County Laois is one of the administrative counties of the Republic of Ireland and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of the island of Ireland. It is located within the province of Leinster and is part of the administrative Midlands Region. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. The population of the county is 69,012 according to the 2006 census. Laois is the 23rd largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 24th largest in terms of population. It is the seventh largest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and tenth largest in terms of population.

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