Editing Portlaoise (section)

==Culture and community==
===Nightlife===
{{wikivoyage|Port Laoise}}
Portlaoise's central location within Ireland and its concentration of restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs around Market Square, Main Street and the Church Street area of the town centre and other nearby facilities such as paintball, golf, bowling and other amenities make it a popular destination for [[Bachelorette party|hen]] and [[Bachelor party|stag]] parties and other weekend breaks. [[Portlaoise railway station]] is the closest station to [[Stradbally Hall]] where the [[Electric Picnic]] Festival is held each year.

===Arts and festivals===
Every year, the town hosts the Old Fort Quarter Festival in June, the Halloween Howls Comedy Festival on the October bank holiday weekend and the Leaves Literary Festival in November.

The [[Dunamaise Arts Centre]], which comprises a cinema, performance space and exhibition space, is located in the building which formally housed the Maryborough Gaol. The opening of the Arts Centre in 1999 coincided with the revival of the Laois Drama Group.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/cultural-expansion-10-years-on-1.691924|title=Cultural expansion, 10 years on|last=Keating|first=Sara|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en|access-date=2020-01-24|archive-date=22 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422003622/http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/cultural-expansion-10-years-on-1.691924|url-status=live}}</ref>

The "Old Fort Festival", which was moved from 2019 into the grounds of the old Fort itself, is an annual event but was postponed in 2020 as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The 3 day heritage festival is based in and around the walls of the Old Fort Protector, the first of its kind built in Ireland between 1547 and 1548 during the tenure of Bellingham, Lord Justice of Ireland, in the reign of "the boy King" Edward VI. 
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/old-fort-festival/429008/old-fort-festival-new-venue-huge-success-and-brings-boost-to-portlaoise-economy-says-organiser.html|title=Old Fort Festival new venue 'huge success' and brings boost to Portlaoise economy says organiser|last=Hogan|first=Michelle|website=Leinster Express|language=en|access-date=2020-12-16|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204114726/https://www.leinsterexpress.ie/news/old-fort-festival/429008/old-fort-festival-new-venue-huge-success-and-brings-boost-to-portlaoise-economy-says-organiser.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/05/08/the-revealed-old-fort-festival-will-not-take-place-on-main-street-this-year|title=REVEALED: Old Fort festival music stage will not take place on Main Street this year|last=Lennon|first=Siun|website=Laois Today|language=en|access-date=2020-12-16|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628160343/https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/05/08/the-revealed-old-fort-festival-will-not-take-place-on-main-street-this-year/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Stradbally Steam Rally]] is an annual event held on the August bank holiday weekend in [[Stradbally Hall]]. It attracts visitors from all over Ireland and is the highlight of the year for steam enthusiasts.

The All-Ireland Scarecrow Festival is held in [[Durrow, County Laois|Durrow]] at the end of July each year. It has featured large scarecrows including [[King Kong]], [[Pope Francis]], [[Noah's Ark]] and [[Electric Picnic]]. The town is dotted with scarecrows made by local groups, children, businesses and people from neighbouring counties.

===Charity===
Since 2008, Portlaoise has been the Irish base of [[Self Help Africa]], formerly Self Help Development International, a development agency engaged in implementing rural development programmes in [[Sub-Sahara]]. Established at the time of the [[1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia|Ethiopian Famine of 1984]], the organisation is the chosen charity of the [[Irish Farmers Association]].{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
[[File:Church with steeple - geograph.org.uk - 730272.jpg|thumb|upright|Emo Church of Ireland church to the north east of Portlaoise]]