County Laois Founded in 1548 and located some fifty miles south west of Dublin, nhl jerseys the Irish Midlands town of Portlaoise (pronounced Port leash) owes its existence to the suppression of one of many Irish rebellions against the English. In 1547 the two families who controlled the land in this part of Ireland (the O Moores and the O Connors) were routed, and the English established a fort to enforce their supremacy and protect the southern flank of the Pale (the English occupied area around Dublin). Initially the fort went through a number of name changes, but in 1556 the whole county was planted with English settlers and named Queen s County with the fort named Moncler Men Down Jacket Maya doudoune Red Maryborough, after Queen Mary. The neighbouring county, Offaly, the former stronghold of the O Connors, became King s County. The name was returned to Portlaoise1 in 1922 following the granting of independence to the Republic. At the beginning of the 21st Century the population of Portlaoise has grown enormously, with new housing developments around the outskirts. In 2002 the population of the town and its immediate environs was 17,000 people, and by 2006 it had grown to 22,000 whereas in 1991 it was 9,0002. Much of this increase is made up of people who have moved out of Dublin and commute daily to that city (approximately an hour by road or rail). A significant number of the newcomers are non nationals from Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, and the town made international headlines in 2007 when the council selected as mayor a former asylum seeker from Nigeria. Entertainment TourismThe former Maryborough Gaol is now home to the Dunamaise Theatre and Art Centre where music, dance and drama performances are held a two three times a week. This building also contains an Art Gallery and Internet Caf. There is a multi screen cinema showing all the latest releases, but Dunamaise Theatre has screenings of Art House films. Several of the town centre pubs hold live music sessions, especially at weekends. There are four main hotels, and several B establishments. There are also numerous restaurants (not all of them associated with the pubs), including several Chinese, Indian, Thai and Italian, as well as those serving traditional Irish food. Portlaise also has plenty to offer for those interested in seeing some of the heritage of the town and region. There is the Portlaoise Heritage Trail, and parts of the original fort can still be seen in the centre of the town. Most of the other buildings date from the Georgian period, or later. ShoppingThere are several modern shopping centres, as well as the main town centre. Many of the businesses in these belong to chains that will be familiar to UK shoppers. There is a library, cinema, courthouse and arts centre. Adjacent to Aras an Chontai (County Hall) is a newly developed town plaza with trees and fountains. Nearby is a statue of James Fintan Lalor (see below). Sports LeisureThe town is home to O Moore Park, Ireland s second national Gaelic Athletic Association stadium. There is also a modern leisure centre, and both football and rugby clubs. For golfers, the Portlaoise moncler Men Book gray Hoodies Spring Autumn Golf Club offers a challenge too. Portlaoise is bisected by the Triogue River which flows from south west to north east, and alongside the river are two parks; the People s Park south west of the town centre, and the Triogue River Park to the north east. Health CareThere are two hospitals, St Fintan s and the Midland Regional Hospital (the latter should not be construed as meaning the only Midland Regional Hospital, as there are others so named at Tullamore and Mullingar). St Fintan s was originally an asylum for the insane, and once housed up to 800 patients. It still has a small number of patients with mental health problems, but most of the building is occupied by various clinics and social welfare offices, including the registry office. Education Religious ObservanceIt s difficult to say precisely how many primary schools Moncler Bady quilted hooded down jacket blue there are as any official listing for Portlaoise also includes some of the outlying villages. There are at least six, two secondary schools and also a newly built Further Education College. There are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland and Methodist Churches as well as a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah s Witnesses, and a place where Muslims meet for worship in the town. In 2008 the Roman Catholic church of St Peter Paul underwent extensive renovation, so services were held in the gymnasium at the college. EmploymentThe main source of employment for in the town is the two prisons, Portlaoise Prison and the Midlands Regional Prison. The prison service also has its principle training establishment there. Portlaoise lies at an important transport intersection too, where the main roads from Dublin to Limerick and Cork diverge. Recent attempts at increasing local employment opportunities have centred on the development of the town as a transport interchange or inland port. A new rail Moncler leon jackets waspie with hats coach repair works was opened in early 2008, and this complements railway sleeper manufacture which has been ongoing for some years but has been reduced as the national programme to upgrade the rail system came to a halt. The town is the administrative centre of , another major employer housed in a modern office complex, and (like much of Ireland) large areas of the surrounding countryside are peat bog, so the national processor and marketer of peat products, Bord na Mona, is another important employer. Farmland is mostly livestock, with any crops grown as animal feed for own use. There are also a large number of timber plantations with saw mills located on the outskirts of Portlaoise, and in nearby Mountrath too. Famous LocalsJames Fintan Lalor, a leading 19th Century campaigner for land reform. His younger brother, Peter, led a miners rebellion in Australia the Eureka Stockade (and later became an Australian MP). Colonel James Fitzmaurice, a pioneering aviator. Dr Bartholomew Mosse, the son of King William III s former chaplain who had become rector of Maryborough. Mosse founded the first mother and baby hospital in the British Isles, the Rotunda Hospital. Surrounding Countryside Nearby TownsThere are few points within the town where it is not possible to see either the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which rise to the north west, or the Dysart Hills to the south. About four miles to the south of the town is the Rock of Dunamaise too, an important heritage site with evidence of Viking, Norman and earlier occupations. Towns near Portlaise are: Mountmellick to the north. Famous for Mountmellick Lace, this town was founded by Quakers and was