SCHOOL’S out for summer and what better way for kids to start the holidays than with a week of playing football in the fine weather.
Well okay, the elements weren’t in their favour, but nearly 90 children of varying ages had a great time regardless at the Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Cúl Camp.
Head Coach Sam McCarthy and his fellow coaches made sure everything went smoothly as the young footballers honed their skills and made the best of it despite the occasional shower.
We called on Friday morning to capture the fun on the last day of the Camp. Scroll down for photos…
KERINS O’Rahillys GAA Club has transformed its upstairs function room into a new gym.
The official opening in The Healy Room took place on Saturday evening, performed by the late Pat Healy’s daughters Kay and Roisin in the presence of club president Richard Walsh, club chairman Oliver Molloy, Mayor of Tralee Terry O’Brien, as well as Minister for Education Norma Foley, newly elected councillors Paul Daly, Angie Baily and Anne O’Sullivan, players and club members.
Chairman Oliver Molloy spoke of the inspiration behind the gym, the club’s All Ireland senior club championship journey in 2022. It was from this journey that he saw a need for the club to have its own gym to cater for all members and for all teams.
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The funding came from the proceeds of Last Man Standing and the very generous donation of JP & Noreen McManus; the expertise around the design and equipment came from new tenant, Dan Breen of Inception Performance but the realisation of his dream came from the volunteering of club members, Richie Roche, John O’Brien, Rory Molloy, Mark Higgins as well as the likes of juvenile chair, John O’Connor who organised an army of cleaners on Good Friday who put in trojan work to make the dream a reality.
Morgan Nix’s contribution too was recognised providing the expertise of his cleaning company Envirocoat Ltd. Oliver Molloy was also keen to acknowledge the support of the Higgins family and Kingdom Print.
KERRY Cancer Support Group, represented by Manager Breda Dyland and office administrator Trish Kelly, were the grateful recipients of a cheque for €572 presented by Kerins O’Rahillys GAA club on Tuesday evening.
The funds were generated from the annual 10K fun run in late January where hundreds took to the road to help the club and a great cause.
Kerins O’Rahillys have supported such local worthy causes as Inspire and Pieta House in the past through various fundraisers.
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Chairman Oliver Molloy presented the cheque and said he “was delighted to help Kerry Cancer Support Group as they provide vital support services to cancer patients and their families, raise awareness about cancer prevention, early detection and the importance of regular screenings.
They help create a sense of community and solidarity among those affected by cancer, reducing feelings of isolation and providing a network of support.”
THE Kerins O’Rahillys Augusta Masters Challenge fundraiser once again proved to be a huge success with over 700 taking part and a familiar face taking top prize.
The fundraiser, which initially was set a modest financial goal due to the club’s Golf Classic on Good Friday, exceeded all expectations and raised a significant amount of funds in a remarkably short period of time.
As cards were distributed by club members, the fundraiser quickly gained momentum and thanks to technology – WhatsApp & Revolut – the event attracted a large number of supporters who were keen to participate.
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The winner, after four days of excitement, was former Club Chairman Seán Kissane with Carmel Daughton taking second place and Shane Corcoran third. The consolation prize went to Karon McLysaght.
The cash prizes were presented to the winners on Wednesday night last, by Chairman Oliver Molloy in the presence of committee members.
We return to county league action next weekend with a home game vs Milltown/Castlemaine – throw-in in Strand Road is at 3 pm – the game will be preceded by our Div 6 fixture when we play An Ghaeltacht @ 1 pm.
Our division 6 team suffered defeat at the hands of Fossa on Tuesday night last, eventually going down by 6 points despite having led by 4 points early in the 2nd half.
Masters Golf :
Our annual Masters Challenge proved to be a huge success, exceeding all expectations and raising a significant amount of funds in a remarkably short space of time.
The fundraiser, coming so soon after our Golf Classic, quickly gained momentum once tickets were issued and attracted a large number of supporters who were eager to contribute.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all our supporters who have dug deep over the past number of weeks ensuring a major injection of funds which will be used in various initiatives in the coming months.
The winner was none other than our former chairman, Seán Kissane who finished on ( -20) two shots clear of Carmel Daughton who was a further 2 shots clear of Shane Corcoran. Congrats to you all.
Karen McLysaght was the winner of the consolation prize of €50 with Viktor Hovland not making the cut.
For the record, Seán’s picks were: Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffle, Ludvid Agberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Colin Morikawa & Hideki Matsyuama.
