South Liberties GAA Club

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Saor Theas

Founded:

1884

County:

Limerick

Nickname:

Souths

Club colours:

Green and Gold

Grounds:

Dooley Park





Standard colours

South Liberties (Saor Theas) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Limerick, Ireland. The club is based in the parish of Donoughmore-Knockea, on the southern outskirts of the city and is affiliated to the East Board of Limerick GAA.

The club was founded in May of 1884 when a group of people in the Ballysheedy area of County Limerick got together to play hurling. As the Barony of South Liberties covered most of the parish at that time, the name was used for the club. The boundaries of the Barony were marked with 'Liberty Stones' and the club has incorporated an image of the sole surviving stone into its crest.

South Liberties has wony many county titles during its history, most notably seven Limerick Senior Hurling Championships; in 1888, 1889, 1890, 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981. The club currently fields teams in the Intermediate Hurling and Gaelic football Championships in Limerick, having been relegated from the Senior division in hurling in 1996. They have contested six county finals at the Intermediate grade since then, but have not managed to regain Senior status so far. The football team won the County Junior A Championship in 2001 and have been competing at the Intermediate grade since then.

The club has produced many Limerick county players over the years and had 3 members on the Limerick side that last won an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1973. That Limerick team was captained by South Liberties' Eamonn Grimes with Pat Hartigan and Joe McKenna also playing. In 1975, these players also shared the rare distinction of three players from the same club being selected on an Allstar Hurling Team.^[1]