Naas is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, winner of ten Kildare county senior football championships, ten senior hurling championships, four senior camogie championships and Kildare club of the year in 1981.

Naas
Nás na Ríogh
Founded:1887
County:Kildare
Colours:Blue and white
Grounds:Sallins Road, Naas
Coordinates:53°13′26″N 6°39′41″W / 53.224009°N 6.661406°W / 53.224009; -6.661406
Playing kits
Standard colours
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland Leinster
champions
Kildare
champions
Football: 0 0 12
Hurling: 0 0 11
Camogie: 0 0 5

History

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Naas played the Curragh on 15 February 1885 to become one of eight clubs which share the distinction of being the first to play in a Gaelic football match. The GAA Naas Sunbursts and Naas Crom-A-Boo were listed as unaffiliated clubs in 1896 while nearby Thomastown was an affiliated club. Naas moved to Spooner's Field opposite the racecourse grandstand in 1913. Father Brennan park was opened in 1930. Naas GAA grounds are now situated on the Sallins Rd, the amenities include three new floodlight pitches, a cloths bank, one way traffic management system and a brand new clubhouse.

Hurling

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Naas has won the Kildare senior hurling championship ten times. The first of these titles came in 1951 the team was captained by Big Noise Sheridan and Naas successfully defended the title the following year. The club then entered a barren spell and it was not until some 42 years later in 1994 that the Naas men, captained by Richie Coyle, reclaimed the crown by defeating Coill Dubh. This was the beginning of a golden spell for the club, with further titles following in 1997, 2000 and 2001. The Kildare team that won the Christy Ring Cup in 2018 was captained by Naas’ Brian Byrne. After a seventeen year gap, Naas reclaimed the senior hurling championship in 2019, successfully defended their title in 2020 and completed their first three in a row in 2021.

Notable players

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  • Eamonn Callaghan, senior Kildare player and All Star Nominee 2010.
  • Eoin Doyle, senior Kildare player and Kildare captain for 2016.[1]
  • Barry Reynolds, senior goalkeeper.
  • Dermot Hanifan Jnr, centre forward, does not know closer call. Senior club player of the year 2022, well known for the Dermination of the Sheilmaliers Gaa in Leinster semi-final 2021 and half the women in Naas that night.

Notable managers

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Tom Mullally managed the club's hurling team.[1]

Honours

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Football

Hurling

Camogie

References

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  1. ^ "Kilkenny native Mullally takes the reins in Carlow". RTÉ. 22 January 2021.

Bibliography

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  • To Spooner's Lane And Beyond, Naas GAA 1887-1987 Céad Bliain Ag Fás by Liam McManus, Naas GAA 1987, 214pp.
  • Kildare GAA: A Centenary History, by Eoghan Corry, CLG Chill Dara, 1984, ISBN 0-9509370-0-2 hb ISBN 0-9509370-1-0 pb
  • Kildare GAA yearbook, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 2000- in sequence especially the Millennium yearbook of 2000
  • Soaring Sliothars: Centenary of Kildare Camogie 1904-2004 by Joan O'Flynn Kildare County Camogie Board. The Eoin Hughes memorial cup 1947-1994 The Michael O'leary cup 1953-1999
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