Sliabh G Cua-Saint Marys GAA - Club History

Club History

Late in 1969, a letter was forwarded to the then Curate of the parish of Touraneena and The Nire, Fr Brendan Crowley. In the letter from Gerry Cullinan as well as brother Tom and Ned Power who were all based in Dublin at the time, attention was drawn to the fact that there was a growing interest in forming a football club in Touraneena and he was asked to announce at mass that coming Sunday that a meeting would take place the following Tuesday with a view of forming a club.

Having a G.A.A. Club in the Touraneena area was nothing new. Down the years a number of different clubs were formed in the area but most were short lived and went out of existence as quickly as they were formed. In 1936 a former Sliabh gCua Club won the Junior Football County final, beating Fenor in the final after a replay. Twelve months previous, Sliabh gCua were beaten in the county final by the now defunct St Stephen’s Club. In times when there was no club in Touraneena, it did not deter local men form playing hurling and football, often lining out in the colours of another neighbouring parish. In the 1950s a number of players travelled to the Ring Club where they were part of a side that won a minor football county final. When a club was based in the Touraneena area the opposite happened as well, as players from local parishes who did not have a club in the area they played came to Touraneena to play.

Even after the formation of the present Sliabh gCua/St Mary’s Club, enough players were not available to participate in the underage competition which began to be organised from the late 1960s and as a result they travelled to play with Fourmilewater, who with a number of Touraneena players in their colours won a minor hurling county final in 1973.

The present Sliabh gCua/St Mary’s G.A.A. Club first competed in the various championships from 1970 and since then has won its fair share of championships in both hurling and football. The first twenty or so years of the clubs history saw plenty of silverware make its way to the area between the Knockmealdown and Comeragh Mountains. The first title came in 1972 when the western Junior Football Championship was annexed, but the locals had to give second best to Tramore in the County Final.

The period between 1978 and 1983 proved to be a glorious period for the club. Saint Mary’s beat Ardmore in the 1978 Western Junior Hurling Final and went on to beat Rathgormack in the County decider. In Junior football Sliabh gCua reached the western final but were beaten by Ballinameela.

1979 proved to be an even better year. In Junior Football Sliabh gCua managed to capture the Junior Football championship in the west but had to give second best to Fenor by a small margin in the county final. In Intermediate Hurling Saint Mary’s beat neighbours Fourmilewater in the Intermediate Western final winning by four points but in the county final went under to the same opposition by seven points.

1980 again saw Sliabh gCua win the Western Junior Football Final where for the second year in a row beat Stradbally in the final but went under to Roanmore in the county final. In Intermediate hurling Saint Mary’s beat Dungarvan 2-16 to 3-10 in the county final.

Twelve months on, Sliabh gCua were again in the Junior Football Western Final and for the third year in a row beat Stradbally in the decider and made it third time lucky in a delayed County Final (Played in 1982) beat Tramore 1-10 to 0-4. In 1983, Saint Mary’s reached the Western Intermediate Hurling Final where they beat Tallow in the final at Cappoquin and went on to beat Ballygunner 2-7 to 1-9 in the County Final at Walsh Park.

During that time 1982 proved to be a mementoes year in the clubs history as it played both Senior Hurling and Senior Football, no mean achievement for a club of its size and with the resources available to it.

After the 1983 win against Ballygunner the Sliabh gCua/St Mary’s had a number of lean years, not reaching any divisional or county finals until 1986 when they were beaten in the Intermediate Football Western Final against The Brickeys where they had to settle for second best. Twelve months on it was the same story in the same competition when they went under to Shamrock’s in the Western Final. 1988 however proved to a bit better when they won the Western Final in Intermediate Football was captured but Gaultier proved to be too strong in the County Final.

1989 proved to be the clubs best ever year. Sliabh gCua beat Affane to win the Western Intermediate Football Championship for the second year running and went on to beat Portlaw in the County Final. In Junior Hurling, Saint Mary’s beat Ballinameela to win the Junior Hurling Western Final and then beat Ballydurn in the County Final. These wins helped secure the title Club of the Year in the county for the Sliabh gCua/St Mary’s Club at the end of 1989.

In 1990, Sliabh gCua were relegated from the Senior Football ranks after just one year, but did prove to be strong enough to retain their status in the Intermediate Hurling ranks. However not all was lost, as Sliabh gCua assisted by Modeligo won the County Under 21 ‘B’ Football Final beating Erin’s Own at Kill.

1991 saw Sliabh gCua prove to be too strong for all in the west in the Intermediate football Championship and it came as no surprise that they marched all the way to the county final where on a desperate day for anyone to play any outdoor sport, they beat Newtown to go back up to the Senior Ranks.

Since 1991, the Sliabh gCua/St Mary’s Club had little to cheer about. In Football, the club retained its senior status for a number of years in the mid-1990s but were eventually relegated to the intermediate ranks once again. In Hurling St Mary’s had a number of good years in the mid-1990s in the Intermediate hurling ranks, but lost the chance of contesting the latter stages of the championship on a number of years, late in the year and at times controversially.

The club retained its place in both the intermediate hurling and football championships until 2007 when Saint Mary’s were relegated from the hurling championship. In 2008 the Western Junior Hurling Final was reached but Saint Mary’s had to give way to a younger Modeligo team. In 2009, Sliabh gCua were relegated from the Intermediate football Championship. Two years later, Sliabh gCua beat Old Parish to lift the Western Junior Football Championship with a team containing a nice mix of Youth and Experience and then went on to beat Mount Sion to win the County Final, so will be back playing Intermediate in 2012.

Like many other clubs in recent times emigration as robbed the club of some of its younger players in recent years who have had to move away in the search of employment. However not all is lost as another group of young players are starting to come through, thanks mainly so some fantastic work put in at underage level. If these players can be brought on and retained locally, then the glory days of the late 70’s and early 80’s might return to the area in the not to distant future.