Laois Senior Football Championship Final

The Laois Senior Football Championship Final is the biggest day in the county club calendar - the match that settles twelve months of argument about which club is best in Laois. Started back in 1888, the competition has produced some of Ireland’s most competitive club rivalries, with Portlaoise, Portarlington, Stradbally, and Graiguecullen fighting over the Jack Delaney Cup for well over a century. The 2025 final saw Portarlington take the title after a replay against Courtwood, so expect those clubs and others to be pushing hard again in 2026. This is the kind of occasion where every seat matters and the atmosphere in the ground is genuine - the crowd will be local, loud, and knowledgeable.

What to expect

The final brings together the last two clubs standing after a summer of pool matches, quarter-finals, and semi-finals. Teams will be confirmed after the semi-finals in early July, so the specific clash is still to be decided at time of writing. What you can count on is a senior county final played at the highest club level in Laois, with players who many observers believe are good enough to anchor inter-county panels. The Jack Delaney Cup is presented on the day, and the winners earn the right to represent Laois in the Leinster Senior Club Football Championship. For neutral visitors, it is an excellent way to see Gaelic football at a competitive but human scale - you are close to the pitch, the crowd is animated, and there is none of the anonymity of a big national fixture.

Getting there

O’Moore Park (officially Laois Hire O’Moore Park) sits roughly half a kilometre from Portlaoise town centre, well signposted from the main roads into town. Portlaoise is on the main Dublin to Cork / Limerick rail line, with regular Intercity services from Heuston Station - the train takes around an hour from Dublin and the station is a short walk from the ground. By road, Portlaoise is just off the M7/M8 interchange, about 90 km from Dublin and 150 km from Cork. Parking is available in the town, though arriving early for a county final is always sensible as spaces fill quickly around the ground on match day.

While you’re in Portlaoise

Portlaoise is the county town of Laois and makes a decent base for exploring the midlands - the Rock of Dunamase, a dramatic ruined castle just east of town, is well worth the short detour on any visit. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.

Good to know

• Date: Sunday, 19 July 2026
• Time: To be confirmed (check Laois GAA website for the confirmed throw-in time)
• Teams: To be confirmed after semi-finals in early July
• Price: Free entry
• Venue: Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise (capacity approximately 22,000, with 6,500 covered seats)
• Tickets / fixtures: laoisgaa.ie for confirmed details as the date approaches