Offaly is the 18th largest of Ireland's 32 counties by area and the 24th largest in terms of population.[3] It is the fifth largest of Leinster's 12 counties by size and the tenth largest by population.
Tullamore is the county town and largest town in Offaly and is the30th largest in Ireland. Offaly borders seven counties:Galway,Roscommon,Tipperary,Laois,Westmeath,Kildare, andMeath. TheSlieve Bloom Mountains are in the southern part of the county on the border with County Laois. Offaly has the24th-highest county peak in Ireland. The highest point isArderin (Irish:Ard Éireann) in the Slieve Blooms at 527 metres (1,729 feet). The Slieve Bloom Mountains contain the county's highest points includingStillbrook Hill andWolftrap Mountain which are, respectively, the county's second- and third-highest peaks.Croghan Hill rises from the Bog of Allen and is located in northern Offaly. Although only 234 m (768 ft) high, it is known for its view over the surrounding area and it stands out by itself.
Bluebells and trees in Charleville Forest
The floodplain of theRiver Shannon is in the north-western part of the county. TheRiver Camcor, a Wild Trout Conservation Area, runs through the town ofBirr where it joins theLittle Brosna River. TheRiver Brosna runs across the county fromLough Owel in Westmeath toShannon Harbour.Silver River runs through several towns in the south of the county before joiningBrosna near the town ofFerbane. TheGrand Canal also runs across the county from Edenderry on the north-east to Shannon Harbour before joining theShannon. The county contains many small lakes fromLough Boora toPallas Lake and it also contains 42 hectares (100 acres) of swamp land. There are a number ofeskers in the county's landscape includingEsker Riada.
Offaly largely comprises a flat landscape and is known for its extensive bog and peatlands. There are many large bogs in Offaly including theBog of Allen,Clara Bog,Boora Bog, andRaheenmore Bog which are spread out across the county with the Bog of Allen extending into four other counties. The county consists of approximately 420 square kilometres (160 sq mi) of peatland, which is 21% of Offaly's total land area.
Offaly contains approximately 90 km2 (35 sq mi) of forest and woodland area, which only amounts to 4.5% of the county's land area. This includes woodlands within the Slieve Blooms and the Lough Boora Parklands. Roughly 75% of Offaly's forested area isconiferhigh forest.
Offaly County Council is thelocal authority for the county. The council is responsible for local services such as housing policy, social and cultural services, economic development and planning, motor taxation and infrastructural policy in the county.
Under theLocal Government Reform Act 2014 the number of councillors was reduced to 19 from 21.[4] The reforms also reduced the number of electoral areas to three:Tullamore (7 members),Birr (6 members) and Edenderry (6 members).
Until the2011 general election Offaly was part of theLaois–Offaly constituency which elected fiveTDs to the Dáil. Between 1921 and 2011 this consisted of the full territory of both counties. For the 2011 general election, some electoral divisions in South Offaly were part ofTipperary North.
TheConstituency Review Report 2023 proposed the establishment of a three-seat Offaly constituency comprising solely the county of Offaly.[7] This change came into effect for the34th Dáil.
One of the earliest known settlements in County Offaly is atBoora Bog which dates back to theMesolithic era. Excavations here provide evidence of a temporary settlement as no structures were found at the site. Stone axes, arrowheads and blades were discovered which date to between 6,800 and 6,000 BCE.[8]
TheDowris Hoard dating from theLate Bronze Age was found in a bog at Dowris, Whigsborough near Birr. It is the largest collection ofBronze Age objects ever found in Ireland.[9][10]
The county itself was formed following theTudor plantations of Laois and Offaly in an attempt by the Roman CatholicEnglish Crown under QueenMary I to expand its sphere of influence in Ireland which had declined following theNorman Conquest of Ireland. Both Laois (Leix) and Offaly (Uí Failghe) werepetty kingdoms inGaelic Ireland located just outside thePale (a region around Dublin and the mid-east of Ireland that remained loyal to theEnglish Crown following theNorman Conquest). The older kingdoms of Leix and Uí Failghe are not coterminous with the present-day counties that were formed. TheKingdom of Uí Failghe, from which the nameOffaly is derived, was ruled by theÓ Conchobhair Failghe (anglicised as O'Conor Faly) whose territory extended from the east of the county into north Kildare. The Kingdom of Firceall ruled by theO'Molloy clan constituted much of the centre of the county. The Kingdom ofFirceall was part of theKingdom of Meath while Uí Failghe was part of theKingdom of Leinster. Much of the south of the present-day county (as well as northernCounty Tipperary) was ruled byÓ Cearbhaill ofÉile (anglicised as O'Carroll Ely). Ely formed part of theKingdom of Munster. These petty kingdoms were swept aside by the Tudor plantations. TheSettlement of Laois and Offaly 1556, an Act of theParliament of Ireland, created "King's County", named afterPhilip,king of Ireland,jure uxoris.[11] This replaced the old kingdoms withbaronies and the present-day County System.
