Caroline Allen
Caroline Allen is a freelance journalist based in Portlaoise. She has written for numerous local and national publications and lives outside Portlaoise with her husband Martin and sons Evan and Colin
Weekend Read: Food for thought – Bobby Miller on life as a tillage farmer...
There is a growing disconnect between consumers and farmers and it’s only when food is scarce that consumers appreciate what they have, according to...
Customer was king to Val McCartney as he retires after 44 years’ service
The farming community around Ballacolla gathered at the local Tirlán premises on Friday last to wish Val McCartney well as he retired after 44...
Cooking up a Meals on Wheels campaign for Portlaoise as plea is issued for...
A campaign is underway to revive a Meals on Wheels service in Portlaoise with a meeting planned for the parish centre, Portlaoise, on Monday,...
Weekend Read: JP bows out after 40 brilliant years with Portlaoise Pantomime
As Portlaoise Pantomime Group celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, JP Cahillane, the Kerryman who co-founded it with the late Sean O’Reilly, is bowing...
Weekend Read: Laois farm upbringing instilled strong work ethic in trailblazing CEO
Growing up in a busy household on the family beef farm at Upper Rossmore on the Laois/Carlow border instilled a strong work ethic in...
Laois punk, metal rock and dance outfit promises a world of sonic and visual...
Laois-based four-piece punk, metal rock and dance outfit, Chiral, will host its own show in the Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, on February 27.
Local...
Coincidence and camaraderie: Two Laois women recall time in An Garda Síochána on their...
They joined An Garda Síochána on the same day in September 1991 and retired from Portlaoise District on the same date - October 25,...
‘I couldn’t see myself in one place for too long’: Mountmellick woman recalls her...
Mountmellick woman, Mona Conroy, could write a book about her globetrotting adventures.
Now 85 years of age, Mona who grew up in the Dangans and...
Drive time for Andrew as he takes lead role of Nathan Detroit for Portlaoise...
Travelling between Kilcock and Portlaoise for rehearsals and performances of ‘Guys and Dolls’, Portlaoise Musical Society's lead actor Andrew Docherty maximises every minute, listening...
All smiles as Infocus Opticians open brand new Portlaoise premises
In business in Portlaoise for 21 years, Infocus Opticians has just relocated from 52/53 Mercantile house, Bull Lane, to a bigger brighter premises at...
‘Sold out crowds and standing ovations every night’ – Guys and Dolls takes Portlaoise...
The award-winning Portlaoise Musical Society celebrates its 25th anniversary this year as it whisks audiences back to 1920s Manhattan with performances of the Broadway...
Alice (77) set for her annual fast for Concern – with collections planned for...
Seventy-seven-year-old fundraiser and former aid worker, Alice Culliton from Mountmellick, is set to fast for Concern once again.
The Mountmellick woman will hold her annual...
Serene Beauty and Wellness sparkles for Christmas
The start of a sparkling Christmas was marked with the official launch Serene Beauty and Wellness, Market Square, Mountrath, on Friday last, November 15.
With...
Kind-hearted Laois seven-year-old makes the cut for charities
A seven-year-old Ballybrittas girl recently sacrificed much of her crowning glory by taking part in the Locks of Love for LauraLynn hair donation fundraiser.
Poppy...
Kathleen prepares to pack her bags after 33 years in business
After 33 years in business in Portlaoise, Kathleen Carroll of the Wool Shop in Bull Lane, is retiring.
Having started out in Laois Shopping Centre,...
Laois rural artist urges people to mind their language on illness
A rural artist from Laois has performed in ‘Illness As Metaphor’, an adaptation of American critic Susan Sontag’s book, by renowned Dublin-based theatre company, Dead...
Local star all set to perform at newly refurbished Balcony Arts Theatre
With three number one songs and a chart-topping album in the official Irish charts, Mountmellick folk singer, Emer Dunne, has been making her mark...
From Cullahill to Kentucky – Meet the Laois man who is thriving in the...
“Farming is pretty much the same everywhere you go" - Brian Caldbeck, a Laois man working in Kentucky’s agricultural industry, running a business called...
‘Help children develop a passion for learning’: Wolfhill-based Trinity researcher
A single individual can have a far-reaching impact on a child’s academic performance, according to the lead researcher in a new study from Trinity...
‘In a second, your life is changed’: Abbeyleix man on his son’s leukaemia diagnosis...
Abbeyleix native Steven Reilly remembers all too well the trauma of his son Jude’s diagnosis with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“It was June 10 last. I...
‘Find your voice and use it’ says Laois children’s author as he launches fourth...
It may be a long way from the Champs-Élysées to Killeen but Brendan McDonald has brought the two together in writing and publishing his...
The road to a go-getting glittering career: James MacInerney on life ‘finding joy’ as...
The Ballacolla road in Abbeyleix was the unlikely backdrop for the creation of most of the work in make-up artist (MUA) James MacInerney’s fantastical exhibition...
All systems go as Knock Vintage Men’s Shed set to host annual threshing festival
Knock Vintage Men’s Shed will bring the country’s rich agricultural heritage to life when it hosts its annual threshing festival in Spink this weekend.
“The...
In Pictures: Camross Comhaltas impress at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann
Camross Comhaltas impressed at the recent Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Wexford town, taking three first prizes and two third places.
The Laois group faced...
Forge: The Laois/Carlow four-piece Indie rock band who are all set for Electric Picnic
The last few months have been hectic for four-piece Indie rock band Forge and they are now set to play Electric Picnic.
It began by...
70 years and still going strong – Clonaslee all set for annual Agricultural and...
Having created confidence in the local community and helped to preserve the fabric of rural Ireland down through the decades, Clonaslee Agricultural and Livestock...
Camross Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann all set for All-Ireland Fleadh in Wexford
Camross Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann will represent Laois and Leinster in eleven different disciplines at this year’s All-Ireland Fleadh.
The group, which this year celebrates its...
Clonaslee family build on compassion with cycle challenge
A Birmingham-based family with strong Clonaslee connections have organised a cycling challenge from Birmingham to Clonaslee this weekend in memory of their 30-year-old brother,...
‘We want to bring a bit of rawness back to Irish music’: Laois’s Cur...
A self-confessed childhood with its moments of mischief led to brothers Adam and Martin Culleton often being dubbed ‘curs.’
Rather than take umbrage at the...
In the company of Chiral: Meet the Laois punk, metal, rock and dance band...
Laois-based punk, metal, rock and dance band, Chiral, is just back from a flying German tour, supporting ska band The Legendary Hackers.
Chiral officially launched...