St Laurence's GAA

Infobox GAA club
club gaa = St Laurence's GAA
crest =
irish = Naomh Lorcan
county = Kildare
nickname =
club colours = Gold and Red
grounds = Old Grange
honours =
founded =
Adult teams =
Youth teams =
Manager =
ladies football =
camogie =
pattern_la=_redshoulders|pattern_b=|pattern_ra=_redshoulders
leftarm=FFC125 |body=FFC125 |rightarm=FFC125|shorts=FF0000|socks=FF0000
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St Laurence’s is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in South County Kildare, Ireland, Kildare senior football finalists on four occasions and dominant camogie club in the county after 1994. It is based in the parish of Narraghmore, encompassing Kilmeade, Booley, Narraghmore, Calverstown, Kilgowan, Brewel, Ballymount, Ballitore and Mullaghmast.

History

St Laurence’s were formed with the amalgamation of Narraghmore and Ballitore in 1957. RIC records from 1890 show five clubs in the area. Ballitore O'Moores had 25 members with officers listed as Pat Cullen, Pat Hendy and William Fennell. Narraghmore Feach Phadraig had 50 members with Thomas Hickey, Thomas Waters and James Hayden listed as officers. Bruel had 50 members with Andrew Fay, Henry Fay, John Cousin and Pat Keenan listed as officers. (Brewel Independents were listed as an unaffiliated club in 1896). Inchaquire had 25 members, with P J Finn, Richard Archibald and William Hickey listed as officers. Killelan membership not recorded, officers recorded as William Byrne, Edward Lawler and Michael Nolan. Ballitore and Narraghmore both reformed in the late 1920s and Narraghmore were first winners of the new Junior b championship in 1947. The club grounds were purchased in 1975 and dressing rooms opened in 1992 and 1999.

Gaelic Football

Michael Lawlor of Ballitore and Balitore-born James Byrne played on country teams in the 1930s. St Laurence’s were founded in 1957. John Joe Walshe was their most noted player of the 1960s, before they rose from Junior B to senior status in five year 1975-80. They defeated defending Leinster champions Raheens in the first round of 1982 Kildare Senior Football Championship and went through to the final despite the fact they had held Sarsfields to a draw the previous year they lost heavily. St Laurence’s contested three further finals in 1992, 2004 and 2005. They stormed back from four points down with a Lawler goal to lead Sarsfields in the county final of 2005 just as time was up. Sarsfields equalized form a disputed free in added time and St Laurence’s lost the replay by five points.

Camogie

Sheila Norton founded the Ballitore camogie club in March 1934 with the Kilkenny colours, black and amber, and the club were defeated junior finalists in 1940. Revived in 1980, the club won the junior championship and league in the first year, the Intermediate championship in 1989, and a victory over Broadford which prevented 11 in-a-row. Eight of the Laurence’s team were under 18. Two 14-year-olds played on the Laurence’s team that day, twins Ruth and Naomi Treacy. Michelle Aspell and Patricia Keatley were selected on the Kildare camogie team of the century.

Honours

* Kildare Senior F Finalists 1982, 1992, 2004, 2005.
* Intermediate F Champions 1980.
* Junior A Champions 1978.
* Junior B Champions 1975. Under-16 F champion 1995.
* Narraghmore were Junior B F Champions in 1947.
* Leinster junior camogie club champions 1996.
* Kildare Senior Camogie champions 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007.
* Junior camogie champions 1981.
* Senior camogie league 1996, 1997, 199, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.
* Aldridge Cup 2007.

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.
* The Niall Smullen Cup 1972

External links

* [http://www.stlaurencesgaa.com/ St Laurence’s GAA site]
* [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]