Juvenile:
As training continued in Tralee Sports Complex due to pitch conditions, our U5 Boys and U6 Girls trained indoors as all other age groups from U7 to U10 trained outside on the astros.
All age groups enjoyed a fun filled session while learning key skills and developing their skills further every week. Training will continue next Sunday in Tralee Sports Complex at the later time of 10am to 11am. Hope to see full attendance and as always new members are more than welcome to join our fantastic club.
Bring a friend:
We are running a little initiative where everyone that brings a friend who is a new member to Academy will be entered into a draw for themselves and their friend for a full Kerins O’Rahillys Kit and Football.
U11 Boys:
Our U11s had their first game of the season in Pat Healy Park Thursday evening. The opposition was Castlegregory. The lads played brilliantly and showed that all the work on the training field is paying off. They defended brilliantly and the midfield delivered lovely balls into the forwards. Our forwards on the night combined brilliantly and took some lovely scores. Well done to all.
U13 Boys:
Our young guns went down by 2 points v Na Fianna this evening on a scoreline of 3-09 to 5-05 . It was a game of two halves as the wind played havoc with the game – Aaron O Sullivan stood out for KOR and Adam Quills sweet striking kept the scoreboard ticking over . Well done to all today.
U13 KOR A Teams:
Our A team had a dominant display at home v Na Fianna winning well in the end. Jack Hanlon and Rian Tuohy were clinical, while Kipras Mockas and Cameron Quirke won the midfield battle. We were worthy winners on the day.
Training continues Wednesday night in preparation for the games ahead this week which are as follows:
-A team at home to Fossa Friday 6.30pm in Healy Park
-A team away to Glenbeigh/Glencar/Cromane Sunday evening.
-B team away to An Ghaeltacht Sunday evening.
Kerins O’Rahillys/St. Pats Minors:
Kerins O’Rahillys/St. Pats V Ballyduff:
On Monday April 1st we had an excellent win in our final league game of the campaign against Ballyduff with Oisìn Cronin turning in a man of the match performance.
A back and forth game was decided deep into injury time from the boot of Dara Murphy with an excellent winner. Breandàn Meehan and Brayden Pierce gave fantastic defensive performances and Oisìn dominated the middle of the park following the loss of Michael Enright to a head injury. Jack Costello, Ryan Onyekwere, Ben Pierce and Aaron Horgan worked tirelessly around the middle and fed the full forward line well with Dara his usual creative self and Nick in fine form scoring 1-7. Final score: KOR\PATS 3-9 v Ballyduff 2-11.
Kerins O’Rahillys/St. Pats v St Michaels\Foilmore\Skellig\Valentia
Qualifying for the Division 4 Shield Semi Final was a fantastic achievement for this bunch as they were hampered throughout the league with a number of injuries and it only got worse prior to our game last week.
Already down Jamie McCarthy and Daniel Aneke, we lost Michael Enright the previous week and Ryan Onyekwere was unavailable leaving us very light. In the end it wasn’t our day and we would eventually fall to a 10 points to 1-11 loss at home. Nick Lacey was a constant thorn in the opposition side scoring 9 points and was well assisted by massive performances from Ben Pierce, Sean O’Mahony, Aiden Hayes, Oisìn Cronin and our captain Breandàn Meehan.
Best of luck to St Michaels\Foilmore\Skellig\Valentia in their final. Our attention now turns to the Central Region on Monday April 15th at 7pm in Strand Road against Annascaul\Lispole.
Clubzap:
It is vital that all members download clubzap and add Kerins O’Rahillys to their account. Clubzap will be used for all communication regarding each age group from U5s upwards. If you are having any difficulty with joining clubzap please ask one of our committee members on Sunday mornings to assist you and we will be happy to help. Or contact us through any of our social media outlets.
Registration:
All juveniles need to be registered at this stage if you have not done so can you please register asap. If you need any assistance or have any queries please contact us through any of our social media platforms or ask a coach/committee member at training. We are happy to help.
As always we as a club are very thankful and proud for all our wonderful volunteers from coaches to committee members and everyone that takes time out of their busy lives to ensure the smooth running of our Juvenile Section thank you.
Ladies:
Huge well done to the Kerry U14 teams on Saturday that took part in the Munster LGFA U14 Festival of Football Stage 2. Well done to both teams and management. Representing our club was Taylor Kate Leane, Sophie Constable and Lexi Keane. Well done girls, we are very proud of you all. Best of luck to both teams in their respective finals.
U12 Girls
KOR U12 girls put on a great display of football against Na Gaeil in Ballyrickard last Tuesday evening. Every girl played their hearts out and got stuck in. The tight marking of our girls gave Na Gaeil no room to play and resulted in a lot of turnovers for KOR.
