Alternatively spelled as Laoighis and pronounced as Leash, Laois is found in the province of Leinster.

The county covers an area of 664 square miles and has a population of 55,000.

The county has it's administrative headquarters at Portlaoise.

Physically the county is flat except for the Slieve Bloom mountains in the North West.

Being of such a geographical nature it is not surprising that the county's main sources of income are all agrarian based. Sugarbeets, dairy products, woollens and agricultural machinery are all main sources of income.