DCU GAA

DCU GAA Club

Cumann Luth Cleas Gael Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath
County:	Dublin
Club colours:	Gold and Navy (with blue hair)
Grounds:	DCU Sportsgrounds, Ballymun Road
Playing kits
Standard colours

Dublin City University Gaelic Athletic Association Club or "Cumann Luth Chleas Gael Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath" is the Gaelic Games club in Dublin City University. DCU GAA Club comprises 5 Individual Club Committees, each with responsibility for the running of their own club. These clubs are for Men's Gaelic Football and Hurling, Ladies' Gaelic Football, Camogie and Gaelic Handball. The handball club caters for both men and women in teams and individual events.

Each of the five clubs have Representatives on the GAA Club Executive Committee. The GAA Club Executive Committee meets weekly and is responsible for the organisation of general Club Activities, and is also a way of helping the GAA Clubs within the University to work together. The Club Executive puts together Sub-Committees, for instance the Social, Insurance and Finance Committees, to deal with more specific issues, and also to spread the workload among a greater number of members.

The Organising body for Third Level GAA is the Higher_Education GAA.

The Club had its own development officer who up until 2006 was Tom O'Donnell, and subsequently Declan Brennan. The GAA Club had no Development Officer from September 2009 to November 2010, and the position is now held by Michael Kennedy. The current President of the DCU GAA Club is Professor Niall Moyna. Previous to 2007 the President was University Chaplain Fr. John Gilligan.

The college provides some funding for the clubs activities through the DCU Club Life Committee. The GAA Club also has an associated GAA Society which organises social events. In the past a different society The GAA Supporters Society performed a similar function.

The Men's Football and Hurling clubs compete in competitions organised by Higher Education GAA, as well as competing in the Leinster Council Accident Competitions, the O'Byrne Cup and the Kehoe Cup. The Ladies Football Club competes in the Higher Education Committee (HEC) Leagues and Championships, while to Camogie club competitions are organised by the Comhairle Chamógaíochta Ard-Oideachas (CCAO). The Handball Club competes in competitions organised by the Irish Collegiate Handball Association (ICHA). Unlike UCD GAA, Dublin City University GAA Club is not allowed to compete in competitions organised by the Dublin County Board

Mens Gaelic Football Club

The Men's Gaelic Football club fields seven teams, and competes in sixteen different competitions. The Senior team competes in Division One of the Comhairle Ard Oideachais Senior Football League, as well as the Leinster Council O'Byrne Cup and the CA Ulster Bank Sigerson Cup. The Intermediate team competes in the CA Intermediate All Ireland League and Championship, (competitions for Division One Universities Second Teams) and also the Leinster Intermediate Championship. The Junior teams field in Division Three of the CA Senior Football League as well as the Leinster and subsequent All Ireland Junior Football Competitions. The university's teams have historically been known for adopting the "Mackey Attacky" approach to football. The players are encouraged to boot the ball off the pitch so they can all go and dye their hair (preferably blue).

DCU is one of only six third level institutions in the country that field three Freshers Gaelic Football Teams for first year students. The First Team competes in Division One of the CA League and Championship, as well as the Leinster CA Fresher Division One Championship. The Second Team competes in All Ireland Fresher B League and Championships (for the Second Teams of Division One Universities) and also the Leinster CA Fresher Division Two Championship. The Third Team fields in the Division Two CA All Ireland League and Championship.

In October 2010 DCU successfully hosted and ended up winning the Ulster Bank Centenary Sigerson Gaelic Football Sevens competition, held in DCU Sportsgrounds in conjunction with DCU Sport and Comhairle Ard Oideachais. The competition included teams from 22 third level institutions, including teams from Liverpool Hope and Napier Edinburgh Universities. Three groups were held at DCU, with a fourth group hosted by The University of Dublin (TCD) at Santry. The winners and runners up then contested the final stages at DCU, with the hosts overcoming sister college St. Pats by 5-5 to 1-7 in the final. Captain Luke Bree accepted the trophy from CA Chairman Ray O'Brien. The team was managed by David Kelly and Michael Lyng.