A special mention to Erin Collins, who captained the team, for her cool head and super fielding skills. All in all, it was a fantastic team effort and all the girls should be very proud of themselves. It is lovely to start the season with such a rewarding performance.
U16 Girls:
Training this week was our first training on the grass in Ballyrickard. It was great to finally start back on grass but with the horrible weather and the school trip to Madrid numbers were low
But our girls were delighted to see the “hill” again…
Massive effort was put into the gym as usual on Friday night, all our girls improving every week ahead of our first game next week. See ye all Tuesday evening.
Hard luck to the Kerry U16 B Ladies at the weekend in the Munster LGFA U16 B Championship A Final. Representing our club was Aoibheann McCarthy and Saoirse O’Connor McCarthy (Captain)
Condolences:
We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the late Michael White, O’Rahillys Villas.
Michael was a native of Mountcollins and a proud Limerick hurling supporter. He was a keen supporter of our club, an always willing volunteer in pitch maintenance and grass cutting in Strand Road. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.
A KILMOYLEY man got a timely boost to his finances this week when he won the Kerins O’Rahillys ‘Last Man Standing’ National Football League competition.
James Godley beat off over 900 competitors to win the €500 prize, which will come in handy as he is getting married shortly.
There were 120 people still standing after the final round of Sunday, but James’ cumulative score just pipped Norma O’Connor in second and John Bingham in third. Funnily enough, it was Kerins O’Rahillys Rob O’Connor who sold the tickets to the top three players.
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James called to the clubhouse with his son Seamus on Wednesday to collect his winnings from Club Chairman Oliver Molloy.
Fundraising season is in full swing at Kerins O’Rahillys with a sold out Golf Classic taking place on Good Friday while they will soon launch their annual US Masters competition.
KERINS O’Rahilly’s GAA Club has launched a fundraising Golf Classic to help refurbish its ‘nursery’ at Healy Park.
The famous Tralee GAA club has launched the event to help finance an extensive refurbishment of their pitches and facilities at Ballyrickard. The Golf Classic will take place on Good Friday, March 29, at Tralee Golf Club.
Norman and Elaine Foley of Foleys Spar have come on board as the main sponsor. Healy Park is used extensively by all Kerins O’Rahilly’s teams, especially juveniles and ladies for Kerry LGFA games.
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Having a second pitch preserves the main pitch in Strand Road for county league and county championship fixtures.
Healy Park was officially opened 16 years ago, and although the facilities at the time were of an extremely high standard, in recent years the dressing rooms have fallen into disrepair and unfortunately, are now not fit for purpose.
The club estimates that the refurbishment works planned, will cost in the region of €45,000, involving renovations to existing dressing rooms and toilets and extensive repairs to the roof and internal floors.
This will be the first phase of a five-year plan, which will ultimately involve replacing the existing dressing rooms with a permanent structure to include better dressing rooms, a sports hall and a gymnasium.
Club Chairman Oliver Molloy describes Healy Park as the club’s ‘nursing ground’.
“It’s where we bring our kids to experience what it’s like to be part of a club, to make friends that will last a lifetime, and to coach them to become the very best players they can be,” he said.
“As a club we have a duty of care to our juvenile and LGFA players to ensure that they have the best facilities possible. This fundraiser will enable us to bring our existing facilities to an acceptable level, while giving us the opportunity to plan for the future.”
Teams of four for the Golf Classic will cost €750. To enter your team, contact Pat @ 086 3801898 or Antoinette @ 087 2072266. For more information, please e-mail: korgolf24@gmail.com
THERE’S just one week to go until hundreds take to the road for the annual Kerins O’Rahillys 10k run and 5k fun run.
Held in association with FBD Insurance, it’s been a massively successful event and this year’s run will be in aid of the Kerry Cancer Support Group.
The run (also open to walkers of course) will once again take place from the clubhouse at Strand Road on Sunday, January 28, at 11am.
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This is a chip-timed event opened to runners and walkers. There are individual men’s and women’s categories and a teams of four event. There is a finishers medal for all participants.
Registration is €20 for the 5k race and €25 for the 10k. Under 16s registration is €5 for 5k only. People can register online by clicking here.
KERINS O’Rahillys have appointed a new senior team bainisteoir.
Ray Walsh will take over duties from John O’Connor this year. Ray has held a coaching/managerial role in the club, be it at juvenile, minor, U-21 or senior level, since 2000.
