Category: News

Consultants KPMG Future Analytics were commissioned by Laois County Council in June 2022 to undertake a Town Centre First Masterplan for Rathdowney in collaboration with the Rathdowney Town Team. After considerable fieldwork and consultation, the draft masterplan is now ready for public review. The plan charts out how Rathdowney town centre can be transformed into a dynamic meeting place with a strong economic role. This draft Town Centre First Masterplan is available to view on Laois County Council’s website from Tuesday 23^rd  May 2023 until Tuesday 6^th June 2023. A copy is also available to view in the Rathdowney library and the offices of Laois County Council, Portlaoise from Wednesday 24th May 2023.

The plan will guide the regeneration of the town and provide the basis for future funding applications by the Local Authority.  For the plan to best fit the needs of the town and those who live and work in it, it will be important to hear from the people it is designed to help.

Accordingly, the Town Regeneration Officer and the Town Team have arranged for KPMG Future Analytics to host two in-person consultation clinics as part of the ongoing consultation for the ‘Rathdowney Town Centre First Plan’.  These clinics will allow the people of Rathdowney to give their opinions and also their input into the draft Town Centre First Masterplan.

Location and Dates:

Public Consultation Clinics will be held in the Rathdowney library as follows:

Workshop no 1, Tuesday 30th May: 10:00am – 1:00pm

Workshop no 2, Tuesday 30^th May: 2:00pm – 5:00pm

For people who cannot attend either workshop, you can view the draft Town Centre First Masterplan here and submit an online observation, or  by emailing your submission to drainey@laoiscoco.ie by Tuesday  6th^nd June 2023  at 5pm.

Rathdowney is one of 26 towns across the country that has received funding to develop a Town Centre First Masterplan which aims to map out future development, focus on tackling dereliction and vacant properties, and make the town centre a more attractive place to live, work, socialise and run a business. This initiative aims to help re-imagine and revitalise rural communities as part of the National Town Centre First Policy.

If anyone has any queries in relation to the draft Town Centre First Masterplan, they should contact Denise Rainey, Town Regeneration Officer 0868478631.

On Tuesday, the 9th of May, Portlaoise Library, a Europe direct Information Centre, welcomed Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Sean Fleming .  The Minister visited the Library to view their work and some of the information on Europe that they distribute, including visits to and from schools. Between visiting a number of schools around Laois, he  took some time to talk to Will Faulkner of Midlands Radio 3 on Ireland’s 50 years in Europe, having joined in 1973 and to listen to the interview click here.

Caroline Hofman ,  Director of the Cube Low Carbon centre of excellence, also spoke to Midlands 103 and gave a good overview of the EU’s influence on Irish Society….to listen to the interview, click here.

Poetry Day Ireland was celebrated in style in Mountmellick Library with a stellar line up of local poets.

Following refreshments, Amanda Hyland, Assistant Librarian and manager opened the event by welcoming everyone and explaining how the library service promoted the love of reading for pleasure across all age groups.

Dr. Arthur Broomfield read two poems including “The Spirit of Mountmellick Speaks”-which honours the heritage, history, people and spirit of Mountmellick. The poem was written in 2021 when Arthur was appointed Poet Laureate of Mountmellick for the Poetry Town initiative.

Next was Ann Egan, another Laois Native and former writer in residence. Ann spoke very fondly of her Mountmellick connections through her mother. Ann spoke of the origin of St. Brigid’s cross before reciting her poem St. Brigid’s visit along with other work.

Declan Furlong is a well-known Mountmellick Native who has recently launched his collection of poems “The Exquisiteness of Ladders”. Declan read the title poem of his book and the entertaining “Lemmingism”.

Laura Murphy, another Laois poet and activist recited her tribute to Laois “In Laois I Fly Free”, which has received many plaudits along with other work. Laura explained that her work is centred around the ancient Irish poetic practice of ‘Imbas Forosnai’, which means ‘inspiration that illuminates’ and was used by the ancient poets of Ireland to bring healing to society and truth to power.

