LaoisToday

You all asked for it – so we have obliged with the first hurling rankings update of the 2025 season. With the club leagues now almost at a conclusion, we have compiled a list of the top 25 hurling teams in Laois. A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. But also, most crucially, teams have b...

You all asked for it – so we have obliged with the second rankings of the 2025 season. With the club leagues now in ticking towards their conclusion and championship action just over a month away, we have compiled a list of the top 30 football teams in Laois. A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength...

It was a huge weekend for the Laois senior hurlers and they delivered with a big win over Westmeath.  Steven Miller was in O'Moore Park for the Joe McDonagh Cup game and he joins Alan Hartnett to reflect on it.  The pair also chat about the Feile finals which took place on Saturday evening.  And look ahead to the U-20 hurlers who face Kildare on Wednesday. 

You all asked for it - so we have obliged with the first rankings of the 2025 season.  With the club leagues now in full swing and championship action just a few months away, we have compiled a list of the top 30 football teams in Laois.  A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. Steven Mille...

Antrim 'virus', minor Leinster league final, Kelly Cup and more by LaoisToday

It was a very busy weekend on the GAA front and the latest Laois Football Podcast is here to look back at it all.  Up first, Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett to reflect on the senior footballers' win over Antrim.  They look at what that means and we also hear from manager Justin McNulty.  It was a big weekend for Ladies too with the senior team drawing against Limerick and the minors defea...

Mark Comerford and Steven Miller chat about the Laois GAA club championship draws which took place on Thursday evening. Among the topics for discussion are the new senior hurling format. Will the flaws in the system come to the fore? And what will the knock-on effect in the lower grades be? On the football side of things, what, if any, are the standout senior football ties? How evenly-balanced is...

The meeting of the Laois and Kildare footballers is always one of the most anticipated fixtures in this part of the world.  Be it championship, league or O'Byrne Cup, it's a game that has thrown up some great moments over the years.  While Kildare have had the upper hand for most of the past 20 years, Laois have come out on top in the last two meetings - in last year's Tailteann Cup quarter-final...

LaoisToday was on stage at the National Ploughing Championships this year as we recorded a live podcast at the Briggs Equipment stand to mark the official launch of the new Laois GAA jersey. Briggs Equipment is the parent company of Laois Hire, who are the Laois GAA sponsors, and Laois footballers Ben Dempsey and Conor Heffernan as well as Laois hurler Fiachra C-Fennell were on hand for the occasi...

The LaoisToday QuizCast made its Electric Picnic debut at the Ah, Hear tent in Mindfield on Friday.  It pitted three of the four contestants who battled it out in the Square Bar last year against each other.  Defending champion Brian Hogan returned with Murt Norton and Colin Delaney also taking to the stage.  With Jack Scully unavailable, we ran a wildcard round last week which Sean Hennessy came...

LaoisToday will be making its Electric Picnic debut this year when our popular QuizCast takes its place in the Ah, Here tent in Mindfield on Friday afternoon.  It's a proud occasion for LaoisToday to be on stage during the iconic festival.  We're returning with a special Electric Picnic version of our QuizCast, a repeat of last winter's inaugural event which packed out the Square Bar for the Grand...

With the various Junior football grades getting underway two weeks ago, the top grades begin this week.  The Laois Shopping Centre SFC and IFC competitions begin from Wednesday and will continue for the next three months.  Before it all begins, we have ranked the top 30 football clubs in Laois.  A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, an...

We had a star-studded line up of guests in the Square Bar in Portlaoise as we recorded a Friday night episode of our LaoisToday Football Podcast. Former Laois footballers Fergal Byron, Chris Conway and Gareth Dillon were among our guests as well as recent Laois U-20 managers Eddie Kinsella and Billy O'Loughlin and Midlands 103 commentator Pat O'Sullivan. We look ahead to the Laois v Down Tailteann...

In the latest episode of the LaoisToday LoveLaois Podcast, we hear from Stephen Dowling, owner of Dunmasc Genetics. Stephen will be representing Laois at the National Enterprise Awards next week and is a client of the Laois Local Enterprise Office. He explains what his business is, how he's exporting across the world and the challenges he faces.

