History

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Blackrock GAA club from the parishes of Ardpatrick and Kilfinane, nestles in the shelter of the Ballyhouras, mostly hurling country. Hurling took hold in the area at the very beginning of the GAA, with Kilfinane winning Limerick’s first All Ireland of 1897, a game played in November 20th 1898.

12 years later the first ever County Intermdiate final was played in the Markets Field in 1910 between Ardpatrick and Ballingarry, and Ardpatrick won and lost the game! They won the first day out but the County Bord ordered a replay, following an objection and the title was snatched from their grasp.

Bad luck in the Council Chambers seemed to transfer to the playing fields and remarkably, the next 70 years of heroic endeavour proved futile, and offered up no County titles.

And if the heartache of 1980, when the Junior hurlers lost a three game epic county final decider against Boher mirrored past misfortunes, things were about to change.

Ardpatrick-Kilfinane won the County Junior Hurling title on a very special day in November 1982, and in 1988, under the banner of Blackrock (a landmark in Ardpatrick), the U21 hurlers beat Ballybrown in a pulsating County final.

It was quickly followed up by the club, eventually grasping that elusive county Intermediate title in 1993, when beating a much fancied Na Piarsaigh side.

A drop down to Junior ranks in the Naughties would ironically present the club with one of its greatest days out, when after winning the county in 2009, the hurlers went on to win the All Ireland title in Croke Park, on a February evening in 2010. It was a day that will live long in the memory.

Since then, we have had some marvellous days in the very competitive Premier Intermediate hurling grade, culminating in another final victory in 2019, following a riveting replay versus Kildimo, Pallaskenry.

And so, we arrive at our latest engagement in the county final, with todays clash against Dromin Athlacca. Our team has been bedevilled by emigration and injury, but the players have defied such adversities, and fought valiantly to reach this decider.

There are 3 beautiful wood sculptures in the town of Kilfinane, one over ten feet in height, features a hurlers hand gripping his caman with a sliotar on the bos, stretching to the skies above, - a nod to the clubs storied hurling past.

The piece emits a sense of power and defiance – a nod to what the hurlers of Blackrock will bring to the fray today.

Carraig Dubh abu
Seoirse Bulfin
Vice Chairman

If you have any old photos or possibly newspaper clippings we would love to preserve them here on our website as we remember the special moments together as a club. You can email them directly to Elaine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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