You all asked for it – so we have obliged with the first hurling rankings update of the 2025 season. With the club leagues now almost at a conclusion, we have compiled a list of the top 25 hurling teams in Laois. A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. But also, most crucially, teams have been severely punished for giving walkovers.  Two have dropped massively and another two have been kicked out altogether.  Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett are up for this one.

You all asked for it – so we have obliged with the second rankings of the 2025 season. With the club leagues now in ticking towards their conclusion and championship action just over a month away, we have compiled a list of the top 30 football teams in Laois. A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett are up for this one – and remember, rankings can fall as well as rise.

It was a huge weekend for the Laois senior hurlers and they delivered with a big win over Westmeath.  Steven Miller was in O'Moore Park for the Joe McDonagh Cup game and he joins Alan Hartnett to reflect on it.  The pair also chat about the Feile finals which took place on Saturday evening.  And look ahead to the U-20 hurlers who face Kildare on Wednesday. 

You all asked for it - so we have obliged with the first rankings of the 2025 season.  With the club leagues now in full swing and championship action just a few months away, we have compiled a list of the top 30 football teams in Laois.  A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett are up for this one – and remember, rankings can fall as well as rise.

Antrim 'virus', minor Leinster league final, Kelly Cup and more by LaoisToday

It was a very busy weekend on the GAA front and the latest Laois Football Podcast is here to look back at it all.  Up first, Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett to reflect on the senior footballers' win over Antrim.  They look at what that means and we also hear from manager Justin McNulty.  It was a big weekend for Ladies too with the senior team drawing against Limerick and the minors defeating Wexford.  While we also have a Kelly Cup update ahead of the start of the local leagues.

Mark Comerford and Steven Miller chat about the Laois GAA club championship draws which took place on Thursday evening. Among the topics for discussion are the new senior hurling format. Will the flaws in the system come to the fore? And what will the knock-on effect in the lower grades be? On the football side of things, what, if any, are the standout senior football ties? How evenly-balanced is the intermediate grade? And talk about a Junior 'A' Group of Death!! This episode is available to listen to free of charge but if you would like to listen to our all our episodes, you can subscribe for €6.99 per month or €69.99 annually.

The meeting of the Laois and Kildare footballers is always one of the most anticipated fixtures in this part of the world.  Be it championship, league or O'Byrne Cup, it's a game that has thrown up some great moments over the years.  While Kildare have had the upper hand for most of the past 20 years, Laois have come out on top in the last two meetings - in last year's Tailteann Cup quarter-final in Tullamore and in the 2022 O'Byrne Cup semi-final, after penalties, in Carlow.  This Saturday they meet in the redeveloped St Conleth's Park in Newbridge, a 7pm throw-in under the lights that wouldn't have been the worst choice for RTE's live game.  Kildare, under new manager Brian Flanagan, have won their first three games and are top of the table. Laois, though they lost to Offaly in their first outing, are in third place having won their last two, including an impressive win over Sligo last Sunday.  To look ahead to the game, we have a special preview podcast, recorded live in the Joe Mallon Motors showrooms in Naas.  Joining us for the chat are former Kildare footballer Johnny Doyle, as well as three-time All Ireland final referee Maurice Deegan, who is currently a member of the Football Review Committee that have introduced the new changes to the game.  LaoisToday's Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett chat to the two lads about the rules, what they like and don't like, the form of both team, the new St Conleth's Park and some of Johnny's memories from playing Laois.  LaoisToday are proud brand ambassadors for Joe Mallon Motors and this episode was recorded in their showrooms on the Sallins Road in Naas. You can check out the Joe Mallon Motors website here.  Thanks to Anthony Mallon and Oisin Morris in Joe Mallon Motors and our videographer Paul Dargan for their support. 

LaoisToday was on stage at the National Ploughing Championships this year as we recorded a live podcast at the Briggs Equipment stand to mark the official launch of the new Laois GAA jersey. Briggs Equipment is the parent company of Laois Hire, who are the Laois GAA sponsors, and Laois footballers Ben Dempsey and Conor Heffernan as well as Laois hurler Fiachra C-Fennell were on hand for the occasion. In front of a large attendance, LaoisToday's Steven Miller presented a live show, where he first chatted to Gary Clements, the MD of Briggs Equipment and to PJ Kelly, Laois GAA chairman. He was then joined on stage by the three players, who modelled the new jersey and took part in a Q&A with Steven. The lads chatted about the 2024 season, some of their favourite moments in a Laois jersey and the advice they would give to young players, many of whom were in the audience. They then finished up with a short quiz, where Steven tested the lads on their knowledge of Laois GAA clubs.