This year our Senior Football Team began their League Campaign at The Dub, facing Queens University Belfast away and after a great start, eventually lost out by three points to our hosts, 1-14 to 3-5. We went on to record excellent home wins against the University of Ulster at Jordanstown by 0-13 to 0-11 and St. Mary's College Belfast by 2-12 to 2-11, to qualify for the knock out stages of the League competition. In the Quarter Finals, we travelled to Ballyforan, Co. Roscommon to play Athlone IT and defeated the home team by 1-12 to 1-6. In the Semi Final we faced IT Dublin at Clontarf GAA Club, and we were defeated by 0-12 to 1-6. The next game for the Senior Football Team was against Offaly in the O'Byrne Cup on Wednesday January 12, 2011, a game which DCU ran out comfortable winners, the Quarter Final was the following Sunday at Newbridge, and DCU bowed out of the competition at the hands of Kildare. In the Sigerson Cup, we were drawn to face St. Mary's College Belfast in the Quarter Final at DCU, a game which DCU came out on top by 2-15 to 1-5, to qualify for a Quarter Final Meeting with last years finalists, University College Cork. After a titanic struggle, DCU lost our by a single point to the eventual winners. Many thanks to the players and management team of Niall Moyna, Tony Diamond and Mick Bohan for all of their efforts with this team throughout the year.

The Intermediate Team are had an excellent year last year, and overcame Queens, UUJ, St. Mary's , NUIG and UCC on the way to the League Final against the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, which was won at Dundalk IT in December by 2-12 to 1-9. Unfortunately, after wins against NUIG and UCC in the Championship, the Final against Cork IT was not played.

The Fresher 1 Team also qualified for the knock out stages of the League after good wins over IT Carlow and NUI Maynooth, and a draw with UCD at Belfield. They then went on to defeat IT Dublin in the Quarter Final, but were knocked out at the Semi Final stage by IT Cork. The Fresher 3 Team performed well, but lost out in all three of their League games to UUJ, IT Blanchardstown and IT Dundalk.

Pride of place in the DCU Men's Gaelic Football Club for Semester One went to the Fresher 2 Squad who claimed the All Ireland League Title after an absorbing campaign which began back in early October with a home win against UCD, and was followed by a bruising win at The Dub against QUB by 2 points, and defeat to UUJ at Cloghan by 5 points. That was enough to qualify for the Semi Final of the League against UCC at The Heath, Co. Laois, and a five point win there saw us through to the final where we got the chance to avenge our only defeat of the year against UUJ. The Final was played at the Louth County Training Grounds, at Darver in arctic conditions, but this did not hold back our lads, as they warmed the hearts of those watching, playing some wonderful free flowing football all through, and eventually came out on top by the narrowest of margins, on a final scoreline of DCU 1-11 UUJ 0-13 (the goal coming courtesy of Brendan Mackey's trusty left knee).

With hopes hight of a repeat performance after Christmas, the team followed up their League win in spectacular fashion, adding the All Ireland Championship crown to the collection in March. Much credit is due to the successful management team of Brendan Gillen, Josh Warde and Ray Wheatley who prepared the squad meticulously for the competitions. Congratulations to Captain Paddy McGowan and his charges on their fantastic double win!

But that was not to be the only highlight of the Second Semester Competitions, the Fresher A Team recovered from their League Semi Final defeat before Christmas, to capture the All Ireland Championship crown at Thurles, defeating Cork IT in a fantastic final. Congratulations to the successful management team of Ross Munnelly, Paul Clarke, Ken Robinson and Paul O'Connor.

The Fresher C Squad rounded off a great year for Freshers Football in style, capturing the Leinster Freshers Championship crown after wins over UCD, St. Pats College and Trinity College Dublin in the Final at DCU Sportsgrounds.

