Inagh-Kilnamona 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 ...

club based in the parish of

Inagh and Kilnamona Inagh and Kilnamona is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe in County Clare, Ireland. It is mostly coterminous with the civil parishes of Inagh and Kilnamona that lie to the west of the county town of Ennis in the ancient barony ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

in Ireland. The club field teams in

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 ...

. The present club was formed prior to the 2008 season when Inagh GAA and Kilnamona GAA merged to form one club.

History

The club was set up in 1887. It was originally called Smith O'Brien's, Kilnamona, after the nationalist

William Smith O'Brien William Smith O'Brien ( ga, Liam Mac Gabhann Ó Briain; 17 October 1803 – 18 June 1864) was an Irish nationalist Member of Parliament (MP) and a leader of the Young Ireland movement. He also encouraged the use of the Irish language. He ...

(1803–64). Kilnamona enjoyed success in the first decade of the 20th century, winning the

Clare Senior Hurling Championship The Pat O'Donnell & Co. Senior Hurling Championship, more commonly known as the'' Clare Senior Hurling Championship ''or'' Clare SHC, ''is an annual hurling competition organised by the Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It ...

in 1902, 1903 and 1908. In 1902, Kilnamona defeated Barefield in the County Final. The Barefield club alleged that Kilnamona were the pick of four parishes and challenged Kilnamona to a rematch. Kilnamona captain Mick "Curk" Lyons gave the stirring reply: "Kilnamona won the medals and we mean to wear them!". In 1903, Kilnamona defeated Thomonds in the final. In 1908, Kilnamona proved too strong for

Kilmaley Kilmaley ( ga, Cill Mháille) is a village situated west of the town of Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. The name "Kilmaley" came from the Irish language "Cill Mhaile" which translates to Church of (Saint) Maley. Location Kilmaley is in the b ...

in the semi final, defeating them by 1–14 to 2–3. They defeated O'Callaghan's Mills in the final on a scoreline of 0–11 to 0–10. The game being played at the Showgrounds, Ennis. Throughout this decade, there were three captains of the Clare Hurling team that came from Kilnamona: Michael "Curk" Lyons in 1902, Frank Hegarty in 1903 and Michael Hegarty in 1909.''The Clare People'', 03/09/2009, "Hurling Captains of Clare 1887–2009", Ennis, p.70. Emigration hit the club hard in the intervening years and their next adult success was not until 1957 when they won the Junior B Championship. They defeated St. John's (Ennis), Kiltannon (Tulla) and Lisheen on their way to the final. On 13 October in Cusack Park,

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

Kilnamona defeated Tubber by 8–7 to 4–3. In 1965, Kilnamona won the

Clare Junior Hurling Championship Clare Junior Hurling Championship is the third-tier hurling competition organized by the Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The competition is confined to clubs organised by Clare GAA. The winners usually will play in the in ...

. They overcame Cappa/Kilmurry in the semi final by 5–5 to 4–6. On 3 October, they faced

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...

in the final. A late goal by James O'Keefe proved decisive. 1971 saw Kilnamona win the

. They defeated Ballyea in the first round by 5–7 to 3–4.

were defeated in the final which was held in Cusack Park

on 14 September. Kilnamona regained the

in 1975. Kilnamona defeated Éire Óg, Cratloe and Barefield on their way to the final. Kilnamona had goals scored by Michael Kerin, Michael Keane and Milo Keane in the final against Kilmaley. 1989 saw Kilnamona emerge triumphant over Éire Óg in the final of the Junior A Championship. In 1996 Kilnamona regained the title, defeating Kilmaley in the final. The club and defeated near neighbours Inagh in the 1998 Intermediate Championship Final. Kilnamona then won the Senior B Hurling Final soon after, defeating Clonlara on a score of 1–10 to 0–9. In 2003, Kilnamona amalgamated with Inagh for Juvenile competitions to compete in "A" championships. They enjoyed spectacular success, winning the Under 16 championship in 2006, the minor title in 2005 and 2008 and the under 21 title in 2007 Clare Under-21 Hurling Championship. In 2007, the Inagh and Kilnamona clubs fully merged. Image:Kilnamona Senior B Champions.JPG, Kilnamona Senior B Champions 1998 Image:Kilnamona U21C Champions 2007.jpg, Kilnamona U-21 C Champions 2007 Image:Kilnamona Hurling Field.JPG, The Pit, Kilnamona Hurling Field

Major honours

Kilnamona (1887–2007)

(3): 1902, 1903, 1908 * Clare Senior B Hurling Championship (1): 1998 *

Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship The Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Clare GAA, Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the second tier hurling teams in the county of County Clare, Clare in Ireland. Th ...

(1): 1998 * Clare Junior A Hurling Championship (5): 1965, 1971, 1975, 1989, 1996 * Clare Junior B Hurling Championship (1): 1957 * Clare Under-21 C Hurling Championship (1): 2007

Inagh (1887–2007)

(1): 2005 *

(2): 1984, 1993

Inagh-Kilnamona (2007–present)

Runners-Up:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

(1): 2014 * Clare Under-21 A Hurling Championship (3): 2007, 2016, 2018 * Clare Minor A Hurling Championship (4): 2005, 2008, 2017, 2021 * Clare Under-16 A Hurling Championship (1): 2006

References

External links

Clare GAA Site
{{Clare clubs Gaelic games clubs in County Clare Hurling clubs in County Clare