Dr Crokes GAA - History

History

Dr Crokes 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 M.P., who became chairman of the Kerry county board and it was during his rule that Kerry won 4 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 Crokes Dr. Eamon O'Sullivan, coached and trained Kerry All Ireland winning teams, beginning in 1924, and ending in 1962.

Dr Crokes have owned four playing fields; the first being in 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. The past 20 years two new playing complexes have been acquired and developed by the club at Deerpark and Lewis Rd. to cater for the ever increasing number of members.

Fr. Tom Looney, when writing of the Clubs 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 their deeds spread far and wide, and they became known as the Clear Air Boys, or Dickeen Fitz’s (Dick Fitzgerald) team. Four county championships in a sixteen –year run including 3- in- a- row 1912,1913 and 1914 followed.

The club did go into decline, having very lean times on the football field in the 1930s, 40’s and early 50’s, 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 organized.

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 –County Intermediate, 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.