once a centre for the manufacture textiles moncler sweater women and iron work. The textile connection earned it the nickname moncler new collection the Irish Manchester . Portarlington to the east straddles the border with Offaly. Nearby is the village of Emo and Emo Court, a typical Georgian country house lovingly restored by the recently deceased former owner during the 1960s and 1970s. It is now owned by the state, and open daily for guided tours. There is free admission to the gardens. Stradbally to the south east is famous in modern times for the annual music festival called Electric Picnic, held on the Cosby Estate. This estate is worth a visit in its own right. Abbeyleix and Durrow to the south; the first of these was rebuilt by the De Vesci family who introduced carpet manufacture in the 19th Century. The floor coverings for the ill fated RMS Titanic were made here. Visit the museum, the sensory garden and the nearby Heywood House Gardens. Durrow celebrated its Fashion moncler Slipper brwon Cow Leather tri centenary in 2008, and is home to Castle Durrow now a hotel and leisure complex. Mountrath and Castletown to the west are a typical Irish market town and village respectively. Near to Castletown is Gash s Gardens which ought not to be missed by anyone with an interest in gardening. Ballyfin in the north west has a large country house and estate, until recently a a secondary school operated by the Patrician Brothers who purchased the house in 1928. The school is now closed and there are plans to convert the house into a hotel and spa. h2g2 Entries FootballThe Vikings Why They Did ItCork, Republic of IrelandThe RMS Titanic Dublin, IrelandA (Very) Brief History of IrelandAustraliaIrish Stew a RecipeThe Religious Society of Friends The Quakers in BritainWilliam the ConquerorRugby Union An Outsider s Guide External LinksNot moncler fall winter 2014 Panicking Ltd is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Write an Entry "The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

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County leaders protest governor s proposal to remove Alarmed at the threat of a big tear in their health care safety nets, nfl jerseys leaders of Bay Area counties and public hospitals are opposing Gov. Jerry Brown s plan to take an estimated $2.5 billion from county health programs over the next three years. Brown argues that the counties will no longer need this money for indigent care because several million Californians will become newly insured as major provisions of the national health reform law take effect beginning Jan. 1. But county health leaders from around the Bay Area said Tuesday Moncler maillol down coat Belt Fur zip Women coffee they expect thousands of their residents to remain uninsured and in need of government funded health care. The debate is another indication of the most powerful dynamic affecting health programs in California and elsewhere: the uncertainty about how the national health care reforms will play out. Gov. Jerry Brown speaks in Mountain View on May 23, 2013. (LiPo Ching/Staff file) Brown wants to use the moncler made in romania money to help pay for other programs the state is shifting to the counties. moncler retailers uk But county health leaders urged the governor not to shift the money until everyone has a clearer idea of how the national health care reforms will affect Californians. "We re not greedy in San Mateo if there are savings, we re happy to share them with the state," said Jean Fraser, chief of the San Mateo County Health System. "But the governor is assuming everybody (who is eligible) will be enrolled and it will be a Moncler Men stand collar white T-shirt red blue stripe perfect world. Whether there are any savings is completely uncertain." She estimated the county would lose $4 million in health funding next year and $9 million the following year. Other Bay Area counties stand to lose much more. The impact in Contra Costa County would be about $7 million this year and rise to $25 million in 2015 16. Santa Clara County would lose about $60 million annually moncler jackets for men on sale and expects 100,000 to 150,000 residents will remain uninsured, said Rene Santiago, director of the Santa Clara Health and Hospital System. Alameda County estimates its loss at $11 million this year, $34 million next year and $48 million the following year. "This will shred our safety net," said Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, who spoke at a news conference Tuesday Moncler Down Men Jacket fashion grey morning. Alameda County has about 200,000 uninsured residents, and expects half to remain so. Nearly 60,000 are illegal immigrants ineligible for insurance under national health reforms, and another 40,000 will choose to forego it for a variety of reasons, she estimated. "The governor s budget proposal puts into great jeopardy what we re trying to build and what we re trying to deliver for the residents," said Wright Lassiter, CEO of the Alameda Health System, which runs Highland Hospital. Lassiter noted that since state lawmakers decided several years ago the state would no longer fund dental care farfetch moncler men for adult Medi Cal recipients, thousands of people have depended on Alameda County for it. The county would have trouble continuing to pay for such services if it loses the health care funding, he said. Losing Medi Cal funding for dental care has already hurt, Chan said, noting a 95 percent growth in tooth extractions since it occurred. Brown earlier this month said he did not want to pay twice for indigent health care. He noted that Medi Cal will be expanded next year to include thousands of now uninsured people. Others will be able to purchase insurance through a new marketplace known as Covered California. As more people become insured, this will lessen the counties burden, the governor noted. Brown recommended that part of the $1.5 billion now spent for indigent health care go instead to the CalWORKS welfare program, including child care, and the CalFresh food stamp program. The shift statewide is estimated at $300 moncler lissy million this year, $900 million in 2014 15 and $1.3 billion in 2015 16. County health leaders are concerned that the money would be lost and their safety net programs harmed before the true effects of health reforms are known. State Senate Democrats on Tuesday confronted Brown with their own budget that would increase some safety net spending, including restoration of Medi Cal adult dental care. The state is working with counties on a formula to determine the counties true "savings" before deciding how much money will be shifted, said Norman Williams, a spokesman for the state Department of Health Care Services. But that does not appease county health leaders

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