Young Irelands GAA (Limerick)
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| Founded: | 1898 | ||||||||
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| County: | Limerick | ||||||||
| Colours: | Blue and gold | ||||||||
| Grounds: | Markets Field. Roxboro Road. Lanigan Park, NCR | ||||||||
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Young Irelands GAA was a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Limerick, Ireland. The club was primarily concerned with the game of hurling.
On the 16th of November 1898 eight men met together at 55 Thomas Street, Limerick City which was the headquarters of the Young Ireland Society. Their purpose was the formation of a hurling club to be called after the Young Ireland movement, which was prominent in Ireland at the time. The men who attended were Johnny Sweeny, Michael McInerney (Davis Street) James Fitzgerald of Guinness, Jack Murphy (Mungret Street) Pat Cowhey (Athlunkard Street), Jim O’Connell, O’Connell Street, Paddy O’Farrell, Frank O’Shaughnessy, and Jim Gleeson. The first few years of Young Irelands were confined to being an underage club. Shamrocks was another Limerick City club and many of the older members of the IRB and of the Young Ireland Society were attached to the Shamrocks club. When they saw the progress of the new Juvenile club in Young Irelands they decided to form one club called Young Irelands that would also take part at adult level. Shamrocks had won the 1898 County Senior hurling championship beating Caherline at the Markets Field. Many of the older members of this team retired after this success and the remaining players joined Young Irelands with 6 of them playing on the Young Irelands team that defeated Monagea in 1902 to win their first of 7 County Senior hurling Championships. The six men who won both county titles were James Flanagan, Michael Hogan, Johnny Sweeny, Andy Kelly, M. Slattery and C. Kelly. In later years Shamrocks were revived and based in the Boherbuoy area of the city in the Rangers Social club. Young Irelands won their second senior hurling title in 1910 when they defeated Castleconnell.
In the early days, Young Irelands was more than a GAA club. Every type of Gaelic activity was encouraged. They held many successful lectures and concerts. They held a weekly Ceili, which ran for several years, and they had fully equipped Club Rooms with a Library and Billiard Tables. They were the first Club to hold a banquet to honour a County Championship success, this being held at Cruises Hotel following their 1928 victory against Rathkeale.
Young Irelands Golden era was in the 1920s and early 1930s. They used to have great struggles against their City Rivals Claughaun who also had their Clubrooms in the Gaelic League premises in Thomas Street. Young Irelands used to train and play matches in the Markets Field in the 1920s and it was not uncommon near the end of the season for Young Irelands and Garryowen rugby club to be training at opposite ends of the Markets Field at the same time. Young Irelands defeated Newcastlewest in 1920, Bruff in 1922 and Rathkeale in 1928 to capture their fifth County Senior hurling title. In 1927 Young Ireland organized a 7 a side hurling confined to club members and they had committee meetings in the Gaelic League Hall every Wedsnesday. Young Irelands official opening of their club rooms took place at 17 Thomas Street in 1929. Young Irelands rented the rooms off the Gaelic League. These rooms were formerly the headquarters of The Gaelic League, which moved to St Itas Hall. Young Ireland field was in Roxboro Road during this period but they decided not to renew the lease of the field in 1932 owing to its unsuitability due to the erection of houses in the vicinity. The club decided to return to its old training ground, The Markets Field. They also moved their Club Rooms to Number 8 The Crescent in 1932 for an annual rent of £100. They left their rooms in Thomas Street because the Gaelic League sought an increased rent. Young Irelands won the County senior hurling championship in 1930 defeating Newcastlewest. They defeated Newcastlewest again in 1932 to capture their last county title. They hit a lean period for a few years after this. They reorganized the club in 1936 and had underage success in 1938 and 1939 in hurling and football.
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