A Brief History

At a meeting of the Irish National League held in Lackagh on 14th May 1886, Turloughmore G.A.A. Club was formed. The guiding light of the Club in those years was Patrick Murray of Turloughmore. The club appeared in their first County Final in 1893 at which College Road defeated Turloughmore.

Turloughmore became a central venue for many major Tournaments and hosted the County Senior Football and Hurling Finals in 1896 which were played in the Fair Green. As the sport developed and travel was difficult, other clubs were formed in the parish in Cregmore and Liscanninane.

The First County title to come to the parish was in 1907 when Turloughmore Sarsfields won the County Junior Hurling Final. Captained by Augustine O’Brien which included stars of the past like Pat Greaney of Monard and Walter Murphy of Ballyglass.

In 1910 Cregmore defeated Derrydonnell in the County Final. Success however was short lived as Derrydonnell objected and were awaded the title. A Cregmore player was alledged to have played with another club earlier in the Championship while working in that area.

Liscanninane fielded a team from 1911 to 1917. Another team was formed in Monard in the 1930’s until 1932, while teams in Cregmore and Lackagh came into being for short periods, also periodaca.

In 1935 a group of young men who had gathered in Conneeley’s Forge in Carheenlea decided with Monard team disbanded, they would set up their own team in the area. That team introduced the famed Black & White colours to the Club, and nine years later in 1944 Coolarne won the County Junior title with names like Michael Joe Badger, Jack Morris, Mattie Healy and Willie ‘Riley’ Morris.

In 1949 Cregmore, Coolarne, and Turloughmore amalgamated and played under the name St. Vincent’s. That team captured the County Junior title that year with names like Jim McGrath, Patrick O’Kane, Larry Doyle, Murty McGrath, Paddy Culkin and Tim Ward.

St. Vincent’s once again captured the County Junior title in 1954 when names like Pakie Burke, Jimmy Egan, Paddy and Frank Fahy came to the fore. That year also saw Turloughmore play in the Senior Hurling Championship.

In 1956, when all Clubs in the parish amalgamated - Coolarne, Cregmore, Knockdoe, Lackagh, and Turloughmore to play Senior as Turloughmore. The Club recorded it’s way into the history books by capturing the County Senior Hurling title, a team that was captained by Pakie Burke.

The amalgamation of the parish Clubs paved the way for the historic record of Turloughmore’s six in a row Senior Hurling Championship titles from 1961 to 1966 - a feat never before or since accomplished in Galway Hurling. These successful teams were captained by Jimmy Egan (1961); Jackie Gill  (1962); Michael Cullinane (1963); Mickey Cullinane (1964); Paddy Fahy (1965) and Frank Coffey (1966).

In 1966 Turloughmore also made the historic breakthrough also when they captured the inagural Joe Salmon trophy in the County Under 14 Championship.

In 1975, the Club added the Under 16 title which was the only titles won until the historic eighties.

In 1980 Turloughmore lost an Under 14 Final, but 1981 saw them take their first ever County Minor title to the parish. In 1982 an Under 16 County title was added and 1984 saw another Minor title come to Turloughmore.

In 1985 came the long awaited breakthrough when Frank Burke Captained the Senior team to victory in the County Senior Championship Final to bridge a nineteen year gap.

In 1986 and ‘87 saw the Club win the Under 12 County titles and in 1988 the Club won the Feile na nGael Under 14 title representing the County in the Feile na nGael National Finals for the first time when they were held in Co. Laois.

In 1991 the club captured their first Junior title since the fifties and in 1995 the first of a great run at under age commenced when the club captured Under 16 honours. In the following two years 1996 and ’97 back to back Minor titles came to Turloughmore with the club adding another Junior title also in 1997. In 2003 and 2005 the club captured the Under 14 championship titles and represented Galway in Feile na nGael in Westmeath and in Cork.  In 2007 Turloughmore captured county titles in both Under 16 and Minor and the following year and Under 12 title came with another Under 16 championship title.

However the year of 2010 will go down forever in the annals of Turloughmore hurling club when the club captured the Under 14 championship title and the Feile na nGael title with the right to represent Galway at the National Feile ne nGael final in Clare. A glorious summers day in Cusack Park, Ennis will forever be cherished among Turloughmore people when the young men of Turloughmore defeated a fancied team from Na Piarsiagh of Cork to capture the premier title in the 2010 Feile ne nGael finals as Turloughmore had claimed the All Ireland title. Captain Sean Linnane proudly accepted the Christy Ring Trophy on behalf of Turloughmore from President of the Gaelic Athletic Association Christy Cooney amid rapturous cheers from the huge Turloughmore gathering in Cusack Park, Ennis as Turloughmore created history becoming the first Galway team to capture a Feile title outside the county.

In 2010 the club also added a county Under 12 B title.

In 2011 another County Under 16 title was added to the roll of honour in Turloughmore when they defeated Liam Mellows in a hard fought county final replay that took place in Clarenbridge.