Windows boarded up at Portlaoise courthouse with update on new building
Laois courthouse getting repairs despite site for new building now waiting for six years
Passers by may have noticed recently that many of the large windows in Portlaoise District Courthouse are boarded up.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has confirmed why, to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
“The Office of Public Works (OPW) is undertaking works to repair 11 timber sash windows at Portlaoise Courthouse on behalf of the Courts Service. Some windows are boarded up as the windows are removed and brought to a workshop for repair works to be carried out.
“Costs for this project will not be released until final account stage,” a spokesperson said.
The specialist repairs come while the nearby greenfield site for a new courthouse in Portlaoise sits waiting.
The OPW spokesperson said it is not their responsibility.
“The current courthouse is not owned by the Commissioners and the site for the proposed new courthouse is not in the Commissioners ownership. At the request of the Courts Service the OPW erected fencing on the site of the new courthouse last year in order to secure the site.
“The responsibility for maintenance and capital development of Portlaoise Courthouse remains with the Courts Service, with the OPW continuing to provide professional services as requested,” the OPW said.
The Irish Courts Service then gave their latest update on the new Courthouse.
They confirmed where the site is that they bought in 2020. It is off the Portlaoise southern route between the Abbeyleix Road and Timahoe Road, next to a field used by visiting circuses.
“The Courts Service has received an initial funding allocation under the revised National Development Plan to support the advancement of a courthouse project in several areas, including Portlaoise. This funding will facilitate the preparatory work required to develop a robust business case and evaluate the options necessary to inform future decisions regarding courthouse accommodation.
“A Design Team has been appointed to prepare the Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case for the proposed project. This work is being undertaken in accordance with the Infrastructure Guidelines and will define the scope, scale and requirements of the project, while assessing its feasibility, affordability and value for money.
“The Preliminary Business Case will examine both current and future operational requirements and identify the accommodation needed to support the effective delivery of court services in Portlaoise into the future. The assessment will provide the evidence base necessary to inform the next stage of project development and decision-making.”
They say that a timeline is impossible.
“As the project is currently at the Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case stage, being progressed in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines, it is not possible to provide a timeline for delivery. The process includes a number of decision points and approvals, with future progression dependent on the outcome of the assessment, subsequent funding and governance requirements,” the courts service spokesperson said.
They also confirmed that that assessment will include the lack of parking and space at the existing courthouse, which forces prison vans and Gardaí to park on the narrow Main Street.
“The assessment includes evaluating accommodation needs and operational considerations.”
Portlaoise courthouse on Main Street is over 200 years old and is fraught with issues.
It underwent a costly upgrade in 1999 but in recent years as it became busier, issues have arisen in relation to the limited number of holding cells, antisocial behaviour and a rodent infestation in 2024.
There have been fights on the street by attendants at court, and even a stabbing in 2017.
In 2025 a high profile prisoner linked to the Kinahan Hutch feud secured the right to have his trial moved to a more modern venue due to security fears.
Last April, Laois TD Sean Fleming said it is “extremely overcrowded”.
“Prison vans parked on the Main Street is no proper substitute for holding cells that should be in the Courthouse. People are frightened to walk up and down the Main Street. This is damaging the town of Portlaoise,” said Dep Fleming.