Raheens GAA

Infobox GAA club
club gaa = Raheens
crest =
irish = Raithíní
county = Kildare
nickname = |The Heens colours = Raheens - Blue and Gold
Éire Óg Corra Choill - Maroon and Gold
grounds = Raheens - Tom Lalor Park
Éire Óg Corra Choill - Donore
founded = |1925 honours = |Leinster Senior F Champions 1981.
*Kildare Senior F Champions 1935, 1936, 1943, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981,
*Intermediate F Champions 1958.

pattern_la= |pattern_b=_bluehorizontal |pattern_ra=
leftarm=ffff00 |body=ffff00 |rightarm=ffff00 |shorts=FFFFFF |socks=0000ff

Raheens is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Caragh, County Kildare, Ireland, winner of the Leinster senior club championship in 1981, 10 county senior football championships, first winners of the Kildare club of the year in 1973 and winners again in 1976. The separate hurling club, formerly known as Éire Óg, has now amalgamated to become Éire Óg/Corrachoill. Pat Dunny was the only player chose for both the Kildare football and hurling teams of the millennium, one of two players to play hurling and football for Leinster on the same day, a Cuchulainn All Stars Award winner in 1967 and later chairman of Kildare GAA county board. Mick Mullins was also chosen on the Kildare hurling team of the millennium.

History

The inaugural meeting of Prosperous & Blackwood Sir T Esmondes attracted 140 members in February 1888 under the patronage of local parish priest Father Kinsella and a British army veteran, Captain Fitzpatrick. Their rivals, Tim Healys were set up at Digby Bridge who reached the Kildare senior football semi-final in 1890. In 1897 there were three clubs from the Parish in the county championship, Caragh, Digby Bridge and Prosperous. Dick Radley of Prosperous spearheaded the 1901 GAA revival in Kildare and Prosperous contested the county final of 1903. Blacktrench was formed in 1915, amalgamated with Caragh and then Raheens was formed. The relationship between Caragh and Raheens is a complicated one. The Raheens pitch is in Caragh, and the Caragh pitch is in Prosperous.

Blacktrench

Blacktrench, from which the Raheens club evolved, won the Junior Championship in 1916 with a team that included three Heaveys (a fourth was substitute), two Campbells, three Malones, and three Stanleys, and beat defending senior champions Maynooth in their first championship match but lost to Kilcock after a fiery game that was the subject of a county board investigation.

Raheens

Raheens, beaten by Athgarvan in the 1927 junior semi-final, won the junior championship in 1928. The parish team, a combined Raheens/Caragh selection, entered the 1932 championship as St. Peter's, lost to Carbury but Raheens were promoted without winning the Intermediate championship and went to the 1934 county final, when they lost a six-nil half-time lead and were beaten by Athy. Peter Waters and John Crofton played on the 1935 Kildare All Ireland final team. Raheens won the first of ten Kildare titles in 1935 with a massive 6-3 to 1-0 win over Kildare St. Brigid's. They won their second in 1936 defeating McDonagh by a point in the county final with the help of Larry Stanley, making his last appearance for the club, and scoring four points despite the fact he was now 40 years of age. Raheens regarded in 1949 and it was 1958 before they regained senior status. They climbed back onto the winners' podium with the help of Pat Dunny in 1964, and equalled Carbury's magnificent seven in the post-sixties period with a 1981 win that served only as a stepping stone to Leinster club championship honours.

Hurling

The Éire Óg hurling club dominated the Kildare senior hurling championship in the 1960s winning eight out of nine titles between 1964 and 1972. A senior hurling title was also captured in 1984 - this being the last time the club won a championship. Pat Dunny was played on all 10 championship winning teams.

Camogie

Geraldine Dwyer, Teresa Lynch, Nuala Malone, Eileen Reilly and Marianne Johnson were selected on the Kildare camogie team of the century.

Honours Raheens

*Leinster Senior Club Football Championship Winners 1981
*Kildare Senior Football Championship Winners 1935, 1936, 1943, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981
*Intermediate F Champions 1958.
*The Christopher Foley Cup Champions 1983
*The Niall Smullen cup 1942,1943

Honours Éire Óg

*Senior H Champions 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972.

Honours Prosperous

*Senor Camogie Champions 1954, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981.
*Junior camogie champions 1939.
*Senor Camogie league 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977. 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986.
*Senor F finalists 1901.

Bibliography

* Kildare GAA: A Centenary History, by Eoghan Corry, CLG Chill Dara, 1984, ISBN 0-9509370-0-2 hb ISBN 0-9509370-1-0 pb
* Kildare GAA yearbook, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 2000- in sequence especially the Millennium yearbook of 2000
* Soaring Sliothars: Centenary of Kildare Camogie 1904-2004 by Joan O'Flynn Kildare County Camogie Board.

External links

* [http://raheens.kildare.gaa.ie/ Raheens GAA website]
* [http://kildare.gaa.ie/ Kildare GAA website]
* [http://www.clubgaa.ie/kildare/ Kildare GAA clubs' website]
* [http://www.hoganstand.com/Kildare/ Kildare on Hoganstand.com]