Poem
Call it strange or odd, but what we loved when the marching band came proudly up the street, the ranks of players following the heart beat of the big bass drum, was, up front, in white gloves, tossing his baton above his head, the bandleader, marking time. We stood and stared. A lone guard, spectral at the cross-roads, directed traffic; children waved to shy musician siblings, suddenly mature in their outsized uniforms. But who could look away from this feat of anti-gravity, his skillful, sure mastery and control? Music played and filled the valley of the street, echoing off parked cars, and plate-glass windows where pale-faced dummies gazed like souls in limbo. And yet, for all the toing and the froing, we loved it most when the band came to a halt now and then, high stepping on the spot but going nowhere, a panto horse waiting for its rear end to catch up.
Odd to think that fifty years can pass in the blink of an eye, that the world can change so much and yet so little. But kids still like to march and swing their arms. And if it seems strange that a walking stick might suddenly transform into a gleaming baton, who is he to complain? He listens for a music now somewhere within him, counts to himself, and then they’re off again.
- Pat Boran
Maryborough’s first reported game in the Leinster Express was a friendly match with the recently formed Portarlington football team on
The number of clubs all scrambling among the same pool of players was a big topic of discussion by GAA
After almost every highpoint experienced by Portlaoise, these were immediately followed by a lull in club activities and success.
Forty-three years in the making, it was a magnificent achievement for the club, no matter the potential outcome in either
In 1984, Portlaoise GAA achieved one of the most remarkable feats in Laois sporting history, the legendary “Double Double”. Winning
Pat Delaney describes the emergence of Portlaoise as a Hurling power house in the late 70s and 80s.
Player, selector, administrator and fund raiser. The Portlaoise great Jas O’Reilly.
I sometimes get asked “when did you first get involved in the GAA?” and I often respond that “my grandfather
“Portlaoise GAA in Turmoil” – This was a front page headline no club would wish to see in their local
At an extraordinary general meeting of the club in July 2005 it was decided to allow a sub-committee explore all
Larry was a dedicated follower of Portlaoise teams all his long life as, indeed, were all his family. His father
Current Rathleague Groundsperson and avid Town supporter Liam Breen describes his time supporting “D” Town.
There was a press conference held in the Killeshin Hotel in March 1978 revealing future developments of the club. The
Teddy Fennelly Snr remembers the first Leinster win for Portlaoise on the 50th anniversary of the great win agains Athlone.
December has been a happy month for Portlaoise in Leinster Senior Club football. We’ve won 4 of our 7 in
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1966 who brought the county title back to the Town.
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1964 who won the Laois football title for the first time in
After fifty seven years, Portlaoise finally regained the championship trophy with a narrow victory over Graiguecullen, 1 – 5 to
Teddy Fennelly Snr describes his personal journey to the clubs first Senior title in 57 years in 1964.
SLIOTHAIRS again slap on ash in Rathleague—after a pause of six decades or more. It’s a sound that evokes thoughts
An edited version of a poem attributed to “Little Sport”, which was contributed along with other items by a lifetime
A report detailing Portlaoise’s first Laois Senior Hurling win in 1928.
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1958 who won the Laois football title only for it to be
The O’Moore county men returned with the Leinster honours won against all the odds. Now it was time for the
Teddy Fennelly Snr writes about the first Leinster provincial title won for Laois by the men from Portlaoise (Maryborough)
