Brief history of St Monica’s GAA club

Revised, October 2024.

Edenmore Gaels GAA club affiliated to the Dublin County Board in 1964. The GAA club was established to cater for the residents of the new housing estate built by Dublin Corporation (City Council) between the years of 1963 and 1965. 

Evening Herald newspaper dated July 6th, 1962, stated -  “ Dublin corporation housing committee recently passed the development of the Edenmore Section on the western side of the G.N.R”. A sketch outlined that the development would provide 1,100 new homes, 450 private and 650 corporation dwellings.  

Around 1964, Tom Marron (Edenmore Road) approached Des O’Neill (Edenmore Green) with a view to establishing a GAA club within the newly constructed housing estate of Edenmore.  A letter composed by Tommy O’Keeffe (Edenmore Drive) was published in the Evening Herald newspaper on the 4th of February 1965. The aim of the letter was to inform people about the formation of the new GAA club. 

The letter stated that the club would cater for the needs of the youth from both the Cameron and Edenmore estates from 9 to 16 ½ years of age. The club had acquired a training pitch at the end of Edenmore Road (now Springdale Road) near to the junction with the Malahide Road. The club had also purchased two sets of jerseys thanks to the kind donations from local residents. 

The first club committee comprised of Mick Faherty (Treasurer), Christy Crawley, Wally Morris, Nick Kane, Thomas O’Keefe, Billy Gorman, Fr John O’Connell, Tom Marron and Des O’Neill. The club at the time had two football teams fielding at U13 and U15 age groups and they competed in the North City Leagues. The inaugural club committee meeting was held in the garage of Mick Fathery’s house at 297 Glenwood Road, Cameron Estate. 

The new club needed a pitch to play their games. The club was using a plot of land situated off the Tonlegee Road for training. Newspaper accounts show that home games in the early days were being played at Maypark, McAuley Park, St Anne’s Park and Fairview Park. There is a recollection that the club also used a site beside the newly constructed church with club members often having to level out the pitch before games with shovels. 

Evening Herald Newspaper October 13th, 1965 – “St Brendans vs Edenmore Gaels, U15 at May Park. Edenmore club taking part in the competition for the first time”. 

Evening Herald Newspaper January 19th, 1966 – U13 Div 2, St Brendans 2-06, Edenmore Gaels 1-02. Best for Edenmore were Joe and Pat Quinn, Noel Breslin, Frank Kelly, Tony Murphy, Frank and Tom Campbell”. 

Evening Herald Newspaper March 9th, 1966 –  U13 Div 2, Edenmore Gaels 3-04, Naomh Fionnbarra 1-01. Best for Edenmore were Brendan Finglas, Frank Kelly, Gerry Sweeney, Walter Morris, Tony Murphy and Noel Breslin.

Just to note the Dublin GAA  club juvenile playing season at this time period ran from autumn, through winter and on into Spring. No fixtures appeared to be organised or played in the summer months. Many clubs including Edenmore Gaels organised ‘Road Leagues” in June and July. 

Thomas O’Keefe wrote a letter to the Evening Herald in June 1967 “ Sir – friends of Cameron and Edenmore estates will be pleased to hear that Edenmore Gaels GFC will begin their road league this week. The trophies for the winners will be on display in Mr McMahons shop on Edenmore Road”.  

By all accounts the Gaelic football road leagues were very competitive with huge bragging rights attached. For example if Edenmore Avenue team beat the team from the Grove the Avenue boys involved would have serious street cred for the rest of the summer.

St Monica’s church was opened on the 1st of July 1966. Fr. Joseph Mallon celebrated the mass. He was the first priest ordained from the district of Edenmore. The official blessing of the church was carried out by Rev. Dr. McQuaid. The contact cost of the building was £40,000 (punt) with the building seating 1,200 people. The building was to be a temporary structure. It still serves the committee to this day. 

St Monica’s GAA club as it known today emerged in August 1967. 

Evening Herald 16th August 1967 – “North City Board. Edenmore Gaels will not be competing this season”.