The LaoisToday QuizCast made its Electric Picnic debut at the Ah, Hear tent in Mindfield on Friday.  It pitted three of the four contestants who battled it out in the Square Bar last year against each other.  Defending champion Brian Hogan returned with Murt Norton and Colin Delaney also taking to the stage.  With Jack Scully unavailable, we ran a wildcard round last week which Sean Hennessy came through.  The show got underway at 2.40pm and it was a packed tent with a massive crowd.  This was a straight final that began with 'Home and Away', involved Golden Goose and also had a new segment - 'Higher or Lower'.  After the three rounds, all contestants were still in touching distance of each other with Sean Hennessy in the lead.  But the final round is called 'The List' and there were 12 points on offer. Reigning champion Brian Hogan won the first two lists to regain the advantage.  The third list was shared between himself and Hennessy meaning it all came down to the final question.  The topic was RTE Sports Personalities and Hogan's ability to name them was the difference.

LaoisToday will be making its Electric Picnic debut this year when our popular QuizCast takes its place in the Ah, Here tent in Mindfield on Friday afternoon.  It's a proud occasion for LaoisToday to be on stage during the iconic festival.  We're returning with a special Electric Picnic version of our QuizCast, a repeat of last winter's inaugural event which packed out the Square Bar for the Grand Final.  Three of those finalists are back to appear at Electric Picnic - champion Brian Hogan as well as Clonad duo Colin Delaney and fan's favourite Murt Norton.  With one extra place up for grabs, we held a Wild Card Qualifier with Barry McEvoy from Castletown, Martin Fallon from Clonaslee and Annanough football goalkeeper Sean Hennessy battling it out.  We tested the lads on their soccer, GAA, rugby and golf knowledge - and there was one very worthy winner!

With the various Junior football grades getting underway two weeks ago, the top grades begin this week.  The Laois Shopping Centre SFC and IFC competitions begin from Wednesday and will continue for the next three months.  Before it all begins, we have ranked the top 30 football clubs in Laois.  A number of factors come into play with these rankings – league form, last year’s championship form, and whether a club are at full strength or not. Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett are up for this one - and remember, rankings can fall as well as rise.

We had a star-studded line up of guests in the Square Bar in Portlaoise as we recorded a Friday night episode of our LaoisToday Football Podcast. Former Laois footballers Fergal Byron, Chris Conway and Gareth Dillon were among our guests as well as recent Laois U-20 managers Eddie Kinsella and Billy O'Loughlin and Midlands 103 commentator Pat O'Sullivan. We look ahead to the Laois v Down Tailteann Cup final as well as a great trip down memory lane with Fergal Byron recalling the unforgettable training sessions under Mick O'Dwyer in 2003. We also ask our guests to make a prediction ahead of the Laois football championship - and we finish by making up two teams to contest our quiz.

In the latest episode of the LaoisToday LoveLaois Podcast, we hear from Stephen Dowling, owner of Dunmasc Genetics. Stephen will be representing Laois at the National Enterprise Awards next week and is a client of the Laois Local Enterprise Office. He explains what his business is, how he's exporting across the world and the challenges he faces.

After several years of progress, 2024 has seen the Laois Ladies return to the turbulent times that have blighted them in the past.  2023 saw them reach the Division 2 league final, losing out to Armagh, but the championship was difficult and Laois ended up in a relegation playoff where they defeated Cavan.  But this year has been difficult. Laois were relegated from Division 2 without winning a match.  And in the time since that, their joint management team of Billy Kiernan and Tom Devereux have stepped down.  But Ballyfin man Stephen Duff has stepped up and will attempt to steady the ship for the remainder of the year.  Speaking on the Talking Sport Podcast, he acknowledges it will be a difficult task in the short-term.  Laois begin their Leinster campaign away to Meath on Sunday and with games against Dublin and Kildare to come, it won't get any easier.  But in a wide ranging chat, manager Duff is insistent that the narrative must change if the county is to progress.  While recognising that the seniors are the flagship team, Duff says it is incumbent on everyone involved in the Ladies game to put their shoulder to the wheel.

Our latest LoveLaois Podcast is here and this one is certainly made for the political anoraks among us. Steven Miller, Alan Hartnett and Mark Comerford are up for this one where the first question is all about the Taoiseach. Steven poses the question of if Leo Varadkar will be remembered as a good one or not. Stick on the politics train, the lads also remember the late Tom Mulhall who sadly passed away this week. They all spoke about the incident at the Stradbally St Patrick's Day parade. And somehow - they end up talking about Fr Ted!

