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Local Initiatives, Clubs & Groups

Knocknagoshel GAA Club

A group of young men in green and white sports uniforms pose for a team photo on a grassy field, with a building and trees in the background.

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. Another historic milestone was reached in 2025, when the club defied the odds to qualify for its first-ever North Kerry Senior Football Championship final. Huge underdogs against reigning champions Listowel Emmets, Knocknagoshel produced an unforgettable performance at Páirc na Féile in Brosna. Trailing by ten points late in the second half, they mounted an extraordinary comeback, culminating in a famous two-pointer from Jack McElligott after the final hooter to secure a dramatic draw. Although Listowel ultimately prevailed in the replay at Ballylongford, Knocknagoshel’s remarkable run and courageous performances will live long in the club’s history.
With great work continuing at underage level in partnership with Brosna, the future remains bright, and the present crop of players have every chance of emulating—and perhaps surpassing—the achievements of those who came before them.

Knocknagoshel Over 55’s Social Club and Women’s Group

The Knocknagoshel Over 55's Social Club and Women's Group is a long-standing community organisation based at Knocknagoshel Community Centre. Officially registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee, the group has been operating since 2007, serving a social and support role for older adults and women in the parish.

Community Support

The group has been highlighted in local news for its community support role, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when members and volunteers organised and delivered meals-on-wheels to isolated older residents, grocery and medicine deliveries, laundry and check-in support for cocooned residents, and phone support and community connection efforts. This made the group a vital support network across North Kerry, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.

Social and Fundraising Role

Beyond day-to-day support, the group has worked alongside Knocknagoshel Community Centre on joint fundraising events, including community dinners and social evenings to raise funds for centre improvements and local activities. All of the group's activities are based at the Community Centre, which serves as a hub for many of the parish's social groups and events.

Spike Players, Knocknagoshel

Spike Players is Knocknagoshel's community drama group, formed around 2010 when a number of local adults came together through drama classes and discovered a shared love of performing. The group was named in memory of Noelie "Spike" Roche, a founding member whose passion for drama and community spirit left a lasting impression on those around him.

Productions and Performances

Since their formation, Spike Players have staged a wide range of productions in Knocknagoshel Community Centre and beyond, including classic comedies, local favourites and well-known Irish plays. From early productions like Troubled Bachelors to popular shows such as Wigs on the Green and Separate Beds, their performances are eagerly anticipated events in the parish calendar, always delivered with warmth, energy and plenty of laughs.

Community at its Heart

Behind every performance is a team of volunteers handling sets, lighting, costumes and organisation, making each production a true community effort. Over the years, Spike Players have also supported local causes and charities through their shows, reinforcing their strong connection to the area. New faces are always welcome, whether you are curious about acting or simply want to lend a hand. Spike Players remains a proud example of what a small community can achieve when people come together with enthusiasm and a shared love of the arts.

Group of people on stage in a play, posing for a photo in a living room scene with furniture and wall decorations.

Four women sitting at a table with tea cups, a teapot, and a sugar bowl, smiling and talking. They are dressed in casual and vintage-inspired clothing, with one woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat and another in a patterned coat.

St Mary’s Church

The parish of Knocknagoshel was formally established in 1916, when it separated from the larger Brosna parish to serve a growing local community. Add into original

440 signatures were submitted to Bishop John Mangan, sighting the long distance that both clergy and parishioners had to travel fasting on the morning of Mass, visiting the dying and sick, often travelling distances over fourteen miles. The petition was successful and Knocknagoshel became its own parish with its own identity. The first parish priest to serve the parish was Fr. James Burke. The church boasts some of the most beautiful stain glass windows in the locality.

Religious altar with statue of Jesus Christ surrounded by flowers, candles, and stained glass windows in the background.

Knocknagoshel Environmental and Angling Association (KEAA)

Our Story

The Knocknagoshel Environmental and Angling Association (KEAA), known locally as “the Angling Club,” has been part of community life in Knocknagoshel since the late 1970s. The club was originally formed when salmon and trout stocks in our local river The Owveg were much higher and angling was a popular activity in the parish.

In the early 2000s the association became a registered charity thanks to long-term chairperson Bill Morrell and helped develop local amenities such as the Aggies Inch river walk, which remains an important recreational space for the community.

The site is often referred to as “Aggie’s Inch” as a tribute to Aggie Sheehan, who passed away in 1985 and generously donated the land to the community. The area also remembers Patrick Downey, who died in 2011 and was a passionate advocate for the conservation of this space and the enhancement of biodiversity in the locality.
Headley’s Bridge has always been a focal point for Knocknagoshel and for the Angling Club. Historically the area was a busy centre of activity, home to the parish creamery, several shops, a café, petrol station and a handball alley. The river here was also the location of many local fishing competitions during the 1990s and 2000s.
While the area has fallen into disuse in recent years, KEAA sees huge potential to restore it as a shared community and environmental space.
Today the association is being revitalised by a new generation of volunteers who are using KEAA as a vehicle for environmental and community development projects in the parish.
Our work focuses on improving land and water management, supporting recreational activities such as angling and walking, and strengthening the connection between Knocknagoshel village, Aggies Inch river walk and Headley’s Bridge.
You can listen to Bill Morrell speak about KEAA on episode three of a recent podcast series on Radio Kerry called ‘Come West Along the Feale’. https://www.radiokerry.ie/podcasts/comewestalongthefeale/
KEAA’s vision is to help create a healthy and vibrant community within a nature-positive environment. Through community events, environmental education and collaboration with farmers, anglers and local organisations, we aim to protect and enhance the land and waterways that shape our area.
Whether you are farming, fishing or fighting for the environment, we all share a common goal — to take care of our land and water for the next generation.