North county men seek eighth title
WITH SEVEN county titles to their name already, and ten appearances in total, Kilanerin have a marked edge in terms of tradition on Shelmaliers who will be featuring in a final for the first time ever on Sunday.
The Gorey District side claimed a famous victory in 1974 when they pipped Rathnure in the decider by 1-3 to 1-2, just twelve months after accounting for Taghmon-Camross in the Intermediate equivalent.
However, it was 19 years before a second title was annexed, but in remarkably similar circumstances.
After seeing off St. Martin’s in a memorable threegame Intermediate final saga in 1992, Kilanerin took the Senior crown at the first attempt once more.
This time Sarsfields were their victims, with the sides playing a 2-4 to 1-7 draw before Nicky D’Arcy led the red and whites to a 1-5 to 1-3 success in the replay.
That was the beginning of a wonderful era for football in Kilanerin, and they contested another four finals in five years between 1995 and 1999.
Keenest rivals Castletown were beaten in the ’95 decider by 1-9 to 0-7, but there was a slip the following year when Glynn-Barntown claimed their sole title to date by 2-3 to 0-7.
Kilanerin bounced back from that heartbreak in 1997 with a commanding 2-12 to 0-7 victory against Adamstown, and they also won the last final held in Gorey in 1999 when Castletown succumbed by 1-13 to 1-7.
After a 3-8 to 0-13 loss to St. Anne’s in the 2001 final, Kilanerin obliterated first-time finalists Horeswood on a 1-23 to 0-6 scoreline in 2003.
Their last title arrived in 2008, beating Gusserane by 1-12 to 0-12, but near neighbours Castletown finally defeated them in a final for the first time in 2010 by 0-12 to 0-9.