Grand Laois opening beckons for Camross community cafe

A community project in Laois that adds to the vitality of Camross and will be a place for local people and tourists to relax over a cuppa, food and treats is set for an official grand opening.

The community of Camross near the Slieve Bloom Mountains extends a warm welcome to join them for the opening of the Poet’s Cottage Community Café on Friday, November 28.

Funding of €250,000 from the EU Just Transition Fund has helped the local community development association to realise a vision of expanding the public use of the landmark Poet's Corner Irish stone cottage by creating a village café in the property.

The organisers say the project is transformational for the village, which has community facilities and a pub, but no shops.

The afternoon will commence at 1.30 pm. There will be music, song and refreshments. Government Ministers, TDs, members of Laois County Council, and representatives from Pobal, ERMA, and other guests are invited to attend. MORE BELOW PHOTO.

A refurbished traditional kitchen dresser features in the cafe.

There will be an opportunity to view the Poet’s Café during the day and enjoy listening to our local historian ‘Paddy Dooley’ reflect on the history of the cottage and regale guests with stories of times past.

Camogie silverware will be on display on the day as members of the Camross Camogie team, recent winners of the Leinster Camogie Cup, will be special guests on the day on the day.

Eilish Foxe, who lives locally in Killanure, spoke to the Leinster Express earlier in 2025 about the cafe.

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"We will serve food like toasted sandwiches, scones, sweet treats and tray bakes, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Maybe later we will consider things like acai bowls. There's great excitement about it," she said.

The cafe has been open since September 2025. Apart from being open during the day it offers hatch service in the evenings.

The Poet's Cottage is a replica Irish cottage built by a local FÁS scheme in the 1990s, to honour local poet Patrick Ryan.

The plan for the community cafe and the funding attracted is the latest significant development and investment in Camross in recent years. The Camross Community Complex has a wide range of facilities including a multipurpose sports pitch, community garden, riverside outdoor classroom, floodlit walkway, seating area, multipurpose HUB & gym.