Spa’s golden boys reeling in the years

THE history of Spa GAA Club is one bookended by success and even though its origins go back to the 1920s when a team represented the Lissivigeen area, Spa as we know it today was formed in 1948 and duly won both the junior and senior East Kerry competitions of 1948 and 1949.

But like all rural GAA clubs, it was tormented by emigration and had to be temporarily disbanded. Fast forward to 1966 and Spa was again re-born after a brief amalgamation with Glenflesk. The blue-and-gold went on to win the inaugural O’Donoghue Cup on August 28, 1966 - an honour the club has won a further nine times.

Fifty years on from that memorable victory, members of the team – and relatives of those deceased - gathered at the Spa clubhouse for an evening laden with nostalgia.

Mass was celebrated by Fr Michael O’Donoghue and Fr Tom Looney and players returned home from as far away as Derry and Cork. Brian Fenton returned from Dublin and Brian’s son (also Brian) is sure to cause his native county a problem or two during next weekend’s All Ireland semi-final!

Co-organiser of the event is John Kelly and he praised the effort of everyone in making it such a special night.

“There were over 100 people there and we had quite a cross-section of players from other clubs in the area such as MEP Sean Kelly, Dan Dwyer and Tim Ryan of the East Kerry Board. It was also fitting that Fr Paddy O’Donoghue of the Crokes club should be there as it is Paddy’s father that the ‘O’Donoghue Cup’ is named after.

We must also thank the ladies committee and officers of the club who supplied refreshments – there’s nothing like staging an event like this in your own clubhouse.”