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)
• 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.

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.

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.

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.