First pick
The Peoples Park
Park or garden
3.5 ha1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1 km of path
1.1 km southfrom the centre
Triogue Way
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.086%near a park
Outdoors in Portlaoise · parks, paths & countryside
3 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Portlaoise
There are 1.6 ha of parks and playing fields for every 1,000 people in Portlaoise, against 4.1 in the typical Irish town. Footpaths add up to 17 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.6 for every square kilometre. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 86% of residents.
Near a park
86%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
1.6 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
17 km
0.6 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
1.1%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: Clonreher Bog NHA
Woodland
2.6%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Against other towns
How Portlaoise compares with Irish towns
Each figure against Ireland’s 321 towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (city hubs left out): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Ireland has no Outdoors Grade yet: the figures are described, each against other Irish towns, and none of them counts towards the overall grade.
A park within a walk86%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
40out of 100
Public green space1.6 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
15out of 100
Footpaths0.6 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
15out of 100
Protected for nature1.1%of the land within 5 km
43out of 100
Woodland2.6%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
49out of 100
Parks, paths and woods: OpenStreetMap; residents: CSO Census 2022 Small Areas; protected sites: NPWS; sea: CSO and ONS land outlines. A 0 means nothing is mapped.
Towns its size
Portlaoise has the fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (18,369 to 27,923 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Esker (10.5 km per km²) to Portlaoise (0.6 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Portlaoise0.6
Towns its size2.7
Co. Laois towns0.6
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Portlaoise1.6
Towns its size4.0
Co. Laois towns1.4
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Portlaoise86%
Towns its size95%
Co. Laois towns71%
Typical Irish town92%
Portlaoise falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esker Dublin | 10.5 | 2.1% | 0.1% | – |
| 2 | Old Bawn Dublin | 8.5 | 3% | 1.8% | – |
| 3 | Dolphins Barn Dublin | 8.4 | 2.9% | 0% | – |
| 4 | Stoneybatter Dublin | 7.5 | 1.6% | 0% | – |
| 5 | The Liberties Dublin | 7.4 | 0.5% | 0% | – |
| 6 | Carpenterstown Dublin | 7.3 | 11% | 0% | – |
| 7 | Blanchardstown Dublin | 7 | 3.8% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Lucan Dublin | 6.8 | 7.3% | 0.2% | – |
| 9 | Mulhuddart Dublin | 6.6 | 4% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Ballymun Dublin | 6.5 | 2.6% | 0% | – |
| 11 | Clonsilla Dublin | 6.4 | 3% | 0.1% | – |
| 12 | Jobstown Dublin | 6.3 | 1.9% | 2.2% | – |
| 13 | Rathmines West Dublin | 6 | 1.7% | 0.1% | 5.8% |
| 14 | Crumlin Dublin | 5.4 | 0.8% | 0% | – |
| 15 | Clondalkin Dublin | 4.6 | 3.3% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Stepaside Dublin | 4.3 | 15% | 6.4% | 5.9% |
| 17 | Sandymount Dublin | 3.6 | 1.2% | 3.6% | 35% |
| 18 | Clontarf East Dublin | 3.1 | 3% | 6.1% | 38% |
| 19 | Kilkenny Kilkenny | 3.1 | 3.8% | 2.4% | – |
| 20 | Beaumont Dublin | 2.9 | 2% | 3.4% | 9.7% |
| 21 | Celbridge Kildare | 2.4 | 6.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 22 | Malahide Dublin | 2.4 | 3.4% | 2.1% | 32% |
| 23 | Greystones-Delgany Wicklow | 2.2 | 11% | 5% | 35% |
| 24 | Balbriggan Dublin | 2.1 | 1.6% | 0% | 37% |
| 25 | Naas Kildare | 1.9 | 1.4% | 0% | – |
| 26 | Douglas Cork | 1.7 | 4.6% | 5% | – |
| 27 | Knocknacarra Galway | 1.6 | 3.4% | 32% | 34% |
| 28 | Ballincollig Cork | 1.3 | 8.4% | 0% | – |
| 29 | Athlone Westmeath | 1.3 | 6.1% | 14% | – |
| 30 | Sligo Sligo | 1.2 | 6.1% | 9.5% | 18% |
| 31 | Tralee Kerry | 1.1 | 2.4% | 21% | 6.4% |
| 32 | Clonmel Tipperary | 1.1 | 14% | 3.9% | – |
| 33 | Wexford Wexford | 1.1 | 3.8% | 13% | 22% |
| 34 | Dooradoyle Limerick | 1 | 2.6% | 7.7% | – |
| 35 | Carlow Carlow | 0.9 | 1.3% | 2% | – |
| 36 | Mullingar Westmeath | 0.8 | 8.9% | 3.3% | – |
| 37 | Ennis Clare | 0.7 | 9.6% | 7.8% | – |
| 38 | Letterkenny Donegal | 0.7 | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.3% |
| 39 | Newbridge Kildare | 0.6 | 1.6% | 4.9% | – |
| 40 | Portlaoise Laois | 0.6 | 2.6% | 1.1% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Portlaoise’s urban area.
