The LoveLaois Podcast

The LoveLaois Podcast returns and we bring you an interview that we can almost certainly guarantee that, should you listen to it, it will make you laugh. Alan and Steven are joined by two of the main men behind Portlaoise TradFest - Ruaidhri Tierney and Bill O'Brien. The Portlaoise duo are music mad and they begin with a chat about their musical careers to date. How Comhaltas shaped them as children and instilled a love of traditional music that burns bright today. Tierney was on a European tour with his band Buíoch last year and they have just recently completed a series of gigs in the Guinness Store House. Speaking on the Podcast, the lads have unveiled an exciting and diverse programme for this year’s TradFest, which returns to Portlaoise over the May Bank Holiday weekend.Now in its fourth year, the festival will once again celebrate Irish traditional music through a wide range of events designed to appeal to both performers and audiences of all ages.Across the weekend, festival-goers can enjoy a series of headline concerts, alongside late-night entertainment and a lively festival club atmosphere.Traditional music sessions will take place throughout the town, bringing a vibrant energy to local venues and creating opportunities for both musicians and spectators to get involved.Workshops will form a key part of the programme, offering musicians of all levels the chance to learn from experienced performers, while a variety of youth-focused events aim to encourage the next generation of traditional artists.These include dedicated youth sessions, an inclusive session, and the popular Youth Trad Battle.The festival will also feature a mix of performances across the weekend, with gigs taking place in established venues as well as informal settings, ensuring a balance between structured concerts and spontaneous music-making.Late-night DJ sets will add to the festival atmosphere, rounding off each evening.You can get the full details of the festival here.

The latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast is here and we have a very special guest - our own Samanta Danne. Readers of LaoisToday will have seen Samanta's name popping up on articles in recent months as she has been on work experience with us. A Law and Criminology student at Portlaoise Further Institute, Portlaoise native Samanta has a fascinating story to tell. Her mam is from Latvia and her dad is Russian so she is one of the most culturally diverse people that we have ever had the pleasure of interviewing. Steven Miller and Alan Hartnett join Samanta to talk about her life so far, her love of languages and her hopes for the future. The lads also discuss the latest news from around Laois including the relaunch of Penneys and the goings-on in the Council. While Steven also unveils plans for a story that will see Alan tackle the one thing he hates more than anything in the world - cycle lanes! 

Derval O'Rourke was the special guest at the Local Enterprise Office women's lunch in the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on Friday where she shared her some of her business experience as owner of Derval.ie, an online health, fitness, and wellness platform. A world champion athlete and three time Olympian, she chats to us about her business journey, how she loves what she does, what makes her anxious in business and the support she has received from her Local Enterprise Office in Cork.  She also discusses her time on Ireland's Fittest Family and why she will not accept an invitation to go on Dancing with the Stars. The LaoisToday LoveLaois Business podcast is brought to you in association with the Local Enterprise Office Laois. 

The LoveLaois Podcast returns and the focus of this episode is on the big local political story of the week.Fianna Fail's Padraig Fleming has announced that he will retire from politics in the coming months. It was a shock to everyone with Alan Hartnett and Steven Miller giving their initial reaction on the episode. After that, the discussion meanders on to matters in the Middle East where a number of Laois people got caught up in the US/Iran/Israel conflict. Finally, there is high praise for a Laois County Council initiative celebrating people who reach 100 years of age.  

Gerry Duffy is a speaker and author in High Performance working with business leaders and teams to help them perform at their best and he joins us on the latest episode of the LaoisToday LoveLaois Business podcast ahead of his appearance in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel next week as part of Local Enterprise week.He has worked with over 1,000 organisations across Ireland and internationally, ranging from SMEs to global brands, helping people improve focus, execution and results in fast-paced environments.Gerry chats to us about some of the the challenges that business owners have - and what they can do to improve.Gerry is speaking in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on Tuesday, March 3, from 6-7pm.His talk in Abbeyleix is titled 'Five business resources every leader should use - but most never do'. The event is free to attend and you can find out more information here.The LaoisToday LoveLaois Business podcast is brought to you in association with the Local Enterprise Office Laois. 

