Knocknagoshel GAA

  • Knocknagoshel GAA Club was formally founded in 1932 when Fr. Bob Walsh came to Knock as curate. Although it is difficult to trace the origins of Gaelic Football in Knocknagoshel, football was played in the parish long before the GAA was founded in 1884, with parish leagues and matches against neighbouring parishes Brosna, Duagh and Abbeyfeale. The first mention of the club was when four members presented an address of welcome to Charles Stewart Parnell when he visited Listowel in 1891, though there is no record of it being formally registered until 1932. In 1916, following a petition by 440 householders to the Bishop of Kerry, Knocknagoshel became its own parish, and when Fr. Bob Walsh registered the club in 1932, it affiliated to the Tralee District Board. A historic milestone came in 1910, when Jack McElligott of Knockbrack became the first player from the parish to play for Kerry, winning an All-Ireland senior medal as a substitute in 1913.

  • Knocknagoshel joined the Castleisland District League in 1939, winning it that year, again in 1944, and three in a row from 1946 to 1948. Many players represented North Kerry and Castleisland District in the county championship during this era. In 1969, Knocknagoshel won their first ever county title, the Novice Championship, defeating Laune Rangers in the final with Joe Thompson as captain. They went on to win the County Novice Championship twice more, in 1987 and 1997. The 1987 victory came after a replay against a fancied Gaeltacht side, with the team backboned by four Kerry players — Mikey Brosnan, Jack O'Connell, Sean McElligott and Eamon Walsh. Remarkably, when Kerry played Down on 23rd October 1988, the full back line of Eamon Walsh, Mikey Brosnan and Jack O'Connell were all Knocknagoshel men. Ten years later, they lifted the Novice trophy again, beating St. Michaels/Foilmore in a final played at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney.

  • Having played together through much of the sixties and early seventies, Brosna and Knocknagoshel fielded separate teams from 1975 onwards. Knocknagoshel defeated Ballydonoghue in the North Kerry Junior Championship of 1975 and captured the North Kerry League Division 2 title in 1978. Further North Kerry League titles followed in 1983 and 1997. At youth level, the two clubs combined very successfully, winning a North Kerry Minor Championship in 2002, County Minor Leagues in 2008 and 2013, and three North Kerry Under 21 titles in four years from 2010. In 1999, local man Richie Walsh generously donated the site for a new playing pitch and clubhouse, officially opened in May 2004 by former politician Dan Kiely and Eddie Walsh. The grounds were named in honour of Richie's late brother Willie, a fine footballer who played with the New York Kerry team.

  • Knocknagoshel has produced many Kerry representatives over the years. At Minor level: Mossie Walsh, Bertie Murphy, Sean O'Connor, Eamonn Walsh, Jack O'Connell, Padraig Reidy and James Walsh, who captained the Kerry Minor team in 2009. At Senior level: Jack McElligott (1 All-Ireland medal), Eddie Walsh (5 All-Ireland medals), Ned Roche (2 All-Ireland medals), Sean McCarthy, Sean O'Connor, Sean McElligott, Jack O'Connell, Eamonn Walsh, Mikey Brosnan and James Walsh. Club players have also represented Dublin, Kildare, Wexford and Tipperary. In 2023, when New York defeated Leitrim in the championship, Knocknagoshel connections featured through New York-born brothers Mikey and Shane Brosnan, whose father played for both Knocknagoshel and Kerry. On the ladies side, Noreen Long (nee Thompson) and Mary Scanlon (nee Lane) have both won All-Ireland medals with Kerry. Mary's collection is particularly impressive — five All-Ireland medals, five Munster medals and five National Leagues among many other honours. Her daughter Lorraine is also a highly accomplished footballer and basketballer and a key member of the present-day Kerry ladies team.

  • Knocknagoshel were promoted from Division 5 in 2019 and from Division 4 in 2022. With great work being put into underage development in partnership with Brosna, the future remains bright, and the present crop of players have every chance of emulating and surpassing the achievements of those who came before them.

  • There are sporting occasions that are remembered for the final score, and there are others that are remembered for what they meant to a community. For the people of Knocknagoshel, the North Kerry Senior Football Championship of 2025 will always belong to the latter.

    Few outside the parish expected Knocknagoshel to reach the North Kerry Final. With a small panel, limited substitutes and facing clubs with far greater resources and experience, simply reaching the decider was considered an extraordinary achievement. Yet, through determination, hard work and an unshakeable team spirit, the players wrote one of the most memorable chapters in the club's history.

