Gaelic games club in County Cork, Ireland
Ballincollig GAA is a Gaelic football and hurling club based in the town of Ballincollig, County Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated with the Cork GAA board and plays in the Muskerry divisional competitions. In 2009, the club will participate in the Cork Senior Football Championship and the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship.
History
The GAA itself was founded in 1884 and the first Cork County Board was formed in 1886 with 21 teams from across the county. Ballincollig were in this initial 21, however it was not until 1887 that the first record of entry into the Championship from a team from Carrigrohane, with a late submission. With a lot of upheaval in the early days of the board, there were rival boards formed and in 1891 the club entered a team under the name of Ballincollig Gladstonians. It wasn't until 1895 that the Ballincollig recorded its first significant victory in the Bride Valley Tournament by defeating the Barrs. In 1903 the club as well as the town fell into decline with the closure of the gunpowder mills. 1909 saw a huge revival with the arrival of new Parish Priest Fr Dan O'Donovan and the starting up of the Mid Cork Leagues. 1919 saw the adoption of today's club colours, green and white and it wasn't until 1927 that the club introduced a football team at any level. 1939 saw Ballincollig win the Intermediate Hurling Championship and were then regraded to senior status. In 1942, the club was the first team in nine years to defeat Glen Rovers in the Cork Senior Hurling Championship. In the period from 1941 to 1943, the club came very close to winning the Senior Hurling title. In 1943, a dubious free almost 9 minutes into added time cost the clubvictory over a great St Finbarr's side. After being outclassed in the previous two finals by Glen Rovers and St Finbarr's, Ballincollig had delivered their greatest ever senior display, only to be held to a draw in controversial circumstances. In the replay, they were unable to get over the sense of injustice from the drawn game, and they capitulated easily.
In 2009, the club won their first ever Cork Under-21 Football Championship atoning for their defeat 13 years previously. Hot favourites and reigning county champions St Finbarr's were dethroned. Despite hitting 18 wides, performances by Ciaran O'Sullivan (Man of the Match winner), Ronan O'Driscoll and Mickey Lordan as well as scores from Kealan Hickey, Kieran Joyce, Ian Coughlan and Kieran O'Driscoll led the club to victory on a 0-11 to 0-09 scoreline.
In 2011 Ballincollig GAA Club won its first ever top grade Minor Football County Championship by defeating Douglas after a replay and added time in the CIT sports complex. Added to this was the Intermediate hurlers winning the Liam Breathnach Cup, the Senior footballers winning the Tadhg Crowley Cup and Junior footballers winning a Mid Cork Championship to cap off the most successful year in a long time for the Senior section of the Club.
