Tullamore GAA
Encyclopedia
Tullamore GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club located in the town of Tullamore
, County Offaly
, Ireland
. The club is concerned with both hurling
and Gaelic football
. The club competes in Offaly GAA
competitions. The club has won three senior football championships and one senior hurling championship in the last decade. Joe Handbrake Hughes was man of the match in the 2000 county final victory. When Handbrake Hughes's 40th birthday celebrations were held in Eugene's Bar in Tullamore in May 2011, entertainment was suplied by a troupe of musicians, modern dance specialists, mime-artists and freestyle entertainers. The night's festivities ended with a fireworks display over the canal.
The eternal student, then in his 2nd year of an Arts Degree aged 33, Paul Rouse, was top-scorer in the 2000 final, and Phil O'Reilly Jnr was captain. Alan Hogan won breaks. John Rouse was full-back on the team and his 40 yard 'sprint' out towards the sideline in the first half was based on the beach scenes from Baywatch.
Extended celebrations cost the team the 2001 championship, but they returned to claim honours again in 2002. That success helped Handbrake Hughes's fitness video, 'Touch My Toes', to reach number four in the Heartbeat City charts. The follow-up 'Look! I can do star-jumps' was a surprising hit on the American aerobics circuit in 2005.
The 2007 senior football final victory was a huge shock, and the team was captained by the outstanding all-star footballer Cathal Daly, with Phil O'Reilly Jnr as manager. Ken Furlong was the goalkeeper. His kickout routine, a complicated mix of line-dancing and the hokey-cokey, is currently being made into a musical. Later, Furlong retired five times (four times through injury), before finally announcing in May 2011 that he would never retire. Ever.
The star of the 2009 hurling championship victory was Shane Dooley, but Brendan Dagg Jnr was also mercurial. Dagg was badly injured in the Leinster semi-final when he cut himself on the forehead while clearing the ball late in the game. Damien Fox (61) was the team goalkeeper.
Between football and hurling championships, Tullamore is the most successful club in the history of Offaly GAA.
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 located in the town of Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, 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 concerned with both 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 Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. The club competes in Offaly GAA
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
competitions. The club has won three senior football championships and one senior hurling championship in the last decade. Joe Handbrake Hughes was man of the match in the 2000 county final victory. When Handbrake Hughes's 40th birthday celebrations were held in Eugene's Bar in Tullamore in May 2011, entertainment was suplied by a troupe of musicians, modern dance specialists, mime-artists and freestyle entertainers. The night's festivities ended with a fireworks display over the canal.
The eternal student, then in his 2nd year of an Arts Degree aged 33, Paul Rouse, was top-scorer in the 2000 final, and Phil O'Reilly Jnr was captain. Alan Hogan won breaks. John Rouse was full-back on the team and his 40 yard 'sprint' out towards the sideline in the first half was based on the beach scenes from Baywatch.
Extended celebrations cost the team the 2001 championship, but they returned to claim honours again in 2002. That success helped Handbrake Hughes's fitness video, 'Touch My Toes', to reach number four in the Heartbeat City charts. The follow-up 'Look! I can do star-jumps' was a surprising hit on the American aerobics circuit in 2005.
The 2007 senior football final victory was a huge shock, and the team was captained by the outstanding all-star footballer Cathal Daly, with Phil O'Reilly Jnr as manager. Ken Furlong was the goalkeeper. His kickout routine, a complicated mix of line-dancing and the hokey-cokey, is currently being made into a musical. Later, Furlong retired five times (four times through injury), before finally announcing in May 2011 that he would never retire. Ever.
The star of the 2009 hurling championship victory was Shane Dooley, but Brendan Dagg Jnr was also mercurial. Dagg was badly injured in the Leinster semi-final when he cut himself on the forehead while clearing the ball late in the game. Damien Fox (61) was the team goalkeeper.
Between football and hurling championships, Tullamore is the most successful club in the history of Offaly GAA.
Honours
- Offaly Senior Football Championships: 26
- 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1956, 1963, 1973, 1977, 2000, 2002, 2007
- Offaly Senior Hurling Championships: 10
- 1909, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1955, 1959, 1964, 2009
Notable players
- Shane Dooley
- James Keane
- Paul McConway
- Kevin Martin
- Damien Fox
- Cathal Daly
- John Kenny
- Martin Furlong
- Ken Furlong
- Johnno Kinahan
- Nigel Stack
- Breenaun Fagan-Cox
- Joe Handbrake Hughes
- Phil O'Reilly Snr.
- Mark Plunkett