Portlaoise

blahblah06

Hi guys heading over to portlaoise for the bank hol weekend. can anyone recommend some good cheap chinese or italian food joints also is there anything to actually do there?

Scan Man

Oriental City (Tel:05786 82648) on the N80/Mountmellick Road at Keen Market in the direction of Tullamore for Chinese. Affordable pricing, good food, and friendly service, also offers take-away. Sat Nav/Map Co-Ordinates: 53.042691,-7.311257

Spago's (Tel: 05786 78588) is the premier Italian restaurant in Laois and is located five minutes from the town centre at the Heritage Hotel, busy at weekends and evenings. Good food, normal pricing, and excellent service. Sat Nav/Map Co-Ordinates: 53.034985,-7.303036

As for activities, sadly there isn't much of tourist value that can't be seen elsewhere:

Roll n' Bowl is a local bowling and activity centre located awkwardly in the middle of Clonminam Industrial estate off the connecting road near O'Moore Park GAA ground. Sat Nav/Map Co-Ordinates: 53.026847,-7.318087

The Rock of Dunamase is a historical castle located outside Portlaoise just off the N80/Stradbally Road towards Stradbally. Worth a visit for a walk and a look around. Sat Nav/Map Co-Ordinates: 53.031079,-7.208197

As for night life:

There's two main nightclubs: Club 23 behind O'Loughlin's Hotel on Main Street, and Egan's Top Deck which is also on Main Street above Egan's Hostelry. They're mainly full of locals and those who come into town for a night out, and sadly like most venues, unprovoked fights are a regular occurrence.

Other than that, there's a wide range of pubs. Recommended include Kavanaghs, Lethean, Grellan Delaneys, Sally Gardens or Cloisters all on Main Street. Less recommended are Copper's, Barmondays & Rammsbottoms. Avoid Ryans and Keegans on Main Street.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Scan Man

Obaraten wrote: »

why dont u recommend Copper's?:pac:

It's in breach of it's license terms, as reported in a recent edition of the Leinster Express. Generally it's not my kind of place, but it's still recommended, just less so than the other places.

know it all

Scan Man wrote: »

It's in breach of it's license terms, as reported in a recent edition of the Leinster Express.

You should find out your facts before you post something like that up. As reported in the Laois Nationalist paper Coppers is fully complient with all aspects of their business. The main objector was John Egan from Egans Niteclub who said it was on the grounds that it was a residential area that Coppers was in. I personally think its upsetting his profits and he was trying anything to stop coppers. He also objected to their planning application but that was also granted regardless

http://www.laois.ie/eplan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=10136&LASiteID=0

I was trying to find the article from the nationalist newspaper on the net but cant get it. Its last weeks paper anyways.

gogo

know it all wrote: »

You should find out your facts before you post something like that up. As reported in the Laois Nationalist paper Coppers is fully complient with all aspects of their business. The main objector was John Egan from Egans Niteclub who said it was on the grounds that it was a residential area that Coppers was in. I personally think its upsetting his profits and he was trying anything to stop coppers. He also objected to their planning application but that was also granted regardless

http://www.laois.ie/eplan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=10136&LASiteID=0

I was trying to find the article from the nationalist newspaper on the net but cant get it. Its last weeks paper anyways.

Work there much...:pac:

know it all

gogo wrote: »

Work there much...:pac:

yeah the whole time!!!LOL

Bicky

hmm.... I thought your pub was in breach breach of it's license terms because it (supposedly) had no cctv cameras in the smoking area or the lane way.
I cannot find the link to the Leinster express article.

Evolution Enter

I think the avoid Ryan's bit above there is a bit harsh! How anyone can recommend a night club like Egan's/Club or Coppers and in the same stroke say avoid Ryan's is a straight up snob and a hypocrite!

You'll run into the same people in both places. Ryan;s has a charm to it that many places in Portlaoise don't. Just cos it's not your cup of tea doesn't mean you should go on here and dismiss it like that!

Plenty of scum in there granted, but also plenty of really nice decent people - just like the night clubs in Portlaoise

MickShamrock

I'd give Spago's a miss, if I were you.

Bicky

Dead right evolution, it is a nice pub. I always laugh when people tell me about the fights among the scum bags in Ryans. Often the people telling these stories have never been in Ryans and would baulk at the idea of going in for a look.

Scan Man

Bicky wrote: »

hmm.... I thought your pub was in breach breach of it's license terms because it (supposedly) had no cctv cameras in the smoking area or the lane way.
I cannot find the link to the Leinster express article.

Correct. That's what I was alluding to earlier, but as I expected, their minions are quite sensitive to any criticism. If it picks up and meets those requirements it would probably top my list, as the Door and Bar Staff there run a tight ship which keeps out the knob heads found in the other pubs in town.

Evolution Enter wrote: »

I think the avoid Ryan's bit above there is a bit harsh! How anyone can recommend a night club like Egan's/Club or Coppers and in the same stroke say avoid Ryan's is a straight up snob and a hypocrite!

You'll run into the same people in both places. Ryan;s has a charm to it that many places in Portlaoise don't. Just cos it's not your cup of tea doesn't mean you should go on here and dismiss it like that!

Plenty of scum in there granted, but also plenty of really nice decent people - just like the night clubs in Portlaoise

Woah, hang on there a second, I'm not recommending either club but I thought I'd be labelled a bigger snob if I also called them **** holes and put them in the same cateogory as Ryans. So to clarify and dispel your allegation of hypocrisy, all three venues are equally ****e.

Bicky wrote: »

Dead right evolution, it is a nice pub. I always laugh when people tell me about the fights among the scum bags in Ryans. Often the people telling these stories have never been in Ryans and would baulk at the idea of going in for a look.

I've been there on a few occasions as some friends insist on meeting up there, but it supported my dim view of the place. If it's that type of "charm" you're after, than you're welcome to it, but it's definitely not my thing.

ThirdMan

If I was just visiting for the weekend I'd stay away from Ryan's and Egan's. They may have a particular 'charm', but I feel it's one that would be lost on anything other than a regular.

Publicdiservice

OP there is a festival in Portlaoise on the Bank Holiday, Magnet festival, so there is plenty of music in the pubs that weekend. As regards Pubs given the size of the town there are some cool pubs, niteclubs not so much.