Work underway to make big Laois hall in Portlaoise safe for sport

Extensive work is underway at St Mary's Hall in Portlaoise which it is hoped will address long-standing problems with the roof which has made the venue unplayable for basketball.

A roofing contractor moved on site in September at the big hall located off the town's Dublin Road near the parish church. Scaffolding surrounds the building with workers having removed the problematic metal roof material which was not insulated.

The work was carried out after shortcomings with the roof reached a new low early in 2024 when the hall had to be cleared.

Head Coach Jack Scully spoke to the Leinster Express/ Laois Live about a situation that led to the game being forced behind closed doors at the 35-year-old building.

"For as long as I have been going to St Mary’s Hall, leaks in the roof and build-up of condensation in the hall when there’s a large crowd have been an ongoing issue for years and years. It’s something that’s been flagged with previous hall management and a long-term solution was never found for it really.

"When I say big crowds, we’re not over packing the place. Everyone has a seat and a clear standing room, we’re not on top of each other. The roof is a metal roof with no insulation either side of it and it’s a cold surface. When we have so many people in the hall, hot air rises and that’s meeting the cold roof which causes the condensation," he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live at the time.

Mr Scully said the hall had to be cleared out to prevent condensation to stop forming on the court to allow the game to resume. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

This led to Laois County Council, which now has a stake in the building, inviting bids in April 2024 for an estimated €200,000 repair job on the roof which covers an area of approximately 850 sqm.

The tender stated said the roof was leaking from at least five locations with the exact locations difficult to determine. Contractors were told that the venue must remain in operation during repairs were put at taking a month.

The Portlaoise Panthers are the main users of the facility but want to move due to what they say are extensive shortcomings with the building. They commissioned a feasibility study which was completed in 2023 which outlined different options for a new building in Portlaoise. Their preferred option would cost €16 million. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

A total of €150,000 was allocated to repair the roof under the Community Recognition Fund in August, 2024.