It has been a couple of months since we last heard from Laois GAA's Head of Games Development Shane Keegan.  The Rathdowney native joins Alan Hartnett for this special episode of the Talking Sport Podcast to update us on all things in the coaching world.  Laois GAA have three coaching workshops in the coming weeks and the first of them is with Shane Smith. This, costing €10, takes place this Saturday, March 16, in the Centre of Excellence from 10am to 12.30pm and is aimed at hurling and football coaches from U-7 to U-11.  On Saturday March 23, Laois Games Development Coach Martin O'Connell is running a Strength and Conditioning workshop in the Centre of Excellence.  This, costing €5, takes place from 11.30am to 1.30pm and is aimed at those coaching hurling and football at U-15 and U-17 level.  Martin O'Connell will be back on Saturday March 30 for an Athletic Development workshop in the same location.  This will be aimed at U-11 and U-13 coaches for football and hurling and also costs €5.  On the Podcast, Shane also explains how plans are in place for the Cul Camps this summer and that Laois GAA will be recruiting coaches with a closing date of April 12.  While he also provides an update on the various Laois academy squads and how almost every primary school in Laois is receiving weekly GAA coaching.  Go Games will be getting underway shortly and Keegan has some new rules in mind to make it a better experience for all.  You can check it out below:

The inaugural LaoisToday Schools QuizCast Grand Final took place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise on Friday where The Heath NS, Timahoe NS, St Colman's NS from Stradbally and Rath NS all took part. The contestants were put through their paces by quizmasters Mark Comerford and Alan Hartnett before St Colman's NS eventually emerged victorious after a titanic battle. Almost 200 supporters were in attendance for what was a hugely atmospheric occasion. The LaoisToday Schools QuizCast is brought to you in association with Mulhall Meat and Fish Counter, located in Mulhall's SuperValu in Lyster Square, Portlaoise. Mulhall Meats have been serving the people of Laois for more than 90 years.

On the latest episode of the LaoisToday Podcast, we hear from Pavel Barter who is the presenter of the Runaway Joe podcast from RTE’s Documentary on One series Runaway Joe tells the incredible, scarcely-believable, story of Joe Moloney, an Irish-American, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list and who lived in Capard House in Rosenallis throughout the 1970s and 80s under an assumed name - Michael O’Shea. How he came to Rosenallis is a story in itself. In 1967, he was accused of murdering his wife June at their son’s 5th birthday party in New York. But when he was in custody, he escaped and went on the run, eventually ending up in Dun Laoighaire in Dublin where he took on a new identity, under the name Michael O’Shea. During his time in Dun Laoighaire he bought a small garage, which later earned him a small fortune when the local council bought it off him - at a largely inflated price - as it stood in the way of a proposed Shopping Centre. The proceeds of this sale helped him to buy Capard House and 120 acres in Rosenallis and he lived there, along with his new wife Sheila Chandler O’Shea. However all this time the Gardai were aware of his true identity, having his matched his fingerprints to those of Joe Moloney, who remained on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. But there was nothing they could do onky keep an eye on him as no was extradition treaty between Ireland and the US. In the meantime, under his new name, O’Shea threw lavish parties in Capard, renovated the house and built a career in the Irish film industry, working alongside the likes of Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery. But he had also racked up serious debt at this stage and when the extradition treaty was eventually passed, he was arrested, jailed and brought to court. The case collapsed, however, and shortly afterwards, some stage in the mid to late 80s he disappeared again and hasn’t been seen since. Pavel and his documentary team behind Runaway Joe have been trying to track him down. If he’s still alive, he’d now be 88. As it’s a live investigation, anyone with any information is asked to come forward and contact Pavel and his team. We chatted to Pavel about how the documentary started - and where it’s going to go from here with a couple of episodes still to be produced.

The last place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre was up for grabs as Scoil Mhuire Fatima Timahoe met St Joseph's BNS Borris-In-Ossory.  This was a wildcard bout and it ended with history being made as for the very first time - one of our lists was completed.  Timahoe were represented by Ruairi Bowe, Daisy Ramsbottom and Lucy Scully.  They were here after defeating Rath in Round 1 but losing to Stradbally in Round 2.  While in the St Joseph’s Borris-in-Ossory corner were Darragh Shortiss, Michael Nelligan and Tafara Zhou. They lost to Stradbally in Round 1 but got the better of Newtown in Round 2.  Like so many of our quizzes, the lists were the deciders with Timahoe's knowledge of car registration plates proving decisive.