    The first final in Brosna became an occasion that transcended football. An estimated 3,000 supporters travelled to cheer on their parish, turning the grounds into a sea of green and gold. Every road leading into the village was lined with flags and bunting, homes and businesses proudly displayed the club colours, and the sense of excitement was unlike anything seen in Knocknagoshel for generations.

    The story gathered momentum far beyond North Kerry. The newly written anthem, Knocknagoshel on the Hill, became the soundtrack to the team's remarkable journey, sung with pride wherever supporters gathered. Messages of goodwill poured in from near and far, including a special message from Christy Moore, whose encouragement delighted supporters and reflected how the story of this small rural parish had captured people's imagination.

    On the field, the players produced one of the great comebacks in North Kerry football. Trailing by ten points, they refused to give up. Their dramatic late rally culminated in a sensational equalising score after the final hooter, forcing a replay and creating one of the most unforgettable finishes ever witnessed in the competition.

    Although Listowel Emmets emerged victorious in the replay, there was no sense of failure. Instead, there was immense pride. Knocknagoshel had earned the admiration of football followers throughout Kerry, proving that courage, commitment and belief could bridge the gap between a small rural parish and one of the competition's most successful clubs.

    Long after the results have faded from memory, people will remember the packed roads to Brosna, the green and gold that transformed the village, the singing of Knocknagoshel on the Hill, the unwavering support of thousands of parishioners, and the wonderful sense of togetherness that united young and old alike.

    The North Kerry Final journey was about far more than football. It reminded us of the strength of community, the pride we have in our parish and our club, and the memories that can be created when everyone pulls together. It was a time when Knocknagoshel stood proudly on the hill, united in hope, belief and celebration. It is a chapter in our parish's history that will be treasured for many years to come.

A group of young boys in green and yellow rugby uniforms posing for a team photo with two men wearing jackets, standing in front of a stone wall and holding a large team banner that has a crest with a rugby ball and the words 'Feile Peile na nOg'.
Group of young children in sports uniforms celebrating with medals and a shield-shaped trophy after a sports game or event outdoors.
A group of young men in green and white athletic uniforms posing for a team photo on a grass field, with a small yellow building in the background.
A girls' sports team on a grass field, wearing green and yellow jerseys with the sponsor 'Eddie Walsh's Bar,' some kneeling and others standing, with a soccer ball at their feet, and spectators in the background.
A group of children and teenagers wearing green and yellow sports jerseys holding a green and yellow banner that reads 'KNOCKNAGOSHEL GAA CLUB'. They are outdoors, possibly at a sports event or parade.
A group of children and a coach posing for a photo on a grassy field during a sports event, with children wearing green and yellow sports uniforms and the coach in black.
Group of seven young male athletes in green sports uniforms standing on a grassy field, holding a trophy, celebrating after a game.
A women's sports team of 21 players and 2 coaches standing on a grassy field outdoors, wearing black team uniforms with green accents, posing for a photo in front of a rugby field with goals and distant hills.
A youth rugby team in green and yellow uniforms, with two adult coaches, posing on a grassy field with a rugby ball in front. There is a small building and cars in the background.
A vintage team photograph of young men in rugby uniforms, posing outdoors in a field with open landscape in the background, taken in January 1965 during the opening of Scartaglin G.A.A. field.
Group of young boys in green and yellow sports uniforms posing outdoors with trophies and balloons.
A youth sports team with adult coaches, posing on a grassy field after a game. The team wears green and yellow uniforms, and the coaches wear sports shirts. Some children are kneeling in front, and others are standing behind, smiling.
A group of adult men and one boy in green and yellow sports uniforms gathered on a grassy field, posing for a team photo with a soccer ball in front, with hills and trees in the background.
Group photo of young children in green sports uniforms with two adult women, on a grassy field, holding a banner for GAA GO GAMES, during a sports event.
Group of young female athletes in matching black and green team uniforms, posing for a photo on a green field with overcast skies, with some kneeling and others standing, a soccer ball in front.
Group of young children and two adult coaches posing for a team photo on a grassy field during daytime, with hills, a fence, and parked cars in the background.
Group of young soccer players in green uniforms with orange vests, posing for a team photo on a field, with some holding soccer balls, and two coaches standing on sides.
Black and white team photo of eleven male soccer players in uniforms, with a coach or official, standing and kneeling outdoors with a building in the background, from the Maine Valley Post.
A group of young men in green and yellow sports uniforms posing outdoors for a team photo, resembling a Gaelic football team, with some kneeling in the front row and others standing in the back, against a backdrop of rolling hills and houses.
Group of seven men sitting and standing, with one holding a sheaf of straw and a long stick, in front of a banner reading "Knocknagoshel GAA Club."