Ballyhea GAA is a hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 club in the village of Ballyhea

Ballyhea

Ballyhea is a parish located in north County Cork, Ireland. It is situated on the main N20 Cork–Limerick road, south of Charleville. The parish has approximately 1,000 inhabitants.Ballyhea covers a wide area and has five graveyards...

 in Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. The club is affiliated to the Avondhu

Avondhu GAA

Avondhu GAA is a Gaelic football and Hurling division in the north of Cork, Ireland. The division includes towns such as Charleville, Mallow, Fermoy, and Mitchelstown. It is one of eight divisions of Cork County Board. It organizes competitions for the clubs within the division, from Under 12 up to...

, division of Cork GAA. The club currently competes in the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship

Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship

Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship is the second-tier hurling competition organized by the Cork Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The winners usually will play in the senior grade the following year for the Cork Senior Hurling Championship. This championship has been played for since 1909...

. It does not field Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 teams.

History

Ballyhea GAA Club has been in existence for over 126 years. The history of the club published in 1984 say the first GAA meeting took place in Jim Powers's Forge in the townland of Pruntas in late 1885 or early 1886. Present were Jim Power, Pruntus, Maurice Malone, Shinanagh and Johnnie Linnane Ardskeagh. From these humble beginnings the club grew and grew to what it is today. During its history the club has won County Championships in Senior, Intermediate, Junior and Juvenile Hurling.

Over the years Ballyhea players have helped Avondhu to County success. 1952 saw Lack Morrissey (R.I.P.) play in goal, Mick Quinn (R.I.P.) was corner-back, Jim Walshe (R.I.P.) was full-forward. 1966 saw Billy Fitzgibbon, Jack Russell, and Pat Behan (R.I.P.) win the elusive Senior County medals. All-Ireland medals have come to the parish from most grades, Vocational Schools Colleges, Minor, Under-21 and the two Big Ones, Johnny O' Callaghan in 1986 and Neil Ronan in 1999.

McNamee Award 2009 / 2010 for Best Website

The club's website, ballyheagaa.com, was named best website at the McNamee Awards in July 2010. These awards are presented annually in recognition of outstanding contributions made by individuals and Association units in the area of media and communications.

The award was presented by Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Criostóir Ó Cuana, at a function in Croke Park on Saturday July 24. Accepting the award were Karl Metelko and John Mortell who were the main organisers of the club website.

Roll of honour

• Cork Senior Hurling Championship
  Cork Senior Hurling Championship
  The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
  
   Winners 1896 Runners-Up 1889, 1895, 1984, 1995
• Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
  Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
  Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship is the second-tier hurling competition organized by the Cork Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The winners usually will play in the senior grade the following year for the Cork Senior Hurling Championship. This championship has been played for since 1909...
  
   Winners 1931, 1980 Runners-Up 1977
• Cork Junior Hurling Championship
  Cork Junior Hurling Championship
  The Cork Junior Hurling Championship is the third tier championship for hurling clubs in Cork. The winners of this championship compete in the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship in the following year. This championship is often considered the most difficult championship to win, since more teams...
  
   Winners 1930, 1955, 1976 Runners-Up 1959
• Cork Minor A Hurling Championship
  Cork Minor A Hurling Championship
  The Cork Minor A Hurling Championship is a hurling competition for Gaelic Athletic Association players under the age of 18 in Cork, Ireland. This championship was begun in 1992 when the strongest minor hurling teams were placed in the Premier Division of the championship...
  
   Winners 2001 Runners-Up 1996
• Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship
  Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship
  The Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship is a hurling competition for players under the age of 21. Clubs affiliated to Cork board compete to win this championship. Seven of the divisions in Cork organize their own championship . The divisional winners compete against each other to decide the county...
  
  Runners-Up 1981
• North Cork Junior Hurling Championship Winners 1930, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1975, 1976 Runners-Up 1937, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1954, 1964, 1969, 1974
• North Cork Junior "B" Hurling Champions 1944, 1948, 2002, 2007 and 2011