During the 2009/10 academic year, the Senior team reached the Division One League/ Ryan Cup Final, but were defeated by the University of Ulster, Jordanstown in Armagh in December, they then won the Leinster O'Byrne Cup Competition in January, defeating Westmeath, Offaly, Meath and Louth to make history and become the first ever Third Level Institution to win the Leinster subsidiary competition. The team followed up this by achieving the ultimate success by claiming the second Sigerson Cup in the Clubs history. The Intermediate Team also qualified to the League Final against UUJ, but also lost out to UUJ in a game which was played in DKIT in January. The Junior Team were defeated in the CA Division Three Senior League Semi Final by Southern Regional College, after fine wins over Trinity College, UCD, DIT, and The Royal College of Surgeons. They were also defeated in the Semi-Final of the Leinster Junior Championship by NUI Maynooth, again after some great performances. The Freshers Teams did not enjoy much success in the Leagues, with the first team losing both their group games to UCD and DIT.

DCU won the Sigerson Cup in 2010 for the second time, after wins over UCD, Cork IT, NUI Maynooth and UCC in the Final at Leixlip. DCU this year competed in the Sigerson Cup for only the 20th time, having first entered the competition in 1990. DCU won its first Sigerson Cup in 2006, when Bryan Cullen became the first Dublin man to lift the trophy after beating the Queen's University, Belfast in the TG4 televised final in Parnell Park. DCU also hosted the competition in 2006, with the semi finals played at DCU Sportsgrounds.

In last years other Championships, the Inters were defeated in the Semi-Final by IT Sligo. The Fresher 1 team again lost out to DIT in Grangegorman. The Fresher 2 Team were beaten by UCD in Belfield, while the second greatest Championship performance after the Sigerson success was by the Fresher 3 side, who beat the first teams from IT Blanchardstown and IT Limerick, before eventually losing the All Ireland Semi-Final to IT Carlow.

The Current Officers of the DCU Mens GAA Club are: President: Niall Moyna, Honorary Members: Phillip McKenna, Michael Whelan, Rev. John Gilligan, John Kerrane and Martin Conry, Chairman: Aaron Clogher, Vice Chairman: Robert Hennelly, Secretary: Ciaran Hughes, Assistant Secretary: Conor Rafferty, Treasurer: Oisin Henry, Assistant Treasurer: Will Hender Phillips, Bed Maker: Brendan Mackey, PRO: Jim McEneaney, Registrar: Michael Murphy, Equipment Officer: Josh Warde, Spokesperson: David Pollard, Insurance/Safety Officers: Eamon Dohery and John Keegan, Oifigeach Gaeilge agus Cultúr Cathal O hAlais agus Martin McElhinney,

Hurling Club

The Hurling club currently fields a Fresher and Senior team and plans are afoot to field an Intermediate side for the 2010/2011 season. As well as competing in the various CA competitions, the Senior side also take part in the Leinster Council's Kehoe Cup were they have beaten the likes of Fingal & Mayo over the last few years. During the 1990s D.C.U. competed in the Fitgibbon Cup before being demoted to the second-tier Ryan Cup owing to some heavy defeats and the emegence of new 3rd-Level Hurling king-pins in the form of Waterford and Limerick I.T. Throughout the noughties the club reached the Ryan Cup finals , which is hosted as part of the Fitzgibbon Cup weekend, on numerous occasions and went on to claim the title in 2002. Poor league performances however ensured the hurling side remained in the 2nd Division and in the shadow of the football sides success at senior level.

In the last 3/4 years however the club has emerged from the doldrums and in 2010/2011 will comptete at the top level in both Senior (Division 1 & Fitzgibbon Cup) and Fresher (Division 1 League & Championship) for the first time in the clubs history. Much of this recent success is built on the back of successive Division 2 All-Ireland Fresher Championship title wins in 07/08 and 08/09. The 07/08 fresher side was managed by Colm Coughlan & captained by Diarmuid Horan (both Offaly Seniors).They beat Tralee I.T. in the championship final & also reached the League Final where they were well beaten by University of Limerick. The 08/09 freshers matched their predecessors by reaching the League Final before Christmas where once again they were narrowly defeated by U.L. In 2009,the Championship was retained after a 1-13 to 0-11 victory over Mary I. Managed by students Gearóid Devitt and Ciaran O'Connor the side overcame Queens, N.U.I. Maynooth and Athlone I.T. on their way to the final. Brian Flaherty (All-Ireland Minor Winner with Galway in 2009) captained the side.