Evening Herad 30th August 1967 – “North City Board, on the agenda will be the application of the newly formed St Monica’s club who are seeking to compete in this year’s leagues”.

Edenmore’s GAA club was now named after the parish of St Monica. The club also established its colours as royal blue and white. Chosen by Des O’Neill as his home club Kilmessan in Co Meath wore the same colours. Prior to that it was said that Edenmore Gaels wore green jerseys with a white hoop or any jersey that was available at the time! 

Around 1967 / 68 time period Des O’Neill met Terry Monahan at Clontarf Orthopaedic hospital. Terry was looking after the hospital aviary at the time. The men became friends both sharing a common interest in GAA. Not long after Terry would become a member of St Monica’s GAA club. He would go on to play a key role in the clubs growth and development.

The parishes three primary schools St Malachys, St Eithne’s and St Monicas officially opened in December 1968. The schools could cater for 1700 students. Such was the demand for places the schools could not facilitate the numbers applying. Prefabs were sourced to assist with the accommodation of additional pupils. 

Irish Independent April 29th, 1969 “ 176 children were today confirmed in the parish of St Monica’s Edenmore”. 

Evening Herald June 27th, 1969 – in a correction article published to school principal Mrs Skehan. She stated, “that St Monica’s girls infant school had 450 girls attending with 11 lay teachers employed”. 

One of the first schoolteachers in the boys school, Jackie Coyne helped with the recruitment of players for the new club establishing the bond between the club and St Malachy’s BNS which continues to this very day.

From 1968 onwards St Monica’s home juvenile fixtures are recorded as being played on Edenmore Road (Springdale Road) as the number of teams increased additional playing pitches where required to cater both for training and the playing of games. 

It was becoming essential that the club needed to secure a pitch within the estate that the club could call home. Des and Terry approached the then Parish priest Fr Foley about using the land located on Millwood Park (back of boys school) as a pitch for the club. The vacant land had been ear marked as a potential site for a secondary school.

Fr Foley told the two men “possession was nine tenths of the law. The next day the goal posts went up on the site now known locally as the back pitch. The venue became and still is to this very day the home ground of St Monica’s GAA club. 

In those fledging years, the club had no dressing rooms with players having to change at the side of the pitch or in cars. In and around the early 1980’s, Terry Monahan approached the principal of the boys school assisted by teachers, Pat Finn, Eamon Dowling and Denis McCarthy and together they acquired a bike shelter located in the school yard. The shelter was converted into a dressing room which could accommodate one team. This room also served as a committee meeting room. 

With tremendous work, huge commitment of a number of diligent committee members and club volunteers, namely individuals such as Tony O’Reilly, Paul Kelly, Philip Reid, Shay Byrne, Harry Cavanagh along with Des O’Neill and Terry Monahan oversaw the development of St Monica’s GAA club and the dream of having a clubhouse which would serve both the club and the community alike. 

One of the main initiatives set up to raise funds to build the club house was the club lotto which commenced back in 1990. The first draw taking place on Thursday July 26th of that year in Eugenes bar. Prior to its launch, Terry Monahan and Harry Cavanagh meet and obtained advice on how to organise such a venture  with volunteers from St Joseph’s O’Connell boys. Joey’s had been running a successful club lotto for a number of years. 

St Monica’s weekly lotto was first spear headed by a number of volunteers, Marie Peate, Theresa Kelly, Deirdre Ronan, Margaret Lynch and assisted by Rose Gilmartin, George Lawlor, Angela Lynch, Pat Gaffney, Sarah Andrews, Shay Mahon, Emily Byrne along with Des O’Neill and Terry Monahan to name but a few. 

Huge credit to the McHugh family who permitted the club to have a lotto table situated in the mall between the supermarket (Thrifty’s) and the butchers. A prime sales location. The lotto draw was held on a Thursday night and was conducted on alternative weeks between the Concorde and Eugenes public houses. 

