Crettyard Gaelic Athletic Association
| Crochta Ard | ||
| Founded: | 1960 | |
|---|---|---|
| County: | Laois | |
| Nickname: | Cretty | |
| Colours: | Green, White and Gold | |
| Grounds: | Newtown | |
| Coordinates: | 52°51′56.51″N 7°06′18.48″W / 52.8656972°N 7.1051333°WCoordinates: 52°51′56.51″N 7°06′18.48″W / 52.8656972°N 7.1051333°W | |
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Crettyard GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football club in Crettyard near Newtown in County Laois, Ireland.
The club is located near the Laois-Kilkenny border.
Shortly after the GAA was founded in 1884, there were two clubs in the area: Mayo “Die Hards” and Newtown “sons of Erin”. According to the Nationalist and Leinster Times newspaper Newtown played a football game v Modubeagh in 1888, Mayo also played a match v Modubeagh in the Arles club tournament in 1889. An R.I.C. special branch report on the G.A.A. in Queens County in 1890, stated that the Mayo and Newtown clubs were both affiliated. The Mayo club officers were, Captain; John Doogue, Sec; James Murphy, Treas; John Graham. There were 40 members in the club. The Newtown club offices were Captain: Luke Delaney; Sec: John Dooley; Treasurer: William Delaney, Newtown had 55 members. The draw for the football championship of 1891 had Newtown v Drimroe down to play in Kellyville on 19 April 1891 with James Mallon as referee. The last report of a team from the Parish during this time came in 1896, Newtown playing Athy in the Ballyadams club tournament.
Martin Gorman and Paddy Lawlor both from Doonane played with Clough/Cloneen club in the Kilkenny county finals of 1911-1913. Paddy Lawlor represented the Kilkenny Senior football team during this time. Kilkenny was very successful in football during the early 1900s.
There is a report in the Nationalist newspaper of a meeting of the Doonane/Mayo branch of the Irish National Volunteers in the “football field” in Killeen, Crettyard in 1914. So it can be assumed that football was played in the parish even though there was no team affiliated at this time.
Newtown reappeared in the 1930 junior championship. After reaching the semi-final in 1931, v Portarlington, match played on 17/1/1932, they dropped out of existence. The team mentors was Tom Purcell from Clonbrock and Pat Reilly of Newtown Bog. “Big” Paddy Delaney, Michael ”Skealy” Delaney both from Crettyard, Andy Nash Aughrina and John Reilly Newtown Bog all played and won Kilkenny county titles with Cloneen club during this period.
The “Old” Crettyard club was founded in 1936. Playing in the junior championship, they reached six semi-final’s over 11 years. They were unlucky not to have won at least one Laois title and were generally regarded as one of the best junior teams of their time. The club supplied players to Laois senior, junior and minor teams. The club’s last match was in the losing the 1947 semi-final v Kilminchy, which was played in 1948.
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