Laois county hurling team

Laois
Sport:Hurling
Irish:Laois
Nickname(s):The O'Moore County
County board:Laois GAA
Manager:Tommy Fitzgerald
Home venue(s):O'Moore Park, Portlaoise
Recent competitive record
Last championship title:2019
Current NHL Division:1B (6th in 2025; relegated to Division 2)
Last league title:None
First colours
Second colours

The Laois county hurling team represents Laois in hurling and is governed by Laois GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League.

Laois's home ground is O'Moore Park, Portlaoise. The team's manager is Tommy Fitzgerald.

The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 1949, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1915 and has never won the National League.

History

Laois won one All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (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 titles.

The hurlers reached National Hurling League (NHL) semi-finals in 1981 and 1983. The team then lost the Centenary Cup hurling final to Cork in 1984.

Laois most recently contested the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final in 1985, with the result a defeat to Offaly.

The hurlers were back in the NHL semi-final in 1996.

Laois won the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2019, and went on to shock Dublin in the preliminary quarter-final the next week and advance to the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final. This was considered one of the greatest shocks in the history of the championship.[1] The manager departed amid controversy in November 2020 after his criticisms of county board officials appeared on a podcast.[2]

Panel

Team as per Laois vs Tipperary in the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final, 14 July 2019

No. Player Position Club
1 Enda Rowland Goalkeeper Abbeyleix
2 Lee Cleere Right corner-back Clough–Ballacolla
3 Matthew Whelan Full-back Borris-in-Ossory–Kilcotton
4 Joe Phelan Left corner-back Camross
5 Jack Kelly Right half-back Rathdowney–Errill
6 Ryan Mullaney Centre-back Castletown
7 Pádraig Delaney Left half-back The Harps
8 John Lennon Midfield Rosenallis
9 Paddy Purcell Midfield Rathdowney–Errill
10 Aaron Dunphy Right half-forward Borris-in-Ossory–Kilcotton
11 Mark Kavanagh Centre-forward Rathdowney–Errill
12 Éanna Lyons Left half-forward Ballyfin
13 Willie Dunphy Right corner-forward Clough–Ballacolla
14 Charles Dwyer Full-forward Ballinakill
15 Ross King Left corner-forward Rathdowney–Errill
16 Thomas Dunphy Substitute Camross
17 Eric Killeen Substitute Rathdowney–Errill
No. Player Position Club
18 Andrew Mortimer Substitute Camross
19 Lorcan Burke Substitute Camross
20 Colm Stapleton Substitute Borris-in-Ossory–Kilcotton
21 Conor Phelan Substitute Castletown
22 Eoin Gaughan Substitute Camross
23 Neil Foyle Substitute Borris-in-Ossory–Kilcotton
24 Aaron Bergin Substitute Portlaoise
25 Stephen Bergin Substitute Clough–Ballacolla
26 Stephen Maher Substitute Clough–Ballacolla
– Donncha Hartnett Substitute Mountmellick
– Jake Cranny Substitute Abbeyleix
– Daniel Comerford Substitute The Harps
– Mark Dowling Substitute Camross
– Ciaran Comerford Substitute The Harps
– Ben Conroy Substitute Slieve Bloom
– Patrick Keating Substitute Rosenallis

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

Appointed November 2024:[3]

Managerial history

Laois has a history of appointing "foreign" managers, with Georgie Leahy the most successful.[4]

Georgie Leahy 1979–1985

Jimmy Doyle 1985–1987

Paddy Kelly 1987–1989

Georgie Leahy (2) 1989–1991

Paddy Doyle 1991–1993

Pat Critchley 1993–1995

Babs Keating 1995–1997

Pádraig Horan 1997–2000

Seán Cuddy 2000–2001

Pat Delaney 2001–2002

Paudie Butler 2002–2005

Dinny Cahill 2005–2006

Damien Fox 2006–2008

Niall Rigney 2008–2010

Brendan Fennelly 2010–2011

Teddy McCarthy 2011–2012

Séamus Plunkett 2012–2015

Ger Cunningham 2015**

Séamus Plunkett (2) 2015–2016

Éamonn Kelly 2016–2018

Eddie Brennan 2018–2020

Séamus Plunkett (3) 2020–2022[5][6][7]

Willie Maher 2022–2024

Darren Gleeson 2024[8][9][10]

Tommy Fitzgerald 2024–

**=In a caretaker role

Players

Notable players

Records

  • James Duggan scored 5–2 (17 points) in the first half of the 2025 Joe McDonagh Cup game against Kerry. On what was his championship debut, Duggan's first half total made him the county's first player to score five goals in the same championship match since a player named Delaney in 1939.[11]

All Stars

Laois has 1 All Star.

1985: Pat Critchley[12][13]

Competitive record

Laois's only All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title win is from 1915.

Laois won three All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship titles, in 1977, 1979 and 2002.

Séamus Plunkett managed the team to its third title in 2002.

  • 1 John Lyons
  • 2 Pat Mahon
  • 3 Paul Cuddy
  • 4 Michael McEvoy
  • 5 Joe Phelan
  • 6 Cyril Cuddy
  • 7 Owen Bergin
  • 8 Ollie Dowling
  • 9 James Young
  • 10 Fionán O'Sullivan
  • 11 Darren Rooney
  • 12 Michael Dunphy
  • 13 Tommy Fitzgerald
  • 14 David Cuddy
  • 15 P. J. Peacock

Subs used: Declan Conroy for M. Dunphy; Jack O'Shea for P. J. Peacock; Lar Mahon for O. Bergin; Brian Ferns for F. O'Sullivan; Eamon Jackman for T. Fitzgerald

Honours

National

Provincial

References

  1. ^ "Shock of the summer as Laois stun Dublin and book All Ireland quarter final date with Tipperary". Irish Independent. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Eddie Brennan steps down as Laois manager". RTÉ. 24 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Fitzgerald to replace Gleeson as Laois hurling manager". Hogan Stand. 22 November 2024.
  4. ^ Breheny, Martin (24 November 2012). "The import and export business". Irish Independent.
  5. ^ "Laois confirm return of Seamas 'Cheddar' Plunkett". RTÉ. 1 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Plunkett rubber-stamped as Laois manager". Hogan Stand. 1 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Cheddar Plunkett steps down as Laois manager". The42.ie. 18 June 2022.
  8. ^ Browne, P. J. (30 September 2024). "Laois GAA confirm Darren Gleeson as new hurling manager". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Statement from Darren Gleeson & Laois GAA". Laois GAA. 16 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Gleeson steps down as Laois hurling boss after cancer diagnosis". Hogan Stand. 17 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Deadly Duggan breaks Laois scoring record in dream debut". Hogan Stand. 12 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Critchley's green shoots lift Laois". Irish Examiner. 6 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Critchley's historic tale as sole All Star in Laois". Irish Independent. 25 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Laois turn on the style to capture Joe McDonagh Cup at Croke". The Irish News. 1 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Offaly overcome Laois fightback to land maiden Joe McDonagh Cup". Irish Examiner. 8 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Joe McDonagh Cup Final: Offaly resist Laois comeback". 8 June 2024.
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