On the 20th of August 1993 St Monica’s GAA club opened the doors of their club house. This was a major achievement for a Junior GAA club. The club house featured four dressing rooms, committee room and a bar area. The club house would become the key focal point for GAA activity and social events in Edenmore. 

Like all GAA clubs St Monica’s has experienced many wonderful moments over six decades while also enduring some very challenging  times. We also acknowledge the contribution that St Monica’s members have made to Dublin GAA and Dublin LGFA both as mentors and players over the years.  

Here is a list of some key accomplishments and highlights from the playing fields over the past sixty years both in royal and sky blue.  

1972 U12 team win the Div 2 league final vs Ballymun Kickhams. The was the clubs first Juvenile victory.

1972 Michael Monahan captained Dublin U16’s vs London in Croke Park. He played the year previous for Dublin U15’s against London at Wembley Stadium. 

1982 National Féile (hurling) was held in Dublin for the first time. St Monica’s host Glen Rovers of Cork. Players from both teams are introduced to Cork hurling legend and former Taoiseach, Jack Lynch prior to their first game. 

1983 St Monica’s win the Dublin hurling Féile Div 1 title beating St Vincents in the final. 

1984 St Monica’s win their first U21 Football Championship title (Div 2). The team defeated Parnells in the final 2-05 to 1-05.

1984 Playing at full back, Sean Barry wins a minor All Ireland medal as Dublin defeat Mayo in the GAA centenary final. Sean played alongside sporting greats such as Jim Stynes and Paul Clarke. 

1987 St Monica’s win the Junior football championship beating St Brigids in the final. The victory securing a first adult football championship for the club. 

1988 St Monica’s win the Division 4 Dublin Féile Hurling title. The team had a convincing victory over Naomh Barróg in the final. 

1989 St Monica’s women’s team are crowned Dublin senior champions following a one-point victory over Robert Emmets. Another first for the club. 

1989 Nine girls from St Monica’s are part of the Dublin U16 panel that won the County’s first underage All Ireland crown. 

1991 St Monica’s win their first adult hurling championship, defeating Shankill in the Junior B Final. 

1990 St Monica’s club member, Colm O’Reilly  was appointed manager of the Dublin Ladies County team. Colm managed the team in their first season at senior level. 

1990 Julie Kavanagh, Siobhan Bissett, Catherine Boyle, Clare Galgey, Arlene O’Shaughnessy and Helena Kelly are part of the Dublin Ladies minor panel who defeat Wexford in the Leinster final. This was Dublin LGFA’s first minor provincial title. 

1990 Dublin Minor ladies team captained by Siobhan Bissett lose the All-Ireland final reply to Clare. Julie Kavanagh was named Player of the Match. 

1991 Julie Kavanagh wins a LGFA All Star award. Another first for St Monica’s. 

1993 St Monica’s win the adult football league division 6 title (GAA). 

1996 St Monica’s win the Dublin Féile Hurling Division 5 final. 

2005 The adult hurling team win the Dublin Junior D league. 

2006 Philip Kelly represents St Monicas on the Dublin U21 hurling panel. 

2012 St Monica’s win their first girls juvenile championship, defeating Skerries Harps in the U15 Div 4 final. The U16 Div 4 championship title is won the following season. 

2013 Louise Whelan wins a Leinster U16 championship medal with Dublin. 

2014 Robyn Whelan and Aislinn Somers both win U14 Leinster championship medals with Dublin. 

2016 Adult Ladies team win the Junior G championship title defeating St Brendans. 

2016 St Monica’s win their first girls Dublin Féile football title. Chloe Kelly with the winning point following a thrilling final versus St Finians of Swords in O’Toole Park. 

2017 Megan Colman wins a Leinster U16 medal with Dublin. 

Numerous St Monica’s players have played on Dublin North City teams, underage development squads and various schools panels in all codes over the years we acknowledge your achievements and thank you for your representation. 

St Monica’s story and the many people who helped create, develop and promote Gaelic games within our community of Edenmore will be forever entwined in our memories and within the history of our club.