Episode 13, Féile Drama and Big Summer Plans for Laois GAA

All Go in Laois Underage Development.

Episode 13 of the Laois Games and Gaels Podcast sees Shane Keegan and Dean Malone return with a packed update on the latest activity across coaching, games development, underage structures, academy squads, Féile preparations, post-primary competitions, county underage teams and summer planning within Laois GAA.

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After a short gap since the previous episode, Shane and Dean have plenty to get through, and this is one of the most wide-ranging episodes yet. From formal coach education and young referee development to Go Games regulations, Easter camps, Setanta and O’Moore Óg, Féile, academy fixtures, county minor and under-20 teams, helmet schemes, teacher courses and Cúl Camps, this episode offers a full snapshot of the huge amount of work currently going on across the county.

The episode opens with a look back on the formal Coach Education window, which traditionally runs from January through to early April. Shane and Dean discuss the recent completion of several coaching courses, including Introduction to Coaching Gaelic Games courses delivered in Portarlington and in the Centre of Excellence.

They outline the strong uptake from coaches across the county and explain how the volume of courses delivered in recent years is now helping to reduce the pressure slightly, with more coaches remaining qualified and active in the system. They also point out that any clubs still trying to get a final coach or two through compulsory training should still make contact, as there may be opportunities in neighbouring counties.

The conversation then moves to referee education, with a very positive report on the recent Young Whistlers courses. There was excellent attendance at both the Centre of Excellence and Knockbeg College, with over 70 young people trained across the sessions. Shane and Dean highlight the importance of these young referees in supporting Go Games activity within clubs, helping to improve standards on matchdays and allowing coaches to focus more on the team.

They encourage clubs to identify and support these newly qualified young referees over the coming months.

There is also a preview of some important post-primary schools fixtures, including Knockbeg’s junior football clash with St Pat’s Navan and Portlaoise CBS’s first year Leinster B final against Wexford CBS. On the hurling side, Shane references recent success for Heywood in an all-Laois North Leinster second-year hurling final against Mountrath, a great sign of the strength of schools hurling within the county at present.

They also mention further finals on the horizon for Portlaoise CBS and the importance of communication between schools and county squads around player workload.

The lads then reflect on a hugely busy Easter period for the GPO network. Easter camps across the county proved a major success, helped by much improved weather compared to last year. They discuss the role clubs played in helping GPOs run the camps smoothly and point to Stradbally Parish Gaels as a standout example, where excellent planning and strong club support helped deliver a three-day camp for around 180 children. Dean also speaks about a successful camp in Colt, which included a surprise Easter Bunny appearance on the final day.

Overall, the camps are described as a major success and a vital part of keeping children active and engaged with Gaelic games during school holidays.

Athletic development is another key focus in this episode. Shane and Dean explain how the county’s athletic development programme, put together by Paddy Quinlan and rolled out by the GPO team, has gained strong momentum in clubs. They talk about the importance of developing good movement patterns, running mechanics and landing skills from a young age, and stress that athletic development is not about putting children into gyms to lift weights, but about building the right foundations.

They believe the clubs that embraced this work between January and March will see major benefits as the season progresses.

A major portion of the episode is dedicated to the various coaching workshops that GPOs are currently offering clubs. These include nursery workshops for coaches of very young children, Brilliant Basics workshops for Go Games coaches, games-based coaching workshops for teenage teams, goalkeeper workshops, and ball wall workshops. Shane explains the purpose of each one and encourages clubs to think carefully about which workshops would best suit their own needs over the coming weeks.

He also acknowledges that getting coaches to attend can be difficult, but insists the value of these sessions is clear.

The underage club activity section begins with a review of the recent under-10 Croke Park Blitz days, which both Shane and Dean attended. Eight Laois clubs took part across the two days, including The Heath, Portlaoise, Borris-Kilcotton, Abbeyleix, Park Ratheniska, Clonad, Arles-Killeen and Camross. Both hosts describe the Croke Park experience as one of the highlights of the calendar, with children getting the chance to walk through the stadium, see the dressing rooms, take team photos and play games on the pitch.

Shane says the experience can be worth months of training in terms of keeping young players engaged and excited about Gaelic games. He also explains that club participation is organised on a rotational basis and that clubs not yet selected should expect their turn over the next year or two.

The discussion then shifts to Go Games, where Shane outlines the online information sessions recently held with clubs ahead of the season. He explains that while the rules are not dramatically new, Laois GAA has continued to put clearer structure around how Go Games should operate, covering team sizes, pitch dimensions, ball sizes, game duration and team selection.

Shane says the aim is to eliminate the inconsistency that previously existed, where clubs could turn up to very different setups from venue to venue. He makes it clear that player development must come first and warns that clubs who repeatedly ignore the regulations may lose access to Centre of Excellence blitz days, O’Moore Park blitzes and county final halftime opportunities.

Dates for some of the county’s key Go Games events are also confirmed. The O’Moore Park under-11 football evenings will take place on Monday May 18 and Tuesday May 19, with the hurling evening on Monday May 25. Centre of Excellence blitz dates are also listed for football and hurling at under-7, under-9 and under-11 level, with details to be circulated further to clubs and posted on social media.

One of the biggest topics in the episode is the launch of the 2026 Setanta hurling programme and O’Moore Óg football programme. Shane explains the thinking behind running both programmes side by side this year, after reviewing previous attendance patterns and realising there was minimal overlap between participants in each code.

