Saint Thomas' Gaelic Athletic Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the Kilchreest and Peterswell areas of

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, Ireland. The club is exclusively concerned with the game of

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 ...

. St.Thomas' are the current All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling champions having defeated O'Loughlin Gaels of Kilkenny in the final in January 2024. This was their 2nd championship victory having first won the All-Ireland championship in 2013. They won their first ever Galway senior hurling championship in 2012. In February 2013 they advanced to the final of the

All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Club Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county club hurlin ...

after a 0–15 to 0–7 win against Loughgiel Shamrocks. They beat Offaly side Kilcormac/Killoughey to win the All Ireland on Saint Patrick's Day 2013 in

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. The club won the Galway senior hurling championship again in 2016 beating Gort in the final, and again in 2018 against Liam Mellows. They won it again in 2023, beating

Turloughmore Turloughmore ( ; ) is a village in County Galway, Ireland. The name means "the large lake," a notable feature of the area, together with the Clare River (''Abhainn an Chláir''). Turloughmore lies on the N63 national secondary road A nationa ...

in the final.

History

The club was formed in 1968 when Peterswell and Kilchreest amalgamated. Peterswell had enjoyed early success in the late 1800s and early 1900 with them winning the Galway Senior Hurling Championship title in 1889, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1905 and 1907. They were a major force in

Galway GAA The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na Gaillimhe) or Galway GAA are one of the 32 county boards in Ireland; they are responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway, and f ...

throughout this period. The club name derives from Thomas the Apostle, to whom the Catholic church in Peterswell is dedicated. Both adjoining parishes were associated with hurling since its foundation but due to emigration and lack of numbers the parishes decided to amalgamate. The first year in competitive hurling was a successful one. The under-14 team brought the club its first success by winning the county title. The team would follow this up by winning the county under-16 title in 1970. Construction began on their current clubhouse which is located on the main Gort to Loughrea Road in 1976. That along with a brand new pitch were finally officially opened in 1983 by Paddy Buggy, President of the GAA. In 1978 another milestone was reached when the club was promoted to senior ranks after reaching the county intermediate final, however they were defeated by close neighbours Kilbeacanty. Following the promotion to senior ranks the club endured a chequered existence in senior hurling. Having been relegated on a number of occasions they secured promotion with Intermediate Championship victories in 1996 and 2004. They were crowned Galway Senior Champions for the first time in 2012 by defeating Loughrea in the final on a scoreline of 3–11 to 2–11 in Pearse Stadium. They followed this up by taking the

by defeating Kilcormac-Killoughy on St Patrick's Day. In 2016, the secured a second Galway Senior Hurling Championship by beating Gort in the final on a scoreline of 1–11 0–10.

2013 All Ireland victory

Path to county final

In the quarter-finals St Thomas' were 2–20 to 0–10 winners over Galway club Castlegar. Centre-forward

Conor Cooney Conor Cooney (born 22 October 1992) is an Irish hurler who plays for Galway Senior Championship club St Thomas's and at inter-county level with the Galway senior hurling team. He usually lines out as a full-forward. Playing career Gort Com ...

lead the way scoring 1–6 (6fs). In the semi-final St Thomas' met county champions Gort. St Thomas' led at half time however Gort rallied, scoring two late points to secure a replay. Gort's Aidan Harte scored the equalising point from a 65 in the third minute of additional time. They overcame Gort in the replay in Kenny Park Athenry. St Thomas' won their first

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

county title in November 2012 defeating Loughrea in the final.

Semi-final

They faced Antrim side and Ulster Champions Loughgiel Shamrocks in the All Ireland semi-final in Parnell Park. St. Thomas' were leading by four points in injury time. However, Liam Watson tipped over a twenty-metre free and scored a goal from a free in the last puck of the dramatic game to secure a draw for Loughgiel. St Thomas' were victorious in the replay played in Clones, winning on a scoreline of 0–15 to 0–7.

All-Ireland final

St Thomas' won their first All-Ireland Club Championship title on 17 March 2013 after defeating Kilcormac-Killoughey of Offaly on a scoreline of 1–11 to 1–09.

2024 All Ireland victory

Semi-final

On 16 December 2023, the club reached a second

final after defeating Ballygunner on penalties in the

semi-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

All-Ireland final

On 21 January 2024, St Thomas' won the final by 0-18 to 0-17 against O'Loughlin Gaels in

to win their second All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship title.

Éanna Burke Éanna Burke (born 21 October 1995) is an Irish hurler who plays as a midfielder for the Galway senior team. Career Burke made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was selected for the Galway minor team. He enjoyed ...

scored the winning point for St. Thomas' in added time with an over the shoulder point from out on the left near the touchline at the hill 16 end. James Regan had been sent-off for St. Thomas' two minutes into the second half for a shoulder charge. O'Loughlin Gaels appeared to have scored a goal in the first half when a low shot from Owen Wall looked to have gone over the goal-line before being cleared by Fintan Burke.

Hurling titles

(2) **

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* Galway Senior Hurling Championship (8) ** 2012,

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* Galway Intermediate Hurling Championship (1) ** 2004 * Galway Junior Hurling Championship (1) ** 1972 * Galway Under-21 Hurling Championship (3) ** 1980, 1995, 2013 * Galway Minor Hurling Championship (1) ** 2008 * Galway Under-16 Hurling Championship (1) ** 1970, 2013 * Galway Under-14 Hurling Championship (2) ** 1968, 2014 * Galway Under-13 Hurling Championship (1) ** 2013

Notable hurlers

* Anthony Cunningham * David Burke * Kenneth Burke *

* James Regan * Richie Murray *

References

External links

St Thomas' GAA site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas' Gaa Gaelic games clubs in County Galway Hurling clubs in County Galway