Poem
Born and reared in Portlaoise, Green and white coursing through his veins, Boarding a plane to Oz, at just 19, His life would never be the same.
Leaving all he knew behind, In chase of the pro-athlete dream, He swapped the green and white of Portlaoise, For the navy of Carlton, his newest team.
Fresh-faced and eager to learn, He took to the Sherrin like water to sand, Determined beyond words to succeed, In this far-off, foreign land.
And thrive, he truly did, This son of Portlaoise and Beladd, Supported back home by the masses, And in particular, his Mum and Dad.
A mainstay in the Carlton team, Until Geelong, and the cats came calling, A new chapter was ready to be written, This career had no time for stalling.
In Geelong, he went from strength to strength, And it was there that he reached the promised land, A premiership champion, in his green and white cape, And a hero in his homeland.
A feat so utterly amazing, That it’s almost hard to believe it’s true, But it is, and Zach, that’s as a result, Of nobody else but you.
There was one more target in sight, Created by the legendary, Jim Stynes, A record that many thought, Would withstand the test of time.
To have broken it, is simply incredible. Who knows what more is to come, Yet amidst all of the fanfare, Zach never forgot where he was from.
A townie in every sence, A true legend, who was born to win, Zach, we’re all so proud of you, And we’ll be there when you come marching in.
- Dennis Tynan
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)
