South Liberties GAA Club
Encyclopedia
South Liberties is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club based in Limerick
, Ireland
. The club is based in the parish of Donoughmore-Knockea-Roxboro, on the southern outskirts of Limerick City and is affiliated to the East Board of Limerick GAA
. It is one of the oldest clubs in the country, founded in 1884, the same year as the GAA. South Liberties' home ground in Ballysheedy is called Dooley Park, in memory of one of the club's greatest players. The club has won many county titles during its history, most notably seven Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
s; in 1888, 1889, 1890, 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981. The club currently fields teams in the Senior Hurling
and Junior Gaelic football
Championships in Limerick.
got together to play hurling. As the Barony of South Liberties covered most of the parish at that time, the name was used for the club. The boundaries of the Barony were marked with 'Liberty Stones' and the club has incorporated an image of the sole surviving stone into its crest. South Liberties' home ground in Ballysheedy is called Dooley Park, in memory of one of the club's greatest players. Johnny Dooley played for Liberties from the mid 1940s to 1970, when he died suddenly after playing in a county championship match. He was on the Limerick teams that won the All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
s of 1948, 1954 and 1957.
In the early days of the GAA, South Liberties were one of Limerick's greatest teams and contested the first five county finals, winning three of them in successive years, 1888-1890. A remarkable feature about these wins was that two of them were secured by the only score of an hour's hurling - one point in each case; made more remarkable by the fact that these games were played in the days when each side had 21 players and there were point posts at both sides of the goal, covering almost half of the end-line. On both occasions the point was scored by the same player, Con Sheehan, with Liberties defeating Murroe at Croom
on 15 May 1888 and Kilfinane at Ráth Luirc
on 13 July 1890. He also scored in the 1889 final when Liberties beat Caherline
1-2 to 0-3 at Croom on 13 July. John (Jack) Malone captained the Liberties' teams in all five finals. Many of the players that featured on those teams were forced to emigrate in the early 1890s and this coupled with the devastating effect that the Parnell Split had on GAA clubs meant that South Liberties ceased to be a force in Limerick hurling for another 75 years.
The club had very mixed fortunes during that time, with periods of inactivity during which the club barely survived, interspersed with some notable victories such as the 1911 County Intermediate Hurling Championship and the 1946 County Junior Hurling Championship. It was not until 1967 that South Liberties returned to prominence in Limerick senior hurling. The club elected to compete in the county senior hurling championship of that year - something that was permitted at that time. Against the odds, Liberties were beaten in the reply of the county final by Kilmallock after a much disputed draw in which Kilmallock scored a goal from a 21-yard free with the last puck of the game. Despite not winning the title that year, the progress justified the club's decision to compete at senior level and they remained at that grade.
The county championship was divided into four regional divisions in 1971 (City, East, West and South) and this suited South Liberties as they captured the East Limerick Senior Hurling Championship in 10 of the following 11 years. After losing the 1971 county final to Claughan, the club captured the county championships in 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981, beating Patrickswell
, Kileedy, Bruree and Kilmallock respectively. They also lost the 1980 and 1985 county finals to Kileedy and Kilmallock. South Liberties were one of the dominant forces in Limerick hurling over this 20 year period and provided a number of players to the Limerick teams that were competitive in the All-Ireland championships of 1973, 1974, 1980 and 1981.
Although the club endured a mediocre spell following the 1985 county final, they managed to retain senior status before being relegated to the intermediate grade following the 1996 season.
They contested seven county finals at the intermediate grade before regaining senior status by beating Ballybrown in the 2009 final. The club also added the 2009 Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
to its honours list, beating Douglas
from Cork in the final.
South Liberties won the County Junior A Football Championship in 2001 and competed at the Intermediate grade until 2008.
in 1973. That Limerick team was captained by South Liberties' Eamonn Grimes
with Pat Hartigan
and Joe McKenna
also playing. In 1975 these players also shared the rare distinction of three players from the same club being selected on an Allstar Hurling Team
. These three players amassed a total of 13 Allstar awards between them with Joe McKenna being honoured six times between 1974 and 1981, Pat Hartigan collecting five in a row from 1971 and Eamon Grimes picking up awards in 1973 and 1975.
Eamon Grimes and his brother Michael featured on the Limerick teams that won Munster titles
in 1980 and 1981 and were beaten All-Ireland finalists in 1980. Brothers Declan and Micháel Nash were on the Limerick teams beaten in the 1994 and 1996 All-Ireland finals and won National Hurling League
medals in 1992 and 1997.
