History
History
Ogonnelloe GAA club is located in a small parish in east Clare, on the shores of Lough Derg. It is in existence since the foundation of the GAA, in 1884, and is one of the oldest clubs in the country. In its earlier years, it was very prominent on the hurling front, competing in the first ever Clare county final, in 1888, only to be beaten by Garronboy. However, a year later, they amended for this and claimed their first senior title. The clubs colours are black and amber.
Pitch
Like every other small club in the country, a perfect playing area was out of the question up to 20 years ago. It was always the flattest field in the area that hosted the hurling training and matches. Even hurleys and sliotars weren't to be found in abundance and hurlers had to improvise. Handles of brushes, lats, bits of furbushes were all used as replacement hurleys, while in the absence of a ball, a tea can was often used. But now, thanks to our local hurley maker, Lawrence Forde, this is no longer the case. In 1983 a committee was set up and their aim was to purchase land and develop this into a playing pitch. On Sunday, the 6 July 1986 the field was officially opened by Robert Frost, chairman of the Clare county board at the time. The field is named Pairc Ui Stuairt after Dr Joseph Stuart, who was a native of the parish, and held the position as President of the GAA from 1958 to 1961. To mark the occasion, Clare and Killkenny played a senior hurling match on the pitch on the day. Through the years, the pitch began to disimprove and was especially wet during the winter months. So in 2003, a Field Development Committee was set up to completely overhaul the playing surface. Thanks to some great local fundraising and a generous grant from the National Lottery to cover the costs, a top of the range perfect surface and surroundings are now to be found in Ogonnelloe.
Senior
Although, the club enjoyed its first taste of senior victory in only the second year of the competition, it wasn't until 1937 that they lifted another cup. By this time they had fallen down the ranks and were in the Junior division. Due to large numbers in the parish around the 50's the club was able to field 2 teams, Ogonnelloe and Ogonnelloe Rovers, but neither of these had any success. In 1960, another Junior B title came to the club and 24 years later the same competition was won. In the same year, this team also won the centenary East Clare competition, which was organised to mark the 100th birthday of the GAA.
It was at this time that some of the current Senior team began to make their way onto the scene. With this spurt of young blood, a new hunger was released into the team and 4 years later they won the Junior A, defeating hot favourites and near neighbours, Whitegate. Following three successive defeats in the Intermediate Final, they finally clinched it in 1995. The next few years were very unlucky for the club, as they were defeated in the first round of the championship on each occasion. However in 1999, they concentrated a little more on the league and won it out. This was a very historical day for the club, as it was their first Senior title in exactly one hundred years. Our U-21 team also train with the seniors, as many of them play on the team. Their best achievement to date is the B title which they won in 1997.
Underage
Underage hurling is taken very seriously in the club, as it is very important to build for the future and all these young people are the future of the club. The age groups at which it competes are U-11 (ground hurling), U-12, U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-18. The trainers of these youngsters are usually members of the senior team, so that skills and knowledge of the game can be passed on. Down through the years, there have been many titles won in all these agegroups, but one final which is often talked about, is in fact, an U-12 final, which was lost on a scoreline of 0-1 to 0-0.
Camogie
Camogie is not as popular in the Parish, but there is still a camogie team within the club. Up to six years ago, they were joined with a neighbouring club, Scarrif, and together they won the county title in 1989. Now they try to field a team on there own and last December they finally clinched the U12 title, following two scoreless draws against Bodyke.
Schools
It is in the local national school that most children get their first introduction to hurling. The children are very lucky, as headmaster, Damien Heaney, takes great interest in the sport and gives up a lot of his lunch times in order to train these up and coming boys and girls. This dedication has been well rewarded over the last 15 years as they have won many schools titles.
Millennium Project
Around April 1999, at one of our monthly club meeting, it was suggested that the club should do something to mark the occasion of a new millennium and people were asked to go away and think about it. At the next meeting, it was decided that we would produce a calendar that would include plenty of photographs tracing the history of the club. A five-man committee was set up and they put out a request to everyone in the Parish, in search of photographs, both new and old, which had anything to do with the club. Then on a Saturday night at the beginning of December, club President, Fr Hugh O'Dowd, officially launched the calendar. It was a top class production and went on sale at the price of £10.
Other GAA Activities
When most people, think of the GAA, what normally comes to mind is hurling and football. However, other activities such as handball and Scor are also a major part of the organisation. The oldest handball-alley in the country in situated, deep in the hills of Ogonnelloe, and although it is no longer in use, it was once a focal point in the parish. There is a second handball-alley, which is built on the Purdon Estate and was used in the 30's and 40's as a dance hall, and is now used as a place of intense ballwork training for the senior team. In the early eighties, members of the club participated annually in Scor and along with picking up many minor titles, they also won an All-Ireland in the question time and in the novelty act.
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