Dr Crokes GAA

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Doctor Crokes
Na Crócaig
Drcrokescrest.jpg
Founded: 1886
County: Kerry
Nickname: The Crokes
Colours: Black & Amber
Grounds: Lewis Road, Killarney
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Playing kits
Standard colours
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland Munster
champions		 Kerry
champions
Football: 1 6 10

Dr Crokes is a Gaelic football club based in Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland. Famous current players include Colm "Gooch" Cooper and Eoin Brosnan.

Dr Crokes has the most successful GAA team in Killarney and its environs. Their most notable triumph was the capture of the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship in 1992. The club has won the Munster Club Championship on six occasions - 1991, 1992, 2006, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The club has won the Kerry Senior Football Championship on ten occasions, most recently in 2013.

Dr Crokes is the only club in Killarney with a hurling team, which has had two notable successes; winning the Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship in 1999 and 2001.

The 2007 Kerry All Ireland Senior Football championship winning team was trained by former Dr Crokes trainer Pat O'Shea.

The current (2013) Kerry senior football panel features 5 Crokes players (Colm Cooper, Eoin Brosnan, Kieran O'Leary, Johnny Buckey, and Fionn Fitzgerald)

2013 Season

Kerry Senior Football Championship

Dr Crokes reached their fifth successive Kerry Senior Football Championship Final in 2013 and won their fourth title in a row, a feat never before achieved by the club. They won the championship with victories over Legion (2-18 to 0-7), East Kerry (3-13 to 1-15), Rathmore (3-16 to 0-9), Kerins O'Rahillys(0-14 to 0-4), and in the final Austin Stacks by 4-16 to 0-12.

The club also retained the Kerry Senior Club Championship defeating local rivals Legion in the final by 3-18 to 1-5.

Munster Senior Club Football Championship

Dr Crokes captured a third Munster title in a row in 2013. On the way, they defeated Castlehaven (Cork) in the quarter final by 1-11 to 0-8. Loughmore-Castleiney (Tipperary) were defeated in the semi-final by 3-16 to 1-5. In the final, held at Páirc na nGael, Limerick, Dr Crokes won the final against Cratloe by 0-13 to 0-12.[1]

2012 Season

Kerry Senior Football Championship

Dr Crokes reached their fourth successive Kerry Senior Football Championship Final in 2012 and won their third title in a row, a feat not achieved by the club since 1912-1914. They won the championship with victories over St Michaels Foilmore, East Kerry, Austin Stack's, Laune Rangers, and in the final, Dingle.

Munster Senior Club Football Championship

Dr Crokes went on to represent Kerry in the 2012 All Ireland Club Championship. In the quarter-final of the Munster Senior Club Football championship Dr Crokes defeated Kilmurry Ibrickane (Clare) by the narrow margin of 2-8 to 0-13. In the semi-final, they defeated Clonmel Commercials (Tipperary) 1-14 to 0-6. In the final, held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Crokes defeated Castlehaven (Cork ) 0-19 to 0-12. This represented back-to-back wins in this competition and the third consecutive final contested by the club.

AIB All Ireland Senior Club Football Championship

Dr Crokes defeated Tir Chonaill Gaels of London in the quarter final of this competition on 16 December 2012 by 3-12 to 0-06. Crokes participation in the championship ended with to 1-10 to 0-09 defeat to Leinster champions Ballymun Kickhams (Dublin) in the semi-final played on February 16, 2013.

History

Dr Croke's was founded in 1886. Many members were involved in politics and a lot of them ended up in English prisons. One of the first notable players was Dick Fitzgerald who was a huge part of the team that brought the first All-Ireland title to the Kingdom in 1903. Another notable club member of that time is Eugene O'Sullivan, a nationalist MP, who became chairman of the Kerry county board, and it was during his tenure that Kerry won four more of its 36 All-Ireland titles at senior football level.

A total of 77 senior All Ireland medals have been won to date by Dr Crokes players.

In addition to the Kerry players, Dr Eamon O'Sullivan of the Crokes coached and trained Kerry All Ireland winning teams, beginning in 1924, and ending in 1962.

Dr Croke's has owned four playing fields; the first being the Cricket Field, Flesk Bridge, which was used up to the 1930s. In 1936 Fitzgerald Stadium was built by the club members in memory of Dr Croke and Kerry legend Dick Fitzgerald. In the past 20 years two new playing complexes have been acquired and developed by the club at Deerpark and Lewis Road to cater for the ever increasing number of members.

Fr Tom Looney, writing of the Club's early years, said that the senior team had played tournaments and challenges before the County Board was formed. He also stated that the Club captain – John Langford – was one of the committee members at the inaugural meeting of the Kerry county board and that the Club lost the first Kerry County final to Laune Rangers, in what all agreed was the finest match ever witnessed.

