There was an ambassadorial visit to Portlaoise at the start of June 2025, when members of the Moldovan community welcomed Moldovan ambassador Jana Costachi to the local library for an event aimed at highlighting Romanian language and culture. Ms Costachi travelled from the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Dublin for a presentation on the aims and future projects …
As part of the SICAP programme, Laois Partnership Company, in collaboration with the Brazil-Ireland Association (BRIA), recently hosted a Career and Employability Workshop aimed at supporting the Brazilian community in Laois. The event was delivered in Portuguese by facilitators Louise Domingues and Viviane Rodrigues, both highly experienced professionals in the fields of career development and employability. The workshop provided practical …
The food was just as good as the company at the O’Moore Place Allotment in Portlaoise recently, when our second Street Feast served up a succulent array of tasty dishes alongside a hearty portion of community spirit. Organised in conjunction with Neighbourhood Network’s Our Shared Plate project, the Street Feast was an opportunity for people to bring along a dish …
The scent of succulent cooking wafted forth from the training room kitchen of Laois Partnership Company at the start of April, for the first session of the Healthy Food Made Easy course taking place in Portlaoise. Using fresh ingredients, tutor Veronika Sibilova showed a group of Ukrainian women how to make their own potato and leek soup with brown bread, aptly demonstrating …
The St Patrick’s Day parades of County Laois enjoyed international support this year, as members of some new local communities joined in the festival of green alongside more established groups from other countries. Among those participating were members of the Ukrainian Laois Support Association (ULSA), who have been celebrating the Irish national holiday since Ukrainians first arrived in Ireland; a …
Tenants of the O’Moore Place allotment in Portlaoise learned crafts that they can apply to the ongoing growth and cultivation of their produce, during a recent willow-weaving workshop at Laois Partnership Company, delivered by multi-media artist, Lynn Kirkham. This was a collaborative project between the Social Inclusion & Community Activation Programme (SICAP) of Laois Partnership Company, Healthy Ireland, and …
This case study shows how the community of Rathdowney came together through collaboration with Laois Partnership Company’s SICAP team and other agencies, on a transformative journey to foster community connections. Check out this video that reveals some of the projects carried out in the area, including the development of the walled garden at the Clochar Centre, and the arrangement of …
Laois Men’s Sheds Men’s Sheds offer a safe, comfortable and inclusive environment where men of all ages can share skills, work on meaningful projects and connect with their communities. Sheds offer men an opportunity to meet in a supportive, collaborative space, improve their health and wellbeing, and contribute to their communities. There are eight located across Laois with one in …
A hub for Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises Bloom HQ is a Co-Working Enterprise space aimed at bringing business back into the heart of a rural community. Asking the question “Why work in congested cities where access to education and housing is a challenge?” They believe in quality of life, ditching a long commute and to work & live local. With …