Green: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces and woods, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · NPWS · Sport Ireland · CSO
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Portlaoise
The biggest is The Peoples Park, 3.5 ha (9 acres).
All 6 named parks and woods by size: 12 ha (29 acres) and 2 km of path
Parks & gardens 12 ha
The two biggest, The Peoples Park and Portlaoise Leisure Centre Park, are 57% of the named green space.
Portlaoise Leisure Centre Park
Park or garden
3.4 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Portlaoise
Directionsto a point inside
Triogue Liner Park
Park or garden
2.2 ha0.5 km of path
5 minto walk all 0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Portlaoise
Triogue Liner Park
Directionsto a point inside
IDA park
Park or garden
2.3 ha0.2 km of path
2.1 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Fitzmaurice Place
Park or garden
0.2 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Portlaoise
Directionsto a point inside
Named parks, gardens, commons and woods in the town or within 400 m of it, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); pieces of one name that touch are one place. Sizes are the whole site; directions go to a point inside.
Close to home
9 in 10 Portlaoise residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (CSO Census 2022 Small Areas against OpenStreetMap).
Within 400 m (86%)Further (14%)
Portlaoise86%
Co. Laois towns71%
Typical Irish town92%
About 3,000 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
Protected sites cover 1.1% of the land within 5 km of Portlaoise
Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, within 5 km of the town’s edge.
Inside Portlaoise0%
Within 5 km1.1%
Co. Laois towns1.6%
Typical Irish town1.8%
One protected site lies within 5 km of Portlaoise. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 1.5% of the land within 5 km as well; many have been proposed since 1995 and aren’t counted here. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Clonreher Bog NHANatural Heritage Area · 1.8 km² · 1.1 km from the edge
NPWS pageProtected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service designated site boundaries (CC BY 4.0), 2026; land within 5 km from CSO Small Areas and, over the border, ONS. Overlapping sites are counted once.
National Parks
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 48 km away
Ireland’s National Parks within 100 km, and the nearest always, by direction and distance from the town’s edge; circle size shows each park’s area.
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park
Wicklow Mountains National Park
48 km east223 km²
National Park boundaries: National Parks and Wildlife Service, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0, © Government of Ireland), 2022. Distances from the town’s outline (CSO Small Areas).
Footpaths and woods
17 km of footpaths cross Portlaoise
Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and mapped woods and forest, in the town and 1 km around it, each beside the county’s and Ireland’s typical town of 2,500+.
