Almost a quarter of commercial properties in Laois town lie vacant

Recent figures show a big divide in the number of vacant commercial properties in Laois towns

Published 26th Aug 2026, 07:30 BST Market Street in Mountmellick. Recent figures show a big divide in the number of vacant commercial properties in Laois towns Sign up to our Laois Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Laois Live within your account.

Almost a quarter of commercial properties in one Laois town are vacant, despite the county’s overall number of vacant commercial properties being slightly below the national average.

According to the GeoDirectory Commercial Vacancy Rates Report for the second quarter of this year, the commercial vacancy rate in Laois was 13.6% in June 2026, which was lower than the national average of 14.5%.

The commercial vacancy rate in Laois slightly increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025.

Laois was one of the thirteen counties that had a vacancy rate below the national vacancy rate of 14.5%.

Of the three urban areas surveyed in Laois, Mountmellick had the highest rate of vacant commercial buildings at 24.3%. This figure remains the same as it was this time last year.

Portarlington, on the other hand, had the lowest number of vacant commercial properties at 12.6%. This was almost half of that in Mountmellick. However, this number is up from last year when it was 11.9%.

Similar to the county average, 13.8% of the commercial properties in Portlaoise were vacant. This figure was also up from 2025 when it was 13.4%.

Public asked to share concerns at Laois community safety meetings At a national level, Donegal recorded the highest vacancy rate at 20.7%, followed by Sligo at 20.2% and Galway at 18.6%. Meath maintained its position as the county with the lowest vacancy at 9.9%, followed by Wexford at 11.2% and Westmeath at 12%.

A total of 30,611 commercial properties were classified as vacant across the country in the second quarter of the year.

Commenting on the findings of the latest GeoDirectory Commercial Buildings Report, Dara Keogh, CEO of GeoDirectory, said: “The national commercial vacancy rate has edged down slightly to 14.5%, marking our first year-on-year drop since GeoDirectory began reporting on this data in 2013, the broader picture remains one of significant local variance.

“With over 30,611 commercial units lying vacant across the country and 13 counties still seeing vacancy increases, commercial property owners and local high streets need to continue to adapt to shifting consumer habits.”

Simon MacAllister, Partner at EY Ireland said, “While the decline in the national commercial vacancy rates is modest, it is significant as it marks a break from a long period of steadily rising commercial vacancies since 2013.

“The data highlights a growing divide between areas benefiting from population growth, employment and investment, particularly in the East, and those that continue to face challenges sustaining commercial activity, especially in the West and Northwest. This underlines the need for sustained investment and policy measures to support town centre vitality and long-term economic growth.”