Portlaoise Courthouse 'damaging the town' with people afraid to walk Main Street

The head of the Courts Service was told Portlaoise Courthouse is ‘damaging the town’ and leaving people afraid to walk its Main Street. 

Laois Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming wrote to the CEO of the Court Service Angela Denning informing her of the need for a new courthouse and describing some of the issues associated with the old building. 

“People are frightened to walk up and down the Main Street. I have been contacted by several women who are afraid to walk up and down the Main Street in Portlaoise on court sitting days. This is damaging the town of Portlaoise and it should not be the case,” 

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“Prison vans parked on the Main Street on a regular basis is no proper substitute for holding cells that should be in the Courthouse. It is clear a new Courthouse is needed, you will be aware of the increasing population in the general area of Laois,” said Dep Fleming.

He noted a new site had been purchased at Kylekipore for a new courthouse and he described the existing courthouse as “extremely overcrowded”. 

“It is totally inappropriate because of the location of the Courthouse on the Main Street that on regular occasions prison vans and Gardai cars are clogging up the main street. This location is not suitable and it is destroying business and commercial life on the Main Street in Portlaoise,” he said.

Dep Fleming asked Ms Denning if there was an approximate timescale in place as to when work on a new courthouse might begin in Portlaoise.  

Ms Denning said the Court Service understood the difficulties with the existing courthouse in Portlaoise. 

“As the Deputy will be aware, the Courts Service purchased a site for a new courthouse at Kylekiproe in 2020. Late last year, the Courts Service arranged for the site to be protected with palisade fencing,” she said. 

Ms Denning noted that while funding hadn’t been allocated for the renovation of Portlaoise Courthouse in the National Development Plan, funding was available for preparatory work to make a business case for the development of a new courthouse in Portlaoise.  

“In this context, the Courts Service has appointed a Design Team to carry out a Strategic Assessment and Preliminary Business Case in respect of the Kylekiproe site observing and ensuring compliance with the infrastructure guidelines. This step is required prior to any sanction being provided to progress such investment projects, ensuring that any future development is supported by a robust and fully evaluated business case,” she said. 

Ms Denning said “it is not possible at this stage to provide definitive dates for construction; however, this preparatory phase is an important step in enabling the project to be considered for future funding and delivery”.

Portlaoise Courthouse is over 200 years old. In recent years there have been concerns about the building’s ability to accommodate the volume of work which is carried out there. Issues have arisen in relation to the limited number of holding cells, antisocial behaviour and exterminators had to be called in to deal with a rodent infestation in 2024.

In 2025 a high profile prisoner who was linked to the Kinhan Hutch feud secured the right to have his trial for an alleged assault and threatening to kill moved to a more modern venue due to security fears.