The club was founded in the 1950s and club colours are white with a red hoop.
Famous players past and present include Gabriel Lawlor, Mick Lawlor and Paddy Brophy.
Paddy Brophy, Ger Lawlor and Martin Corcorcan were all members of the famous 1986 League winning panel, Paddy playing with a torn hamstring on that marvellous day.
Gabriel Lawlor was manager of the first Laois minor team to win an All-Ireland title, starting the great under-age success of the late nineties and early two thousands.
Mick Lawlor and Paul Lawlor were members of the famous 2003 Leinster winning panel with Gabriel Lawlor as selector.
Emo won the Laois Junior Football Championship in 1962, the Laois Intermediate Football Championship in 1964, 2012 and 2017, the Laois Minor Football Championship in 1964 and 1965 and 2016 and the Laois Under 21 Football Championship in 1966 and 1967.
Players from the other club in the parish Courtwood played on the minor and Under 21 winning teams and the two clubs also combined to win the Under 21 title again in 1989 and 1990 as Courtwood/Emo.
The juvenile club, known as St Paul's, is a combination of the two local clubs, Emo and Courtwood. The under 14 team won the county Féile in 2013 and went on to win the county championship and retain the title in 2014. They also won the under 16 championship in 2015, 2016 and 2017. The club has had many successes at other levels as well.
Emo/Courtwood returned to the county roll of honour in 2008 winning the Laois Minor "B" Football Championship, having lost out in the 2007 final of the same competition
Emo won the Laois Intermediate Football Championship in 2012 and played in the Leinster Intermediate Championship but were defeated by O'Connell's in O'Moore Park.