Annaghdown GAA | Photo Gallery

Flashback to 25 years ago when our U14 hurling team captured the All Ireland Feile na Gael Division 4 title. Annaghdown were the first Galway club to win an Feile crown.

ANNAGHDOWN-FEILE WINNERS (DIVISION 4)
Front row (left to right) : John Burke, John Quinn, Seamus Healy, William Joyce, Michael Greaney (captain),Joseph Lardner, Martin J. Potter, Frank Meliá, Kevin O'Neill, Michael Cahill.
Back row (left to right) : James Burke, Tom Hurson, Tommy Greaney, Joe Forde, Sean O'Neill, Gerry Morris, James Canavan, Noel Halloran,Michael Naughton. (Missing from photo, Declan Mulryan). Committee members: Michael Cahill, Finian Duggan, Paddy Small, Michael O'Rourke.

HURLING - FEILE na GAEL 1980

Extract from the book Annaghdown GAA 1887-1989

The highlight of the year for the club was the magnificent victory by the U-14 hurlers in the Division 4 Feile na nGael Final. This was a great achievement and it laid the foundation for some other great victories in hurling over the later stages of the decade; notable the U-21 B and the Junior B championships.

On their way to winning the Feile they beat Four Roads, Mervue, Ahascragh and Moycu lien in the final. Great credit is due to the team and their mentors as they had such a small selection to choose from. Only boys from the Corrandulla National School were on the team except for Michael Cahill. The main instigator of the victory was Bro. Vincent Jordan who taught all of the team in the N.S. He got great assistance from Michael Cahill, Joe Joyce, Michael O'Rourke and Johnny Mulryan.

The panel of players was: Sean O'Neill, John Quinn, Joe Forde, Martin Joe Potter, Ger Morris, Michael Naughton, Kevin O'Neill, Noel O'Halloran, Declan Mulryan, William Joyce, Michael Greaney, James Canavan, Joseph Lardner, Tommy Greaney, Frank Melia, Seamus Healy, Johnny Burke, Tom Hurson, Michael Cahill and James Burke.

The Connaught Tribune carried the following report on the Feile competition.

"Galway Gaelic Games stock soared to new heights at the weekend when the county came in for unparalleled praise for its handling of the 10th Annual Festival of juvenile hurling, Feile na nGael.

The finals on Sunday provided an exciting climax to a weekend of top class hurling, handball and camogie and attracted a great crowd to Pearse Stadium.

Indeed, the best encounter of the day was the Division 4 Final which opened proceedings shortly after one o'clock. Fittingly it was contested by two Galway sides, Annaghdown and Moycullen, and the honours went to Annaghdown who won by six points to three.

Both teams were tremendously well trained and highly skilled, but Annaghdown had a clear advantage in height and weight and this was a telling factor on the day. They also had an inspiring captain in their centre-half-forward Michael Greaney, one of the best young prospects in U-14 hurling and he caused Moycullen a lot of problems with his determined runs through the middle of the field.

Greaney didn't score as freely in the final as he did in Saturday's semi-final in which he accounted for 2-9 of his sides total, but he still played extremely well with splendid support from, Joseph Forde, Michael Naughton, brother of football star, Tom, and midfielders Noel O'Halloran and Declan Mulryan."

The team got a tremendous reception on returning to the parish and later in the year were in Croke Park for the All-Ireland Final to see Galway beat Limerick. A historic year for Annaghdown and Galway.

In the introduction to the 1981 Feile na nGael programme, Tom Cloonan had the following to say about Annaghdown's 1980 victory.

"Annaghdown's victory in last year's Feile was surprising, to say the least, to most hurling followers in the county. It came as no surprise, however, to those involved in juvenile hurling. The achievement of 1980 was the result of quite a few years of coaching school boys in the skills of the game."

This revival of Annaghdown's hurling tradition - the parish produced useful junior and intermediate teams in the past and won the Junior B County Championship in 1979 - was begun by Bro. Vincent Jordan, a Franciscan and a native of Co. Kilkenny. His efforts paid off handsomely two years ago when, at the third attempt, Corrandulla school defeated Castlegar in the final of the Galway primary schools League. Later in the year Corrandulla reached the final of the County Schools 11-a-side championship, failingto a very talented Killimor team. On their way to this final Corrandulla accounted for a number of schools from the recognised strongholds of Galway hurling. It was quite an achievement for a school from a parish where football has traditionally been the dominant game.

And so, as far as Annaghdown were concerned, the groundwork was done for the most important year ever for Galway's juvenile hurlers. For Feile na nGael Annaghdown hosted a team represLo:: ;iing County Roscommon which they defeated in the first round. The boys from the lake-shore were on their way. A comprehensive win over Ahascragh in the semi-final and Annaghdown had reached an All-Ireland final. Ironically, their opponents turned out to be their neighbours from across the lake - Moycullen. Galway couldn't lose this one.

In the final both teams started nervously, and as the game progressed, both defences asserted their authority. Scores were hard to come by and the teams seemed very evenly matched. Gradually Annaghdown edged into a three points lead and this was enough to gain a historic victory and Galway's first ever Feile na nGael title. All the Annaghdown players were heroes on that day, but Sean O'Nei ll, Martin Joe Potter, Michael Naughton, Kevin O'Neill, Noel O'Halloran, Michael and Tommy Greaney were most impressive.
A gallant Moycullen side were well served by Kenneth Clancy, Aodh Davoren, Padraig Higgins, Mark and Enda Connor.

Annaghdown's success was a just reward for a lot of hard work and patience. It was certainly a vivid example of the results of coaching and constant practice. A successful juvenile doesn't simple arrive - it has to be brought.

Annaghdown hurling club owe a debt to Bro. Vincent for providing a sound foundation. The best way to repay is by building on it.

Much has been spoken and written about the great victories of Galway hurling teams during 1980; the All-Ireland Senior title, the Galway fifteen who won the Railway Cup for Connacht, the All-Ireland Vocational schools title and U.C.G.'s winning of the Fitzgibbon Cup. Let us not forget the Feile na nGael title won by the boys from Annaghdown whose colours appropriately are maroon and white."