Moneygall GAA
| Muine Gall | |||||||||
| Founded: | 1885 | ||||||||
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| County: | Tipperary | ||||||||
| Colours: | Black and Red | ||||||||
| Grounds: | St. Flannan's Park | ||||||||
| Coordinates: | 52°52′58.97″N 7°56′48.68″W / 52.8830472°N 7.9468556°WCoordinates: 52°52′58.97″N 7°56′48.68″W / 52.8830472°N 7.9468556°W | ||||||||
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| Senior Club Championships | |||||||||
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at Saint Flannan's Park
Moneygall GAA is a Tipperary GAA-affiliated club which is located in County Offaly in Ireland. Both hurling and Gaelic football are played in the "North-Tipperary" divisional competitions although it is mainly noted for the game of hurling. The club is beside the villages of Moneygall and Dunkerrin. The Tipperary-Offaly border runs along the southwest side of the playing pitch.
History
In 1885 a local team called The Honeymounts was formed (Honeymount is a townland in the parish) and their captain/manager was Thomas Corcoran. Their colours were black and amber. In 1889 they were challenged to a match by a nearby team from Ballingarry and Shinrone.
In the early 1900s the club became known as Moneygall. There is often confusion as to which county, Moneygall played in during this period. Moneygall straddles the county boundary between Tipperary and Offaly. Articles from newspapers at the time contradict each other, one listing Moneygall as a Tipperary club and another giving a report of the Offaly Junior final in which Moneygall were beaten. Rumour has it that the club played in Offaly at one time before a disagreement with the Offaly County Board and then affiliated in county Tipperary.
The club was combined with Toomevara for a decade or so from 1910 onwards. Several Tipperary Senior Hurling Championships were won at this time, but since the team's name was Toomevara, the "Greyhounds" received the laurels and entered the roll of honour with no credit going to Moneygall for playing their part.
In 1935 a hurling pitch, St. Flannan's Park, was developed adjacent to the village. In 1977 a stand and clubhouse with dressing rooms, hall, office, shop and handball alley were built in the grounds
From 1967-1970, Seamus O Riain, a Moneygall man, was President of the GAA. He has been credited with the modern development of the cultural side of the Association and was the prime mover and founder of Scór - the annual competitions for music, song and dance - which are held nationwide during the winter months when playing activities have ended for the season. His son, Jack represented the club on the Tipperary senior hurling team which won the 1971 All-Ireland Championship and his grandson Shane is a long-time member of the Dublin senior football team that won 5 Leinster championships in succession 2005 - 2009.
U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle visited Moneygall on 23 May 2011. The President's entourage braved gale force winds to fly from the Phoenix Park in Dublin in two Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters. The violent winds greatly exceeded normal conditions for helicopter flying and the pounding the aircraft received caused some passengers to become sick during the 40 minute trip. The party landed in St. Flannan's Park in wet and blustery conditions. One of the President's advisers was flung to the ground by a blast of wind and papers she was carrying were scattered across the hurling pitch, pursued vainly by Gardaí.[1][2][3]
Honours
The Club's most successful period in the club's history was in the 1970s when it won the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship in 1975 and 1976 under the captaincy of Pat Sheedy and Michael Doherty respectively. In the former year, they also captured their only North Tipperary senior hurling title. North Championships were won at Intermediate level in 1943,49,62 and 91 with the county championship being added in 1991, while the County Junior hurling championship was annexed as recently as 2008. The club's only North Tipperary senior football championship was won in 1965, in the meantime, the club has combined with other neighbouring clubs to compete in the various football championships at divisional and county level from time to time.
References
- ↑ Was Obama’s helicopter flight to Moneygall dangerous? Irish Central, 2011-05-30.
- ↑ Bad weather could ground President Obama's Moneygall trip ----White House is reluctant to travel by road says memo Irish Central, 2011-05-21.
- ↑ Obamas wow Moneygall crowd Irish Times, 2011-05-23.