The Laois county board has pulled off an amazing coup by purchasing a site in neighbouring Co. Kilkenny worth in excess of EUR3 million for just EUR10. They plan to the turn the site, which is located in Galmoy on the Kilkenny-Laois border, into a centre of excellence in the coming years. And while some of the Galmoy parish is in Laois, the site - which is part of Galmoy Mines - is located in Kilkenny. "We were in negotiations about this for the last six weeks," Laois chairman Brian Allen said. Galmoy Mines recently announced plans to close in 2010, and they wanted to give something back to the local community when they left. So they decided to sell the 25-acre site, which includes a building with changing and shower facilities for 170 people, a 160-space car park and an office block to Laois GAA for a tenner. Once the mine closes, the Laois board will conduct feasibility studies and they hope to start building work on a centre of excellence in late 2010. The facility will include pitches and a gym that will be used by schools, underage and inter-county teams. The fact that the land is located in Kilkenny doesn't bother Allen who laughed: "It's only just over the border!" Tweet

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