Is there any business owner or manager that wouldn't like to make their business more efficient?John O'Shanahan, owner of business improvement consultancy Lean BPI, joins us on this episode ahead of his webinar which is part of this year's Local Enterprise week.He chats about some of the practices businesses can adapt and some of the grants that are available. John's webinar - titled Working Smarter for Lean and Digital: Practical lessons for today's small businesses - is free to attend and is on from 12.30pm to 1.15pm on Friday, March 6, as part of Local Enterprise week. You can book your spot here. The LaoisToday LoveLaois Business podcast is brought to you in association with the Local Enterprise Office Laois. 

Local Portlaoise band The Controversy joined us for a special musical feature on this week’s LoveLaois Podcast.Work-experience student Samanta Danne made her official debut as the host as she sat down to interview the rising Laois act.Fresh off their 2025 Electric Youth win that gave them an amazing opportunity to perform at the Electric Picnic, Samanta gets to know the group — drummer Adam Reilly, singer Erin O’Dwyer, bassist Neive Leith and guitarist Aidan Dermody — and their experiences as young musicians in Laois.They talk about how they first met through Friday Jam sessions and how they played their proper first gig together as a band while competing in the Electric Youth competition.Each member opened up about their musical backgrounds, writing their own original music, how they balance band practice alongside other commitments like school, and the wide-ranging influences – from Jazz to Rock- that have shaped them individually and collectively into a fresh, innovative band.In true newsroom fashion, Alan also made an impromptu appearance to ask Aidan more about his Costa Rican background, as he’d just moved to Ireland two years ago.The band also spoke about what it’s like to grow within the Laois music scene and the support they found locally like Music Generation.They even bravely answered– with plenty of hesitation – the question of naming their dream collaborations with musicians both dead or alive.With their next gig set for Sally Gardens on March 7, this is the perfect time to get to know more about this up-and-coming Laois band, The Controversy.To follow them on social media, you can find them on:Tiktok: @thecontroversy_officialInstagram: @the_controversyofficial.

No guest this week but there is still plenty to talk about on the latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast. Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett where the pair reflect on the recent goings on in Laois County Council. Steven was at the Portlaoise Municipal meeting while Alan was at the Graiguecullen-Portarlington equivalent. The lads go threw the motions and pick out their favourites - and award their 'Councillor of the meeting'. They also discuss the decision to remove SNAs, which has been paused, and also somehow end up talking about the Eurovision!

It has been a busy week in LaoisToday. Alan has been out and about at two ministerial visits to the county and Steven was at Fianna Fáil's big bash in the Midlands Park Hotel to celebrate the party's centenary. All of those, however, pale into insignificance compared to Steven's big trip to Camross for a somewhat historic meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District. As well as discussing the motions and the councillors, bridges and floods, one of the big decisions of the week was whether to have the Camross Club or the Killanure Klassic in the Poet's Cottage. Work experience student Samanta Danne make her podcast debut, chatting about the residential tenancies bill, while Alan also has a fascinating update about a movie filmed in Stradbally and which Abbeyleix man Reuben Harvey was very much involved in on the production side.

After 45 years in Laois County Council, Willie Aird was elected to Dáil Éireann in December 2024 and has now a year under his belt as a TD. He sits down with us for a chat on the experience so far, getting used to the workings in Leinster House, what it's like being a TikTok star and how he has adjusted his farming life with his new role. Plus, he chats about the next General Election, the popularity of the Healy-Raes and occasionally getting on the wrong side of the Ceann Comhairle. 

A wide and varied episode if ever there was one. We remember Andy Bergin, the former Timahoe publican who passed away, as well as Leon de Barra, a former school principal, who also died this week. Plus we discuss the planning permission that has been granted for the new Dunamase College in Portlaoise, the malting barley controversy and a variety of topics that came up at the full meeting of Laois County Council this week - from hot school meals to St Patrick's Day in New York, approved housing bodies to a United Ireland. 

The latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast is here and this one sees us looking back on events from the past week. Steven Miller is joined by Alan Hartnett where the pair reflect on recent Laois County Council meetings that they attended. Steven was at the Portlaoise Municipal meeting while Alan attended the Graiguecullen-Portarlington meeting. They each give a run down of the various motions and issues that were raised. The lads also chat about some of the other news stories from the last week. 

