The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
South Kerry GAA ~ a history ...
LONG before the GAA was founded in 1884, football and hurling were played in South Kerry. There is a record of a hurling match being played in Derrynane Strand in 1820 and Valentia regularly played games against the crews of visiting ships to the harbour, even against the notorious warship Racoon in 1866.
It was the National Teachers who had trained in Drumcondra and learned the rules of the new association that were really the driving force for the spread of the association in Iveragh. These were the trailblazers. Pat McGillycuddy taught at Knockeens and later at Kimego. Johnny Clifford taught at Filemore and had played with St Pats when McGillycuddy was captain of that team. Both played with Laune Rangers in the All Ireland final. Jas Fenton was captain of Waterville and Mike Devane was a teacher in Portmagee. Both died tragically at a young age.
JJ O Connell, Ballycarbery, John Hussey, Portmagee, Dan Sullivan, Valentia and John Dillon Spunkane were very much to the fore in the early years. Later, Henry Lannen in Portmagee was a great organiser but emigrated to New York in 1904 and became very active for many years in that city. JJ O’ Kelly (Sceilg) was Valentia’s captain and he was accorded National Status when he became chairman of the First Dáil Eireann in 1919. Many South Kerry teams competed well in the Kerry Co. Championship throughout the early years.
In 1902, in spite of much opposition at County Board level, South Kerry became the first area in Ireland to form its own District Board. Championships were organised over the next few years with Cahersiveen winning in 1903 and 1904. The Board went out of existence in 1905.
In 1925 the South Kerry Board was reformed at the instigation of the Kerry County Board along with many other district Boards throughout the County. Championships were run on a league basis and even though the newspapers of the day did not carry any reports, there is no doubt that Valentia won in 1925 and 1926 and went on to represent South Kerry in the America’s Cup Kerry Club Championship of 1927. St Mary’s were formed in 1929 and went on to win their first South Kerry junior championship title. The first of many South Kerry Championships that were to come their way over the years.
The South Kerry Board created another bit of history in 1942 when it became the first District Board to organise Minor Championship football. Five years later the Kerry County Board followed South Kerry’s lead. Iveragh was hit by massive emigration in the forties and South Kerry had no luck in the County Championship until 1955 with the emergence of such great players as Mick O’Connell, Mick O’Dwyer, Jerome O’Shea, Gerald O’Sullivan, Donal Marcus O’Neill, Ned Fitzgerald, Eamon O’Neill and many more.
South Kerry won championships in 1955, 1956 and 1958 but had to wait over 20 years for their next victories in 1981 and 1982. Again, they waited over 20 years before annexing the first threein-a-row from 2004 to 2006. But today South Kerry football stands in good stead and woe betide the opposition who would regard South Kerry as an easy touch. Long may it continue.