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.
Paddy Brennan is a legendary figure in the Portlaoise club.
He won minor hurling championships with the Rovers Club
and when that club merged with Portlaoise in the early 1950s,
Paddy threw in his lot with the Town. He went on to star with
his club and also in the blue and white of Laois for many
years.
Har Walsh and his brother Tom both won under age titles in hurling and football with the town.
Jimmy Bergin was a star of the 1970s and ‘80s and won numerous senior football titles with the “Town”.
