The LoveLaois Podcast

Steven and Alan are back with a LoveLaois Podcast and they've plenty to talk about.  - Zoning for up to 8,000 more homes in Laois and the challenges that brings - Predictable council chamber rows - Steven the imaginary chairman - Alan and his doubled-barrelled bias - Alan's first confession in 20 years - Abortion debate - British by-election

When Aymar Gourdet arrives at the LaoisToday offices a couple of minutes ahead of his scheduled podcast interview, it doesn't take long to learn that this is a man that absolutely loves what he's doing.  His enthusiasm and energy is palpable and he bounds up the stairs. He's the French man behind the award-winning Le Skinny Chef range of pestos, chutneys, soups and sauces and this week he represen...

Kristine Golubovska, owner of Floral Essence in Portlaoise, sits down with Samanta Danne on the LoveLaois podcast to talk about her life in floristry and the realities of running a successful small business for the past 14 years. Floral Essence first opened its doors in 2012, just before Valentine’s Day.  Since then, it has grown into a much‑loved local flower shop, especially known for its weddin...

It has a story line so wild, you'd consider it far-fetched if you watched it on Netflix.  It's even madder when a large part of it is set in Rosenallis with contributions from people in Mountmellick, Portlaoise, Mountrath and Castletown.  But  Runaway Joe  is no ordinary story. It is the story of an Irish-American called Joe Moloney who was arrested for the murder of his wife, June Fisk, at their...

We’re back with a new episode of the LoveLaois Podcast and there’s plenty to talk about. We have had three Municipal meetings since our last Podcast. Alan attended Borris-Mountmellick and Graiguecullen-Portarlington while Steven was at Portlaoise.  The lads run through the various motions and also give a shout out to Cllr Aisling Moran who is off to Uganda.  Steven also recalls the 1984 By-Electio...

The annual Gordon Bennett Classic Car run is an event steeped in history and brings a selection of overseas visitors to these parts.  The brainchild of Tommy Treacy, proprietor of the legendary Treacy's Bar and Restaurant on The Heath, the memorial event has run (excuse the pun) every year since 2003.  That year marked the centenary of the Gordon Bennett Cup in Ireland in 1903, a race that is ofte...

We’re back with a new episode of the LoveLaois Podcast and there’s plenty to talk about. Steven kicks things off with his account of the new housing project that was officially opened this week at the old convent in Portlaoise.  Alan speaks about Dr Sean Montague who has written and released a new book.  The monthly council meeting took place on Monday and Steven has some suggestions on how things...

We're back with a new episode of the LoveLaois Podcast and there's plenty to talk about. Steven gives an insight into the incredibly dramatic Fianna Fáil selection convention contest where Elva Kelly beat off stiff competition from Willie Ramsbottom. Alan chats about his trip to Mountrath where Minister Dara Calleary was on hand to open two new facilities while Steven met him in Portarlington wher...

The LoveLaois Podcast returns and we bring you an interview that we can almost certainly guarantee that, should you listen to it, it will make you laugh.  Alan and Steven are joined by two of the main men behind Portlaoise TradFest - Ruaidhri Tierney and Bill O'Brien.  The Portlaoise duo are music mad and they begin with a chat about their musical careers to date.  How Comhaltas shaped them as chi...

The latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast is here and we have a very special guest - our own Samanta Danne.  Readers of LaoisToday will have seen Samanta's name popping up on articles in recent months as she has been on work experience with us.  A Law and Criminology student at Portlaoise Further Institute, Portlaoise native Samanta has a fascinating story to tell.  Her mam is from Latvia and he...

Derval O'Rourke was the special guest at the Local Enterprise Office women's lunch in the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on Friday where she shared her some of her business experience as owner of Derval.ie , an online health, fitness, and wellness platform. A world champion athlete and three time Olympian, she chats to us about her business journey, how she loves what she does, what makes her anxio...

The LoveLaois Podcast returns and the focus of this episode is on the big local political story of the week. Fianna Fail's Padraig Fleming has announced that he will retire from politics in the coming months.  It was a shock to everyone with Alan Hartnett and Steven Miller giving their initial reaction on the episode.  After that, the discussion meanders on to matters in the Middle East where a nu...

