Offt
Tom got the tap on the shoulder
There was a third adult team for the first time in 2014, after the Junior A County Final was won in 2013. Third team lasted until 2022 (first at Junior B, then at Junior C), when numbers receded. The playing numbers simply were not there until 2014.
Not sure of parish population but not large. A bit over 1000, I would say.
There are excellent numbers in juvenile club, which is just luck. I hear that the U13 panel of 2025 will have around 55 young lads for a pick. So there will likely be two U13 teams entered, which will itself be a delicate operation.
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Is it made up of a number of former junior clubs that combined?
Ballyhale and Knocktopher, two middling Junior hurling clubs, amalgamated for 1972 season as Shamrocks. There had also been a team in the parish named Knockmoylan, one that had gone out of business in 1958. The ‘KBK’ crest remembers all three clubs.
The parish, which is a longish but narrow stretch of ground, consists of two villages and the hamlet that is the large townland of Knockmoylan. Knocktopher Village is nearest to Kilkenny and about a mile from Ballyhale Village, which is centrally situated in the parish. Knockmoylan, which had a creamery back the years, is down the southern end, as near to Waterford as to Kilkenny. The parish’s three national schools amalgamated into one in September 1971 as St Patrick’s NS Ballyhale.
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw several new GAA clubs founded in Kilkenny, with a clear view towards having just one club in every parish. Examples include Carrickshock United (1970), Emeralds (1972), Graigue-Ballycallan (1969), O’Loughlins (1969), Shamrocks (1972), The Fenians (1968) and Thomastown United (1972).
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Carrickshock, a club formed in the mid 1920s that won seven Senior titles, was originally a Ballyhale Parish club and was formed in Castlegannon NS, the school that served the Knockmoylan end of the parish.
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Sorting out clubs by parish was far-sighted and has clearly worked.
Did these new clubs replace/amalgamate existing clubs?
Mind you, we have a few co tacts in bennettsbridge and we are told that all the senior clubs are fierce rivals.
That’s a shocking looking sod
The ‘parish rule’ did not come into force in Kilkenny until 1954. There was a lot of resistance to the initiative from established powers but there is no doubt from today’s perspective that introducing this rule was the most important move in Kilkenny’s GAA history. The ‘parish rule’ came into Tipperary GAA, I seem to recall, in the early 1930s.
Pre 1954, Senior clubs in Kilkenny could replenish their playing pool by drawing on talented hurlers from across the county. Carrickshock won their seventh and last Senior title in 1951, with men from eight different Kilkenny parishes starting on that team. So…
Carrickshock United (1970): amalgamation of two Aghavillar Parish clubs, Carrickshock and St Brendan’s (Stoneyford).
Emeralds (1972): amalgamation of two Urlingford Parish clubs, Clomanto and Urlingford.
Graigue-Ballycallan (1969): amalgamation of two Kilmanagh Parish clubs, Ballycallan and Graigue.
O’Loughlins (1969): founded as a St John’s Parish team. Eventually became sole club in this parish, as Dunmore, Éire Óg and Newpark Sarsfields disbanded.
Shamrocks (1972): amalgamation of two Ballyhale Parish clubs, Ballyhale and Knocktopher.
The Fenians (1968): amalgamation of two Johnstown Parish clubs, St Finbarr’s and St Kieran’s.
Thomastown United (1972): amalgamation of two Thomastown Parish clubs, Thomastown and Thomastown Rangers (the ‘country’ team).
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Kilkenny gaa has always been considered as well-run from a Munster perspective
It’s burnt ta fuck. Still no scoreboard or dugouts in a venue that hosts a lot of finals.
Garryspillane lead 0-11 to 0-9 at the break. C/K will have a strong breeze in second half.
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Full time in 19s ‘A’ final in Ballyagran.
Garryspillane 0-17 Croagh/Kilfinny 0-13
We just never got going second half, after being the better side for the first twenty minutes. Both sides hit some stupid wides. Garryspillane shaded it overall and were certainly better side after half time.
The highlight of the evening was the ref issuing Donie Ryan on the sideline with a yellow card, some of the stuff he was coming out with was hilarious in fairness…….Teege had to reign him in after that.
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There used to be an electronic scoreboard there?
They had a hire job for a few big matches.
They’ve been getting plenty of matches but still no scoreboard since they re-did the pitch.
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I see Ciaran Carey played football for the Limerick masters today…looks fit as a flea
Not any more. It’s a fucking pain in the hole.
Well, the ‘one parish’ rule arriving, as I tried to stress, proved crucial. The 1940s into the 1950s was a pretty fractious time at County Board level in Kilkenny. Some of the letters and the reports in local papers are fairly hairy. The Carrickshock four in a row between 1940 and 1943 caused a lot of trouble – probably in the main because Kilkenny went really poorly during those years at intercounty level. The first big swell of feeling against clubs being able to draw from all across the county came during that spell, focusing on Carrickshock.
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Not a pick on him. Clean living is the way forward.
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