Midland Region, Ireland

The Midland Region (coded IE063)[1] is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland. It consists of the territory of the counties of Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford. The Midland Region spans 6,652 km2, 9.5% of the total area of the state and, according to the 2022 census, had a population of 317,999.[2]

The Midland region of Ireland with each constituent county council highlighted

Before 2014, the region was governed by the Midland Regional Authority. The Authority was abolished in 2014.[3] Midland now exists as a strategic planning area within the Eastern and Midland Region.[4] The NUTS regions are used for statistical reporting to Eurostat, while the Regional Assemblies are responsible for planning at a local government level.

The Midland Region is also a tourist destination due to its natural environment which includes lakes, waterways and canals, as well as a history, heritage and culture which dates from early Christian times.[5]

Midland Regional Authority

The Midland Region was administered by the Midland Regional Authority, which consisted of 24 elected representatives including the region's representative on the EU Committee of the Regions.[6] These representatives met once a month and were nominated from the four local government councils of the region:[5]

The Regional Authorities were dissolved in 2014 and were replaced by Regional Assemblies.[3]

Demography

According to the 2022 census, the region had a population of 317,999, which constitutes 6.17% of the national population. Its population density was 47.8 persons per km2.[2]

The region has a growing dependency ratio which is stated as having implications on health care, the types of housing needed as well as care for the elderly.[5]

Economy

The most significant industry in the Midland Region is the peat industry, as well as wood processing. Its wood processing industry now accounts for over one-third of the total processed timber produced in Ireland. Other strong industries include medicine, healthcare, engineering and chemical. It also has some very successful food and drink producers.[5]

According to Eurostat figures for 2012, the region has GDP of €5.765 bn and a GDP per capita of €20,100 the lowest in the Republic.[7]

The workforce of the region in 2015 was 114,000, which equated to an 87.6% employment rate.[8]

In 2017 the largest employment sectors in the Midland Region were:[9]

  1. Wholesale & retail trade 16%
  2. Manufacturing industries 12%
  3. Health & social work 11%
  4. Education 9%
  5. Public administration & defence 8%
  6. Agriculture 8%

Major settlements

A list of the ten largest settlements in the Midland Region. County capitals are included and are shown in bold.

Towns
Rank Town County Population
(2022 census)[2]
1 Portlaoise Laois 23,494
2 Athlone Westmeath 22,869
3 Mullingar Westmeath 22,667
4 Tullamore Offaly 15,598
5 Longford Longford 10,952
6 Portarlington Laois/Offaly 9,288
7 Edenderry Offaly 7,888
8 Mountmellick Laois 4,905
9 Birr Offaly 4,726
10 Clara Offaly 3,403

References
  1. "Revision to the Irish NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions". cso.ie.
  2. "Census 2022 - F1004A - Population". Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Amendment) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 228 of 2014). Signed on 29 May 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 19 January 2022.
  4. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 29 January 2022.
  5. "Regions of Ireland: The Midlands". Irish Regions Office. Archived from the original on January 10, 2011.
  6. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Authorities) (Establishment) Order 1993 (S.I. No. 394 of 1993). Signed on 20 December 1993. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 25 February 2022.
  7. "Eurostat - Data Explorer". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2017-05-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Ibec -Server error" (PDF). www.ibec.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2020-10-23.

53°25′25″N 7°56′33″W

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