Laois Junior Football Championships


The Laois Junior Football Championships are the lower-tier Laois Club Football Championships.
The Junior A and Junior B Championships use group phases then down to eight-four-two and the Junior C Championship operates similarly to the Senior Championship and Intermediate Championship by going for a straight knockout.
Portlaoise are the title holders, having defeated Barrowhouse in the final.

Laois Junior Football Championship

The Laois Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by lower-tier Laois GAA clubs.
Kilcavan are the title holders defeating St Joseph's in the final.

Honours

The trophy presented to the winners is the Shaw Cup.
The winners of the Laois Junior Championship qualify to represent their county in the Leinster Junior Club Football Championship. The winners can, in turn, go on to play in the All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship. They often do well outside the county, with the likes of Rosenallis and Park–Ratheniska among the clubs from Laois to win at least one Leinster Championship after winning the Laois Junior Football Championship. The winners enter the All-Ireland at the quarter-final stage, unless drawn against the British champions in the quarter-finals.

History

The Laois Junior A Football Championship was first held in 1906, with Durrow the victors.
In the mid-1990s, Rosenallis won the Junior Championship and then went on to win the Intermediate Championship back-to-back.
Laois full-back Martin Dempsey played in the 2004 final, at centre-forward.
In 2016, Rosenallis won a dual championship — junior football and intermediate hurling.
Laois players Tom Kelly and Noel Garvan were involved in the 2017 final.

Laois Junior B Football Championship

The Laois Junior B Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by fourth grade Laois GAA clubs.
The trophy presented to the winners is the Chris Lalor Cup.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the completion of the 2020 Laois Junior B Football Championship until the second half of 2021. The semi-finals were played in October 2020. The final was played in August 2021.

List of finals

YearWinnerOpponent-
1972ParkBallyroan-
1973MountmellickSlieve Bloom-
1974RathdowneyDurrow-
1975St Fintan's HospitalThe Heath-
1976TimahoeMountmellick-
1977-
1978-
1979-
1980-
1981-
1982-
1983StradballyRosenallis-
1984KilcavanCourtwood-
1985Graiguecullen-
1986Spink 1-9Rosenallis 1-8-
1987Rosenallis-
1988The HeathArles–Kilcruise-
1989TimahoeSt Fintan's, Colt-
1990Arles–KilcruiseBallylinan-
1991BallyfinCrettyard-
1992O'Dempsey'sThe Heath-
1993CrettyardCamross-
1994CastletownEmo-
1995Arles–KilcruiseSt Fintan's, Mountrath-
1996St Fintan's, MountrathBallylinan-
1997The HeathAbbeyleix-
1998St Fintan's, ColtCrettyard-
1999AbbeyleixStradbally-
2000StradballyRathdowney-
2001CrettyardCamross-
2002PortlaoiseArles–Killeen-
2003StradballySpink-
2004Spink 1-8Castletown 1-7-
2005Camross 3-14 Emo 2-5 -
2006MountmellickO'Dempsey's-
2007BallylinanO'Dempsey's-
2008The RockSt Fintan's, Colt-
2009O'Dempsey'sSt Fintan's, Colt-
2010PortlaoiseSt Manman's-
2011Graiguecullen 1-9St Fintan's, Colt 1-7-
2012-
2013-
2014Graiguecullen-
2015-
2016-
2017Errill-
2018-
2019Errill-
2020SpinkGraiguecullen-
2021-
2022Camross 3-9Errill 0-8
2022
2024StradballyRosenallis

Laois Junior C Football Championship

The Laois Junior C Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by fifth grade Laois GAA clubs. St Joseph's are the title holders defeating Courtwood in the Final.
An actor participated in the 2020 Junior C Championship.

List of finals

= Replay
YearWinnerOpponentCaptain
1998Rathdowney 1-11Errill 0-5Jim Doherty
1999Clough–Ballacolla 2-8Borris-in-Ossory 0-3Pat Whelan
2000Errill 2-7Borris-in-Ossory 0-9Paul Delaney
2001The Harps 2-13Kilcotton 0-5Kevin Shortall
2002Rosenallis 0-7, 1-9O'Dempsey's 0-7, 2-5Seán McKane
2003Portlaoise 5-6Arles–Kilcruise 1-6Liam Browne
2004Trumera 0-12The Harps 2-3John O'Connor
2005Arles–Kilcruise 2-8Shanahoe 2-6Kevin Kealy
2006Courtwood 0-13The Heath 2-4Stephen Wilson
2007St Manman's 2-9Ballyfin 0-3Martin Fallon
2008Portlaoise 2-10Ballyfin 0-8Paul Sutton
2009Portlaoise 0-10, 1-11Shamrocks 1-7, 1-7Gary McCormack
2010The Heath 1-13Shamrocks 2-5John Browne
2011O'Dempsey's 0-14Portlaoise 0-13Pat Behan
2012Slieve Bloom/Castletown 1-10Camross 2-5Martin Delaney
2013Graiguecullen 2-16Annanough 1-5Donny Hurley
2014Camross 1-10Spink 0-7Paul Delaney
2015Rosenallis 2-9Clonaslee 1-7Tom Hyland
2016Errill 2-6Rathdowney GAA 1-6Patrick Purcell
2017Castletown 1-13Rathdowney 1-6John Gaughan
2018Slieve Bloom 1-10St Fintan's, Colt/ Clonad 1-7John Lowry
2019Graiguecullen 6-10St Fintan's, Colt 1-5Peter Branagan
2020Kilcotton 3-8St Fintan's, Colt 1-3
2021Ballyfin 0-11Park–Ratheniska 0-9
2022Rathdowney 5-12Courtwood 0-10
2023Clonaslee–St Manman's 0-10Arles–Kilcruise 0-4
2024St Joseph's 1-8Courtwood 0-8