Dunedin Connollys Gaelic Football Club (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Dún Éideann Uí Chonghaile'') is a Scottish GAA club based in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Founded in 1988, the club takes its name from the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

name for

, Dùn Èideann and the surname of Edinburgh-born Irish republican and socialist leader

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the a ...

. Dunedin Connollys have won the

Scottish Championship The Scottish Championship, known as the cinch Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland Scotland (, ...

17 times and the

British GAA The British Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael na Breataine) or Britain GAA is the only provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association outside the island of Ireland (however, the Headquarters of Uls ...

title four times, most recently in 2018. Dunedin Connollys currently runs a Senior Men's team, an Intermediate Men's team, a Junior Men's team, two Ladies' teams and an underage set-up, Dunedin Og.

History

Dunedin Connollys was founded in 1988 on Leith Walk, in the north of Edinburgh, at an Irish dancing show. Father Eamonn Sweeney, the priest who had been instrumental in setting up Gaelic football clubs in the west of Scotland, had a chance meeting with Belfast native Anthony Haughey and plans for an Edinburgh-based Gaelic team were formed. Initially, the team consisted of first and second generation local Irish immigrants from a working-class background. The club trained on the Meadows, and played home matches at

St Augustine's High School, Edinburgh St. Augustine's High School, established in 1969, is a Roman Catholic secondary school serving the west of Edinburgh, Scotland, with approximately 700 pupils. History St. Augustine's RC High School was founded in August 1969. It was created on ...

on the western outskirts of the city. The establishment of the

British University Gaelic football Championship The British University Gaelic football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament held for universities in Great Britain. It is organised by the BUGAA which is a branch of the Higher Education GAA committee which oversees Gaelic Games i ...

and university teams at

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

and more recently

Napier University , mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain , established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College , type = Public , academic_staff = 802 , administrative_staff = 562 , chancellor = Will Whitehorn , ...

and the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

provided the club with a wider playing pool with many of the university team players going on to turn out for Connollys. The club's first tournament success came in 1993, with victory in the O’Fiach Cup and was closely followed by the club's maiden Scottish Championship triumph the following year. In 1998, the club began ground-sharing with

Portobello RFC Portobello RFC, formerly known as Portobello FP, is a rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The first XV currently play in . Their 2nd XV play in the East Reserve League 2. History Portobello was founded as a former pupils club of Por ...

at Cavalry Park in

Duddingston Duddingston ( sco, Duddiston) is a historic village in the east of Edinburgh, Scotland, next to Holyrood Park. Origins and etymology The estate wherein Duddingston Village now lies was first recorded in lands granted to the Tironensian monks ...

Present day

In the early 1990s, there were nearly 20 Gaelic football teams competing in central Scotland. In 2018 that number has been reduced to just five, including Connollys. Dún Deagh Dálriada, Glasgow Gaels GFC (formed in 1999 from the amalgamation of Glencovitt Rovers and Paisley Gaels), Sands MacSwineys GFC (formed by members of the Glasgow-based Pearse Harps who wanted to set up a team in Coatbridge) and Tir Conaill Harps (also established after an ‘amicable’ break away from Pearse Harps by the club's underage section) make up the other four teams. Dunedin Connollys currently has members from counties

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

, Tyrone, Leitrim,

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

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 ...

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

, Londonderry,

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

, and

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

British success

After losses to St Peter's Manchester GAA in 2004 and Harlsden Harps in 2005, Dunedin Connollys won their maiden British Championship in 2009, beating holders John Mitchel's of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

by a score of 1–08 to 2-04. The club then won three consecutive British titles, defeating John Mitchel's after extra time in 2016, defeating

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

side Sean McDermotts of Warwickshire GAA in 2017, and Neasden Gaels in 2018.

All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship

Dunedin Connollys has competed in the

All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition which began in 2002 and is played by the junior club champions of each county. Prior to that a number of unofficial competitions were held. The winners of each cou ...

on four occasions, in 2010, 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19. Connollys lost in the 2010 quarter-final to Emyvale of

Monaghan GAA The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Mhuineacháin) or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan a ...