Olivia Murray, Library Assistant and host then invited any contributions from the audience. Declan Molloy, Ann Marie Foley, Sheelagh Coyle and Frances Harney all shared some of their work which was well received.

Diane Seale representing the Laois Arts Office then made a presentation- both to Dr. Arthur Broomfield and Amanda Hyland, manager of Mountmellick Library -of framed copies of Arthur’s poem, “The Spirit of Mountmellick Speaks”. Mountmellick Library intend putting this framed poem on permanent display in the library.

The event showcases the breadth and depth of talent we have in our county and the power and relevance of poetry to our daily lives. This event was made possible by funding from both Laois Arts Office and Poetry Ireland.

Bike Week’ is a celebration and promotion of the benefits of cycling and takes place from Saturday 13th May to Sunday 21st May

‘Bike Week’ is a celebration and promotion of the benefits of cycling and takes place from Saturday 13th May to Sunday 21st  May. Cycling is one of the most sustainable forms of travel and a family friendly activity. As a transport option cycling has one of the lowest impacts on the planet and the environment, impacting positively on air and noise pollution.

Launching Laois’ ‘Bike Week 2023′, Thomasina Connell MCC, Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council said, “’Bike Week’ is a great opportunity to celebrate all things cycling in Laois with an exciting programme of events taking place around the county. I am delighted to see ‘Portlaoise  Cycle Bus  make cycling more accessible for school goers in this community.”

Sport & Leisure Officer, Ann Marie Maher O’Brien said, “It’s great to see over 40 fantastic events happening in local communities across the county for this year’s ‘Bike Week’. I encourage those already cycling, or those interested in discovering more about cycling, to get involved.  There are 15 schools participating in Bike Week Laois and 14 youth and community organisations.  There are 3 mini festivals are being delivered by SVT Activity & Wellness Hub, Rathdowney Errill Activity Hub and Irish Country Roads Durrow with an amazing array of options for cyclists of all levels.

Bike Week Laois is co-ordinated by Laois County Council’s Sport & Leisure Office  Contact sports@laoiscoco.ie or phone 057 8664058

For details of Bike Week Laois events see the attached programme link.

https://www.transportforireland.ie/getting-around/by-bicycle/bikeweek/

https://www.facebook.com/BikeWeekLaois

https://twitter.com/LaoisBikeWeek

Creative Ireland Laois is seeking artists to create and deliver a programme of activities/ events to celebrate Cruinniú na nÓg on Saturday 10th June, 2023.

Cruinniú na nÓg is a national day of creativity for children and young people (0-18) which celebrates and encourages participation in culture and creativity with FREE, local and activity-based events. It’s a day for ‘doing’, ‘making’ and ‘creating’!

We are inviting applications from creative practitioners, artists, and art organisations /groups  (including a team of creative practitioners) who have the capacity to devise, facilitate and deliver creative content and activities for children and young people in any medium or artform (examples include theatre, music, circus, street art, performance, fashion, photography, digital arts, installation art, literature, storytelling, architecture, coding, biodiversity, folklife, heritage, archaeology, landscape).

Our ambition is to support via grant aid a number of specific creative programmes with a range of creative activities in towns and villages in Laois (outside of Portlaoise).

*The only exception to this will be disadvantaged housing estates in Portlaoise and special needs groups.

-If you are a community organisation/group, you should work with a creative practitioner(s)/artist(s) to put together the proposal and for the practitioner(s)/artist(s) to lead on the creative content.

