Profile: Tom Bergin
On the 13th August 1999 the club lost another valued member with the death of Tom Bergin.
Tom who played most of his hurling with Clonad joined Portlaoise when he moved to live in the town.
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Paddy was a member of the Laois minor hurling team of 1934 that won Leinster honours and was pipped by a point by Tipperary in a farcical finish to the All-Ireland final which was kept going for over ten minutes of extra time until the Munster men got the winning score. His father, also Paddy, was a well-known boxing coach and was an ally for many years of the legendary Portlaoise boxing supremo, Garda Billy Blackwell, who helped establish Portlaoise Boxing Club as one of the foremost in the country. His sister, Rosie, was wife of another famous Laois hurler of the period, Mick Hopper, and their son Noel, also a great supporter of the “Town”, was a classy player for Portlaoise under age teams in the 1950s.
On the 13th August 1999 the club lost another valued member with the death of Tom Bergin.
Tom who played most of his hurling with Clonad joined Portlaoise when he moved to live in the town.
Joe Phelan was one of the finest hurling players of his generation. He was a fine dual player for the club but hurling was the sport in which he shone.
Tommy Conroy has been a stalwart of Portlaoise GAA throughout his life. He played senior football for the town for 17 years, winning six county championships as well as a Leinster title in 1987. He made his name when he broke onto the great town team of the 80’s with Colm and Gerry Browne, Curly and co still setting the standard. He soldiered through the barren years of the ‘90s and then a golden generation of new stars arrived like Ian Fitzgerald, Martin Delaney, Woolly, Fitzy etc and gave an an ageing sportsman a new lease of life. Here are some of his personal memories of the club.
Ⓒ 1887 - 2025 - Portlaoise GAA - C'MON THE TOWN