Ballinakill GAA is a

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

and

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

club in

Ballinakill Ballinakill () is a small village in County Laois, Ireland on the R432 regional road between Abbeyleix, Ballyragget and Castlecomer, County Kilkenny. As of the 2016 census, there were 445 people living in Ballinakill. History From 1613 unti ...

County Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The club colours are maroon and white and the club grounds are in

village near the border with

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

History

In 1888, the Ballinakill club won the first ever

Laois Senior Football Championship The Laois Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Portarlington are the title holders ...

but these days the club is more renowned as a

heartland. After two final defeats in 1941 and 1966, Ballinakill won its first ever hurling title in 1969 when they defeated Kyle in the final 2-7 to 1-5 to win the

Laois Junior Hurling Championship The Laois Junior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by lower-tier Laois GAA clubs. Ballypickas are the title holders (2021) defeating near neighbours Abbeyleix in the Final. Ballypickas are both the current holder ...

. For the following four years, Ballinakill was defeated in four successive Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship finals before defeating Durrow in the 1974 final to qualify for senior ranks. Ballinakill also won three successive Laois Under 21 Hurling Championship titles in 1973, 1974 and 1975, two more in 2002 and 2003 as well as Laois Minor A Championship titles in 1970 and 1991. In 2000 and 2001, the Laois Minor Football Championship was won by St John Bosco Gaels, an area team with players from the Ballinakill and

Crettyard Crettyard () is a hamlet in County Laois, Ireland. It is situated on the border with County Kilkenny, near Newtown, at the junction of the N78 national primary route and the R431 regional road. Education Schools serving the area include New ...

clubs. 2007 saw the club victorious in the

Laois Junior Football Championships The Laois Junior Football Championships are the lower-tier Laois Club Football Championships. The Junior A and Junior B Championships use group phases then down to eight-four-two and the Junior C Championship operates similarly to the Senior Cha ...

with a win over St Joseph's in the final. The Harps relegated them with the last puck of the game in the 2022

Laois Senior Hurling Championship The Laois Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois GAA, Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Clough–Ballacolla GAA, Clough–Bal ...

Achievements

s: (1) 1888 *

s: (1) 1969 * Laois Intermediate Hurling Championships: (1) 1974 *

: (1) 2007 * Laois Under-21 Hurling Championships: (3) 1973, 1974, 1975 * Laois Minor A Hurling Championships: (2) 1970, 1991 * Laois Minor Football Championships: (2) 2000, 2001 (as St John Bosco Gaels (with

)

Notable players

*Michael "Maggie" Walsh, one of the most decorated hurlers with Laois and with Ballinakill

References

Gaelic games clubs in County Laois Hurling clubs in County Laois Gaelic football clubs in County Laois {{Leinster-GAA-club-stub