The programmes will cater for under-10, under-11, under-12 and under-13 players in both hurling and football. There will also be an option for dual players to split their attendance between both. Setanta will be hosted in Clonad, while O’Moore Óg will take place in the Centre of Excellence. Dates, times and age group arrangements are all outlined in detail, with the programmes running for six weeks from mid to late May into late June.

Shane and Dean emphasise that these programmes are participation-based, open to all ability levels, and not elite squads. They highlight the value of children mixing with players from other clubs, being exposed to new coaching environments, and building confidence and friendships. They also stress the importance of volunteer support, noting that with potentially 700 children involved across the six weeks, the programme simply cannot operate without parents and club volunteers stepping forward to help coach or organise.

The Féile section begins with a review of the recent Laois hurling Féile, which Shane describes as a hugely successful day. He attended the semi-finals and finals in the Centre of Excellence and saw Portlaoise edge out The Harps after extra time in a dramatic semi-final before defeating Camross by a point in another thriller to become Laois Féile champions. There is also discussion of the Division 2 Féile, won by St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix.

Shane then looks ahead to a major event for the county, the 2026 National Hurling Féile, which Laois is hosting in conjunction with Carlow. He outlines how the divisions will be spread across venues in Laois and Carlow, with O’Moore Park and the Centre of Excellence hosting Division 1, Borris-Kilcotton hosting Division 2, and other venues including Fenagh, O’Hanrahan’s, Clonad and Mountmellick also involved.

Several Laois clubs will be representing the county across the divisions, including Portlaoise, Camross, The Harps, Borris-Kilcotton, Castletown, Mountrath, Park-Ratheniska-Timahoe, Clonad, St Lazarian’s Abbeyleix, Mountmellick and St Paul’s.

The lads also preview the upcoming Laois football Féile, which will follow the same format and will act as the qualifier for the National Football Féile in Derry. They speak about the excitement and competitiveness the event always brings and the huge incentive for clubs to earn the chance to represent Laois on the national stage.

Another practical initiative discussed is the subsidised helmet scheme. Shane explains that there has been an excellent response from both clubs and schools, with hundreds of helmets already distributed. However, he makes clear that there is still stock remaining in most sizes and encourages any clubs or schools who missed the deadline to make direct contact if they still need helmets.

There is then a preview of a busy weekend for the county’s academy squads. The under-14 footballers are at home in the Centre of Excellence against Offaly and Louth, the under-16 footballers will also play at home after a venue change, and the under-15 footballers travel to Clare.

On the hurling side, the under-14s are away to Waterford, the under-15 Hibernia Cup team host a game in Clonad, and the under-16 hurlers also face Kildare. Shane uses the opportunity to thank the many volunteer coaches involved across the academy setups and stresses again that these structures rely heavily on voluntary effort.

At county underage level, the discussion turns to the recent disappointment suffered by the Laois minor footballers. Shane speaks honestly about the result, acknowledging the frustration around it while also defending the work and commitment of the management team.

He says the defeat sparked a long internal discussion about how the county can better support players and managers on the pathway to minor level. He appeals to listeners who have constructive ideas to make direct contact rather than simply criticising online, and invites meaningful suggestions on how underage football in Laois can improve.

There is more positive news in relation to the county’s under-19 football side, who recently enjoyed a good result against Westmeath. Shane says the under-19 setup is serving an important purpose by filling the gap between minor and under-20 level, keeping players connected to the county pathway rather than allowing them to drift away.

The under-20 footballers are also discussed, having reached the Andrew Corden Cup final after dropping out of the main championship. Shane points to them as an example of how teams can respond positively after a setback and continue to push for silverware.

On the hurling side, there is praise for the Laois minor hurlers, who have progressed from Tier 2 into Tier 1 after a couple of excellent results. Their reward is a major challenge against Galway in O’Moore Park.

The under-19 hurlers are also reviewed, with mention of a strong win over Offaly, a defeat to Kilkenny, and a competitive Shield final against Wexford. Finally, the under-20 hurlers are looking to keep their championship alive in a crucial final group game against Meath after narrow defeats to Offaly and Dublin.

There is also a nod towards the county senior footballers, following their derby win over Offaly, with attention already turning to another huge Leinster clash against Kildare in Newbridge.

Towards the end of the episode, Shane highlights the return of the primary school teachers’ summer course, which will again be run in conjunction with the Laois Education Centre. This accredited course provides EPV days for teachers and focuses on coaching children aged 6 to 12, covering movement, football, hurling and camogie.

The course will run across two face-to-face days in early July, followed by an online element, and Shane encourages interested teachers to sign up quickly as places are limited.

The episode closes with an update from Dean on the launch of the 2026 Cúl Camps season. Applications for coaches have already been strong, with over 100 expressions of interest submitted, and parents can now also begin booking children into camps across the county. Dean notes that there will be around 36 camps taking place across Laois over seven weeks, in addition to a number of club-run camps, and advises families to get organised early around dates and bookings.

All in all, Episode 13 of the Laois Games and Gaels Podcast is a detailed and informative look at the scale of work happening across Laois GAA. From grassroots coaching and child participation right through to academy squads and county underage teams, Shane Keegan and Dean Malone cover every corner of the county’s coaching and games landscape in a discussion that will be of real interest to coaches, parents, players, teachers, referees and club volunteers alike.