Shelmaliers 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 Castlebridge,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

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 was founded in 1886, with the name Shelmaliers being adopted in 1952, and fields 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 ...

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 ...

and

camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...

Location

Shelmaliers represents a parish of three centres – historic

Castlebridge Castlebridge () is a small town on the R741 regional road in County Wexford, Ireland, north of Wexford Town. It is located near the River Slaney and just north of Wexford Harbour. Castlebridge is a rapidly expanding suburb of Wexford Town; ...

, Screen at the northern end, and the seaside area of

Curracloe Curracloe () is a village in County Wexford, a few miles northeast of the town of Wexford, Ireland. It lies on the R742 regional road at the junction with R743, and is linked to the long and sandy Curracloe Strand (beach) by the short R743 ro ...

. The club is in the "over the water" area, just north of the town of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

History

Evidence suggests that the game of hurling had been played in the area long before the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884. Two years later in 1886 the club played its first game under the auspices of the association – a game of football against Our Lady's Island in October 1886. Over the next fifty years the club, under various names such as the Emmets, the Redmonds, and the Sally Beachers, enjoyed a golden age, winning thirteen senior hurling titles and one senior football title. The club represented Wexford in the All-Ireland championship on five occasions. Their finest hour was in 1910, when

, represented by

, won its first All-Ireland senior hurling title. The Shelmaliers name was adopted in 1952, when the old Ibars and Ardcolm clubs merged. County junior hurling titles followed in 1954 and 1966. Other titles have been annexed in the intervening period, winning a junior football championship in 1985, and an intermediate hurling title in 1997. John Hegarty managed the club to the Wexford SFC. He was still Shelmaliers manager when the County Board appointed him as manager of the county football team in 2022. He continued as club manager for the SFC.

Facilities

The 1970s saw the club move to its present grounds at Hollymount, the start of a process of development which is continuing today. The club now have three pitches, and have purchased land for a fourth pitch.

Notable players

* Brian Doyle *

Jack Harding John Joseph Harding (January 4, 1898 – February 24, 1963) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at St. Thomas College—now the University of ...

Séamus Hearne Séamus Hearne (1932 - 7 November 2008) was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Wexford senior team. Born in Curracloe, County Wexford, Hearne first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked ...

Mick Morrissey Mick Morrissey (6 June 1933 – 22 March 1993) was an Irish hurler from County Carlow who played as a left wing-back for the Wexford and New York senior teams. Morrissey first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty three when ...

Eoghan O'Gara Eoghan O'Gara (born 24 September 1985) is a Gaelic footballer who played as a forward at senior level for the Dublin county team. O'Gara attended St. Josephs BNS primary school in Terenure. Playing career O'Gara made his Championship debut fo ...

, the Dublin All-Ireland SFC winner, transferred to the club in 2022 as his wife is from there

Honours

Wexford Senior Hurling Championship The Wexford Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Pettitt's SuperValu Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Wexford GAA clubs. The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athl ...

(2):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* Wexford Intermediate Football Championship (1): 2007 *

Wexford Intermediate Hurling Championship The Wexford Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as The Courtyard Ferns Intermediate Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition contested by mid-tier Wexford GAA clubs. The Wexford County Board of the Gael ...

(1): 1997 * Wexford Junior Football Championship (2): 1973, 1985 *

Wexford Junior Hurling Championship The Wexford Junior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Permanent TSB Junior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition contested by lower-tier Wexford GAA clubs. The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athleti ...

(3): 1954, 1966, 1988 * Wexford Under-21 Football Championship (6) 2003, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016 * Wexford Under-21 Hurling Championship (2) 2008, 2009 * Wexford Minor Football Championship (5) 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012 * Wexford Minor Hurling Championship (4) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009

References

External links

Shelmaliers GAA Club website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelmaliers Gaa Gaelic games clubs in County Wexford Hurling clubs in County Wexford Gaelic football clubs in County Wexford