These back-to-back triumphs led to promotion for the Fresher side who acquitted themselves well during their first league campaign in late 2010. Following their league campaign, the team reached the Semi Final in the first Division 1 Championship campaign in DCU Freshers hurling history, falling to a solid Cork IT side after impressive wins against St. Patricks College/Mater Dei and Galway-Mayo IT. The team was captained by Aidan Moran (Kilkenny) and managed by Seamus Kelly(Carlow) with the assistance of Bill McCormack(Tipperary), Quentin Lynch (Galway) and Joe Cullen (Wexford). Due to his free-scoring exploits for the Freshers side as well as his consistent performances for the Senior side, Walter Walsh (Kilkenny) was nominated for Best Club Fresher at the end of year DCU Clubs and Societies Awards, losing out to GAA Club-mate, Fresher Footballer [Michael Murphy]. In late 2009 the senior side, reaping the rewards of the freshers success claimed the CA Division 2 All-Ireland League Title, defeating N.U.I. Maynooth in Maynooth in the final. This victory ensured promotion to the top tier for next season. In the Ryan Cup, we qualified for the Weekend, where we overcame NUI Maynooth in the Semi Final before losing out to Carlow IT in the Final. The senior side is currently managed by Sean O'Laoire.

In 2010 the DCU Hurling Club are back competing in the Fitzgibbon Cup and are currently competing in the league section. The freshers again are under the management of Seamus Kelly with new selection team of Micheal Downey, Kieran Sheridan,JJ Lennon & John Whelan with the hope of bettering the achievements of the season gone.

Ladies Gaelic Football Club

2010 was the most successful year in the short history of DCU Ladies Football Club. Our first team captured the O'Connor Cup for the second year running, beating UCD in the Semi Final and UUJ in the Final, at a finals weekend which we also hosted for the first time. Our Second Team were unlucky to be beaten in the Division Two Lynch Cup Final by a very strong Mary I team. However, one must be mindful of the huge progress that has been made in the Club when you consider that our first team won that same competition only five years ago, and now our second team have reached the final and were disappointed to be beaten. It was great to have over 50 girls involved in our home finals weekend, which was excellently organised by Cathal Daly, Fiona Hudson and Aoife Greene.

Our teams were coached this year by Peter Clarke, Angie McNally, Colm Kearney, Ciaran Wrynne, Declan Hetherton and Eimear Dolan.

Camogie Club

The Senior Team beat Limerick IT in the First Round but were unlucky to be defeated by Garda College in the Quarter Final of the Purcell Cup this year. We qualified to play in the Semi Final of the Purcell Shield in Cork, where we lost out to NUI Maynooth, however we put in an encouraging performance. Hopefully, with very few of the team graduating, we can improve on our position in next years Championship. [1]

The biggest achievement in the Club this year however, came off the field with Chrissy Kenny winning a Purcell All Star Award. The Senior Team was managed by Niall Williams.

Gaelic Handball Club

DCU Handball Club Website: [2]

Past Achievements

Mens Football:

Academic Year 2010/2011'

Ulster Bank Sigerson Centenary Sevens 2010. Ulster Bank Fresher B Football League 2010. Ulster Bank Intermediate Football League 2010. Ulster Bank Fresher A Football Championship 2011. Ulster Bank Fresher B Football Championship 2011. Leinster Fresher Division Two Football Championship 2011.

