Columnists
Fr Paddy: Gerard Manley Hopkins … an inspirational Christian life
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the Hopkins Summer school, taking place in Newbridge College, from July 21-27. This is an occasion for many...
Leaving Cert Diary: Past three days have been hell but end is in sight
It’s been just over a week since the exams began and they’re already starting to finish up.
The past three days were a bit of...
Bob Flavin: Volkswagen Golf R – the fastest way to get you out of...
Laois has had basically zero job creation since the last election and those that have found new employment end up on short-term contracts that...
Fit with Brid: Are you fit for purpose?
Recently, I was writing a piece for a project I’m working on and needed to get an official definition for the word fit.
I was...
Mark Doheny: 20 things you’ll know if you ever worked on the bog
Footing turf on the bog. Always hardship, often misery and sometimes great craic.
Anyone who has ever spent a day at it will relate to...
Noel Garvan: The hardest three hours and 15 minutes of my life
I love to run but long distance endurance running is something I’ve always steered clear of for many reasons. While playing football I didn’t...
Dan Keane: What you need to know about the Commencement Notice and Building Control...
As most people are aware the commencement notice process changed in 2013 to a new online system. Previous to this a commencement notice was...
Leaving Cert Diary: I’m glad that week is over
So the marathon that is the Leaving Cert is well underway, and while it feels like it’s been three years as opposed to three days, the...
Pat Critchley: A tribute to Georgie Leahy, a great friend of Laois
It was with great sadness that I learned about the recent death of Georgie Leahy. Georgie ignited an explosion of interest and energy in...
Fr Paddy: Mother Teresa… an icon of love
Mother Teresa was born, 1910, in Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Little is known about her early life, but at a young...
Wired with Whelan: The Ballinspittle housing crisis comes to Ballymagash
Some of them were dreamers
And some of them were fools
Who were making plans and thinking of the future
With the energy of the innocent
They were...
Nigel Pearson: Can exercise help beat anxiety?
Can exercise help you beat anxiety?
We all know how good working out is for our physical health, so let's start a conversation today about...
Peter Francis: Why Ireland must say No, Nay, Never to a capitalist education system
With the Leaving Cert starting today, it's important that access to third-level education remains free.
Perception versus Reality
Wikipedia refers to the ‘Wild Rover’ as the...
Colm Fingleton: Joshua Tree is 30 years old but U2 still do a really...
Last weekend I was over in Chicago and while I was there I went to see U2 play one of their two shows in...
Donal Miller: I’m anxious … are you?
I told my wife the idea for my next contribution to LaoisToday, to which she responded, “you're not qualified to talk on that subject,...
Mark Doheny: 15 things you’ll remember if you went clubbing in Egan’s
It was known as Top Deck at one stage and could well have other names at other times too.
But the simple reality is that...
Leaving Cert Diary: Countdown nearly over as I watch the Bank Holiday celebrations from...
As the sun makes its annual appearance, as my brain threatens to reach cramming capacity, and as I watch the Bank Holiday celebrations from...
Jack Nolan: Football in the county has never been so low
A whopping 14-point defeat at the end of an excruciating performance was hard to take and even harder to watch. It was no wonder...
Bob Flavin: The Volkswagen Amarok makes the Portlaoise roads bearable
There are parts of Laois roads that require very careful negotiation mostly because of their condition and many of those roads are around the...
Fr Paddy: A change of altitude …
Helen had decided that her best chance of getting hired by a company doing geological survey work in the Alaskan wilderness was to earn...
Bear in the Square: Back Donie to get a goal … but Kildare to...
All eyes are focused on Tullamore this Sunday for the meeting of Laois and Kildare, and here at Bear In The Square, we take a view at...
Bear in the Square: Our take on the three televised games of the weekend
Another bumper weekend of GAA action is upon us as the pace really picks up in the provincial championship races.
We have football action from...
Wired with Whelan: Rust never sleeps … and neither does greed
The king is gone
But he’s not forgotten
This is the story
Of a Johnny Rotten
It’s better to burn out
Than it is to rust
The king is gone
But...
Fit with Brid: Why I really enjoyed the Swimtastic Duck and Dive experience
A few weeks ago on what was week 4 of an 8-week course of parent and baby swimming lessons that myself and Jodie, my...
Jack Nolan: Now, more than ever, hurling in Laois must get greater support from...
One could only feel for the Laois hurlers at the end of the game as they trooped off the park beaten by 14 points...
Colm Fingleton: On the final countdown with winter crops looking good
We're now heading into June with the growing season moving along quickly and good weather at the moment.
As regards crops the gate is pretty...
Ronnie Culliton: Why you need to think carefully about having the bank as your...
Back in the mid noughties, the Banks ranked so far ahead of the Independent Financial Advisor as the “person you would trust most” that...
Bob Flavin: The Picanto – the most fun Kia car in years
As it goes with much of the Kia brand cars the transformation from small shopping cart to sporty, desirable five door hatch back has...
Pat Critchley: Sometimes the Laois hurlers cause an upset – and that’s a really...
Laois senior hurlers play Wexford this weekend in the Leinster Championship.
One of our few championship wins over the Slaneysiders was in the Leinster semi-final...
Bear in the Square: Back Wexford to get goals and Galway to put up...
Leinster SHC - Laois v Wexford on Sunday at 2pm
The circus that is Davy Fitzgerald's Wexford bandwagon rolls into Portlaoise on Sunday albeit without their...