Child and Young Person Focused

1. Events should be focused on children and young people with children and young people themselves consulted and included in creating the
2. In particular, we welcome and will prioritise applications that gives access to groups of children and young people who haven’t had such opportunities before.
3. We also welcome applications for activities that are delivered through the Irish language and Irish Sign Language.
4. We want creative practitioners, and children and youth focused organisations/groups to engage with each other, and generate opportunities to develop and participate in something really special, with
5.  Children & young people on disadvantaged housing estates in Laois, children & young people w
6. With specific needs (e.g. autism, Down Syndrome) and or blended groups, youth groups, clubs, schools, crèches, Laois Home Education, Laois Comhairle na Óg, Laois Fóroige, Laois Home Education, children and youth speciality groups, etc.
7. Have a chat with children & young people and see what they’re interested in and develop a plan together …maybe they’ve always wanted to learn how to juggle, do some incredible science experiments, or explore their own community in a creative way.
8. There are many examples of creative, imaginative and fun activities for children and young people – why not take a look at previous activities and events at https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/creative-youth/cruinniu-na-nog/

Timeline

Applications open: Monday 25^th March

Deadline for submissions: Monday 8^th May  

Notification of grant award: Monday 15^th May

Project Delivery: Saturday 10^th June

Selection Criteria

1. The extent to which the proposed programme maximises children, youth and community engagement and participation in the arts, particularly groups of children and young people who haven’t had such opportunities before. (100 marks)
2. The extent to which the proposed programme is ambitious, innovative and fosters creativity in young people aged 0-18. (100 marks)

How to Apply

The application form and all supporting material must be completed and submitted by email to creativelaois@laoiscoco.ie

For all enquiries, please contact Creative Ireland Laois

Email: creativelaois@laoiscoco.ie

Application Form:

Click here to download the Application Form

Deadline for submissions:

Monday 8^th May 2023

Celebrate Poetry Day Ireland with poetry readings at Mountmellick library on Thursday April 27th at 11:00am.

Guest readers will include:

• Dr Arthur Broomfield, Poet Laureate for Poetry Town, Mountmellick in 2021 will share his poem penned for that occasion “The Spirit of Mountmellick Speaks”.

• Ann Egan is also from Laois and former writer-in-residence. She has written three books of poetry, one novel on St Brigid and held many writing residencies and been awarded poetry prizes including Writers’ Week Listowel Poetry prizes.

• Declan Furlong is a native of Mountmellick, Co. Laois. Following time spent in the ‘80s and ’90s living in London, Malaga, and Bordeaux, he returned home with a body of work which has since evolved beyond the autobiographical. He recently launched his collection of poems “The Exquisiteness of Ladders”.

• Laura Murphy, An award-winning poet and activist. Her Laura’s work is centred around the ancient Irish poetic practice of ‘Imbas Forosnai’. Imbas Forosnai means ‘inspiration that illuminates’ and was used by the ancient poets of Ireland to bring healing to society and truth to power. Her video poem “In Laois I Fly Free” received many plaudits.

Refreshments will be provided before the event,

If you are a poet and interested in sharing some of your work at this event or if you intend to come to the event please email mountmellicklibrary@laoiscoco.ie or  call 057 8644572

This event is made possible by the support of Laois County Council Arts Office, Laois Libraries and Poetry Ireland.

Laois County Council Arts have partnered with the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Laois Library Service to present a selection of creative projects during the month of May celebrating the Laois Bealtaine Festival for older people. We invite people of an older age to join in some of the wonderful events that are happening in Laois for the Bealtaine Festival 2023.  In(ter)dependence is the theme for 2023.

Join Eileen Casey for a Memoir Writing Workshop on Monday 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd and 29th May from 11:00am – 1:00pm at Laois Arthouse, Stradbally. ‘Digging’ memoir workshops are geared towards unearthing personal or family history treasures. Mining past lives helps to illuminate and revitalise our own precious life story. Each session will be facilitated in a relaxing, enjoyable and thought provoking way. The various types of memoir will be explored together with important memoir elements such as identifying timeline, bringing scenes and characters to life and how to avoid that familiar tyranny – too much information. Triggers and prompts throughout the duration of the course ensures that stories which might otherwise be lost in the mists of time, will breathe again. Fee: €5 per session or €15 for four sessions. Booking is essential and fees to be paid in advance. Contact Laois County Council Cash Office – 05786 74308 for payment.

