AN exhaustive Fitzgerald’s Woodlands Junior Hurling Championship – which involved a whopping 24 clubs – concludes with the eagerly-awaited collision of Feenagh/Kilmeedy and Mungret/St Paul’s at Fitzgerald Park, Kilmallock, this Halloween Bank Holiday weekend.
Although there is nowadays Premier Intermediate and Intermediate Championships, the Junior Championship is still an annual highlight in Limerick.
It’s been around for just over 120 years, with Treaty as the inaugural winners in 1902 courtesy of a 2-11 to 1-5 defeat of St Patrick’s.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Feenagh/Kilmeedy’s 0-11 to 0-11 County Final win over Feohanagh/Castlemahon, while Mungret/St Paul’s were in the winners enclosure back in 2006.
Some worthy champions in past years include:
1983 Hospital/Herbertstown: L Jones; T Kiely, T O’Loughlin, P Kiely; L Garvey, B Higgins, G Wright; A Garvey, M Hennessy; D Gavey, J Carrol, D Cotter; J Reale, G Barry, J Higgins. Subs: M O’Shea, A Meaney, J Moran.
1973 Boher: Donie Leahy; Paddy O’Connor, John Walsh, PJ Fitzgibbon; PJ O’Shea, Patsy Laffan (captain), Tom Ryan; Brendan Quirke, Ignatius Walsh; John Brouder, Seán Hickey, Mattie Foley; Paddy McLoughloin, Tony Hickey, Pat Walsh. Subs: F Hickey, O O’Neill.
1963 Dromcollogher: Tony Kelly; Seán O’Dell, Donal Broderick, Tom Stack; Paddy Stack, Dave Geary, Willie Kiely; Eddie O’Connell, Tim Stack; Joe Long, Mick Savage, Jim Geary; Gerry Egan, Derry McCarthy, Martin Geary.
1953 Knockainey: Paul Carmody; Tommy Daly, Joe Daly, Mike O’Brien; Jerry McGrath, Ned McGrath, Johh Halpin; Mick Carmody, Thomas Ryan; Michael Callaghan, John Cunningham, John Ryan; Martin Ryan, Denis O’Brien, David Barry.
