Nenagh Éire Óg GAA

Nenagh Éire Óg

Éire Óg An tAonach
County:	Tipperary
Club colours:	Navy Blue and Sky Blue
Grounds:	MacDonagh Park
Coordinates:	52°52′03.01″N 8°12′51.56″W / 52.8675028°N 8.2143222°W / 52.8675028; -8.2143222Coordinates: 52°52′03.01″N 8°12′51.56″W / 52.8675028°N 8.2143222°W / 52.8675028; -8.2143222
Playing kits
Standard colours
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland {{{province}}} champions Tipperary champions Hurling : - - 1

Nenagh Éire Óg GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football and hurling club, located in the town of Nenagh in North County Tipperary, Ireland.

History

Hurling has a long history in Nenagh, being played there long before the founding of the GAA. The first game played under the new rules after the founding of the GAA was between a Nenagh team John Mitchells and a Lorrha selection. However we have to wait until 1915 for Nenagh to win its first Senior title (North Tipperary) when they defeated Moneygall in the final. Some of the names on that team were Frank McGrath. Billy Flannery, Bill Coonan, Mick Egan and Martin Ayres.

Following 1915 and a troubled period in Irish history, hurling was forced to take a back seat and it was not until 1926, with the emergence of the Red Rovers that hurling came to the forefront again. This Red Rovers team was drawn from a small area of the town around the Birr Road and the Turnpike. The team was drawn from a small number of families, with very many brothers being involved. They subsequently changed their name to Éire Óg. Some of the prominent players from that period were Bobby and Tucker Morgan, Chris Kennedy, Dick Hogan, Paddy Rohan, Enda o Sullivan and John “Hyder” Ryan. The old Nenagh club was still in existence at this time, drawn mainly from around Pound Street and there were many sterling duels between these two teams. It was after witnessing one such duel that a local curate, Fr. Hayes decided to try to amalgamate the two teams. He succeeded and the clubs united in 1947 under the name St. Mary’s.

The new club had instant success winning the North Intermediate Title and County Junior Title in its first year. Some of the people involved in this new St Marys team were Jack Nolan, Billy O' Brien, Eddie John McGrath, Tom Brophy, Jimmy Spearman, Toddy Bolger, Derek Lillis, Chris Kennedy, Bart Coffey etc. They contested a North Senior Final in their early years but success at senior level eluded St. Mary’s. There were however many successes at minor level with one particularly noteworthy occasion in the 195O’s when they won the North Minor hurling and football titles on the same day with 11 of the hurlers going straight back onto the field to assist in winning the football. St. Mary‘s survived as a club until the mid 195O’s when, during a low period, it was decided at an AGM to change the club’s name to Éire 0g. The first big success for this club came when it won the North Senior Championship in 1957 and again in 1964 The club has since won North senior titles in 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001 and a County Senior title in 1995.

St Marys and Éire Óg, have supplied very many players to Tipperary, especially at Minor level. It was a common occurrence during the 40’s and 50’s to have two and three players from the club represent Tipperary at Minor level and many of these Tipperary teams won All-Ireland’s – there are a lot of All Ireland Minor All-Ireland hurling medals, held by players from the club.

At Senior level, the most prominent player from the club is of course Mick Burns who holds 5 All-Ireland senior medals and Johnny McGrath, a member of the 1958 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship team.

Many other players from the club have played senior with Tipperary down through the years but 1989 stands out as a milestone for the club with 3 players – John Heffernan, Conor O'Donovan and Michael Cleary on the Tipperary team that finally bridged an 18 year gap to capture an elusive All-Ireland.

Honours

Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship winners in 1995

Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship finalists in 1995 where they were beaten be Sixmilebridge.