Another County final was lost in 1900 before the beginning of a glorious spell when they became known as the Clear Air Boys, or Dickeen Fitz’s (Dick Fitzgerald) team. Four county championships were won in a sixteen–year period, including three in a row: 1912, 1913 and 1914.

The club went into decline, having very lean times on the football field in the 1930s, '40s and early '50s, which was surprising because they could still call on some top class players – three county players at any given time, and the administration was well organised.

In the 1950s becoming once again the dominant team in East Kerry, winning ten O'Donoghue Cup’s in another fifteen year spell, but unfortunately failing in the final stages of the Kerry Senior Football Championship. Maybe no great success in winning for a few years after, but this time the standard was held, and entering the 1980s with a youth policy in place for some years, everyone had hopes for a repeat of the early glory years – this time they were not disappointed.

Everything seemed to come right in the centennial (1986), when the Dr Crokes were again performing against the best and winning Kerry Intermediate Football Championship, County Club Championship, County League, a setback again in two County Finals, but eventually going on to become Kerry Senior Football Championship winners, Munster Senior Club Football Championship winners on two occasions, and then the ultimate prize – the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship, won in Croke Park on St. Patrick's Day 1992.

Hurling, which played such an important role within the club in the 1920s, and 30’s and 40’s, was revived and organized in the centennial year. In a short time they have made a huge impact – winning East Kerry competitions, County League Division 3, and were crowned Intermediate Champions of Kerry for 1999 and again in 2000 .

Camogie was a game which the Dr Croke ladies were very proficient in during the 1920/1930s. Now the ladies are very much into the football, showing the same expertise and skill and forging a name for themselves in the County and already under age players have gone on to represent Kerry and have won All Ireland medals at under 14’s and 16’s.

Dr. Crokes have three adult teams football– A,B & C, an under 21, minor, under 16’s,14’s,12’s, and coaching every Saturday mornings for under 6,8, &10’s. hurling 1 intermediate, u16,14,12,10,8. ladies football Senior, minor, u16,14,12, 10, 8.

Books

Dr. Crokes clubmen have published 5 Gaelic football related books:

  • Dick Fitzgerald's: How to play Gaelic football (1914)
  • Dr. Eamonn O'Sullivan: The Art and Science of Gaelic football (1958)
  • Club History: Dr. Crokes Gaelic Century (1886–1986)
  • Club History: Decade of Glory 1986-1996
  • Pat O’Shea’s: Gaelic football, Training Drills (1996).

Other notable members

  • Jerry O’Leary, Kerry Selector on many occasions, football historian, very much involved in the purchase of Croke Park
  • Michael O’Connor’s, a man who made a huge contribution to the Fitzgerald Stadium, the playing fields of Kerry, while Chairman of Kerry’s Bord na bPairc, and as treasurer and Chairman of the Munster Council.
  • John Langford
  • Archbishop Dr Croke Patron
  • Maurice Francis O’Leary
  • Jack O'Keeffe - Former Club Patron and winner of All-Ireland Minor medal in 1931 (RIP)
  • Murt O'Shea - Club Patron
  • John Moynihan - Club President
  • Andy Mulcahy
  • Jer O'Leary
  • Paddy Looney
  • Teddy O'Connor
  • Cornelious McEntaggert
  • Michael O'Connor
  • Nellie Kavanagh - Club Vice-President
  • Bridie O'Shea - Club Vice-President
  • Eddie Barry
  • Richard Clancy
  • Colm Cooper
  • Eoin Brosnan
  • Kieran O'Leary
  • Johnny Buckley
  • Fionn Fitzgerald
  • Kieran Cremin
  • Jackie Looney
  • Seanie O’Shea
  • Sean Clarke

Achievements

Football

Underage

  • U11 East Kerry Football Champions - 2007, 2008, 2009
  • U12 County League Division 1 Phase 1 Football Champions - 2009,2010
  • U12 County League Division 1 Phase 2 Football Champions - 2010
  • U12 East Kerry Division 1 Champions - 2009, 2010
  • U13 County League Division 1 Football Champions - 2011
  • U14 County League Division 2 Football Champions - 2008
  • U14 East Kerry League Division 1 Champions - 2011

Hurling

  • County Intermediate Hurling Champions - 1999, 2001.
  • County Junior Hurling Champions - 1990
  • County Div 2 Hurling Champions -2004
  • U12 County Hurling Champions Div 4 - 2004

Ladies Football

  • Ladies Junior County Champions - 2009
  • Ladies Intermediate County Champions - 2004

References

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External links

Preceded by All-Ireland Senior Club Football Champions
1992		 Succeeded by
O'Donovan Rossa
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