Portlaw

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Portlaw (Port Lách in Irish) is a town in County Waterford, Ireland. Situated some 19 km west-north-west of Waterford City on the River Suir, it was once the home of a very successful cotton mill employing most of the town's population. The mill was built by the Malcomson family. The Malcomsons were a Quaker family, and their religious ideals impacted greatly on the town, with industrial houses and social networks built as part of the planned town still forming a central part of the streetscape today. The Malcomsons were one of the most influential families connected to Irish planned industrial towns, through marriage they became connected to Quakers who designed Bessbrook in Northern Ireland, with Portlaw truss roofs being built into Bessbrook houses as a result. The town's High Street has a bakers, butchers, grocers, bars, a Heritage Centre and Catholic and Church OF Ireland churches. Portlaw's economy is not as strong as it once was; many residents now look for work in nearby Waterford City instead of taking on more traditional jobs such as farming and cotton production.

The town's main attraction is Curraghmore House, a manor sitting on the outskirts which is the seat of Lord Waterford Marquess of Waterford. The manor, which has around 40 ha of land, is open for visits all the year round.