He was coach in 2006 when the club won its first county minor championship and he followed that triumph with three successive minor county leagues in ’07, ’08 & ’09.
He later had success with the u-21s winning the club championship in 2013 and in 2015 when the U-21s beat East Kerry in the county championship. He later served alongside Barry O’Shea in 2015 as a selector. He will announce his coaching team in due course.
The clubhouse on Strand Road was the venue for a special gathering on Monday to formally inaugurate Richard Walsh as the new President of the famous club, succeeding Mossie Kelly who passed away in August.
New Chairman of Kerins O’Rahillys, Oliver Molloy, said Richard (or ‘Captain’ as he is better known), was a constant at the club for as long as he could remember.
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Richard was born in 1939 at the old cottages Spa Road and the Strand Road club has been a huge part of his existence since childhood.
He has wonderful memories of training in O’Connors field (now Ballyrickard Estate), of games at O’Donnells field (now Cahills Park) and of all the characters he met along the way.
He made his championship debut in 1958 and played in the infamous semi final win v South Kerry that was overturned on objection. He played in two further County Finals in ’61 and ’63 and was still playing junior up to the mid ’70s.
He joined the committee of the club at the tender age of 16 and was ever present until 2008, working tirelessly to transform the club and its facilities.
He also served as a senior selector throughout the ’70s and ’80s and was part of the management when Kerins O Rahillys won their maiden County League title in 1985.
He was always there to supervise operations during the days of the Festival campsite. He drove the club bus for years collecting future stars for training and games throughout the county and beyond.
He fondly recalls attending the 2002 Senior County Championship, the 2006 Minor County Championship wins and more recently the Munster title win and All Ireland semi final appearance at Croke Park as highlights in a memorable journey with the club.
A “true blue”, Richard was deeply honoured at becoming President of his beloved Kerins O’Rahillys, an honour which is richly deserved. Scroll down for photos…
THE match may have been delayed by 10 minutes due to crowd congestion, but the County League Division 1 relegation playoff battle between Austin Stacks and Kerins O’Rahillys was well worth the wait for spectators on Sunday.
It was the Blues who prevailed after an epic battle in difficult conditions at Austin Stack Park and they retain their Division 1 status while the Rockies head down to Division 2.
Kerins O’Rahillys led by 0-06 to 0-05 at the break but it wasn’t until the last 10 minutes of the 60 that the game truly came to life.
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Stacks had raced into a four point lead with eight minutes to go, but a Diarmuid O’Sullivan goal and a David Moran point in the space of two minutes had the teams level at 1-8 to 0-11.
A Michael O’Donnell point for Stacks was cancelled out by a Cormac Coffey reply on 27 minutes but injury time saw a flurry of points.
Stacks went ahead through another O’Donnell point only for Cormac Coffey and Ross O’Callaghan to put the Blues ahead again and surely the day was theirs. However, a late 45 from Sean Quilter brought the game to extra-time with the score at 1-11 to 0-14.
The sides traded scores in the first couple of minutes before David Mannix put the Rockies a point ahead. A key moment came in the fourth minute when Cormac Coffey scored a stunning goal to send Kerins O’Rahillys two clear.
They would never relinquish that lead and extended it a few minutes later with a point from Shane McElligott. Stacks narrowed the gap with a Paul O’Sullivan point but they had Niall Fitzmaurice receive a black card meaning they would play with 14 for the final 10 minutes.
The inspirational Kieran Donaghy was introduced for the final 10 minutes but a point from David Moran put Kerins O’Rahillys three ahead with nine minutes to go.
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With a minute left, Conor Hayes put the Blues four ahead and while Seán Quilter cut the lead to three with a free, a late, late attack saw Shane McElligott punch over the bar to seal the win on a scoreline of 2-16 to 0-18.
Relief more than joy for Kerins O’Rahillys, while the defeat to their great rivals will hurt for the Rockies who no doubt will be back sooner rather than later. Scroll down for photos…
THE first week of the summer holidays sees Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps take place all over Tralee with hundreds of youngsters honing their skills at local clubs.
It’s not been the best of starts to the week weatherwise. There’s been plenty showers so far, but the children certainly looked like they were having a good time at Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club when we called on Wednesday and thankfully the sun came out.
Over 100 kids of varying ages were at the Strand Road grounds under the tutelage of Lorraine Scanlon and the rest of the coaches and the kids enjoyed posing for photos in between the showers. Scroll down for photos…
WELL it was a bit less that the $3.2m Jon Rahm picked up for winning the US Masters, but a local man was still happy to collect top prize in a Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club fundraiser.