Although the county is named Offaly in theLocal Government Act 2001, no legislation was ever enacted after independence explicitly changing the name from King's County, the name formally established under theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898, which continued to have legal effect.[clarification needed] Legal transfers and assignments ofland in the county still refer to it as "King's County".
Birr in the south of the county is best known for its castle and gardens.Birr Castle is owned by the Parsons family, (the family bears the title: 'Earl of Rosse') and is best known for its 19th-century telescope, theLeviathan of Parsonstown.
Ancient Christian monastic site atClonmacnoise along with ancient examples of the IrishHigh cross such as the 'Cross of the Scriptures' and theround tower and visitors centre.
Croghan Hill, a 230-metre (750 ft) high hill where an ancient mummy was discovered. It is known as the Croghan Bog Man. It is now found in the National History Museum.
Moneygall is the ancestral home of the former president of the United States,Barack Obama. Located in the village, is a visitor centre and service station known as the Obama Plaza.[12]
The 2006 population figure for County Offaly was the highest for the county since 1881.[19] TheCentral Statistics Office estimates that the increase in population between 2002 and 2006 (7,205) comprised a natural increase of 2,026 people with the balance of 5,179 accounted for by net in-migration from within Ireland as well as abroad. The population increased by 11.3% between 2002 and 2006 which was a greater rate than the national average rate of 8.2%. This may be attributed to the county's proximity to theGreater Dublin Area, increased accessibility toDublin (M6,M7, and improved rail services) and lower house prices than in Dublin.[19]
The population of many towns rose during the period 1996 to 2006: Birr +21.5%, Tullamore +28.8% and Edenderry +53.9%. The population ofPortarlington increased by 50.1% between 2002 and 2006.[19]
The population as of census 2016 was 77,961 people with 34.7% (27,085 people) under the age of 25 and 13.6% (10,951 people) over the age of 65.[13]
Commercialpeat extraction was traditionally the largest industry in the county.
Traditionally, agriculture and industry have been the main driving force of the economy in the county. Offaly has extensive bogland, particularly in the northern parts of the county, that forms part of theBog of Allen.Bord na Móna was founded in 1946 and provided employment to hundreds of people in Offaly by making peat briquettes (for home domestic use) and supplying peat to power stations operated byESB. Peat briquettes were made at the Bord na MónaDerrinlough briquette factory near Birr. Power stations are operating atShannonbridge and Edenderry. With the continuing depletion of the bogs, a number of power stations have closed down in recent years. The ESB power station at Lumcloon,Ferbane was a major employer in the midlands but closed in 2001.Rhode power station closed down soon afterwards. These were major landmarks in Offaly with largecooling towers that were visible for miles around Offaly and beyond, but were demolished soon after the stations closed. Many bogs are now used as wildlife reserves or for tourism activities such as Lough Boora.
The opening of theGrand Canal in the 18th century brought prosperity to towns such asBanagher andTullamore. Both towns were important stops on theDublin toLimerick navigation which supported a number of industries and brought cheap and efficient water transport to the county in that era.
TheCeltic Tiger also brought an increase in economic activity to Offaly with business enterprise and industrial parks opening in Birr, Edenderry andTullamore. Many people particularly in the east of the county are within an easy commuting distance toDublin where many find employment.