After several years of progress, 2024 has seen the Laois Ladies return to the turbulent times that have blighted them in the past.  2023 saw them reach the Division 2 league final, losing out to Armagh, but the championship was difficult and Laois ended up in a relegation playoff where they defeated Cavan.  But this year has been difficult. Laois were relegated from Division 2 without winning a ma...

Our latest LoveLaois Podcast is here and this one is certainly made for the political anoraks among us. Steven Miller, Alan Hartnett and Mark Comerford are up for this one where the first question is all about the Taoiseach. Steven poses the question of if Leo Varadkar will be remembered as a good one or not. Stick on the politics train, the lads also remember the late Tom Mulhall who sadly passed...

It has been a couple of months since we last heard from Laois GAA's Head of Games Development Shane Keegan.  The Rathdowney native joins Alan Hartnett for this special episode of the Talking Sport Podcast to update us on all things in the coaching world.  Laois GAA have three coaching workshops in the coming weeks and the first of them is with Shane Smith. This, costing €10, takes place this Satur...

The inaugural LaoisToday Schools QuizCast Grand Final took place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise on Friday where The Heath NS, Timahoe NS, St Colman's NS from Stradbally and Rath NS all took part. The contestants were put through their paces by quizmasters Mark Comerford and Alan Hartnett before St Colman's NS eventually emerged victorious after a titanic battle. Almost 200 supporters w...

On the latest episode of the LaoisToday Podcast, we hear from Pavel Barter who is the presenter of the Runaway Joe podcast from RTE’s Documentary on One series Runaway Joe tells the incredible, scarcely-believable, story of Joe Moloney, an Irish-American, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list and who lived in Capard House in Rosenallis throughout the 1970s and 80s under an assumed name - Michael O’...

The last place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre was up for grabs as Scoil Mhuire Fatima Timahoe met St Joseph's BNS Borris-In-Ossory.  This was a wildcard bout and it ended with history being made as for the very first time - one of our lists was completed.  Timahoe were represented by Ruairi Bowe, Daisy Ramsbottom and Lucy Scully.  They were here after defeating Rath in Round 1 but losing to Stradbal...

There was no room for error as Rath National School and Scoil Bhride Clonaslee met in the Wildcard Round of the LaoisToday Schools QuizCast.  Clonaslee had reached this stage after defeating Newtown in Round 1 but losing to The Heath in Round 2.  While Rath NS had lost to Timahoe NS in Round 1 but beaten Holy Family in Round 2.  Rath NS were represented for a third time by Michael Behan, Aoife Mur...

The final of our Round 2 clashes saw neighbours meet as St Colman's in Stradbally took on Timahoe NS.  Like in Round 1, representing St Colman’s NS was Maci Moore-Doyle, Freya Byrne and Oran Lawlor. While Timahoe once again had Ruairi Bowe, Daisy Ramsbottom and Lucy Scully on duty.  Nothing separated the sides in Round 1 or 2 but Stradbally took a slight lead in Round 3.  Timahoe regained the adva...

The first spot in the grand final of the Schools QuizCast was up for grabs as The Heath met Clonaslee in Round 2.  With both sides winning in Round 1, one more win from either school will secure their place in the showpiece event on Match 1.  The Heath were once again represented by John O’Hara, Finn Moore and Conall Lalor.  While back for Clonaslee again were Will Murray, Oran McEvoy and Donnacha...

Round 2 of the Wildcard section continued as Borris-In-Ossory and Newtown NS clashed.  This was a winner takes all clash with the loser out for this year and the victor into Round 3. Cillian Shiels, Sophie Purcell and Rian Powell were once again representing Newtown. While in the St Joseph’s Borris-in-Ossory corner were Darragh Shortiss, Michael Nelligan and Tafara Zhou. This game came right down...

Rath National School and Holy Family were involved in a dramatic encounter as Round 2 of the LaoisToday Schools QuizCast got underway.  This was a winner takes all clash with the loser out for this year and the victor into Round 3.  And with everything on the line, the sides produced a stunning battle that had, after another stewards inquiry, to be decided by a tiebreak.  Rath were once again repr...