It was the 11th time the club held their US Masters Challenge and this year was the most successful to date with 1,260 lines sold (each line was €10 with subsequent lines on a card €5 extra).
A tremendous effort went into selling the lines with all at the club getting behind the fundraiser. In the end Seán Duggan’s choices of six golfers gained him the most points to win the competition and the €750 prize.
Next came Jordan Foley who won €150 with Ger Moran in third place taking home €100. The club wished to thank everyone involved in making the Challenge such a huge success.
WITH around 1,200 entries, it’s fair to say the Kerins O’Rahillys ‘Last Man Standing’ competition was a resounding success raising a tidy sum for the club’s expenses.
The competition focussed on the Allianz National Football League over the past seven weeks and while there were around 50 ‘survivors’ at the end, the points-based system saw Tadhg Reen emerge as the winner of the €500 first prize.
Tadhg, from Farmers Bridge, came down from college in Galway on Friday night to collect his winnings from the organising committee.
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“It’s still sinking in really that I won,” said Tadhg who plays football and hurling with Na Gaeil and Tralee Parnells respectively. “I saw the post on Facebook on Sunday night and thought ‘that’s some other Tadhg Reen surely’ but then I went through the scores.”
Tadhg said he will be putting his winnings towards expenses in College. He thanked all at Kerins O’Rahillys and especially his friend, TJ Heaphy, who persuaded him to pay the €10 entry fee.
On behalf of Kerins O’Rahillys, John O’Connor congratulated Tadhg and thanked everyone who entered the competition which saw a huge increase in entries on last year. He also thanked Tom Hoare who updated the scores every week and Nora Corridon for social media work.
As one fundraiser ends, another is about to begin next week with the club’s US Masters Challenge. Again, hundreds have already entered, selecting six golfers with the total score of all six golfers to count. There’s an initial cost per line of €10 – each subsequent line costs €5; there is a first prize of €750 with second netting €150 and third €100.
Tickets are still on sale from club players and members, The Klub Bar at the clubhouse and online via a QR Code. The QR code is on posters which can be scanned in shops all over town. Payments are facilitated by Clubforce and fully encrypted.
JOHN O’Connor has been appointed as new senior bainisteoir of Kerins O’Rahillys for the coming year, taking over from William Harmon who stepped down in January.
Announcing the news, club chairman Haulie Kerins said he was delighted that ‘Johnno’ had accepted the invitation to manage the team in 2023 and wished him all the best for the year ahead.
“Johnno has been a fantastic servant to the club for the past number of years, first as a player where his no nonsense and never say die attitude endeared him to team mates and supporters alike,” said Haulie.
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“He exudes passion and was never one to shirk a challenge. Since he retired he has been involved in the club as a coach at under age level and served as a selector with Will Harmon’s successful management team for the past three years.
“As a club, we were anxious that there would be continuity and familiarity with this group of players and Johnno ticked all the boxes in this regard. We are delighted that he has committed to us for the upcoming year and are happy that the players will respond to him and his management team,” said Haulie.
Johnno is currently finalising his management team which will be in place shortly. Kerins O’Rahillys begin their County League campaign at home against Castleisland Desmonds this Friday morning at 11am.
AS ‘last man standings’ and Cheltenham rollovers come to an end in the coming weeks, here’s a fun challenge for all sports fans to take you into April.
Kerins O’Rahillys are once again holding their US Masters fundraiser for the tournament which is played from April 6–9 (Easter week) at Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia.
Finance and Development chairman, Frank O’Connor launched the popular fundraiser, now in its 11th year, on Friday with tickets now on sale from club players and members, The Klub Bar at the clubhouse and online via a QR Code.
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The QR code is on posters which will can be scanned in shops all over town. Payments are facilitated by Clubforce and fully encrypted.
The format is the same as in previous years where you select six golfers with the total score of all six golfers to count, at an initial cost per line of €10 – each subsequent line costs €5; there is a first prize of €750 with second netting €150 & third €100.
It’s a very successful fundraiser for the club and it’s been hugely popular among golfers in town over the past decade.
THE first Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club social in seven years was an enormously successful night out with 320 of the club faithful gathering in the Ballyroe Heights Hotel.
As we told you earlier (click here if you missed it), it was an occasion to celebrate the Kerry Senior Club and Munster Championship successes, but it was much more than that.
It was an event which brought the community together and if they happened to look amazingly stylish too, then that was a bonus! Scroll down for photos…
AN amazing year for Kerins O’Rahillys was celebrated with gusto last night at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel, as the club held its first GAA social since 2016.