Roll of Honour

Divisional Championships - 145 titles

• Senior Hurling (7) 1915, 57, 64, 92, 93, 98, 2001
• U21 Hurling A (6) 1979, 80, 81, 82, 93, 94.
• Minor Hurling (15) 1938, 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 55, 69, 77, 78, 79, 89, 91, 92, 2007,2008
• Interim…Hurling (1) 1947 (St Mary’s)
• Junior Hurling (5) 1953, 62, 83, 99, 2000
• U16 Hurling (9) 1972, 75, 79, 82, 88, 90, 92, 2005, 07,08
• U15 Hurling (3) 1968, 69, 70
• U14 Hurling (9) 1972, 73, 74, 78, 88, 96, 2003, 05, 09
• U13 Hurling (3) 1966, 67, 70
• U12 Hurling (6) 1972, 84, 2001, 02, 03, 07
• U12C Hurling (2) 2004, 05,
• Senior Football (7) 1989,91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97
• Interim… Football (4) 1962, 74, 88, 98
• Junior Football (4) 1962, 74, 85, 86
• U21 Football A (11) 1981, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94
• Minor Football (8) 1977, 83, 86, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92
• U16 Football (12) 1973, 75, 79, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, 95, 2005, 06
• U14 Football (14) 1971, 72, 73, 74, 78, 79, 86, 87, 88, 92, 2001, 03, 05, 07
• U12 Football (18) 1971, 72, 73, 74, 76, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 94, 99, 2003, 05, 07

County Titles – 40 titles

• Senior Hurling (1) 1995
• U16 Hurling (5) 1975, 79, 82, 88, 90
• U14 Hurling (6) 1972, 73, 74, 88, 2003, 09
• U16 Football (2) 1988, 90
• U14 Football (1) 1986
• U12 Football (3) 1972, 84, 90
• U101/2 Hurling (3) 2002, 06, 07
• Interim…Hurling (1) 1947 (St Mary’s)
• Interim…Football (2) 1988, 1998
• Junior Hurling (2) 1983, 2000
• Junior Football (1) 1986
• U21 Hurling A (5) 1979, 80, 81, 82, 93
• U21 Football A (2) 1991, 93
• Minor Hurling (5) 1969, 77, 78, 91, 92,08
• Minor Football (1) 1990

All-Ireland Titles - 2 titles

• All Ireland 7 a side champions 1998,2008

Club Players who have won All Ireland medals

• Senior Hurling
• John McGrath 1958
• Mick Burns 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965,
• Michael Cleary 1989, 1991
• Conor O'Donovan 1989, 1991
• John Heffernan 1989
• Hugh Maloney 2010

In addition Michael Cleary also won four consecutive All-Stars between 1990 and 1993.

Under 21 Hurling

• Roger Coffey 1979, 1980
• Brian Heffernan 1979, 1980, 1981
• Michael Kennedy 1980
• Philip Kennedy 1980, 1981
• PJ Maxwell 1980
• Jim O Sullivan 1981
• John Flannery 1985
• Declan O Meara 1995
• Kevin Tucker 1995
• Hugh Maloney 2004

Minor Hurling

• John McGrath 1949
• Paddy Hallinan 1953
• Mick Burns 1955
• Michael Gilmartin 1955
• Anthony Tierney 1956
• Devere Reynolds 1956, 1957
• Phil Hennessy 1957
• Paddy Kearns 1957
• Paudie Kennedy 1957
• Michael Griffin 1976
• Dennis Finnerty 1980
• John Flannery 1982
• Michael Heffernan 2006, 2007
• Patrick Murphy 2007

Intermediate Hurling

• Paddy Hallinan 1963
• Michael Kearns 1963

Junior Football

• Chris Bonnar 1998
• Kevin Coonan 1998
• Jim McAuliffe 1998

North Tipperary – Hurlers’ of the Year

• Conor O Donovan 1987 SH
• Michael Cleary 1989 SH
• Kevin Tucker 1993 SH
• Eddie Tucker 1995 SH
• John Heffernan 2001 JH
• Hugh Moloney 2004 SH, 2007 SH
• Michael Heffernan 2007 MH

North Tipperary – Footballers’ of the Year

• Kevin O Carroll 1988
• Michael Kennedy 1989
• Mark Sheahan 1991
• Kevin Coonan 1992, 1998
• Richie Flannery 2004
• Lenny Ryan 2005

External links

• Official Nenagh Eire Og GAA Club website
• Tipperary GAA site
• Tipperary GAA club sites
• Tipperary on Hoganstand.com