Academic Year 2009/2010 Leinster O'Byrne Cup Winners 2010. Ulster Bank Sigerson Cup Winners 2010. 5 Ulster Bank Rising Star Awards: Kieran Gavin, Kevin Nolan, Dermot Sheridan, Brian Sheridan and David Kelly. Leinster Fresher Division One Championship 2010.

Academic Year 2008/2009 All Ireland Freshers Division One Championship 2009. Leinster Freshers Championship 2009. All Ireland Intermediate League 2008/09. All Ireland Intermediate Championship 2009.

Academic Year 2007/2008 All Ireland Senior Football Division One League "Ryan Cup" 2007/08. Leinster Freshers Championship 2008. (DCU2 defeated DCU1 in Final). All Ireland Fresher B Championship 2008. All Ireland Fresher Division One League 2007/08.

Academic Year 2006/2007 All Ireland Freshers Division One League/Championship 2007. Leinster Freshers Championship 2007.

Academic Year 2005/2006 Datapac Sigerson Cup 2006. 7 Datapac Hotshot Awards: Stephen Cluxton, Paul Casey, Declan Lally, Bryan Cullen, Owen Lennon, Ronan Flanagan, Seanie Johnston.

Hurling:

Ryan Cup 2002. Leinster Freshers Hurling Blitz 2008. All Ireland Freshers Division Two 2004/2005, 2007/08 and 2008/09. All Ireland Senior Division Two League 2009.

Ladies Football:

Division Two:

Lynch Shield Winners: 2003 (DCU1) and 2009(DCU2). Lynch Cup Winners: 2004 and 2005 (Both DCU1). Lynch Cup Runners Up: 2010 (DCU2).

Division One:

O'Connor Cup Winners: 2009 and 2010.

Camogie:

Gaelic Handball:

Best Irish Team at World University Handball Championships, Arizona, 2010.

Other Title's Won at World Inter Collegiate Handball Championships @ Arizona State University, Phoenix (February 17–21):

Men’s B title- Ciaran Neary. Division Two titles- Colm ‘Ducksy’ Grace and Brian O’Sullivan.

DCU Handball club now lays claim to six World Handball Champions, (and with Ciaran Neary having two), seven world titles rest in DCU, along with three All-Ireland Intervarsity Team Championships and four All-Ireland Inter varsity Singles Championships.

PROVINCIAL ALL STAR AWARDS

The DCU winners in the Leinster Provincial All Star Awards were:

MALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Eoin Kennedy (Dublin) YOUNG MALE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Ciaran Neary (Talbots Inch, Kilkenny)

Scholarships

The University awards a number of Scholarships to students excelling in all sports each year.

Notable Players/ Former Players

Gaelic football

• Bernard Brogan
• Conor Mortimer
• Bryan Cullen
• Paul Casey (Gaelic footballer)
• Tomas Quinn
• Tomas Meehan
• Paddy Christie
• Ian Robertson (Gaelic footballer)
• Seanie Johnston
• Shane Ryan
• Owen Lennon
• Niall Browne
• Brian McCormack
• Kevin Devine
• Fergal Kelly
• Fergal Mone
• Breifne Earley
• Stephen Cluxton
• Paddy Golden
• Anthony Moyles
• Simon Lawlor
• Michael Murphy (footballer)
• Darach Mooney
• Patrick Dunne
• Barry Dempsey
• Paddy Keenan

Hurling

• Brian Flaherty
• Walter Walsh
• Séan Óg Ó hAilpín

Hurling and Gaelic football

The follow are a list of notable Dual players

• Seán Óg Ó hAilpín
• Teu Ó hAilpín
• Fergus McMahon

Ladies' Football

• Rachel Barrett
• Ciara McGuinness
• Ciara Mulligan
• Eimear McGlade
• Niamh McEvoy
• CJ Hogan

Handball

• Gaelic Handball
• Derek Henry
• Eoin Kennedy
• Eugene O Reilly
• Conor Kennedy

Camogie

External links

• DCU GAA Website
• DCU Handball Website

Find an account of Fr. Johns Time in DCU here*[3]