There was good reason to hold the event too, with medals for their Kerry Club and Munster Club Championship successes to be presented.
After a bubbly reception, the 320 guests convened upstairs in the venue for a delicious meal before the presentations were made.
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Ironically, Vice-Chairman of the County Board, Liam Lynch, delivered the most popular speech of the night.
In an eloquent and frequently witty address, the diehard Rockie and former Austin Stacks club chairman magnanimously acknowledged the achievements of the team last year and paid special tribute to David Moran’s contribution to GAA in Kerry over his inter-county career.
Ireland South MEP, Sean Kelly, was also in attendance and expressed his delight at the club’s success, especially since the Kilcummin native played underage football with Kerins O’Rahillys many moons ago.
In his speech, Club Chairman Haulie Kerins lauded the contribution of head coach William Harmon — who stepped down at the end of last year — for making such an amazing contribution to the club in the past three years.
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He thanked the players and their families for their hard work and sacrifice to bring the silverware to Strand Road and also gave gratitude to the organisers of the social for the time and commitment they put into the occasion.
Best Dressed awards, judged by Margaret Kissane of Connect Kerry, were presented to Sean Griffin and Tina Dunne, while music from Brightside and DJ Manus kept the celebrations going into the wee hours.
While ostensibly it was held to mark the club’s success in 2022, the event, like all GAA socials, was truly was a celebration of community and a chance to catch up with friends and family, the bedrock of all clubs. Scroll down for photos…
THE annual Kerins O’Rahillys 10k run and 5k fun run returns at the end of the month and will remember a man who was one of the best volunteers the club has ever had.
Held in association with FBD Insurance, this year’s run will honour the memory of Tom Begley who passed away in February 2022.
Tom, a native of Ballydavid, became involved with the juveniles when he started working as a teacher in CBS Primary in Clounalour in the early 1980s. He later joined the senior executive and was one of its most active workers for many years right until his untimely death.
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The run (also open to walkers of course) will once again take place from the clubhouse at Strand Road on Sunday, January 29, at 11am. This is a chip-timed event opened to runners and walkers. There are individual men’s and women’s categories and a teams of four event. There is a finishers medal for all participants.
Registration is €20 for the 5k race and €25 for the 10k. Under 16s registration is €5 for 5k only. People can register online by clicking here.
THEY may not have come away with the win, but they certainly had great support in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.
There was a big contingent of Kerins O’Rahillys fans in the Hogan Stand cheering on their side in their All-Ireland club semi-final against Kilmacud Crokes, but it ultimately ended in disappointment for the Blues.
While the Tralee side were in touch at the short whistle trailing by just two points (0-8 to 0-6), the Dubliners pulled away early in the second half with and led by six points (1-10 to 0-7) after 40 minutes, with Hugh Kenny netting for Crokes.
The sides traded scores until the final stages, but then Rahillys had a late flurry of scores to narrow the gap to three points to set up a grandstand finish.
They had a couple of chances for a late goal to level things up, but it wasn’t to be and the hot favourites won by 1-14 to 0-14.
Nevertheless, the Kerins O’Rahillys supporters enjoyed their trip to Croke Park and Nora Corridon sent us some photos of the Strand Road faithful at headquarters before the game. Scroll down for photos…
IT’S been a very merry Christmas for Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club and they’ll be hoping for a joyous January too if things go their way this weekend.
After the historic Munster Senior Club Final victory last month, the Blues supporters have been on a high and excitement is building ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland Club semi-final clash against Kilmacud Crokes.
Some of the club faithful gathered at their Strand Road base earlier this week to show their support ahead of Sunday, most of whom will be part of a big contingent travelling up to headquarters for the clash.
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Even more flags have started appearing along Strand Road and in the surrounding estates this week and we hear supporters are making their way to Dublin by planes, trains and automobiles.
Bookies are making the Dublin champions red-hot favourites at 1/10 with the Strand Road side 15/2, however it would be foolish to discount the challenge of the Tralee men.
While some would say they are in ‘bonus territory’ and the pressure is off, there is a real determination to grasp the opportunity now that they are in the semi-final.
Bainisteoir William Harmon, quoted on the Kerins O’Rahillys website, said; “The lads are excited, motivated and have made many sacrifices these past four weeks and will be ready for Croke Park on Sunday”.
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“It’s every child’s dream and to play there and with your club is the cherry on top – we have the likes of David, Tommy, Barry John, Cormac and Jack who all have been there with Kerry and won and they will provide leadership and guidance to the group. At the end of the day, each and every player will support one another and will not be fazed by the opposition or venue,” added William.
