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Club History of Kilbride
GFC
Early Days
Although Kilbride was officially
formed in 1948, the club's beginnings go back to the early 1920's.
As far as can be ascertained a gaelic football team started
in the parish in the early 1920's. Around 1932 this team disbanded
and some of it's younger players transferred to the Flathouse
team. This team was attired in vertical striped jerseys and
wore hats or caps as was traditional at that time. From 1938
onwards a group of players travelled to Hollywood Rath to play
matches against the Brothers and patients of St. John of God.
The first committee was :
Chairman - Jim Minch , Secretary
/ Treasurer - Joe Murphy ,
Tom Traynor, Larry Rooney, Paddy
Marmiam, Mattie McDonnell
Current Club
It was in Frank Cannon's yard
in Ballymacarney in the year 1948 that the foundation of the
current club was laid when Joe Murphy asked Larry Rooney and
Paddy Marmiam if they would help him to get a team together.
A team was entered in a league and since that time Kilbride
has taken part in adult championship football in County Meath.
Fund raising was organised and a set of black and blue hooped
jerseys were purchased. The players of that time contributed
weekly towards the purchase of boots and socks.
Club Grounds
The first teams played and trained
in a field owned by Conix Solicitors, on land owned by Liam
Kavanagh, in Butlers of Priestown and during the early 1950's
on the land of the Brothers of St. John of God. In the Mid 1950's
the club moved to Sweeney's field and it became the club's home
base until the end of 1977. The club acquired it's current playing
field in 1983 and then in 1990 started building a club house
with modern dressing room facilities, which was finished in
1993. On 13th May 1995, the club house and sports field were
officially opened with the meeting of the Meath and Clare senior
teams in a challenge. It is a great testament to the hard work
of the members , good management by the commitee and the support
of the community in general, that at the time of the official
opening of the grounds everything was fully paid for. In 2002,
work commenced on a floodlight system which will enable the
team to train throughout the year. One side of the pitch is
completely floodlit, with the other side due for completion
in early 2004.
Club Colours
Green and Red have been the recognised
club colours since the mid 1950's, although it is not known
if there was a specific reason for the adoption of these colours.
Other colours have also featured in the history of the club.
The team of the 1920's era wore a vertical striped jersey which
was probably black and white. When the current era began, the
team wore black and blue hooped jerseys, while the juvenile
team wore green and white. It is interesting to note that when
Kilbride won it's first Senior Championship in 1964 due to a
clash of colours, Kilbride wore the Ratoath jersey's of Blue
and Gold.
The Green and Red jersey
of Kilbride
Ladies Section
The Kilbride Camogie
club was formed in 1964. The club won Meath Senior Titles in
1981, 1983, and 1984, Junior title in 1974 and 1992 an Under
16 and Under 18 Meath Championship. For a small club these were
fantastic achievements and resulted in many players representing
Meath.
Senior Camogie
Championship winners - 1981
Back row L-R :
A. Martin, T. McGovern, H. Kavanagh, A. Farrell, M. Lynch, M.
Farrell, A. Barron, M. Rafferty, Front L-R : J. Sweeney, S.
O'Sullivan, L. O'Sullivan, J. Donnelly, J. Walsh, M. Madigan,
L. Mahon.
The Golden Era
Little success came Kilbride's
way during the 1950's, but a golden era started for the club
with the winning of the Meath junior championship in 1960 and
during the next fourteen years the club achieved the following
:
Also during this period the club
were runners up in the league on a number of occasions and travelled
all over the country to play challenge games and tournaments.
Current Era
Since 1974 many fine players have
represented the club and many fine teams have been tuned out to
play for the club. Although success on the field of play has not
been on a par with previous years the club has been very involved
in developing and promoting the game at all levels for males and
females and in doing so have liaised with the local school and
made it's facilities available to the school for the playing of
gaelic games. The club dropped to intermediate ranks in 1979 and
to junior grade in 1984 where it has remained ever since. Since
1974 the club has achieved the following :
- 1974 - Quarter final of Senior
championship
- 1984 - Received AIB GAA Centenery
Merit Certificate
- 1986 - Runners up Division 5
- 1989 - Winners Division 5
- 1989 - Reached quarter final
Junior championship
- 1989 - Reached quarter final
Under 21 championship
- 1994 - Winners Division 5
- 1997 - Reached Divisional final
of Under 21 championship
- 2001 - Winners Division 5
In 2001 Kilbride were promoted
as winners of Division 5 to Division 4 and had a very good
season
just missing out on promotion to Division 3, despite numerous
short term and long term injuries. Kilbride missed out by
one
point from qualification from the group stages to the quarter
finals of the Junior championship. The only team to beat Kilbride
in the Championship was Nobber, who have since gone on to become
Meath, Leinster and All Ireland Junior Champions. There is
a new optimisism within
the club, that with an excellent new manager Martin McCarthy
and a promising young team, that Kilbride can return to it's
rightful
place at the top of Meath Football.
Contribution to Meath Football
Since it's formation the club has
been prominent in it's support of Meath football and has contributed
as follows :
- With Kilbride players on board,
Meath has won , Minor, Junior, under 21 and Senior Leinster
titles, Minor, Junior and Senior All Ireland titles, a National
league and representation in the Railway cup for Leinster.
- First Meath club to represent
Meath in the Leinster Club championship.
- Through Martin Quinn, responsible
for setting up Kepak sponsorship.
- Assisted as selector level through
Martin and Gerry Quinn at Senior Level and through Tommy Mahon
at Minor and under 21 level.
- Tommy Mahon also served on the
Disciplinary Committee, Juvenile Committee, and the Meath Referees
Associations Committee.
- Supplied Referees to County Board.
- Tommy Mahon has been chairman
of the Meath Minor Board.
- Kilbride responsible for the
design of the Official Meath Gaa website.
- Club members who have played
for Meath at various levels include : Paddy Reilly, Martin
Quinn,
Gerry Quinn, Jack Quinn, Pat Bruton, Pat Rooney, Murty O'Sullivan,
Wardie O'Sullivan, Sean Hickey, Owen Sullivan ( Cheeverstown
) , Owen Sullivan ( The Ward ), Ray Murtagh, Dermot White,
Robert Rooney, Paddy Farrell, Richard Bruton, Garry O'Toole,
Eugene
McKeever, Kevin Quinn, Richard Rennicks, John Bruton and Andy
Rennicks. .
Six from Kilbride
: The six Kilbride men that were part of Meath's 1967 All Ireland
winning Success were left to right : P. Rooney, J. Quinn, P.
Bruton, G. Quinn, M. Sullivan, M. Quinn.
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