Erin's Own GAA (Kilkenny) - Canon Kearns Park

Canon Kearns Park

On 19 May 1986, Erin's Own acquired a second property at Ballycomey, on the Kilkenny side of town. The money for purchase of the grounds was raised through the "Piltown Draw". The field was leveled and a fine pitch constructed and there was enough money in the kitty to commence building a clubhouse. However, disaster struck when the club was notified by the County Council that the property could not be used for sporting purposes. A few worrying years passed when it was feared that a ball would never be struck in the new field. However, following all sorts of appeals and deputations, on 16 June 1993 permission was granted and spirits rose.

Unfortunately the "kitty" had dwindled over the years to naught. The pitch was progressed and railings were erected. The goals went up and little by little "Ballycomey" started to come to life. With the club's day-to-day running costs so high, any plans for building were put on the back burner.

Towards the end of 1998, Kieran Meally thought it was time to get something built at Ballycomey. He volunteered to spearhead the drive. At the AGM, Meally was formally appointed chairman of the Development Committee. On 25 January 1999 his committee's first meeting was held. First item on the agenda, at Kieran's insistence, was that the grounds be named "Canon Kearns Park" in memory of the late Canon John Kearns, former parish priest of Castlecomer. This was unanimously agreed, and work commenced developing adventurous plans and deciding how the funds would be raised. The project would be known as "Canon Kearns Park − Millennium Project" and while everybody was hopeful that major progress would have taken place by the turn of the new millennium, realistically it was agreed that it could in fact take the next millennium to complete them!

In January 2000, with a start imminent, the club suffered a major, major setback! Meally died following a brief but serious illness. It took some time to gather the pieces and get motivated to work on, but now the development had taken on a new meaning. Not only was it for "The Club", it was now also for Kieran. At the first meeting following Kieran's death another unanimous decision was made, that the clubhouse be named "Áras Ó Meallaigh" in honour of Kieran Meally.