Book your free place for a workshop on Socially Engaged Arts with Older People taking place on Wednesday 17th May, 11:00am to 4:00pm. The training session, led by Sarah Thornton, will focus on understanding and delivering best practice when working creatively with older people.  It will share ideas drawn from the latest research and practice in the fields of ageing creatively, arts and health, and socially engaged arts.

There are many events taking place at the Dunamiase Arts Centre throughout May for Bealtaine. All events in the Dunamiase Arts Centre can be booked on the Dunamiase Arts Centre website www.dunamaise.ie  or ring the box office 057 866 3355

Arts Officer and Creative Ireland Laois Coordinator Muireann Ní Chonaill said; “we are delighted together with our colleagues in the county to bring a varied programme celebrating creativity in older age. This year’s Bealtaine Festival promises great variety to choose from and we hope people enjoy it.”

A wide ranging programme of events also taking place at Laois Libraries as well as lifestyle and wellbeing events run by Laois Sports Partnership.

For more information contact:  Muireann Ni Chonaill, Arts Officer & Diane Seale, Acting Assistant Arts Officer. T:  057 868 9386 E:  artsoff@laoiscoco.ie.

Full programme available here 

Notice of Public Consultation

Proposed development by Laois County Council

  Parking Facilities, Rock of Dunamase

Aghnahily, Dunamase, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

Plans and particulars of the above proposed development will be available for viewing and to discuss on Thursday April 27^th 2023 from 4.00p.m. to 6.00p.m. in the Executive Conference Room, Áras an Chontae, Portlaoise, Co. Laois.

Officials from Laois County Council will be available to answer any queries/ questions in relation to the above proposal during this period.

Age Friendly Laois collaborated with Healthy Laois in putting together the 1^st ever Living Well Expo of its kind in the county , which took place in Portlaoise College on  thursday 13^th April from 4pm to 8pm.

The event brought together various community & Health & Age friendly support groups, agencies , information providers and more and to create an event where attendees could be informed about what is available in Co. Laois  in an engaging and fun way.

The Ukranian choir entertained  on arrival opened by who put on a beautiful performance – their  rendition of “Mo Ghile Mear” was stunning.

This was followed by an address by Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell to the attendees. Laois’ Age Friendly Ambassador, Mrs Anna May McHugh, then officially  opened the event.

The main stage featured talks by Ms Louise Edmonds of Age Friendly Ireland on the topic of assistive technology, a crime prevention presentation by Sgt Graham Kavanagh and a talk by Women’s Shed founder Ms Carmel Cashin. Operation Transformation Leader, Stephanie Bowden was delighted with the opportunity to return to Laois, to give a talk about her own fitness journey and she had a very interesting and busy Q & A session afterwards.

The HSE provided free health screening and they completed 97 screenings on the day,

Healthy Cooking demos were also a popular part of the event and Ms Janice O Brien of LOETB showed us all how to cook a healthy stir fry.

The Living Well expo also featured a debut performance by the Coalition Chefs , with Councillors John King and Paddy Bracken providing a very entertaining cookery demonstration , which was narrated throughout by Ms Anne Marie Kelly. Councillor Bracken recruited the help of Operation Transformation leaders Stephanie and Andrea, to create a beautiful  & healthy vegetable soup. Councillor John King was on  the main course section and he showed an eager audience how to bone and roll a chicken from scratch . Both chefs, of course had “one we prepared earlier” and the attendees were treated to samples of both the soup and the boned  & rolled chicken.

On the day, we had an estimated 1000 attendees, with a steady stream of people arriving from before the event. The feedback from the event was very positive, and people stated that it was great to be made aware of and meet the many supports available in one location  in the county. Exhibitors indicated that they were very busy on the day and that networking  opportunities & connections were created with fellow exhibitors , with individuals and with community groups.All said they looked forward to the next Living Well Expo- so watch this space!!!!!!!!

Interview with various exhibitors can be viewed below

Seniorline Interview click here
Irish Wheelchair Association Interview, click here

• Edufit Interview, click here
• Laois Traveller Action Group interview, click here