstruction drawings of what the castle might have looked like in the 13th century, which help to bring the site to life for readers and visitors.
Speaking at the launch, Michael Parsons of Laois Heritage Society thanked the members of Laois Heritage Forum who have been working on the book for several years, and also commended the support of the Heritage Council in supporting and developing all aspects of the heritage of Laois over the last number of years.
Contributor Dr Sharon Greene; Cllr Thomasina Connell, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council; Bernie Foran, Laois County Librarian and Caroline Hofman, Chief Executive Laois Chamber at the launch of The High Fortress: A Guide to the Rock of Dunamase. Picture: Alf Harvey.
Virginia Teehan Chief Executive of the Heritage Council also welcomed the publication, saying the Heritage Council was delighted to work in partnership with local authorities and to support Heritage Officers in local authorities across the country in conserving, recording and raising awareness of their local heritage.
The attendance at the launch of The High Fortress: A Guide to the Rock of Dunamase. Picture: Alf Harvey.
The book is available from local bookshops and can be ordered online from wordwellbooks.com
The High Fortress ISBN: 978-1-913934-74-
Author(s): Peigin Doyle. A Guide to the Rock of Dunamase.