Steven and Alan return for a chat about some of the week's stories. Steven attended an almost-private showing of the Portlaoise Pantomime Goldilocks and the Three Beours and was pushed way past his comfort zone. But he was well impressed with the show and couldn't recommend it highly enough. The lads also chat about the well-mannered councillors in the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District which Steven attended this week while Alan is on the lookout for two recent lotto winners in Laois. They also chat briefly about the Mercusor deal, why it discommoded Alan's soccer, and about Dancing with the Stars and Katelyn Cummins's emergence as the bookies favourite. 

We sat down with the CEO of Laois County Council Michael Rainey recently. He chatted about his somewhat unusual educational background, his various roles in local authorities and how he arrived to the top job in Laois. With a staff of 550 people under him and an annual council budget of over €132 million, he deals with a range of Government departments and bodies. Among the local issues he discussed was housing, roads, working with the county councillors and significant investment across the county. 

Over eight days and 11 shows and in front of a combined audience of 2,500, the Portlaoise Panto will go centre stage in the Dunamaise Arts Centre again this month. Beginning this Saturday, July 19, Goldilocks and the Three Beours promises to be another fun-filled performance from the Portlaoise group. As the cast the production team went through a manic final week of rehearsals, we sat down with the three beours - Donal Brennan, Emma Phelan and Ciara Dollard - as well as chairperson Sandra O'Reilly to chat about their involvement over the years, the parallel universe of panto land and why it really brighten up the month of January. 

Laois Independent TD Brian Stanley is our first guest of 2026 on the LoveLaois Podcast. He chats about his first full year in the Dáil as an Independent, how it compares to his time in Sinn Féin, his relationship with Mary Lou McDonald, and a potential Border Poll. His role in Catherine Connolly's presidential succession comes up for discussion as does the united left arrangement as well as his own potential plans to grow his team of Independent Republicans in Laois. 

And a Happy New Year to you all. Steven and Alan return with a first LoveLaois Podcast of 2026 where they catch up after Christmas and talk about an array of wildly different topics. Watching the darts, playing golf, considering golf as a hobby, watching Netflix and reading Matt Cooper's excellent book on Dunnes Stores all come up for discussion. We also chat about Darragh Lyons' charity sky dive and impending episodes where we have a range of guests lined up. 

Over and out. As 2025 comes to a close, we look back on some of the top stories from the year that was. Electric Picnic, the Presidential Election, a trip to New York and more time spent in the County Council chamber than we care to remember. Steven and Alan look back on the 2025 year and some of the major moments locally, what they enjoyed and what they didn't - and the types of stories and interviews they'd like to do in 2026. 

A year after being elected to Dáil Éireann for the seventh successive term, Laois Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming joins us for a chat. In a wide-ranging discussion he hits on a number of big topics. He chats about the disappointment of not being re-appointed as a Minister for State after last year's General Election, his current role as chairman of the Oireachtas Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery and his ministerial experience in Finance and Foreign Affairs. He also discusses the recent Presidential Election, the Jim Gavin fiasco and why he voted for Billy Kelleher. Will he run again at the next election, what does the future hold for Fianna Fáil and how does he tune out from the almost 24/7 demands of being a TD?

When we last spoke to Aaron Doran, he had just assisted Evan Ferguson to help Bohemian's win the U-17 League of Ireland. Fast forward almost five years, and the Ratheniska man is still playing the sport that he loves. While some of his teammates from that game are plying their trade in England, Italy and Scotland, the midfielder's journey has taken him around Ireland. When his time at Bohemian's came to an end, Doran signed for First Division club Wexford FC. After a difficult 2023 season in the sunny South East, Aaron received the news that his contract would not be extended and he found himself without a club for the first time ever. But rather than pack it in, Doran dropped into the Leinster Senior League and rebuilt his career with Maynooth - a place where he was also in college at the time. A successful spell there saw him score a move to Longford Town this season where things took off again. Operating in midfield, Doran led his side up the table and they just missed out on a place in the playoffs. In the off season, Doran was named the club's Player of the Year and in the middle of his off season, Aaron joined Alan Hartnett for a chat.