Milltown GAA (County Kildare)
| Baile an Mhuilinn | ||
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| Founded: | 1888 | |
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| County: | Kildare | |
| Colours: | Green and red | |
| Grounds: | Christy Dowling Park, Milltown | |
| Coordinates: | 53°12′16″N 6°51′10″W / 53.204413°N 6.852647°WCoordinates: 53°12′16″N 6°51′10″W / 53.204413°N 6.852647°W | |
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Milltown is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Milltown, County Kildare, Ireland which played a leading role in developing the games in the county.
History
Local resident and Home Rule M.P Matt O Shea, Joseph Kelly, and Peter McCormick were the three mainstays of the early GAA club in Milltown, McCormick serving as secretary from its foundation on January 8, 1888. RIC records from 1890 show that Milltown Harringtons had 60 members with officers listed as Pat Flood, Peter McCormack, John Tiernan and James Kelly. Nicholas Hannigan attended the 1889 convention.
Milltown were 1892 Senior Football semi-finalists. Local man, Pat “Darkie” Ryan, came on in the second half of the 1928 All Ireland final, which was incidentally the last time Kildare lifted the Sam Maguire. Milltown created one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Kildare Senior Football championship in 1948, when they beat Raheens by 1-4 to 0-6 in their first senior championship match. Christy and John Dowling played on Kildare senior teams at the time.
Milltown were one of the few Junior B teams to win the Jack Higgins cup when they scored a big win over Johnstownbridge in 1967. The late 60s and early 70s was somewhat of a glory period for Milltown with the club winning the Intermediate Championship in 1972, and remaining a strong Senior team for several years after. This team is regarded as being the strongest ever to play in the Milltown colours and were only beaten in a quarter final replay by the eventual county champions, Carbury, in 1974.
Milltown won the Junior Championship in 2008 defeating Robertstown by a single point. Emmet Mullhall is Milltown's most famous present player, having been a member of the Kildare panel on the county's last appearance in an All-Ireland final in 1998. Colin O'Shea, a real star for the future, played in the 2009 Minor Leinster final.
At some underage grades Milltown, along with Allenwood, Ballyteague & Robertstown, form part of the highly successful combined Parish of Allen club, Na Fianna.
Milltown have been affiliated to the GAA since 1888, and have affiliated each year since. This makes it the oldest club still in continuous existence in County Kildare.
Most recently: Adding to their history, the Milltown U21s team were the first 21s team of Milltown to win a Championship Title in November 2017.
Achievements
- Jack Higgins Cup (1) 1967
- Kildare Intermediate Football Championship: (1) 1972
- Kildare Junior Football Championship: (2) 2008, 2018
Bibliography
- Red Sashes and Proud Hearts: 125 Years of Milltown GAA, by Ronan Byrne (2013)
- Kildare GAA: A Centenary History, by Eoghan Corry, CLG Chill Dara, 1984, ISBN 0-9509370-0-2 hb ISBN 0-9509370-1-0 pb
- Kildare GAA yearbook, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 2000- in sequence especially the Millennium yearbook of 2000
- Soaring Sliothars: Centenary of Kildare Camogie 1904-2004 by Joan O'Flynn Kildare County Camogie Board.