Dr Crokes is a

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

and

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

club based in

Killarney Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Notable players include

Colm Cooper Colm "the Gooch" Cooper (born 3 June 1983) is an Irish Gaelic footballer whose National Football League (Ireland), league and All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, championship career at senior level with the Kerry county football team, Kerr ...

, Eoin Brosnan, Johnny Buckley and Tony Brosnan. Founded in 1886, the club's successes include the capture of the

All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Cuala of D ...

in 1992 and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. The club has won the Munster Club Championship on eight occasions - 1991, 1992, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. The club has won the

Kerry Senior Football Championship The Kerry Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey’s SuperValu Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 18 ...

on fourteen occasions, most recently in the 2024 Kerry Senior Football Championship. Dr Crokes is the only club in Killarney with a hurling team, which has won the Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship in 1999 and 2001. Kerry's

2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2007 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was a Gaelic football competition in Ireland, and was the most significant and prestigious competition in the sport held that year. It began on 13 May 2007, with the final game t ...

winning team was trained by former Dr Crokes trainer Pat O'Shea. The 2013 Kerry senior football panel featured five Crokes players (Colm Cooper, Eoin Brosnan, Kieran O'Leary, Johnny Buckley, and Fionn Fitzgerald). In 2014,

Fionn Fitzgerald Fionn Fitzgerald (born 27 April 1990) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a left corner-back with the Kerry senior team. Born in Killarney, County Kerry, Fitzgerald first played competitive Gaelic football during his schooling at St. ...

and Kieran O'Leary captained the Kerry Senior Football team to All-Ireland victory over Donegal.

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 Fitzgerald Stadium () is the principal GAA stadium in Killarney, Ireland, and is the home championship venue for the Kerry senior football team. Named in honour of one of the first great players of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Dick Fitz ...

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 Laune Rangers is a Gaelic football and Hurling club based in town of Killorglin, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club is affiliated to Kerry GAA. Rangers won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship in 1996. History T ...

, ''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 The East Kerry Senior Football Championship an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the East Kerry GAA, East Kerry Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1925 for the top Gaelic football teams in the North Kerry in Ireland. ...

’s in another fifteen year spell, but unfortunately failing in the final stages of the

. 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

winners,

Munster Senior Club Football Championship The Munster Senior Club Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Football Senior Club Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition for the champion clubs of each county. It has been organised by the ...

winners on two occasions, and then the ultimate prize – the

, won in

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...

1992. Hurling, which played such an important role within the club in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, 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 14s and 16s. Dr. Crokes have three adult teams football– A,B & C, an under 21, minor, under 16s, 14s, 12s, and coaching every Saturday mornings for under 6, 8, and 10s. hurling 1 intermediate, u16, 14, 12, 10, 8. ladies football Senior, minor, u16, 14, 12, 10, 8.

Books

Dr. Crokes clubmen have published 5

related books: * Dick Fitzgerald: 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: Gaelic football, Training Drills (1996) * Fr. Tom Looney: King in a Kingdom of Kings (2008)

Notable members

Eoin Brosnan Eoin Brosnan, born c.1980, is an Irish Gaelic football player who plays at centre forward. He is a former member of the Kerry senior county team and plays his club football for Dr Crokes. As of late 2021, he was a practicing solicitor, worki ...

* Johnny Buckley * Brian Looney *

Sean Clarke Sean John Clarke (born January 1968) is a British businessman, and was the head of Walmart's operations in China. He returned to Asda Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol stati ...

* Pat O' Shea *

Kieran Cremin Kieran Cremin is an Irish Gaelic footballer with the Dr. Crokes club team and formerly with the Kerry GAA, Kerry county team. Club He had much success at club level with Dr. Crokes. He won a Kerry Senior Football Championship title in 2000 as ...

* Archbishop Dr Croke Patron *

* Kieran O'Leary * Seanie O'Shea * Gavin White

Achievements

Football

(2) - 1992,

(9) - 1990, 1991, 2006, 2011, 2012 2013, 2016, 2018, 2024 * Munster Senior Football League Champions (1) 2004 *

(14) - 1901, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1991, 2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Kerry Senior Club Football Championship The Kerry Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey’s SuperValu Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 18 ...

(11) - 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 2017, 2018 *

Kerry Intermediate Football Championship The Kerry Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Kerry GAA clubs. Austin Stacks GAA, Austin Stacks are the title holders, having defeated Laune Rangers GAA, Laune Rangers 1–14 to 0– ...

(1) 1985 * Kerry Under-21 Football Championship (2) 1986, 2011 * Kerry County Football League - Division 1 (7) 1988, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017 * Minor County League Football Championship (7) 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 2004, 2005, 2016 * East Kerry Senior Football Championship (

) (29) - 1956, 1957,1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2020

Hurling

Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship The Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by mid-tier Kerry GAA clubs. The Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship trophy commemorates the late Tony Murphy (1935-2005), a former Kerry and Kenmare ...

1999, 2001, 2020 * Kerry Junior Hurling Championship Champions - 1990 * Kerry Under-21 Hurling Championship: (1) 2019 (with Kenmare/Kilgarvin) * Kerry Div 2 Hurling Champions -2004

Ladies Football

* Ladies Junior County Champions - 2009 * Ladies Intermediate County Champions - 2004, 2022

References

External links

Official Dr Crokes GAA Club websiteKerry on Hoganstand.comNational and provincial titles won by Kerry teamsKerry GAA site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dr Crokes Gaa Gaelic games clubs in County Kerry Gaelic football clubs in County Kerry Hurling clubs in County Kerry Sport in Killarney