Ballykelly GAA

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Ballykelly
Bealach Eile
Founded: 1953
County: Kildare
Nickname:
Club Colours: Maroon and white
Grounds: Highbridge
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Standard colours

Ballykelly is a GAA club in Kildare, which played a series of high profile senior championship matches in the 1950s and 1960s and home club of one of Kildare’s most noted scoring forwards, Seamie Harrison. It combined with Ellistown to field an area team, St Brigid’s, in the senior football championship in the 1970s.

Contents

[edit] History

Football was played on Cassidy’s field near the railway in 1885. There were two clubs in Monasterevin from 1887 to 1891, the second team nicknamed the Shinners. Ballykelly affiliated in 1935 and reformed in 1952 when a number of players broke away from Monasterevin, winning the Junior B championship in their first year and the intermediate championship twice in their first nine years. The club purchased its field in 1975 and opened its dressing rooms in 1983.

[edit] Gaelic Football

Monasterevin beat Ballykelly in a legendary Junior A final in 1954 for which a special train was run to Newbridge. The prolific scoring of Seamie Harrison, who scored seven points for Kildare in the 1956 Leinster final, helped the club win Intermediate titles in 1955 and 1960. Tom Fitzgerald spear-headed the club’s resurgence in the 1970s, beating Johnstownbridge 1-9 to 1-7 to win the 1974 junior final and, beating Rathangan by 3-6 to 2-8 in a replayed final to become intermediate champions a year later in 1975. The club endured something of a lean spell up until 2000 when they annexed the Junior B title, their first championship in 25 years. The emergence of Derek McCormack onto the county scene has also proven a great boost for the club and area.

[edit] Honours

  • Intermediate champions 1955, 1960, 1975
  • Junior A champions 1974.
  • Junior B champions 1953.
  • Under-16 champions 1989.
  • Senior League Div 2 1974, 1978.
  • Junior League Div 2 1974.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Kildare GAA: A Centenary History, by Eoghan Corry, CLG Chill Dara, 1984, ISBN 0-9509370-0-2 hb ISBN 0-9509370-1-0 pb
  • Kildare GAA yearbook, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 2000- in sequence especially the Millennium yearbook of 2000
  • Soaring Sliothars: Centenary of Kildare Camogie 1904-2004 by Joan O'Flynn Kildare County Camogie Board.

[edit] External links

Kildare Gaelic Athletic Association (2006)
Affiliated Clubs
Senior Football Championship

Allenwood - Athy - Carbury - Celbridge - Clane - Ellistown - Kilcock - Kilcullen - Leixlip - Maynooth - Moorefield - Naas - Round Towers - Sallins - Sarsfields - St Laurence’s

Intermediate Football Championship

Ardclough - Ballymore - Ballyteague - Castledermot - Castlemitchell - Confey - Eadestown - Grange - Johnstownbridge - Kill - Monasterevin - Raheens - Rathangan - Rheban - St Kevin’s - Suncroft

Junior Football Championship

Ballykelly - Cappagh - Caragh - Clogherinkoe - Milltown - Nurney - Rathcoffey - Robertstown - Straffan - Two Mile House - Kildangan

Senior Hurling

Ardclough - Celbridge - Clane - Coill Dubh - Confey - Éire Og/Corrachoill - Kilcock - Leixlip - Maynooth - Naas

Other Hurling clubs

Athy - Broadford - Broadford - Ros Glas - Moorefield - Naomh Bríd - St Laurence's - Sallins

Underage Amalgamations

Cill Éide - Geraldines - Na Fianna - St Coca's - St Edward's