20% population growth...So is Laois is the horniest county in Ireland?

No that's just rubbish, if you thought that you're a fool. But it might have made you click on the link, so I'm not at all sorry for leading you on... You fucking clown.

 

The results from the 2011 census show that Laois has had the fastest-growing population in the country.

The preliminary results show a population rise of 20 per cent in the county in just 5 years, which is over twice the average rate for the country as a whole. This figure is also significantly higher than the next fastest growing county, Cavan, which increased by 13.9 per cent.

The population of Laois now stands at 80,458, marking an increase of 13,399 from 67, 059 in the 2006 census. This means that for the first time in the last two centuries, the population of Laois is greater than that of Offaly (76,806). Laois’ growth over the past decade now amounts to 21,684 (36.9%)

The change in population now sees the Laois-Offaly constituency possessing more than the prescribed maximum of 30,000 persons per TD, with 30,565.

Population change in Laois, 2002-2011, by electoral division.

Colt native and lecturer in Political Geography in NUI Maynooth Dr Adrian Kavanagh went through the census figures in detail, attributing this Laois phenomenon the “commuter belt effect”. 

 “It can be seen that a lot of this population growth has been especially concentrated on the main urban centres in the county” said Kavanagh. “All of which have been brought closer within the Dublin commuter belt in recent years by the development of the M7 and also improving rail commuter links and driven by relatively cheaper housing prices within the county, namely Portlaoise, Portarlington and Graiguecullen” he added. 

Percentage-wise Clondarrig is the fastest growing area within Laois itself since the last census, with an incredible 182.1 per cent population increase, rising from 531 people to 1,496. At the other end of the spectrum, Rathdowney is the slowest growing area in Laois, with a 13.9 per cent drop in population. 

 Dr Kavanagh also found very interesting reading in the raw numbers of people coming into the county. “The census shows that the population of Portarlington has more than doubled in the last ten years, going from 4,001 to 8,930. While the Graigue Rural area increased by 2,720 people”. 

Percentage Population Increase in Laois 2002-2011, by electoral didsion. Map courtesy of Dr Adrian Kavangh

“In effect, a population map of Laois now looks like a microcosm of Ireland. If you take the very west of the county there are various population decreases, like that of the west of Ireland. Population increases have been focused around the areas in the east, closest to the M7. The only exception to this would be Ballybrophy, which although in the west has a mini commuter belt of its own thanks to the train station” said Kavanagh. 

Specialising in electoral geography, the Maynooth professor also made some very interesting observations on the low turnout in the Laois/Offaly constituency for the last general election, relative to this population increase. Also he noted that the rise in the popularity of Labour and Sinn Féinn in Laois from the last election could be linked to the influx of people to Laois from larger urban areas.

His home town of Colt experienced an 11.4 per cent population decrease over the last five years, a trend which can be explained by the difficulty in obtaining planning permission for new houses in the area, and as he joked, by “the high number of bachelors in Colt” with the census showing 10 males to every 8 females in the area.  

There are currently 8678 people on the live register in Laois. This represents 10.78 per cent of the county population. 5,674 of this figure are males, with 1,062 males under the age of 25 signing on.

5 years ago, that figure was just 2,225.  

There are 6,453 more people on the live register now than there was in June 2006.

This number currently on the live register in Laois is 3.9 times that of the figure taken from the time of the last national census.

There are 3.8 times more people signing on in Portarlington now than in 2006.

There are 4.2 times as many people on the live register now than in 2006.

There are 3.9 times as many people claiming some degree of social benefit than there was in June 2006.

Social Welfare Office	Number of people on live register June 2006	Number of people on live register June 2011	Change
Portarlington	872	3,345	+2,473
Portlaoise	987	4,191	+3,162
Rathdowney	366	1,142	+776