Muckalee Football Club

HISTORY

Situated in the north east part of Kilkenny and taking in the areas of Muckalee, Coon and Ballyfoyle,   Muckalee Gaelic Football Club was founded in 1917.

It is one of only three exclusively football clubs in Kilkenny. Five years after being founded Muckalee contested their first junior county final but unfortunately they came off second best to Barrow Rovers (Tullogher) on a scoreline of 2–3 to 0–1. The club was called Muckalee United at this time. They had overecome Conahy in the semi final or the Northern final as it was then known. Seventeen years were to elapse before they were to make it back to the county final but again defeat was to be their lot when they went under to Slieverue. The score line that year was a bit closer i.e. 1–5 to 1–3. The year in question was 1939. They appeared in three Northern finals, 1940, 1942 and 1945 losing each until they struck gold in 1947. That year they accounted for Conahy Sarsfields in the Northern final running up a massive score of 9–4 to 0–0. In the county final they beat Tullogher by 4–3 to 3–1. In 1953 the junior championship again returned to the club when they beat St. Senans on a score of 2–9 to 1–3.

The clubs next junior appearance was in 1966 when they won the championship for the third time, beating Barrowmount convincingly y 1–8 to 0–3. They were then promoted to senior status and they claimed their first senior crown in 1968. In the final of that year they accounted for city side The Village on a scoreline of 1–9 to 1–3. Ther was great scenes of jubilation in the parish when this proud achievement had een accomplished. Two years later they again appeared in the county final but sadly defeat was their lot when they went under to neighbours Railyard who were the dominant force in Kilkenny football at that time. They went back junior and in 1973 they wom their fourth junior title eating Slieverue by a single point, 1–8 to 2–4. Regaining their senior status they made it to the following years county final only to come off second best to St. Kierans, a combination of Mooncoin and Kilmacow. The scoreline read St. Kierans 0–7, Muckalee 0–2.

The following year, i.e.1975 the club claimed their second senior title following a replay when they again beat The Village by 0–9 to 1–3 after both teams had drawn 0–4 to 0–4 the first day.

!n 1977 the club claimed their third title when they were awarded the cup after The Village refused to play the final. Two years later defeat was to be their lot when Shamrocks of Ballyhale inflicted a heavy defeat, 4–7 to 1–1 in that years decider. The following year they suffered a similar fate when Thomastown beat them 2—6 tom 0–6 in the final.

They were back in the winners enclosure in 1990 when they overcame Railyard in the final in a low scoring game, 0–6 to 0–5. There followed a barren spell during the 90’s although they appeared in a few semi finals during tha time. Michael Dempsey, former Laois player, was approached to train the team in 2001and success followed immediately. They drew with neighbours Erin’s Own of Castlecomer in the final that year (1–10 to 2–7) but won the replay on a scoreline of 1–11 to 0–9.

They came up against the same opposition in the final of 2004 and remarkably a draw was the result again. The score line on the first day was 0–10 to 1–7. They made no mistake the second day, winning by 0–9 to 0–07.

The year 2005 saw the club put senior titles back to back when Railyard were the victims in the county final. The score line on that day read: Muckalee 3–10, Railyard 0–9.
In 2007 Muckalee’s junior team made it to the junior county final only to be beaten by Graiguenamanagh on a scoreline of 2–11 to 1–6. Also in 2007 the senior team won their only league final to date when beating Erin’s Own  by 2–15 to 1–9.

To date eight senior titles have been captured. The Roinn ‘A’ u-21 title has been won by the club in 2002.  2004and 2007. The Roinn ‘B’ u-21 championship has come to the club in 2000 and 2001. The under age footballers of the parish, i.e. from minor down, now play as St. Martins. The minors have won the Roinn ‘A’ title in 2004 and 2005. The ‘B’ title came to the parish in 2000 and 2001. The Roinn ‘A’  U-16 title came the clubs way in 2002. The ‘B’ title was landed in 2002 and 2003, while the ‘C’ title came in 1997. At under 14 level Muckalee has won four ‘B’ championships, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005.

Old Muckalee Website

http://web.archive.org/web/20071121001350/http://muckalee.kilkenny.gaa.ie/index.html