Portlaoise may be 100 miles south of the Border but no other town in the Republic has a more visible sign of the troubles that have afflicted this island for the past 30 years. The grim bulk of the high-security prison on the Dublin road was as close as many people from the Republic got to the realities of the North in recent decades.
That shadow hangs over the town and creates an air of suspicion and caution. People are less open here and will not talk willingly about the troubles and this new chance to end them.
They have seen their share of action. There was a series of break-outs from the prison in the 1970s during which one man was shot dead. The Provisional IRA attempted to break into the jail on another occasion and once dug a tunnel from a nearby hospital in an effort to free prisoners.
In 1976 Garda Michael Clarkin was killed and another garda was blinded when a booby-trap bomb exploded in a house they were searching in Garryhinch outside Mountmellick, also in Co Laois.
The hinterland of Portlaoise bred its own brand of hardline republican to such an extent that many people believe the nearby Slieve Bloom mountains will play a leading role should decommissioning take place.
Last Sunday the parish priest of Portlaoise, Mgr Tom Coonan, asked his congregation to vote Yes on the Belfast Agreement.
In the congregation was local Fine Gael TD, Mr Charles Flanagan, who was delighted with the advice and the fact that the church had given guidance on the issue.
"Portlaoise has nothing to fear from peace. It can only get better. The prison has been an obstacle to developing tourism in the town but now we are getting a new one and we may be losing the high-security profile," he said.
A more cynical view was expressed by one republican from the area, agreeing that locals will return an emphatic Yes vote.
"If they were losing their prison they would vote No because they are only interested in the shilling. They benefited a lot from the troubles through the prison," was his jaundiced view.
The RUC defined the prison population as "subversives" and "ordinary decent criminals" and it now looks as if Portlaoise will have more than its share of "ODCs".
Local businessman Mr Jim White says he's looking forward to a big Yes vote from Portlaoise. "I see a positive future for Portlaoise and the county in the event of a Yes vote."