The following South Liberties' players represented Limerick in the Munster and All-Ireland Senior Hurling championships.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club based in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, 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 based in the parish of Donoughmore-Knockea-Roxboro, on the southern outskirts of Limerick City and is affiliated to the East Board of Limerick GAA
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
. It is one of the oldest clubs in the country, founded in 1884, the same year as the GAA. South Liberties' home ground in Ballysheedy is called Dooley Park, in memory of one of the club's greatest players. The club has won many county titles during its history, most notably seven Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
Limerick Senior Hurling Championship
The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship is an annual club competition between the top Limerick Clubs. The winners of the Limerick Championship qualify to represent their county in the Munster Club Championship and in turn, go on to the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship...
s; in 1888, 1889, 1890, 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981. The club currently fields teams in the Senior 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...
and Junior Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
Championships in Limerick.
History
The club was founded in May 1884 when a group of people in the Ballysheedy area of County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
got together to play hurling. As the Barony of South Liberties covered most of the parish at that time, the name was used for the club. The boundaries of the Barony were marked with 'Liberty Stones' and the club has incorporated an image of the sole surviving stone into its crest. South Liberties' home ground in Ballysheedy is called Dooley Park, in memory of one of the club's greatest players. Johnny Dooley played for Liberties from the mid 1940s to 1970, when he died suddenly after playing in a county championship match. He was on the Limerick teams that won the All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
s of 1948, 1954 and 1957.
In the early days of the GAA, South Liberties were one of Limerick's greatest teams and contested the first five county finals, winning three of them in successive years, 1888-1890. A remarkable feature about these wins was that two of them were secured by the only score of an hour's hurling - one point in each case; made more remarkable by the fact that these games were played in the days when each side had 21 players and there were point posts at both sides of the goal, covering almost half of the end-line. On both occasions the point was scored by the same player, Con Sheehan, with Liberties defeating Murroe at Croom
Croom
Croom is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located just off the N20 on the River Maigue. It is 8 km southeast of Adare on the N20.-History:...
on 15 May 1888 and Kilfinane at Ráth Luirc
Charleville, County Cork
Charleville or Ráth Luirc is a town in north County Cork, Ireland, situated in Ireland's Golden Vale, near the border with County Limerick. It is located on the "Glen" tributary river, which flows into the Maigue River in Co. Limerick...
on 13 July 1890. He also scored in the 1889 final when Liberties beat Caherline
Caherline GAA
Caherline GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association hurling club based in County Limerick, Ireland. It is based in the parish of Caherline/Caherconlish in the east division of Limerick GAA.-History:...
1-2 to 0-3 at Croom on 13 July. John (Jack) Malone captained the Liberties' teams in all five finals. Many of the players that featured on those teams were forced to emigrate in the early 1890s and this coupled with the devastating effect that the Parnell Split had on GAA clubs meant that South Liberties ceased to be a force in Limerick hurling for another 75 years.
The club had very mixed fortunes during that time, with periods of inactivity during which the club barely survived, interspersed with some notable victories such as the 1911 County Intermediate Hurling Championship and the 1946 County Junior Hurling Championship. It was not until 1967 that South Liberties returned to prominence in Limerick senior hurling. The club elected to compete in the county senior hurling championship of that year - something that was permitted at that time. Against the odds, Liberties were beaten in the reply of the county final by Kilmallock after a much disputed draw in which Kilmallock scored a goal from a 21-yard free with the last puck of the game. Despite not winning the title that year, the progress justified the club's decision to compete at senior level and they remained at that grade.
The county championship was divided into four regional divisions in 1971 (City, East, West and South) and this suited South Liberties as they captured the East Limerick Senior Hurling Championship in 10 of the following 11 years. After losing the 1971 county final to Claughan, the club captured the county championships in 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981, beating Patrickswell
Patrickswell GAA
Patrickswell GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the small village of Patrickswell in County Limerick, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling.-Honours:*Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships: 2...
, Kileedy, Bruree and Kilmallock respectively. They also lost the 1980 and 1985 county finals to Kileedy and Kilmallock. South Liberties were one of the dominant forces in Limerick hurling over this 20 year period and provided a number of players to the Limerick teams that were competitive in the All-Ireland championships of 1973, 1974, 1980 and 1981.
Although the club endured a mediocre spell following the 1985 county final, they managed to retain senior status before being relegated to the intermediate grade following the 1996 season.
They contested seven county finals at the intermediate grade before regaining senior status by beating Ballybrown in the 2009 final. The club also added the 2009 Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
The Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between the hundreds of Intermediate hurling clubs in Munster. Teams qualify for this tournament by winning the Intermediate Hurling championship in their county. In 2008, the winners of the Kerry Senior...
to its honours list, beating Douglas
Douglas GAA
Douglas GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the Douglas suburb of Cork, Ireland. The club participates at different levels in hurling, Gaelic football, camogie and ladies football. The club is part of the Seandun division of Cork GAA....
from Cork in the final.
South Liberties won the County Junior A Football Championship in 2001 and competed at the Intermediate grade until 2008.