The match throws in at 1.30pm and will be shown live on TG4. Tickets at €20 for adults, €15 for students and €5 for juveniles are available via Ticketmaster. Click here for more. Scroll down for photos…
THE blue side of town can make their travel arrangements for the new year as details of the AIB GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Club Championship Semi-Finals were confirmed today.
Munster champions Kerins O’Rahillys game against hot favourites Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin will be the first in a double-bill of action on Sunday, January 8.
The game will throw in at 1.30pm and it will be followed at 3.30pm by Maigh Cuilinn v Glen. There will be extra-time if needed and a winner must emerge in both cases on the day.
Both games are live on TG4 but you can be sure there’ll be a large contingent from the Strand Road club making the journey. No doubt there’ll be buses put on by the club, so look out for details over the coming weeks.
WITH the weather only expected to get colder over the weekend, the Munster GAA Council has decided to act and make changes to the time and venue for tomorrow’s Munster Club SFC Final.
The game between Kerins O’Rahillys and Newcastlewest was due to be played in Páirc Uí Rinn in Cork city at 7.30pm on Saturday night.
This has now been changed to 3pm at Mallow GAA grounds on Saturday afternoon. This should come as a relief to fans from both sides who will now be travelling when temperatures are lower than they would be at night.
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The Kerins O’Rahillys supporters bus will now be departing at the earlier time of 12.30pm. Tickets for this are available to be bought from 5pm to 7pm this evening in The Klub.
The match will be shown live on TG4 Live Player online and on ther app with deferred coverage on TV that evening..
THE blue and white flags are being hung out along Strand Road and the surrounding estates as excitement builds ahead of the big game at the weekend.
Kerins O’Rahillys will take on Newcastlewest in the Munster Senior Club Football Final at Pairc Ui Rinn in Cork city on this Saturday night at 7.30pm.
The club is hoping for a large contingent of fans to make the journey to Cork to cheer on the team and preparations are in place to bring supporters to the game by bus.
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People can call into The Klub Bar and put their name down to book a seat for €10 per person return, departing at 4.30pm from the club.
Some of the younger blues fans got together on last Saturday morning to show their colours ahead of the game, which will also be shown live on TG4. To buy ticket for the match click here. Scroll down for photos…
KERINS O’Rahillys has launched their GoFundMe fundraiser campaign,’Backing The Blues’ to help defray costs associated with their upcoming Munster senior journey.
The senior team will play the Munster SFC semi-final against Éire Óg of Ennis on Saturday, November 27 with a 1pm throw-in at Austin Stack Park, Tralee.
Launching the campaign, chairman Haulie Kerins outlined how winning the senior club championship has been a major boost to the club who have been knocking on the door of the senior championship for past few years without much luck.
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He said; “The senior club championship in Kerry is one of the most difficult to win with eight senior clubs vying for supremacy – its merciless in its intensity and provides some of the best games in the club scene. Seven of the games were won by one point, we beat Spa after extra time in the semi-final and won the final by one point – big battles, small margins.”
“The team and management have embraced the challenge ahead and are proud to represent Kerry at this elite level particularly in a year where Kerry are All Ireland champions,” he continued.
Winning comes at a cost however and with a number of lads abroad, others back in college and other costs, they are appealing to all Kerry Gaels, irrespective of club allegiance to support the ‘Backing The Blues’ initiative to help them on our much anticipated journey. All donations will be greatly appreciated on their gofundme page which can be accessed by clicking here.
KERINS O’Rahillys secured the Kerry Petroleum Senior Club Championship for the first time since 2010 and will now represent Kerry in the Munster Championship at the end of November.
They beat Templenoe by 0-15 to 0-14 in the decider played at Fitzgerald Stadium this afternoon. Killian Spillane had a chance to send the game to extra-time with a 35 yard free but it fell short and the ref blew up to spark scenes of unbridled joy among the Strand Road team and supporters.
The Tralee club started the game well with two points in the first minute from Gavin O’Brien and Conor Hayes extended that to 0-5 to 0-1 with just seven minutes gone.
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Templenoe were keeping in touch though and while the Strand Road club were playing better football, they led by just a point 0-5 to 0-4 midway through the first half.
The Tralee men through Barry John Keane (2) and Tommy Walsh extended the lead to three (0-8 to 0-5) by the 21st minute, but they couldn’t shake off the Templenoe challenge and Killian Spillane led the charge and pegged back their lead to one by the short whistle 0-10 to 0-9.
