Park/Ratheniska GAA Club is situated circa 5 miles outside of Portlaoise town in County Laois and is nestled under the famous Rock of Dunamaise.
It is the amalgamation of 2 Clubs, Park and Ratheniska, or Ráithin an Uisce as gaeilge, the Rath of the Water. The area of Park and its name originates from the the surrounds of Dunamase Castle, a medieval deer park.
Gaelic Games in the area can be traced back to 1890, and we have a rich and proud heritage of Laois GAA.
1933 saw the founding of the Park GAA Club. The Ratheniska Hurling Club was founded in 1953. With both Clubs primarily using the same players and it was decided to amalgamate them under the one banner in 1981, and with that, the Park/Ratheniska GAA Club was founded.
In the past the Club has competed at Senior in both Hurling and Football and are the only Club in Laois to hold Provincial Titles in both Hurling and Football.
A further change took place in 2018 with the formation of the Park/Ratheniska-Timahoe Hurling Club. This saw the Hurling arms of Park/Ratheniska & Timahoe join together to strengthen and promote Hurling in both clubs. The Clubs last mens hurling title was in 2019 when it captured the Laois Junior Hurling A Championship.
2021 was a monumental year for the Club, as it saw our adult footballers reach the top tier of Laois Football once again. Over a magical 4 month period, they won the Covid delayed 2020 Laois Junior Football Championship before going on to win the Laois Intermediate Football Championship in October.
Currently the Club enters football teams in the Laois Senior and “C” Championships and hurling teams in the Laois Junior "A" & “C” Championships.
We have also won Leinster Junior Football & Hurling Titles in 2006 and 2011.
The Club also has a vibrant Juvenile Section where teams are catered for from U6’s all the way to U20. In 2022 every one of our Juvenile teams reached a semi final at the very least with the majority contesting finals and silverware coming in 3 different codes.
The Club also has a Ladies Football Club and has won a number of Intermediate titles since their foundation, the latest of which came in 2022, leaving both ladies and mens Club competing at Senior level in 2023. Patricia Fogarty is a former All Ireland winner with Laois in 2001 and is also a former All Star, while Anna Healy is a former Laois captain, and she and Erone Fitzpatrick were both part of the Laois All Ireland Intermediate Championship winning side, with Erone winning an All Star at wing forward.
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OUR CLUB
Our club is at the coalface in the promotion and development of our games and culture
• We provides enjoyment, involvement and personal development for all our members and players (especially for our youth )
• We develops friendships, teamwork, and equality for all
• We provides our community with a positive identity and a sense of pride
