The Laois County Board of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

(GAA) () or Laois GAA is one of the 32

county board A county board is a common form of county legislature, particular of counties in the United States. Related forms of county government include: * Board of Supervisors — a form of county legislature in some U.S. states * County commission, ...

s of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for

Gaelic games Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

. The county board is also responsible for the Laois county teams. The county football team contested the second ever

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

(SFC) final in

1889 Events January * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...

. In 1926, the county won the final of the first

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

competition, defeating

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. 1936 brought the team's only other appearance in an All-Ireland SFC decider. The county hurling team won an

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...

(SHC) in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...

History

Laois is a

dual county Dual county () is a term used in Gaelic games to describe a county that competes at a similar level in both hurling and Gaelic football. For example, Dublin play in Division 1 in both the NHL and NFL, while Laois compete in the second tier of th ...

, and has a comparable record at both football and hurling. It is one of a select group of counties to have contested All-Ireland finals in both football and hurling. Laois is a six-time Leinster Senior Football Champion, and three-time Leinster Senior Hurling Champion. In recent times Laois have been more successful footballers than hurlers. Laois minors have had considerable success over the past two decades, and the Laois senior footballers reached the Leinster final in 2003 (victorious), 2004, 2005 and 2018. As of

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, Laois hurlers compete in the

Joe McDonagh Cup The Joe McDonagh Cup () is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the second-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier t ...

Sponsorship

MW Hire sponsored Laois GAA for 14 years, while Laois Hire was announced as its new sponsor in a five-year deal from October 2022 onwards.

Football

Clubs

The major local club competitions in Laois are the championships which are listed below. In addition, all teams compete in the All-County Football League from Division 1 down to Division 7.

Laois Senior Football Championship The Laois Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Portarlington won the 2024 title, af ...

Laois Intermediate Football Championship The Laois Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1907. Crettyard are the title holders ...

Laois Junior Football Championships The Laois Junior Football Championships are the lower-tier Laois Club Football Championships. The Junior A and Junior B Championships use group phases then down to eight-four-two and the Junior C Championship operates similarly to the Senior Cha ...

Laois Junior B Football Championship The Laois Junior Football Championships are the lower-tier Laois Club Football Championships. The Junior A and Junior B Championships use group phases then down to eight-four-two and the Junior C Championship operates similarly to the Senior Cha ...

Laois Junior C Football Championship The Laois Junior Football Championships are the lower-tier Laois Club Championships, Laois Club Football Championships. The Junior A and Junior B Championships use group phases then down to eight-four-two and the Junior C Championship operates sim ...

Laois Under 21 Football Championship County Laois ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The mode ...

Laois Minor Football Championship County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Histo ...

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest town ...

won

All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Cuala of D ...

in 1983.

County team

Laois contested the second ever

(SFC) final in 1889. In 1926, the county won the final of the first

competition, defeating

. 1936 brought Laois's only other appearance in an All-Ireland SFC decider. Laois defeated

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

by a point in the 1985–86 National Football League final.

Liam Irwin Liam Irwin is a former Gaelic football player with Laois in Ireland. Nicknamed "George", he played at midfield and in 1986 was part of the Laois team that won the county's second National Football League title. Liam also picked up an All-Star ...

and

Colm Browne Colm Browne was a Gaelic footballer and manager with Laois. He also managed the Tipperary senior football team. Browne won numerous honours in the game including an All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship with his club Portlaoise in 1983, ...

both won All Stars for their performances that year. During the 1990s Laois had a number of successes at

minor Minor may refer to: Common meanings * Minor (law), a person not under the age of certain legal activities. * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Mathematics * Minor (graph theory), a relation of one graph to an ...

and under-21 level, including

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...

s in 1996 and 1997. During the mid-2000s Laois football became a strong force at all age levels. Under former Kerry and

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

manager

Mick O'Dwyer Michael O'Dwyer (9 June 1936 – 3 April 2025) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager, and ...

