Rockchapel GAA
| Séipéal na Carraige | ||
 |
||
| Founded: | 1934 | |
|---|---|---|
| County: | Cork | |
| Nickname: | The Rock | |
| Colours: | Maroon and White | |
| Grounds: | Stagmount | |
| Playing kits | ||
|
||
Rockchapel GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the village of Rockchapel in the North West of County Cork, Ireland which forms part of the parish of Rockchapel and Meelin. The village is located close to border with County Kerry and County Limerick. The club plays Gaelic Football in the Duhallow division competitions.Ladies' Gaelic football is also played within the club. Rockchapel juvenile footballers play with St. Peter's which is an amalgamation of Meelin, Freemount and Rockchapel clubs at juvenile level. They last won the Duhallow Football Championship in 2012 and won the Cork County Junior Football Championship later that year.
Gaelic football began in a townland called Rockchapel in the 1920s. A priest named Father Hurley, the nephew of the renowned Father Casey from Abbeyfeale, was there at the beginning. Games were organized between Rockchapel, Meelin, Brosna and Mountcollins as there was no structure or Board in place at that time. 21 years after the Duhallow Board was first formed Rockchapel had its first victory when they defeated Kilbrin in the novice final in 1954 which was played in Banteer. The team was captained by Tom Murphy of Lyreneague and the panel of players included PJ Morrissey, M Nelligan, C Murphy, J Guiney, Denise JD O'Mahony, D O'Connell, Fr. T Murphy, C O'Carroll, D O'Mahony, D Sheehan, D O'Keeffe, B Guiney, Donie O'Connell, J Carroll, J Moyles and JJ Curtin. Playing in the junior ranks from 1955 to 1957 brought no success so the club re-graded to Novice in 1958. The following year the novice championship was won for the second time, defeating Castlemagner in the final.
After competing in the junior grade in 1960 and 1961, the Club again re-graded to Novice in 1962. In an amazing sequence Rockchapel lost in the Novice finals of 1962 - 1965 inclusive. There was some compensation when the Novice Football League was won in 1964 and 1965. Of the team which beat Ballydesmond by 2-7 to 0-3 in the 1965 decider, there were 3 priests in the defence, namely Fr. Finbarr Kelleher at left corner back, Fr. Tom Murphy centre back and Fr. Padraig Keogh at left half back. Rockchapel also won the Novice Football League of 1967 but the final was not played until May 1968 owing to the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease. In the final Rockchapel defeated Lyre 2-6 to 1-5.
...
Wikipedia