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Ballinasloe GAA

, Ballinasloe, Ireland
Landmark & Historical Place

Description

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Ballinasloe GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football and hurling club located in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland.It was formed on 1 December 2005 as the result of a merger of St Grellan's GFC and Ballinasloe Hurling Club. Ballinasloe’s first ever hurling game took place on The Fair Green on Easter Monday 1884 between Killlimor and Eyrecourt. Since this date Gaelic Games have been a pillar in Ballinasloe’s society. Since the games’ inception its popularity in Ballinasloe has been integral to its success. The first football game in Ballinasloe GAA’s successful history took place on the 31st of March 1893 in a field in Pollboy. The game was between Creagh and Ballinasloe, Ballinasloe was captained by Thomas Cunningham and Creagh by T.F Burke. Creagh came out on top in a low scoring game of 2-01 to 1 point.Late that year, June 1893, saw Ballinasloe fulfil another fixture where they were welcomed out to Kiltormer to take on Killoran in a Gaelic Football game under GAA rules.As stated earlier, Ballinasloe’s association with Gaeilic games can be traced back beyond an inaugural meeting of the GAA which was held in Thurles on November 1st, 1884; on an earlier date in 1884 Killimor and the Dublin Metropolitan Hurling team played a hurling challenge in Ballinasloe and included in that Dublin team was Michael Cusack who, later in the same year, was to be a founder member of the Association. Nevertheless, by 1866, when several clubs in East Galway were affiliated to the GAA, there was no mention on Ballinasloe, probably for the reason that the main emphasis was on hurling and Ballinasloe, at this time, was not a hurling area. Records show that by 1889 Ballinasloe had a football club with J.F. Gibney as captain. Despite the Parnell crisis the Galway Football Championship for 1891 was playe and Ballinasloe participated, playing Mountbellew in Ahascragh on May 24th of that year. In 1892 P.D. Brennan of Ballinasloe became Assistant County Secretary. The stresses and strains experienced during these early years of the Association were ended in Galway on May 7th, 1896, from a County Committee meeting held in Ballinasloe the machinery of the organisation was finally streamlined.

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