Kerry GAA
| File:KerryCrest.gif | |
| Irish: | Ciarraí |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): | The Kingdom |
| Province: | Munster |
| Dominant sport: | Gaelic football |
| Ground(s): | FitzGerald Stadium, Killarney Austin Stack Park, Tralee |
| County colours: | Green and Gold |
| County teams | |
| NFL: | Division 1 |
| NHL: | Division 2 |
| Football Championship: | Sam Maguire Cup |
| Hurling Championship: | Christy Ring Cup |
| Ladies' Gaelic football: | Brendan Martin Cup |
| Camogie: | O'Duffy Cup |
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (or Kerry GAA) is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry. The county board is also responsible for the Kerry inter-county teams.
The Kerry branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in 1888.
Football
History
Kerry are the most successful team in the history of Gaelic football. They have won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship on 35 occasions and the National Football League 18 times, both of which are far more than any other county. The county holds a number of distinctive records in football championship history. Kerry has played in more All-Ireland finals than any other team - 55 in all as of 16 September 2007 winning more than half of them which is another record.[1]
The Kerry team of the 1970s and 1980s is considered one of the greatest of all time and its manager the greatest of all time. Of the 20 All-Ireland finals held during those two decades, Kerry participated in 12, with victory coming on 9 occasions. During this time most other All-Ireland finals were won by Dublin and this resulted in a huge but friendly between the two counties, although since the 1980s Kerry has become much stronger and Dublin has not. In 1982 Kerry came within one minute of winning an unprecedented fifth All-Ireland title in a row. However a late goal by Offaly's Séamus Darby which caused controversy as many claim Darby pushed the Kerry defender in the back before this, gave the title to Offaly. This goal was voted third in a poll to find the Top 20 GAA Moments.
Towards the end of the 1980s Kerry went into decline and failed to appear in an All-Ireland final for 11 years having last appeared in 1986 and not again until 1997. This however, very much marked the beginning of another golden era for Kerry. Of the last 11 all Ireland's, Kerry have contested 7 and won 5. Many have spoke of teams like Armagh and Tyrone, who have both beaten Kerry in recent finals, as becoming successors to Kerry's reign but Kerry have come back time and again and are the current 2007 champions. Kerry put away their Armagh demons by beating Armagh in the 2006 championship comprehensively, however the Tyrone defeats are still an open wound. Kerry became the first team since Cork to win back to back All Ireland's in the 2007 championship by demolishing their Munster rivals by a scoreline of 3-13 to 1-09 and have now won half of the All Ireland's played in the last decade.
Kerry Football Squad
Notable individuals
- Mick O'Connell
- Mick O'Dwyer
- Joe Keohane
- Sean Murphy
- Jack O'Shea
- John Egan
- Ger Power
- John O'Keeffe
- Maurice Fitzgerald
- Seamus Moynihan
- Joe Barrett
- Páidí Ó Sé
- Dick Fitzgerald
8 time Senior All-Ireland winners
- Dan O'Keefe first player to win 7 all-Ireland medals.
- Pat Spillane
- Mikey Sheehy
- Páidí Ó Sé
- Ogie Moran
- Ger Power
Honours
- Munster Senior Football Championships: 72
- 1892, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
- Railway Cup Football: 2
- 1927(all Kerry players), 1931(all Kerry players)
(Note that the Railway Cup is contested by provincial sides - these are years in which the Munster team onsisted entirely of Kerry players).
Ladies' Football
Honours
Hurling
Kerry's first All-Ireland championship win was in hurling. Only club teams were allowed in 1891, so Kilmoyley club, a team from North Kerry, disbanded and joined up with Ballyduff so their joint team could win the All-Ireland. This remains Kerry's only hurling title. After the game the rules were changed to allow selected county teams in the Championship.
Kerry's only notable achievement in modern times occurred in the 1993 Munster championship when John Meyler's Kerry team shocked Waterford hurlers by a score of 4-13 to 3-13. It was reward for years of progress which included a draw with Kilkenny in the League. Kerry followed it up in 1995 with their most famous ever League victory, a win over newly crowned All-Ireland champions Clare.
Kerry Hurling Squad
Honours
B 2006
- National Hurling Leagues: None
Stadia
- FitzGerald Stadium, Killarney - home venue for the Senior football team
- Austin Stack Park, Tralee
Club Titles
- Kerry Senior Football Championship
- Kerry Senior Hurling Championship
- Kerry Intermediate Football Championship
- Kerry Junior Football Championship
- Kerry Novice Football Championship
- Kerry Minor Football Championship
- Kerry Under-21 Football Championship
- Kerry County Football League - Division 1
See also
List of Kerry All-Ireland Football Finals
External links
- Kerry on Hoganstand.com
- National and provincial titles won by Kerry teams
- Club championship winners
- Kerry GAA site
- Causeway GAA site Hurling club from North Kerry