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.