North Offaly is well served by rail transport. Railway stations are located atTullamore andClara. With 539,240 passengers using the two Offaly-based stations in 2024, the county comprises over 1% of Ireland's total rail passenger numbers, which were 50.7m that year.[20]
Both stations are on the mainDublin–Westport/Galway railway line with regular trains serving the area, especially forDublin commuters.Portarlington railway station is located just over theCounty Laois border and is in a catchment area for the southeast of the county. Portarlington railway station is on the mainDublin–Cork railway line with regular commuter services toHeuston Station, Dublin and intercity services toCork,Limerick,Killarney andTralee. The southern and western baronies of Garrycastle, Ballyboy, Eglish, Ballybritt, and Clonlisk have no train stations. The majority of the baronies of Eglish and Ballybritt have a more than 25-minute drive to the nearest train station, be it Clara, Tullamore, or Ballybrophy in neighbouring Laois.
TheLimerick-Ballybrophy railway line travels through the south of the county, which has no railway stations. The nearest are atCloughjordan andRoscrea, both just outside the county boundary. A railway line from Birr connected to the line at Roscrea until it was closed in the 1960s. A controversial railway line also connected Birr toPortumna between 1868 and 1878 and became something of a folk legend.[clarification needed]
Three main national secondary routes pass through the county. TheN52 road passes fromKilbeggan to Tullamore and Birr which then continues toNenagh where it intersects with theM7. TheN62 fromAthlone passes throughFerbane and Birr and continues ontoRoscrea andThurles. TheN80 route starts in Tullamore and continues to the southeast passing throughPortlaoise andCarlow. There are no main national primary routes in the county; theM6 skirts it to the north and the M7 to the south throughMoneygall. Road infrastructure has improved with the completion of the Tullamore bypass in 2009 and improved access to regional cities following the completion of the intercity motorway network.
Bus Éireann provide public transport services throughout the county with regular bus services toLimerick andWaterford from Athlone bus station. Other private bus coach services provide direct bus services from Birr toDublin such as Kearns bus service which run several services daily. Slieve Bloom Coaches run services from Tullamore and Portarlington to Dublin.
TheGrand Canal connecting Dublin to the river Shannon was constructed through the towns of Edenderry and Tullamore and joins the Shannon atShannon Harbour. Traditionally this was an important route for transport, communication and trade between Dublin, Limerick and the midlands of Ireland. The route fell into decline as road transport became more popular. Much of the route is now used forboating and leisure activities.
Midlands 103 (originally Midlands Radio 3) which broadcasts to Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath is based in Tullamore and has studios across the Midlands.RTÉ's medium-wavetransmitter broadcastingRTÉ Radio 1 was also located in Tullamore but transmission stopped in 2008.
A number of local newspapers are published in Offaly. TheOffaly Independent andTullamore Tribune are based in Tullamore. TheMidland Tribune, based in Birr, covers local news in the west and south of the county as well as parts of northern Tipperary including the towns of Birr,Roscrea andNenagh and surrounding areas. TheOffaly Express was a former newspaper based in Tullamore. It closed down in July 2012 after 29 years in operation. It is now an online news platform for the county.[21]
County teams have also achieved national recognition in both hurling and football, winning theLiam MacCarthy Cup four times and theSam Maguire Cup three times. Thefootball team is remembered forSéamus Darby's goal in the dying minutes of the1982 All-Ireland SFC final, when Offaly took the title by one point and denied opponentKerry what would have been a historic (having never before occurred, and not occurring until2019) five consecutive titles.
Other popular sports in the county includerugby and golf. Birr Golf Club and Esker Hills Golf Club near Tullamore are popular. Irish golferShane Lowry is a member of Esker Hills. He is from the town of Clara outside Tullamore. As an amateur, he won the 2009 Irish Open. In 2019, Lowry won The Open Championship in Royal Portrush Golf Club, becoming the first Offaly man to win one of the golfing majors.
^Lee, J. J. (1981). "On the accuracy of thePre-famine Irish census". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.).Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in honour of the late K.H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
^abc"Demographic context"(PDF).Offaly County Council Development Plan 2009 – 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved28 June 2008.
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