Note: at the time of the Poor Law Unions, Co. Laois was known as Queen's County.
The Mountmellick Poor Law Union was officially declared in 1839. The Workhouse was opened in 1845 at a cost of £8,296. It was built to house a maximum capacity of 800 inmates. The Mountmellick Workhouse was built to accomodate people from the areas of Ballybrittas, Ballyfin, Castlebrack, Clonaslee, Coolbanagher, Matyborough, Mountmellick, Mountrath, Rearymore, Rosanallis, and Upperwoods in Co. Laois, and Ballykean, Clonyhurk, and Portarlington in Co. Offaly, which at the time was known as King's County.
The Mountmellick Workhouse site is now occupied by St Vincent's Geriatric Hospital with very few of the original feature still surviving.
References
For more information see here | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE | |
County Laois Archives | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
Type of Building:
Workhouse