Southern Gaels continue to prosper...

SOUTHERN Gaels provides playing facilities for girls from U12 to Senior Ladies. The ladies game has remained strong in South Kerry ever since 1990 when it started as a Junior Club and now nearly thirty years later has been competing as a Senior Club wining a first Senior County title in 1999.

Club member Sheila O’Connell said they have one team at each age group, but that recently they have worked very hard on increasing player numbers. For the past two years Southern Gaels have entered two teams at U12 and U14 level in county competitions and this year will be no different.

The seniors won their second County Championship in 2017 having contested either semi-final or final in the last 7 years. Altogether they have 7 Senior County titles since 1999.

The club also provided the Kerry Captain, Caroline Kelly for the 2017 season which was a very proud moment for the club. In the club’s history four players have received All Star Awards: Maria Teahan, Sarah O’Connor, Kacey O’Driscoll and most recently, Caroline Kelly.

Southern Gaels have enjoyed a lot of success at underage level in the last few years and are going for 5-in-a-row U12 Division 1 titles. At U14 they have gone to the All-Ireland Feile Competition for 2 years on the trot winning the first year and reaching the semi-final the year after. They have also competed in the majority of Feile competitions since 1999 winning 6 titles in Division 1.

This year the club are lucky to have three girls representing Kerry at U14 level: Ellie O’Connell, Caiti O’ Sullivan and Shonagh Fitzpatrick. At Kerry U16 level they have three girls on the panel: Captain Rachel Dwyer, Siofra O’Shea and Cliona Murphy.

This takes a huge amount of work, both on the field and in the background, and the club is very lucky to have the support of all the local GAA clubs in the area who are very accommodating. Southern Gaels is a unifying force within the community where townlands and neighbourhoods come together to focus on the enjoyment and success of young ladies.

Southern Gaels players and officers; front L/R Marie Teehan, Eileen Garvey, Margaret Murphy, Amanda O Sullivan, Nicola O Shea, Back L/R Megan O’Connell, Linda Cronin, Clodagh Quinlan, Brid Moran, Jason O Shea (Trainer) and Sheila O Connell (Chairperson).