, Laois finished as National Football League runner-up and

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA, Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Asso ...

winner in 2003. Laois would go on to contest the Leinster Senior Football Championship Final again in 2004 (lost after a replay) and 2005 (lost by one point). During the same period the minor county team won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship again in 2003 and the

Leinster Minor Football Championship The Leinster Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in gaelic football played in the province of Leinster. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under 17 ...

in 2004, 2005 and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, while the under-21 county team won the

Leinster Under-21 Football Championship The Leinster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the high ...

in 2006 and 2007.

Hurling

Clubs

The major local club hurling competitions in Laois are the championships which are listed below. In addition, all teams compete in the All-County Hurling League from Division 1 down to Division 6.

Laois Senior Hurling Championship The Laois Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Clough–Ballacolla are the title holders, de ...

Laois Senior B Hurling Championship

Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship The Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship (abbreviated to the Laois IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the third tier hurling teams in the county of Laois in Irela ...

Laois Junior Hurling Championship The Laois Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by lower-tier Laois GAA clubs. Ballypickas are the 2024 champions, defeating Borris-Kilcotton GAA in the final. As of then, they have won the most (9). Junior A T ...

Laois Under 21 Hurling Championship Laois Minor Hurling Championship

Laois Junior B Hurling Championship The Laois Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by lower-tier Laois GAA clubs. Ballypickas are the 2024 champions, defeating Borris-Kilcotton GAA in the final. As of then, they have won the most (9). Junior A T ...

Laois Junior C Hurling Championship

County team

Laois won one

(SHC) title, in 1915, when the day was so wet the team reportedly played the second half in their overcoats. Laois has also won three

All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship was a hurling competition held annually between 1974 and 2004 and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It was contested by those county teams which were knocked out in the first round ...

titles. The hurlers reached

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

(NHL) semi-finals in 1981 and 1983. The team then lost the

Centenary Cup The Centenary Cup were two Gaelic Games competitions arranged by the Gaelic Athletic Association to mark the organisation's centenary in 1984. This was followed by the similar, but less popular Open Draw in 1985. The hurling competition was won ...

hurling final to

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in 1984. The hurlers were back in the NHL semi-final in 1996. Laois most recently contested the Leinster SHC final in 1985, with the result a defeat to

Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...

. Laois won the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, and went on to shock

in the preliminary quarter-final the next week to reach the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final. This was considered one of the greatest shocks in the history of the championship.

Camogie

Under Camogie's National Development Plan 2010-2015, "Our Game, Our Passion",

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

, Laois,

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia *Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia ** Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * Cou ...

and

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

were to get a total of 17 new clubs by 2015. The Harps won three consecutive All-Ireland Club JCC titles between 2006 and 2008. Laois won the All-Ireland JCC's Nancy Murray Cup in 2007. The team won the third division of the

National Camogie League The National Camogie League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Very Camogie Leagues, is a competition in the Irish team sport of camogie, played exclusively by women. The competition is held in three divisions graded by ability. It was first ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. As of 2024, Laois were playing in the junior championship and the National Camogie League's Division 3. Noel Brennan managed the team in 2023. Pat Collier and Robert Jones succeeded him in 2024. Former Offaly hurler

Barry Whelahan Barry Whelahan (born 1977) is an Irish hurling manager and former player. At club level he played with Birr and was also a member of the Offaly senior hurling team. Whelahan had a successful career across various levels. A three-time All-Ire ...

has coached the team. The team won an under-16 B title in 2000.

Ladies' football

Laois has a ladies' football team.

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

Club catchment areas
*
Laois on Hoganstand.com

National and provincial titles won by Laois teams

Club championship winners

Laoistalk.com - news feed forum on Laois GAA

Laoistalk.com discussion Forum - Discussion forum for Laois GAA

Times article on 2003 Leinster win
{{GAA bodies Gaelic games governing bodies in Leinster Leinster GAA Sport in County Laois