content.jpg

« Death of Kildare Sportsman, 1903 | Main | Federation Annual Seminar »

April 21, 2007

Early Kildare Football Teams

Reports from the Leinster Leader 1888 of early G.A.A. football matches involving teams from Kildare Town.

Leinster Leader 10/3/1888

KILDARE (ST. JOHN’S) G.A.A. V MADDENSTOWN FOOTBALL CLUB.

 On Sunday week a friendly match was played between the 1st 21 of each of the above teams, on the grounds of the latter at Frenchfurze. At twenty minutes past two the ball was set rolling by Mr Joe Kelly, Frenchfurze, who acted as referee in a most satisfactory manner. Immediately the St. John’s rushed it up to the Maddenstown territory, and after about five minutes a point was scored. To this was soon added another point, and then a goal just before half time was called. When sides were changed the Maddenstown team seemed to play better, as the St. John’s were unable to add but one more point to their credit. The following kicked well for St. John’s. P. Anderson, M. Farrell, J. Twitcher, M. Byrne, J. Davis, M. Cahill, T. Hannon, and P. Talbot (captain); while for the Maddenstown team-J. Walsh, J. Casey, Gaynors, Nolan, F. Bradshaw, N. Behan, and M. Kelly, ably defended their goal.

[ON SAME PAGE]

 On Tunday [sic-Sunday] last the return match between the St. John’s G A A, Kildare, and the Maddenstown F C took place on the grounds of the former (a field kindly given by Mr James Rogan for the use of the St. John’s At 2.15 the ball was thrown in by Mr C Heffernan, referee. The St. John’s immediately made a rush, but the ball was back again to the centre of the graund [sic-ground] in about a minute. Another rush was made, and after a sharp tussle the St. John’s scred [sic-scored] a point. The ball was kept in the Maddenstown territory almost the first half of the play, except for one grand rush by the Maddenstown boys, who nearly scored a point. The second half of the play resulted in the scoring of two points and a goel [sic-goal] for the St. John’s, who kept the ball in the Maddenstown territory the whole time, thus leaving the St. John’s the victors by one goal and three points to nil.


Leinster Leader 24/3/1888, p.7.

MONASTEREVAN DISTILLERY AND BREWERY H AND FC V
KILDARE (SONS OF ST BRIGID) F C.

 On last Sunday a team composed of a mixture of the 1st and 2nd of the Monasterevan Distillery and Brewery Club, travelled over to Kildare to play their return match with the “Sons of St Brigid.” Play commenced about 3 p m, and for the first half the Monasterevanites, playing against the hill, but with the wind, kept the ball altogether in their opponent’s territory, and scored 3 points. In the commencement of the second half, they again rushed the ball to the Kildare territory, but failed to score. After this there were some good rushes on the part of the Kildare men in stopping, which some of the Monasterevan backs “muffed,” and drove the ball over their own goal line, thus giving two forty-yards free [sic-frees] to the Kildare men, off which Davis cleverly placed two points. The score at call time was three points for Monasterevan to two points for Kildare. The game played by the “Sons of St Brigid” partook more of the rough-and-tumble than any we have seen yet, from which however there seemed to be no good in appealing.

Leinster Leader 1/12/1888, p. 7.

KILCULLEN TOURNAMENT

 A grand football tournament will be held on the grounds of the Sons of St. Brigid G.A.A., Kilcullen, on the 1st January, 1889, and following Sundays.

 

 

Reports from 1888 regarding football teams in Kildare. St. John's may be an early team at Tully named after St. John's Well while the Son's of St. Brigid were the forerunners of The Round Towers. The last snippet curiously suggests the Sons of St. Brigid were from Kilcullen?

Reports from the Leinster Leader 1888 of early G.A.A. football matches involving teams from Kildare Town.

Posted by mariocorrigan at April 21, 2007 08:23 PM