The Laois county football team ( ) represents

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 ...

in men's

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

and is governed by

Laois GAA The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois. The county board is also responsible for the Laois county ...

, the

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, ...

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 ...

. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the

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 ...

, the

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 ...

and the

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 ...

. Laois's home ground is

O'Moore Park O'Moore Park () is a GAA stadium in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. It is the home of the Laois Gaelic football and hurling teams. Under a new sponsorship deal it is known as "Laois Hire O'Moore Park". Although it may have been in use as a G ...

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 ...

. The team's manager is

Justin McNulty Justin McNulty MLA (born 15 November 1974) is an Irish politician, a Gaelic football manager, and a former player at senior level for the Armagh county team. He has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Newry and Armagh si ...

. The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 2003 and the National League in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. Laois has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship.

History

Laois contested the second ever

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

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 ...

Laois's only other appearance in an All-Ireland SFC decider was in 1936. 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. However,

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; ) is the county town of County Wicklow in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the east of Ireland, south of Dublin. According to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had ...

knocked the team out of the Leinster SFC. 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

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. In 2006,

's management of Laois ended and former

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

manager

Liam Kearns Liam Kearns (1962 – 12 March 2023) was an Irish Gaelic football Manager (Gaelic games), manager and player. He last managed Offaly county football team, Offaly from 2022, until his death in 2023. Kearns previously managed the Limerick county ...

replaced him. Laois reached the finals of both the O'Byrne Cup and Leinster SFC in his first season as manager: calls for Kearns to be sacked after one season, with former players and club delegates saying "the man has to go", went unheeded.

Seán Dempsey Seán Dempsey is an Irish Gaelic football manager, coach, selector and former player. He played at minor, under-21 and senior level for the Laois county team. Dempsey later managed Laois at minor, under-21 and senior level and has been involv ...

replaced Kearns as manager after two years in 2008. Despite a poor first season, with disciplinary problems surfacing in the panel,

knocking the team out of the

and

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in North American/gridiron football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland ...

knocking the team out of the

, Dempsey was unexpectedly retained as manager for one more year. Dempsey had led the Laois minor team to the 2003 All-Ireland title and had commenced a major re-building exercise in 2009 but without success.

replaced him for the 2011 season. After three seasons in charge, McNulty stepped down to be replaced by

Tomás Ó Flatharta Tomás Ó Flatharta is a Gaelic football Manager (Gaelic games), manager who is originally from County Kerry. He has managed three county teams: Westmeath county football team, Westmeath, Galway county football team, Galway and Laois county foo ...

. Ó Flatharta lasted until 2015, resigning after a Leinster SFC quarter-final loss to Kildare and an All-Ireland SFC qualifier exit against Antrim.

Mick Lillis Mick Lillis is a Gaelic games coach and manager and former player. He played for the Laois county football team, later managing them and has also been involved with numerous clubs in several counties. As well as managing winning senior champion ...

from Clare replaced him. Lillis led Laois to the bottom of Division 2, a Leinster SFC quarter-final exit and then an All-Ireland SFC qualifier exit to Clare before he resigned in 2016. He also used seven substitutes in a win, causing the game to be replayed, complained about a fixture against Dublin being held at

Nowlan Park Nowlan Park (; ), known for sponsorship reasons as UPMC Nowlan Park, is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland. Named after James Nowlan, the longest serving President of the GAA, the stadium hosts major hurling ...

and dropped Gary Walsh when he cursed at him after being substituted.

Peter Creedon Peter Creedon is a Gaelic football manager. He is originally from Rosscarbery, County Cork He has managed two county teams: Tipperary and Laois and currently manages the Tipperary Ladies football team Early life Creedon worked as the principal ...

was the next manager; he too did not last long, exiting under heavy criticism from county board delegates, with Mick Lawlor claiming the county would be set "back by five or six years" if Creedon were not ousted. He went, amid allegations of a drinking culture within the squad, Laois having been relegated to Division 4 and knocked out of the All-Ireland SFC by Clare.

John Sugrue John Sugrue is a Gaelic games coach and manager. He has been in charge of the Laois county football team, the Kerry under-20 football team and is currently involved with the Laois county hurling team as a physio. Sugrue is from Renard, County K ...

spent two seasons managing the team, guiding them to two promotions that brought them from Division Four to Division Two of the National Football League, making Round Four of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers in both years and bringing Laois to the

2018 Leinster Senior Football Championship The 2018 Leinster Senior Football Championship was the 2018 installment of the annual Leinster Senior Football Championship organised by Leinster GAA. Dublin county football team, Dublin, the defending champions, won their eighth consecutive ch ...

final before departing after the 2019 season.

Panel

Currently abroad: Stephen Attride ^INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
^RET Player has since retired from the county team.
^WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Management team

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

es: Vacant

Managerial history

Laois have a history of appointing "foreign" managers, with

proving to be the most successful; O'Dwyer led Laois to the 2003 Leinster SFC (a first in 57 years) and then to three All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals in his four years in charge. However, by 2015, Laois had also acquired a reputation for appointing managers who lasted two years or less, with journalist

Martin Breheny use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , ...

commenting that "there seems to be an inflated view of self-worth in the county" and that the manager "becomes the easy scapegoat" as a result of those heightened expectations.

Players

Notable players

Records

Most appearances

1st and 2nd: Ross Munnelly, Michael Lawlor 3rd: John O'Loughlin: 167 appearances

All Stars

Laois has 5 All Stars. 1986:

2003:

Fergal Byron Fergal Byron is a former Gaelic footballer for Laois from Ballybrittas. A goalkeeper, he won a Leinster Senior Football Championship medal with Laois in 2003 and picked up an All-Star award in the same year. He also won a Leinster Under 21 Fo ...

, Joe Higgins, Tom Kelly

Honours

National

** Runners-up (2):

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 ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

** Winners (2): 1925–26, 1985–86 ** Runners-up (1):

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

** Semi-finalists (5): 1952, 1978, 1994, 1995, 1997 *

Division 4 ** Winners (2): 2018, 2024 * All-Ireland Senior B Football Championship ** Winners (1): 1993 *

All-Ireland Junior Football Championship The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA competition It has historically consisted of two entirely different formats before and after 2021, but has retained the same name. Since 2022, the competition ...

** Winners (1): 1973 *

All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ...

** Runners-up (3): 1964, 1998, 2007 *

** Winners (3): 1996, 1997, 2003 ** Runners-up (3): 1932, 1967, 1998

Provincial

** Winners (6):

, 1936,

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

, 1938, 1946, 2003 ** Runners-up (15): 1929, 1940,

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 � ...

, 1947, 1951, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1981, 1985, 1991, 2004, 2005, 2007,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

O'Byrne Cup The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organized by the Leinster GAA and first staged in 1954. History The competition is named in honour of Matt Byrne (b. 14 February 1870), a former Wicklow GAA club and county officer. By virtue of ...

** Winners (5): 1978, 1987, 1991, 1994,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

Leinster Junior Football Championship The Leinster Junior Football Championship was a junior "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games were organised by the Leinster Council. The competition ran from 1905 ...

** Winners (5): 1907,

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

, 1968, 1973, 1993 *

** Winners (8): 1964, 1969, 1982, 1987, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2007 ** Runners-up (4): 1975, 1986, 1999, 2009 *

Leinster Under-20 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 ...

** Runners-up (2): 2019, 2020 *

** Winners (9):

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

, 1966, 1967, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007 ** Runners-up (7): 1933, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1995, 2003, 2016

References

{{GAA National Leagues County football teams