Profile: Roc Scully

Rocky Scully was a prominent player and official over the years.

He was a fine hurler who won underage county titles with Portlaoise and represented Laois at minor level.

Roc’s family all have strong connection with the town.

His father, Paddy, was one of officials who helped reform the club in 1949.

His hairdressing salon was always a great meeting point for GAA supporters and was known as the GAA Barbers. Club notices were placed in a window of the premises at Main Street and this was the chief method of club communication at the time.

At his funeral in 2004 Parish priest Fr. John Byrne, receiving Rocky’s remains in SS Peter and Paul’s Church, noted that his death marked the end of a chapter in the history of Portlaoise. A chapter that encompassed almost a century: the length of time that PJ Scully’s Gentlemen’s Hairdressing Salon was in business – a business that Rocky’s father, Paddy Scully, established. It drew customers not only from the town and environs, but from many parts of the country and beyond. And it was much more than a barber shop. It was a place where the old stock, and the not so old stock gathered for a chat and the craic. Newspapers were perused there, racing form studied, crosswords solved, GAA matches analysed, great characters recalled. On the walls were evocative photographs of the 1915 All-Ireland winning Laois senior hurlers, of the 1949 beaten All-Ireland finalists, of the 1958 Portlaoise senior footballers. Rocky was a genial host, with a smile for everybody, with the ability to talk to all age groups and classes. He will be sadly missed.