Portlaoise GAA Club
Club Folklore
Formed in 1887 Portlaoise GAA Club has a long, rich and varied history with many stories to be told and events to be remembered and saved for posterity.
From the Archives
Sources for these profiles come from club members past and present, as well as from invaluable club publications including Teddy Fennelly and Brian Delaney’s Portlaoise G.A.A. 1887–2016 C’Mon The Town, and our monthly newsletter Town Tattler.
Historical research is ongoing. This page was last updated on 10 June 2026 and will be expanded as further records, photographs and memories are contributed.
1928 – First Senior Hurling Title
A report detailing Portlaoise’s first Laois Senior Hurling win in 1928.
A Goalie’s Tale
I sometimes get asked “when did you first get involved in the GAA?” and I often respond that “my grandfather captained Galway to win the Football All-Ireland in 1938, so I think I got involved in the GAA about thirty years before I was born!“
A Home for The Town
There was a press conference held in the Killeshin Hotel in March 1978 revealing future developments of the club. The main speaker was Con Murphy the President of the GAA.
All-Ireland final of 1889
The O’Moore county men returned with the Leinster honours won against all the odds. Now it was time for the All-Ireland final.
C’Mon “D” Town!
Current Rathleague Groundsperson and avid Town supporter Liam Breen describes his time supporting “D” Town.
Development sub-committee formed
At an extraordinary general meeting of the club in July 2005 it was decided to allow a sub-committee explore all the development options open to them including a possible sale of their grounds at Fr. Browne Avenue and the development of a bigger site in the town.
Fighting for Survival
After almost every highpoint experienced by Portlaoise, these were immediately followed by a lull in club activities and success.
First Leinster Club Success
December has been a happy month for Portlaoise in Leinster Senior Club football. We’ve won 4 of our 7 in December.
Victories over Skryne in 2004, Garrycastle in 2009, Parnells in 1988 and Baltinglass in 1985.
Interview with James ‘Jas’ O’Reilly
Player, selector, administrator and fund raiser. The Portlaoise great Jas O’Reilly.
Kilminchy Merge with Portlaoise
The number of clubs all scrambling among the same pool of players was a big topic of discussion by GAA interests in the town early in the year. Kilminchy had a very disappointing year in 1952 with little interest shown by players or officials and there was a number among their ranks who wished to see their club and Portlaoise united.
Larry McEvoy remembers the Portlaoise club of old
Larry was a dedicated follower of Portlaoise teams all his long life as, indeed, were all his family. His father trained the town hurlers to win their first senior championship in 1928.
Leinster win of 1889
Teddy Fennelly Snr writes about the first Leinster provincial title won for Laois by the men from Portlaoise (Maryborough)
Maryborough’s First Game
Maryborough’s first reported game in the Leinster Express was a friendly match with the recently formed Portarlington football team on Sunday, 4 November 1888.
Our Minor Miracles
Forty-three years in the making, it was a magnificent achievement for the club, no matter the potential outcome in either game.
Relocation put on hold
“Portlaoise GAA in Turmoil” – This was a front page headline no club would wish to see in their local paper.
Remembering 1984 The “Double Double”
In 1984, Portlaoise GAA achieved one of the most remarkable feats in Laois sporting history, the legendary “Double Double”. Winning senior and minor championship titles in both hurling and football within the same year remains one of the greatest achievements in the club’s history.
Teddy Fennelly remembers 72
Teddy Fennelly Snr remembers the first Leinster win for Portlaoise on the 50th anniversary of the great win agains Athlone.
The Game That Changed History
After fifty seven years, Portlaoise finally regained the championship trophy with a narrow victory over Graiguecullen, 1 – 5 to 0 – 7, the first title in the grade since 1907.
The Great Town Team of the 1980’s
Pat Delaney describes the emergence of Portlaoise as a Hurling power house in the late 70s and 80s.
The Magpies
An edited version of a poem attributed to “Little Sport”, which was contributed along with other items by a lifetime Portlaoise supporter living in Dublin, Joe Scully, formerly from Borris Road, who hails from a family steeped in the “Town” GAA tradition.
The Move
In the Summer of 1998 Portlaoise Senior Hurlers were in the midst of their preparations for a senior Hurling Championship game. Seamus “Cheddar” Plunkett was our manager then and, as the Players togged out in the dressing room, he was pacing the side of the main pitch waiting for a juvenile football match to finish so he could set out his cones and drills.
The road to 1964
Teddy Fennelly Snr describes his personal journey to the clubs first Senior title in 57 years in 1964.
The Rovers … a once great club
SLIOTHAIRS again slap on ash in Rathleague—after a pause of six decades or more. It’s a sound that evokes thoughts of a once great GAA club, The Rovers, that, alas, is fast fading from living memory.
Tom Flynn Pays Tribute to the Men of 58
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1958 who won the Laois football title only for it to be taken away on appeal in Portlaoise Courthouse.
Tom Flynn Pays Tribute to the Men of 64
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1964 who won the Laois football title for the first time in 57 years.
Tom Flynn Pays Tribute to the Men of 66
Tom Flynn pays tribute to the men of 1966 who brought the county title back to the Town.