At Midlands Park Hotel · Jessop Street, Portlaoise, Co. Laois
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
Laois County Council brings nominees and guests from across the county together for its Community & Voluntary Awards at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, on Friday, 13 November 2026. The awards recognise the people and groups who keep community life running in Laois, from residents’ associations to junior volunteers, and the ceremony is the council’s way of putting a room and a night around work that otherwise goes unrecognised. It has become a fixture on the county’s civic calendar, run each year by the council’s community section.
Eight categories are up for recognition this year: Arts, Culture & Heritage; Sports; Climate Action; Best Kept Residential Estate; Social Inclusion; Health & Wellbeing; Junior Volunteer of the Year; and Unsung Hero. The night brings shortlisted nominees and their guests together for the announcement of winners in each category, in the format of a standard awards gala rather than a public ticketed event. Anyone who wants a group or individual considered needs to act well before the night itself: nominations close on Friday, 4 September 2026 at 4pm, submitted online through the council’s portal or by downloadable form, with the awards team at awards@laoiscoco.ie able to help with queries. The exact running time on the night was not published alongside the venue and date, so anyone attending as a nominee or guest should confirm the schedule directly with the council closer to the date.
The Midlands Park Hotel is on Jessop Street in Portlaoise town centre, close to Portlaoise train station on the Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Limerick lines. The hotel has its own car park, with further public parking available nearby.
Portlaoise is the county town of Laois, with plenty of places nearby for a coffee or a meal before the ceremony. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.
Heading to Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
We do not yet have a suitable Laois tour in our reviewed collection that starts locally. Use the IrelandMe tour finder to compare bookable experiences for the rest of your trip.