Inter-County Representation
The club has produced many Limerick county players over the years and had 3 members on the Limerick side that last won an All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
in 1973. That Limerick team was captained by South Liberties' Eamonn Grimes
Éamonn Grimes
Éamonn Grimes is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1982. Grimes captained Limerick to the All-Ireland title in 1973.-Biography:Éamonn Grimes was born in Donoughmore, County Limerick...
with Pat Hartigan
Pat Hartigan
Pat Hartigan is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team in the 1970s. He is regarded as one of Limerick’s greatest-ever players.-Early & private life:...
and Joe McKenna
Joe McKenna
Joe McKenna is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1971 until 1985...
also playing. In 1975 these players also shared the rare distinction of three players from the same club being selected on an Allstar Hurling Team
GAA All Stars Awards Past Winners (Hurling)
This is a list of all past winners of the official GAA All Stars Awards since the first awards in 1971. As an insight to the prominent players of the 1960s, it also includes the unofficial "Cuchulainn" awards presented from 1963 to 1967 under the auspices of Gaelic Weekly magazine.For each year...
. These three players amassed a total of 13 Allstar awards between them with Joe McKenna being honoured six times between 1974 and 1981, Pat Hartigan collecting five in a row from 1971 and Eamon Grimes picking up awards in 1973 and 1975.
Eamon Grimes and his brother Michael featured on the Limerick teams that won Munster titles
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
in 1980 and 1981 and were beaten All-Ireland finalists in 1980. Brothers Declan and Micháel Nash were on the Limerick teams beaten in the 1994 and 1996 All-Ireland finals and won National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
medals in 1992 and 1997.
The following South Liberties' players represented Limerick in the Munster and All-Ireland Senior Hurling championships.
| Player | Start | Sub | Total | Goals | Points | Total | Debut | Last Game | AIHC | MHC | NHL | All Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Dooley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 08/07/51 v Tipperary | 08/07/51 v Tipperary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Willie Dooley | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22/06/52 v Cork | 22/06/52 v Cork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Finn | 11 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 26/05/85 v Waterford | 19/06/94 v Waterford | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Eamonn Grimes Éamonn Grimes Éamonn Grimes is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1982. Grimes captained Limerick to the All-Ireland title in 1973.-Biography:Éamonn Grimes was born in Donoughmore, County Limerick... |
26 | 4 | 30 | 3 | 29 | 38 | 05/06/66 v Tipperary | 07/09/80 v Galway | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Joe Grimes | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 08/07/79 v Cork | 08/07/79 v Cork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Grimes | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 27/07/75 v Cork | 13/06/82 v Waterford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bernie Hartigan Bernie Hartigan Bernie Hartigan is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Old Christians and with the Limerick senior inter-county team in the 1970s.-References:- References :... |
22 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 24 | 27 | 09/06/63 v Galway | 01/09/74 v Kilkenny | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Pat Hartigan Pat Hartigan Pat Hartigan is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team in the 1970s. He is regarded as one of Limerick’s greatest-ever players.-Early & private life:... |
25 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22/06/69 v Tipperary | 10/06/79 v Clare | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Mark Keane | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 25 | 04/06/00 v Cork | 22/07/06 v Cork | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe McKenna Joe McKenna Joe McKenna is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1971 until 1985... |
30 | 0 | 30 | 18 | 39 | 93 | 24/06/73 v Clare | 16/06/85 v Cork | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Declan Nash | 23 | 3 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22/05/88 v Kerry | 30/05/99 v Waterford | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Micháel Nash | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21/05/89 v Kerry | 15/07/97 v Tipperary | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Albert Shanahan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25/05/97 v Waterford | 30/05/04 v Cork | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Shanahan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 01/06/58 v Tipperary | 24/05/59 v Tipperary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- AIHC - All-Ireland Hurling Championship
- MHC - Munster Hurling Championship
- NHL - National Hurling League
Honours
- Munster Intermediate Club Hurling ChampionshipMunster Intermediate Club Hurling ChampionshipThe Munster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between the hundreds of Intermediate hurling clubs in Munster. Teams qualify for this tournament by winning the Intermediate Hurling championship in their county. In 2008, the winners of the Kerry Senior...
: (1) 2009 - Limerick Senior Hurling ChampionshipLimerick Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Limerick Senior Hurling Championship is an annual club competition between the top Limerick Clubs. The winners of the Limerick Championship qualify to represent their county in the Munster Club Championship and in turn, go on to the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship...
: (7) 1888, 1889, 1890, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1981 - Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship: (2) 1911, 2009
- Limerick Junior Hurling Championship: (1) 1946
- Limerick Minor Hurling ChampionshipLimerick Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe Limerick Minor Hurling Championship is a hurling competition played by GAA teams in Limerick in Ireland. All players have to be under the age of 18 in the year in which they take part here. The competition is organized by Limerick GAA county board....
: (1) 1960 - Limerick Junior Football Championship: (1) 2002
- Limerick Under-21 Football Championship: (2) 1985, 1986
- Limerick Minor Football Championship: (2) 1948, 1982