Gerry Duffy is a speaker and author in High Performance working with business leaders and teams to help them perform at their best and he joins us on the latest episode of the LaoisToday LoveLaois Business podcast ahead of his appearance in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel next week as part of Local Enterprise week. He has worked with over 1,000 organisations across Ireland and internationally, ranging f...

Is there any business owner or manager that wouldn't like to make their business more efficient? John O'Shanahan, owner of business improvement consultancy Lean BPI, joins us on this episode ahead of his webinar which is part of this year's Local Enterprise week. He chats about some of the practices businesses can adapt and some of the grants that are available. John's webinar - titled Working Sma...

Local Portlaoise band The Controversy joined us for a special musical feature on this week’s LoveLaois Podcast. Work-experience student Samanta Danne made her official debut as the host as she sat down to interview the rising Laois act. Fresh off their 2025 Electric Youth win that gave them an amazing opportunity to perform at the Electric Picnic, Samanta gets to know the group — drummer Adam Reil...

No guest this week but there is still plenty to talk about on the latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast.  Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett where the pair reflect on the recent goings on in Laois County Council.  Steven was at the Portlaoise Municipal meeting while Alan was at the Graiguecullen-Portarlington equivalent.  The lads go threw the motions and pick out their favourites - and aw...

It has been a busy week in LaoisToday. Alan has been out and about at two ministerial visits to the county and Steven was at Fianna Fáil's big bash in the Midlands Park Hotel to celebrate the party's centenary.  All of those, however, pale into insignificance compared to Steven's big trip to Camross for a somewhat historic meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District. As well as...

After 45 years in Laois County Council, Willie Aird was elected to Dáil Éireann in December 2024 and has now a year under his belt as a TD.  He sits down with us for a chat on the experience so far, getting used to the workings in Leinster House, what it's like being a TikTok star and how he has adjusted his farming life with his new role.  Plus, he chats about the next General Election, the popul...

A wide and varied episode if ever there was one.  We remember Andy Bergin, the former Timahoe publican who passed away, as well as Leon de Barra, a former school principal, who also died this week.  Plus we discuss the planning permission that has been granted for the new Dunamase College in Portlaoise, the malting barley controversy and a variety of topics that came up at the full meeting of Laoi...

The latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast is here and this one sees us looking back on events from the past week.  Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett where the pair reflect on recent Laois County Council meetings that they attended.  Steven was at the Portlaoise Municipal meeting while Alan attended the Graiguecullen-Portarlington meeting.  They each give a run down of the various motions...

Steven and Alan return for a chat about some of the week's stories. Steven attended an almost-private showing of the Portlaoise Pantomime Goldilocks and the Three Beours and was pushed way past his comfort zone. But he was well impressed with the show and couldn't recommend it highly enough.  The lads also chat about the well-mannered councillors in the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal Dist...

We sat down with the CEO of Laois County Council Michael Rainey recently.  He chatted about his somewhat unusual educational background, his various roles in local authorities and how he arrived to the top job in Laois.  With a staff of 550 people under him and an annual council budget of over €132 million, he deals with a range of Government departments and bodies.  Among the local issues he disc...

Over eight days and 11 shows and in front of a combined audience of 2,500, the Portlaoise Panto will go centre stage in the Dunamaise Arts Centre again this month.  Beginning this Saturday, July 19,  Goldilocks and the Three Beours  promises to be another fun-filled performance from the Portlaoise group.  As the cast the production team went through a manic final week of rehearsals, we sat down wi...

Laois Independent TD Brian Stanley is our first guest of 2026 on the LoveLaois Podcast.  He chats about his first full year in the Dáil as an Independent, how it compares to his time in Sinn Féin, his relationship with Mary Lou McDonald, and a potential Border Poll.  His role in Catherine Connolly's presidential succession comes up for discussion as does the united left arrangement as well as his...

And a Happy New Year to you all.  Steven and Alan return with a first LoveLaois Podcast of 2026 where they catch up after Christmas and talk about an array of wildly different topics. Watching the darts, playing golf, considering golf as a hobby, watching Netflix and reading Matt Cooper's excellent book on Dunnes Stores all come up for discussion.  We also chat about Darragh Lyons' charity sky div...