Templenoe came out meaning business with Killian Spillane equalising and they led for the first time on 32 minutes when Sean Sheehan pointed.
However, that was cancelled out a few minutes later by Barry John Keane to leave it 0-11 apiece after 36 minutes.
A wonderful point by Jack Savage received a prompt reply from the imperious Killian Spillane moments later, only for Savage again to put Rahillys ahead on 45 minutes.
That man Savage scored two more frees and with 52 minutes gone they stretched the lead to three points 0-15 to 0-12.
Kerins O’Rahillys missed a gilt-edged chance to put the matter to bed on 57 minutes but the ball was cleared downfield and Templenoe won a free to narrow the gap to two.
A minute into injury time Templenoe got another point to leave the bare minimum between them. Three minutes into injury time Kerins O’Rahillys had a chance to extend that lead but the ball went wide.
Then, with the last kick of the game, Killian Spillane had a 35 yard free to send the game to extra-time, but it fell short and Kerins O’Rahillys held on for victory.
There’ll be some celebrations in Strand Road tonight!
KERINS O’Rahillys GAA grounds at Ballyrickard will play host to a Bewleys Big Coffee Morning Social organised by local man Declan Smith this Sunday.
All proceeds raised during the morning will go to the Kerry Hospice Foundation to provide funding and support for palliative care services in Kerry.
The event takes place at Pat Healy Park in Ballyrickard from 9:30am to 1pm and everyone is welcome to come along.
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You’re assured of a fun morning filled with sweet treats and great coffee. If you’d like to help out or provide some baked goods for a worthy cause it would be greatly appreciated too. For more information call Declan Smith on 0868247961 or email m.smith@live.ie
WHILE it’s not uncommon for Kerry stars to visit their club’s summer camps every year, this time it was a bit more special at Kerins O’Rahillys.
Players David Moran and Jack Savage, along with Kerry selector Micheál Quirke, popped by their club’s juvenile camp on Thursday morning with a shiny visitor, much to the delight of young players.
Sam Maguire proved a big attraction, with kids and parents receiving ample time to pose with the cup and their local heroes.
As well as the current Kerry players, Kingdom heroes of the past like Barry O’Shea, Barry John Keane, Declan Quill and Shane Enright were also there with their kids to enjoy the morning. Scroll down for photos…
IT was a sweltering afternoon at Kerins O’Rahillys GAA grounds on Sunday as the club hosted its Family Fun and Wellbeing Day.
There was a good turnout for the event considering the beach weather and the All-Ireland hurling final competing for attention.
Part of the Lidl ‘One Good Club’ programme, there was loads to see and do on the day with fun games, a toddler area, crossbar challenge, hook the duck, face painting, live music from Owen Rua, Cassie Leen with her fun dancing, barbecue, monster raffles and more.
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They also had a signed Kerry ladies jersey as one of the prizes, kindly sponsored by Kerry Motor Works, just in time to be worn at Croke Park on Sunday and Sunday week.
The club thanked everyone who supported and sponsored prizes on the day and to the committee who organised the successful event. Scroll down for photos…
WITH the weather set to be fine on Sunday, it’s the ideal time to hold a family fun day.
Well the good folks at Kerins O’Rahillys GAA Club have a fantastic line-up of activities and entertainment for all ages at the Strand Road grounds from 2.30pm to 5.30pm as part of the ‘One Good Club’ programme.
This ‘Family Fun and Wellbeing Day’ on Sunday and organisers are hoping the wider community get involved in the event which is also open to families who aren’t member of the club.
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Entertainment includes live music with Owen Rua, dancing with Cassie Leen, a barbecue, Baking Competition, Face Painting, Kids Colouring Competition, Preloved Sale.
Activities include monster kick, welly throwing, obstacle course, penalty shootout, egg and spoon race, crossbar challenge, raffle and prizes and a whole lot more.
Of course, if you want to check on the score in the All-Ireland hurling final you can pop into The Klub bar for refreshments.
Kerins O’Rahilly’s Ladies were nominated for the “Lidl One Good Club” Programme, in association with the LGFA – Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Jigsaw – the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.
One Good Club is a five-step youth mental health awareness programme for LGFA clubs which aims to raise awareness and improve understanding of mental health while empowering clubs to positively affect their members and communities.
Kerins O’Rahilly’s were selected to represent Kerry. A committee has been set up to promote Mental Health in our community by organising a number of events, talks and, in the case of Sunday, a family fun day. All are welcome.