Footpaths
17 km
over 30.1 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
2.6%
about 0.8 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
3
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
PortlaoiseCo. Laois townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.6
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
PortlaoiseCo. Laois townsTypical Irish town
Woodland2.6%
0%50%100%
Portlaoise has less footpath per km² than 85% of Irish towns and less woodland than 51% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
3 waymarked trails start near Portlaoise
17 km of footpaths are mapped in Portlaoise and the kilometre around it, 0.6 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Walking trail
Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Tir na nÓg0.9 km
Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Milo's Circuit0.6 km
Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Sheep's Walk Trail0.4 km
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Coillte’s own forest trails and recreation sites aren’t included: Coillte’s terms limit its data to research or private study. Its trails on the National Trails Register are listed.
When to get out
The best walking months in Portlaoise: May to September
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages for the town’s 1 km square and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 16.9 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 88 | 70 | 66 | 63 | 63 | 71 | 71 | 82 | 74 | 99 | 96 | 95 |
April is the driest month (63 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.6 hours of daylight in December, and 99 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. The climate in Portlaoise →
Things to do
1 hill or peak and 2 playgrounds
Mapped on OpenStreetMap in the town and 2 km around it; each count per resident beside Irish towns’ typical town of 2,500+. Beaches are on the coast’s list, from the EPA.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 1
Plus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Dún Spraoiin town
DirectionsPeople's Park Playgroundin town
DirectionsDog parks 1
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Portlaoise
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
MountmellickStradballyMountrathAbbeyleixPortarlingtonPortlaoise
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portlaoise | 86% | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.1% |
| Mountmellick 8.8 km | 71% | 1.4 | 0.3 | 3.4% |
| Stradbally 11 km | 65% | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.1% |
| Mountrath 13 km | 57% | 0.9 | 0.1 | 8.2% |
| Abbeyleix 14 km | 68% | 3.8 | 0.5 | 4.9% |
| Portarlington 15 km | 65% | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6% |
None of the neighbours has many more of its people near a park than Portlaoise. Abbeyleix has at least twice Portlaoise’s green space per resident.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (CSO Small Areas, by where people live) within 400 m of a park, garden, common or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap. Mapping is uneven: a town whose parks nobody has mapped looks greyer than it is.
- Protected areas. Land in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Natural Heritage Area within 5 km, overlaps counted once. Protected for nature doesn’t always mean open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it, from OpenStreetMap. Trails are the registered ones within 5 km; a trail often follows mapped paths, so the two aren’t added.
- Woodland. Woods and forest as OpenStreetMap maps them, private and Coillte forests included: mapped cover, not access.
- No grade yet. Ireland’s grades don’t include the outdoors yet: these figures describe the town and stand beside the median Irish town.
Questions about the outdoors in Portlaoise
What is the biggest park in Portlaoise?
The Peoples Park, 3.5 ha (9 acres). Portlaoise Leisure Centre Park (3.4 ha) is second. 7 named parks, gardens and playing fields are in the town or within 400 m of it.
Is there protected countryside near Portlaoise?
Yes: 1.1% of the land within 5 km is protected, in one site. The nearest is Clonreher Bog NHA, 1.1 km from the edge of town.
What are the best walks near Portlaoise?
3 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Tir na nÓg, Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Milo's Circuit and Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Sheep's Walk Trail.
How many people in Portlaoise live near a park?
86% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a park or playing field; in the typical Irish town it is 92%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Portlaoise?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Portlaoise near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 48 km east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Portlaoise?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 hill or peak; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Portlaoise’s outdoors figures come from
- Parks, woods and paths. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): parks, woods and footpaths, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Protected sites. National Parks and Wildlife Service: designated sites (SAC, SPA, NHA), 2026
- Trails. Sport Ireland: National Trails Register, 2026
- Residents. CSO: Census 2022 Small Areas (residents)
- National Parks. National Parks and Wildlife Service: National Park boundaries, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0), 2022
- Things to do. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): viewpoints, hills, waterfalls, nature reserves, picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites and waymarked walks, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Weather. Met Éireann: 1991–2020 averages (Copyright Met Éireann)
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service (CC BY 4.0). Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0). Bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Parks, woods and paths: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Not on this page yet: Coillte’s forest trails (its terms) and bike routes.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).