The village is located on the R494 regional road, 2km from the eastern shore of Lough Derg and 11km west of the town of Nenagh.

[3] The bus stop is situated either side of 'Portroe cross' at the bottom of the village near Gleeson's Spar.

Organisations based in the Portroe area include Portroe GAA club,[4] an apostolic society,[5] a church choir,[6] a Tidy Towns committee,[7] a youth club,[8] and the Arra Historical & Archaeological Society[9] The village also participate in events like Scór, the cultural branch of the GAA.

[10] An annual Vintage Day is held locally raising money for various charities[11] There is a diving club situated on the outskirts of Portroe in an area called Killoran.

[citation needed] At the top of the hill is a former Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks, built c.1830.