Eadestown GAA

Infobox GAA club
club gaa = Eadestown
crest =
irish = Baile Éide
county = Kildare
nickname = |the town] colours = Sky Blue and Navy Blue
grounds =
founded =
honours = |Leinster pattern_la = | pattern_b=|pattern_ra=
leftarm= 87ceeb |body=87ceeb |rightarm= 87ceeb |shorts= 000080|socks= 000080
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Eadestown is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in County Kildare, Ireland based in the smallest parish in the diocese of Dublin, winners of the Kildare county senior football championships in 1970. Kill and Eadestown combine for juvenile purposes under the names 'Cill Éide.' and Oliver Plunkets. Larry Tompkins was a member of the Kildare Gaelic Football team of the millennium. The senior ladies team are current All Ireland junior ladies football champions.

History

RIC records from 1890 show that Eadestown Seaghan O'Neills had 40 members with officers listed as James Walsh, John Byrne, John Walsh and Joseph Malone. Rathmore Rovers played Maddenstown five times in the Kildare junior final of 1909. Rathmore lost four matches and drew another, but succeeded in getting four replays through various technical objections. Between 1910 and 1912 the name of the team was changed from Rathmore to Eadestown. 2005 saw the installation of floodlights, nets behind goals, pitch drainage system and a path around the pitch. In 2006, wooden railings, a large advertising hoarding, a sign at the entrance and a digital scoreboard were added.

Gaelic Football

Eadestown beat Ballymore to win the Junior League in 1914. A single junior league final appearance in 1941 (when they were beaten in a replay by Sarsfields) distinguished their career until 1960, although Ger Headon played for the county in the late forties. In 1960 Eadestown pulled off the junior championship from the B division, the first team ever to do this. Eadestown progressed from Junior B to senior football champions in a ten year period 1960-1970. They were county semi-finalists in their very first year in the senior championship in 1961. Tony and John Hayden, Christy Magee, and Ned and Pat Grainger came to the attention of senior selectors. They regarded to Intermediate in 1966 and winning the championship thanks to a great display from Tony Hayden in 1968 and were semi-finalists again in their first year back in 1969, at one stage threatening not to finish their semi-final against Carbury as a protest against the sending off of one of their players. Eadestown qualified for the 1970 county final with a surprisingly big win over Clane and twelve-point defeat of Castledermot selected side, St. Laurence O'Toole's. The match swung Eadestown's way in the 35th minute when Noel Grainger hit the post. Sean Dowling followed it up with a goal. Noel Grainger captained the team, and the performance of Offaly star Larry Coughlan at centrefield alongside Liam Casey was a decisive factor in winning the match. With Dave Kavanagh and the Tompkins bothers martin john and joe which played for kildare, especially Larry, on board they regained senior status in 1983, having won the Junior B championship of 1980, lost the Junior A final in 1981, and then won Junior A and intermediate in succession to compete at senior level once more. In 2004 former soccer international Niall Quinn played with Eadestown in Kildare league and championship matches. In 2006 Eadestown ladies team became All Ireland junior champions. On the way to this triumph the ladies' team attracted a large attendance at home to Tuam stars/Cartoon for the All Ireland quarter final. The club boast some fantastic underage teams such as the U12s of 2005 who won the division 3 title and nearly got promoted to division 1 as a U13 team only to be beaten by Baltinglass in the semi final. The u12s of 2007 progressed to the semi finals of divion 1, but unluckily were beaten by Moorfield. Next year they will be looking to win!!!

External links

* [http://kildare.gaa.ie/ Kildare GAA site]
* [http://www.clubgaa.ie/kildare/ Kildare GAA club sites]
* [http://www.hoganstand.com/Kildare/ Kildare on Hoganstand.com]