A Brief history of Portlaoise GAA Club.
Historians of our ancient games will be aware that the GAA was founded in 1884 in Hayes Hotel in Thurles. The first All-Ireland finals were not staged until 1887 and it was around this time that Portlaoise GAA club first came into existence, giving it one of the longest traditions on record. Though now regarded as one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the country, this was not always the case and Portlaoise endured many tough times along the way, both on the playing fields and off.
Father Kearney was an early Chairman of Portlaoise club, as well as being Chairman of the County Board at the same time, at the beginning of the century and he made a wonderful contribution to the games in the county town and the county at large. He had the distinction of being County Chairman when Laois won its only senior All-Ireland title in 1915, defeating Cork in the final.
In 1907 he acquired a sports ground (where Pairc Ui Mhordha now stands) for the hurlers and footballers of the
town, but he handed it over to the county authorities shortly after the All-Ireland success, and this was a blow to games in Portlaoise as the youth of the town were excluded from practising there.
From then until the mid 1970’s Portlaoise had no ground to call their own and they trained and played matches at various locations around the town. There were turbulent times in this period and the club even went out of existence on occasion! The most recent lapse was in the 1940’s but Fr. Matt Walsh, a former president of the club, was the leading light behind its re-establishment and it is to him and others like him that Portlaoise GAA has become the force that it undoubtedly is today.
In the 1970’s the club successfully negotiated the re-acquisition of grounds from the County Board, citing the fact that they were the original owners of the land. As well as this, they bought more land at market price which, although putting immense financial strain on the club, meant that they finally had a home. In this period huge progress was made with the development of the pitches, the new clubhouse, as well as unprecedented success on the playing fields. (Of course we are in the middle of more exciting and progressive plans for the future of the club right now)
In the year just gone “the Town”, as they are affectionately known competed in both county senior finals. The footballers, captained by Eoin Bland, claimed their 24th title with a comprehensive win over great rivals and the self professed “Little Town”, Stradbally. Unfortunately the hurlers were defeated by Camross in their decider, thus depriving the club of a glorious double, last achieved in 
2004.
As stated Portlaoise have won 24 Laois Senior Football championships which makes them by far the most successful team in the county. Hard to believe that for long periods they languished behind the likes of Abbeyleix, Portarlington, The Heath, Annanough, Stradbally and Graiguecullen in the Roll of Honour. From 1907 to 1964 Portlaoise did not claim a single senior football title – almost a lifetime of failure, and an alien concept to the modern Portlaoise player. There was a Junior title in 1935 and two Intermediate successes in 1939 and 1956 – but this fifty seven year period will be remembered as the bleakest period in the clubs distinguished history.
But when the breakthrough did come in 1964, Portlaoise quickly took advantage and were in a position to mount a serious challenge when the provincial club championships commenced in 1971/72. Amongst the names that ended the famine were Paddy Bracken, Mick Murphy, the Lewis’, Teddy Fennelly, Jim Hughes, Mick McDonald, Brian Delaney, Syd Harkin, Tom Byrne, the Daltons’, John Fennell, Cyril O’Meara, the O’Reillys’, and the famous “Red Paschal” Delaney – after whom the clubhouse, Aras Ui Dubhslaine, is named.
Since then Portlaoise have become the most successful club football team in Leinster with six provincial titles to their credit, as well as that never-to-be-forgotten and historic All-Ireland win in 1982/83. Liam Scully was the captain of this famous team and star players included Eamon Whelan, Mick Lillis, Mick Mulhall, Colm and Gerry Browne, Tom and Noel Prendergast, Pat Critchley, John and Billy Bohan, Mick Dooley, Mark Kavanagh, Bernie Conroy, Jimmy Bergin and Joe Keenan.
The Town almost added a second national title to their collection but were agonisingly denied in 2004/2005 by Ballina by just a single point but the talent is undoubtedly in the club to make further assaults on both the provincial and national stage.
In hurling too Portlaoise have become a major force, especially in the last thirty years. The county championship wins of 1928 and 1943 were cherished in the club for many years because of their rarity but in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s an exciting group of players emerged to place Portlaoise at the forefront in Laois hurling.
Coached by Tom Lalor and Jimmy Doyle, the Tipperary legend and one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the sport, “the Town” won a famous four-in-a-row and were cruelly denied a fifth in ’85 when Camross scored a late goal to deprive them. Members of the breakthrough team included Sean “Goggie” Delaney, Jimmy Harding, Sean Dunne, Noel Rigney, Jack Kavanagh, Sean Bergin, the Bohans’, John Taylor, the Keenans’, Pat Critchley, Liam Bergin, E. Conlan, Seamus Plunkett, and Matthew Keegan. John Joe Ging was full back on the side and had the distinction of being captain for each of the four successes.
Altogether Portlaoise hurlers have won 11 senior county championships, the most recent in 2004, and they have also contested strongly in Leinster but Rathnure deprived them twice at the final stage, in 1987 – in heartbreaking circumstances, and in 1998.
Down through the years many Portlaoise players have represented their county with distinction. Colm Browne was an All Star winner in 1986 after he captained Laois to win the National Football League.
Pat Critchley won the county’s only hurling All Star award in 1985, after he captained Laois to the finals of both the Centenary Cup and the Leinster Championship. John Taylor – commonly regarded as Portlaoise’s best ever hurler, was controversially denied an All Star award on a number of occasions.
Worthy of special mention too are players from the club who have contributed to the recent golden era in Laois underage football, which to date has yielded 3 All-Ireland Minor titles and 4 Leinster titles – the likes of Martin Delaney, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Colm Parkinson, Ian Fitzgerald, Eoin Delaney, Brian Fitzpatrick, Eoin Bland, Tommy Mulligan, Diarmuid Mullins, Brian McCormack, Aidan Fennelly, Craig Rogers, Peter McNulty, Cahir Healy, Zach Tuohy and many more.
Parkinson had the added honour of representing Ireland against Australia in the International Rules competition, while Niall Rigney – a Laois hurling stalwart for more than a decade – has been a regular player for Ireland against Scotland in the Shinty international matches.
Administratively, Portlaoise have been well served too. Chairmen since 1949 include the likes of Al Delaney, Joe Bracken snr., Paddy Brennan, Teddy Fennelly, Bill Phelan, Peader Molloy, Niall Kavanagh and the present day incumbent Vinnie Dowling. Secretaries in that period include Jim Loughlin, Sean Fitzsimons, Eugene Conroy, Jimmy Cotter, Frank Keenan, Bill Phelan, James “Jazz” O Reilly, Peter Fennell, Vinnie Dowling and Kieran Brosnan.
This is but a brief synopsis and a full history of the club is necessary to acknowledge the efforts of all the great “townies” who have helped make the club what it is today.
This page was last modified on 13 May 2008
