Stradbally —County Laois

Originally a community associated with the monastery at Mon au Bealing founded in the sixth-century by St. Colman Mac Laoighse. The Normans dominated in the thirteenth century. The Franciscans came in 1447, but the village in 1550 was still a small cluster of cottages. By 1734 it still had only two stone houses and a few mud cabins. Its present form was established by 1740, slowly extending along the Maryborough-Carlow road and around the square towards Stradbally Hall, the home of the Cosby family under whose patronage and influence the village developed.
A village with an active community spirit, it continues to improve its appearance and rating in the national Tidy Towns competition. The annual Stradbally Steam Rally organized by the Irish Steam Preservation Society at the beginning of August and on the bank-holiday weekend is justly famous. There is a Steam Museum opposite the 1870s labourers cottages which have recently been renovated.