Ballyfin GAA is a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

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 located in the village of

Ballyfin Ballyfin ( or alternatively "town of Fionn") is a small village and parish in County Laois, Ireland. Located in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the village is in the midlands of Ireland. It is located on the R423 regional road midway between the ...

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 green and white. The club grounds are at Cappinrush, beside

's Roman Catholic church. The current Laois senior football player James Finn is a member of the club as is Oliver Phelan who managed Laois to their 1996

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under ...

. Ballyfin have won the Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship on 3 occasions; in 1970 defeating Ballinakill, in 1985 defeating Clonaslee and most recently in 2006 defeating Colt. Prior to their 1970 win, in 1967 Ballyfin defeated traditional rivals

Clonaslee Clonaslee () is a village in north County Laois, Ireland, situated in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains on the R422 Mountmellick to Birr road. Clonaslee is approximately 100 km west of Dublin, and is close to the towns of Portlaoi ...

in 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 ...

final to gain promotion to the intermediate ranks. In 1972 they made their one and only appearance in the

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 ...

final, losing out to Borris-in-Ossory. In 2005 Ballyfin captured the Laois Under 21 "B" Hurling Championship, defeating Abbeyleix-Ballypickas at a blustery

O'Moore Park , image = , location = Portlaoise, County Laois, R32 CRF3, Ireland , coordinates = , opened = , renovated = 2002 , owner = Laois GAA , cost = , capaci ...

to erase the memory of their 2004 defeat by Clonad. Ballyfin, in addition to competing at intermediate level, also field a junior B hurling team. This is courtesy of their 1999 final victory over Ballylinan in the Laois Junior "C" Hurling Championship. Ballyfin also have

teams and compete in the senior and junior C grades. Ballyfin's rise in football was started in the late 1980s when the team progressed from division five to division one. In 1995 Ballyfin won the Laois Junior Football Championship beating Ballyroan in the final and again lifted the trophy in 2010 after a narrow win over

Spink Spink may refer to: * Spink, County Laois, a village in Ireland * Spink County, South Dakota, US * Spink Township, Union County, South Dakota, US * Spink & Son, a UK auction and collectibles company * Spink GAA, a Gaelic football club in Ireland ...

in the final. In 2001 and 2004, they won the Laois Under 21 "B" Football Championship. In 2008 and 2013 they won the

Laois All-County Football League The Laois All-County Football League (ACFL) is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by Laois GAA clubs. There are seven divisions and teams are promoted and relegated according to their league standing each year. Prior to the incepti ...

Division 3 title. In a historic 2014, Ballyfin defeated

Timahoe Timahoe (: 'House of Mochua') is a village in County Laois, Ireland, south of Portlaoise on the R426 regional road. The population of Timahoe in 2002 was 517, a 2.6% increase since 1996. It increased to 527 in 2006. Retrieved dead link with Wa ...

in the final to win their first Laois Intermediate Football Championship title and gain senior status in football for the first time in 2015.

Achievements

s: Runner-Up 1972 * Laois Intermediate Hurling Championships: (3) 1970, 1985, 2006 *

s: (1) 1967 *

Laois Junior B 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 ...

s: (1) 1999 * Laois Under-21 B Hurling Championships (1) 2005 *

Laois Intermediate Football Championship The Laois Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1907. The Heath are the title holders ...

s: (1) 2014 *

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 ...

: (2) 1995, 2010 *

Laois Junior C Football Championship 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 ...

s: (1) 2021 * Laois Under-21 B Football Championships (2) 2001, 2004 * Laois All-County Football League Div. 3: (5) 1993, 2008, 2013, 2019, 2021 * Laois All-County Football League Div. 4: (2) 1990, 1991 * Laois All-County Football League Div. 5: (1) 1995

References

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