| Rath Domhnaigh-Eireil | |||||||||
| Founded: | 2005 | ||||||||
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| County: | Laois | ||||||||
| Nickname: | The Parish | ||||||||
| Club colours: | Red and Green | ||||||||
| Grounds: | Kelly O'Daly Park and Páirc Eireil | ||||||||
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Rathdowney-Errill GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association hurling club in County Laois, Ireland. The club colours are green and red.
The club was created in 2005 by the complete amalgamation at all levels of hurling of neighbouring clubs Errill and Rathdowney. Both the Rathdowney and Errill Clubs remain as separate football clubs competing in the Laois Junior 'B' Football Championship.
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Prior to the foundation of the Errill GAA Club in 1928, players from Errill and surrounding areas played their hurling with Rathdowney. In the 1970s and 80s, both Rathdowney and Errill joined forces at Minor and Under 21 level, competing in eight minor finals, including seven in a row from 1976 to 1982. This amalgamation proved successful winning a total of five Laois Minor Hurling Championship titles, including a four in a row 1976-1979. At Under 21 level success was achieved as 'St Kierans' in 1980 and under the Rathdowney/Errill banner in 1985.
Tentative suggestions were made in 1999 about a possible merger of the clubs. At the time these discussions did not reach any agreement, but in 2002 the juvenile sections of both clubs decided to come together and since then they have been successful.
With the smooth running of juvenile affairs taking place in the parish, the suggestion of joining together to become a strong Senior Club was once again raised in January 2005. Both adult clubs held simultaneous meetings on Friday evening February 4, 2005 to discuss a possible merger. Over three quarters of the members in both clubs voted to amalgamate.
Rathdowney had not won a Laois SHC since 1941. The last time they appeared in a final was 1969 when they lost to Camross. Rathdowney had won 18 Senior Titles. Errill last competed in the SHC in 1986, and won just two Titles, the first against Rathdowney in 1936 and the last in 1952.
In 2006 the Rathdowney-Errill team won the Laois Senior Hurling Championship for the first time, defeating Tinnahinch. Liam Wynne captained the club and became the first man from the parish to captain a county senior hurling championship winning team since 1952. They repeated the feat in 2008 after a final against Portlaoise which Rathdowney-Errill won on a score of 1-19 to 2-15.
Rathdowney's Kelly O'Daly Park has hosted many County Finals, Leinster Club Championship and Inter-County matches. Erril's GAA Grounds, Páirc Eireil, opened in the mid 1990s with a game between Laois v Clare.
The club's mascot, "The Red" can be described as a jester, a joker, wit cracker, a person employed to provide general entertainment for club members. He is based loosely on Simpson's character Barney Gumble and is currently played by Eoin O' Neill.
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