It's always 5.45pm in Portlaoise square
Time is standing still yet again in Market Square, Portlaoise. File image
IT’S always 5.45pm in Portlaoise, at least if you’re in Market Square.
The landmark clock on the square’s busy roundabout has been stuck at 5.45pm since the end of summer.
Cllr Tommy Mulligan took time out to highlight the issue this morning, at the monthly meeting of Portlaoise municipal district.
“It’s a quarter to six for about three months now,” he said, as he asked for the clock to be repaired.
Time also stood still back in 2022, when the clock was stuck at 4.02pm for months. As the mechanism is intricate, specialist contractors have to be brought in to carry out repairs.
At the time, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley described the towering timepiece as “the ugliest clock ever” and felt it would be cheaper to replace it with a new one.
The clock was first installed and funded by Portlaoise Rotary Club but Laois Co Council pays for its repair and maintenance.
Officials told Cllr Mulligan at the November monthly meeting today that the issue would be investigated but no timeframe was given for repairs.