, going down 3–07 to 0-08. In early December 2016, Connollys defeated

side

Rosenallis GAA Rosenallis Gaelic Athletic Association club is a hurling and Gaelic football club in the village of Rosenallis in County Laois, Ireland. The club colours are green and white. The club formerly amalgamated with the Clonaslee–St Manman's club ...

1–09 to 1–06 in Edinburgh before being knocked out by

Ulster GAA The Ulster Council ( ga, Comhairle Uladh) is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city o ...

champions Rock St Patrick's GAC in January 2017, losing 2–06 to 1–18 at the

Athletic Grounds The Athletic Grounds ( ga, Páirc Lúthchleasaíochta) is a GAA stadium in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the county ground and administrative headquarters of Armagh GAA and is used for both Gaelic football and hurling. Uses The stadium i ...

. In December 2017, Connollys hosted first time Ulster champions Naomh Colmcille, with the

side winning 1–10 to 2–06 in Edinburgh.

Dunedin Connollys Ladies

In 1998 a Ladies team was set-up by then club chairman Peter Dillon and his wife Suzanne. To begin with, Connollys Ladies competed in the Ladies University Championship and won it three years on the trot. The Ladies also won back-to-back sevens titles in 2006 and 2007. Since 2009 the ladies' team has competed in the Scottish Ladies university league and Championship. In 2013 Connollys ladies won the All Britain Junior Championship and went on to contest the All Ireland Club junior final, losing to a strong kerry club. Connollys ladies have gone on to win 5 All Britains and have lost a further 3 finals. Connollys ladies are the benchmark of ladies GAA in Britain currently.

Dunedin Connollys Juniors

As well as a Men's Senior team, Dunedin Connollys runs a Junior team. The second-string side made it to the 2016 Scottish Junior Championship final, where they were defeated by Glasgow Gaels.

Dunedin Og

Dunedin Connollys has a youth set-up, named Dunedin Og. Founded in 2012, the establishment of Dunedin Og marked the end of two years of hard work and coaching by local Gaelic football enthusiasts in Edinburgh's primary schools. Dunedin Og runs Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 teams, all of whom compete as mixed gender teams. In 2015, eight Dunedin Og players were called up to the Scottish feile team while one player made the Scotland Under-16 squad.

Honours

Dunedin Connollys have won the Scottish Championship 16 times to date, the first in 1994 and the most recent in 2020. The club won five titles on the trot from 2007 - 2011. Dunedin Connollys have also won the British Championship four times, in 2009, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Current football squad

* Bainisteóir: Alan Ward * Roghnóirí: Ronan Fahy, Robbie Howe Squad as per Dunedin Connollys v Naomh Colmcille, 2017 All-Ireland Club Junior Football Championship Quarter-Final, 9 December 2017

Notable players

Frank Molloy and Sean Malee are former

Mayo GAA The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Maigh Eo) or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo coun ...

panellists while Conor Horan turned out for the Mayo U21s and Ronan McGurk did likewise for

Tyrone GAA The Tyrone County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae Tír Eoghain), or Tyrone GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games i ...

minors. For Dunedin Connollys Ladies, Caoilfhionn Deeney won the All-Ireland title with

Wicklow GAA The Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae Cill Mhantáin) or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wi ...

in 2011 while Rosanna Heeney appeared in two All-Ireland finals with

Louth GAA The Louth County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae an Lú) or Louth GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Louth. The co ...

in 2010 and 2012.

Honours

*Men's Junior All-Ireland Series: semi-finalists - 2016 *Men's Junior All-Ireland Series: quarter-finalists - 2010, 20177 *Men's British Senior Football Championship: winners 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018; finalists 2004, 2005 *Men's Scottish Senior Championship: winners - 1994, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 *Men's Scottish Junior Championship: finalists - 2016 *Ladies All-Britain Intermediate Championship: winners 2014, 2015 *Ladies All-Britain Junior Championship: winners 2013 *Ladies Scottish Senior Championship: winners - 2014, 2015 *Ladies Sevens: winners 2006, 2007

References

External links

Official website

Laois footballer hoping to help Scottish GAA side to All Ireland glory - Siun Lennon - 14th November 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunedin Connollys Gaelic football clubs in Scotland Sports clubs and teams in Edinburgh 1988 establishments in Scotland