Civil Service Hurling Club
Encyclopedia
Civil Service Hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 Club is one of 6 hurling only clubs in the County of Dublin ( the others are Faughs, Commericals, Setanta, Réalt Dearg
Realt Dearg GAA
Realt Dearg is one of Dublins six hurling only clubs . The club is also the counties youngest, estabhlished in November of 2009. The teams catchment area is the South Dublin City suburbs of Rathmines, Ranelagh, Rathgar, Terenure, Donnybrook and Clonskeagh...

 and Kevins
Kevin's Hurling club
Kevins is a hurling club based in Dolphin's Barn in Dublin's south inner city, Ireland.-History:Kevins began promoting hurling and camogie in Dolphin's Barn and Dublin's south inner city in 1902. Kevins hurling club was founded in 1902. It evolved from the Craobh Chaoimhín of Conradh na Gaeilge....

). The club was founded in 1923. They currently field two adult hurling teams, in Division 5 and 8 and play in the Junior A and E Hurling championships. They play their game at Islandbridge where the Civil Service Football Club also play.

History

Founded in 1923, the founder members were Art O’Driscoll, Tadgh Casey, Padraigh OhAodha, Liam Malone, Joe Crossan, J.Lennon, Harry McHugh, Tom Mchugh, Colm O’Sullivan, Harry Carrick, Dennis O’Sullivan, Paddy McCarthy and Seamus Murphy and the three O’Braonain brothers among their founding members, Seamus, Chriostoir and Sean. The first hurling practice took place in October at the former British Army Polo grounds on the Navan Road. The Club played its first match in the Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...

 Junior hurling league on 19 May 1924 against Pioneers, losing by two goals. In 1926 the club won its first league title and its first championship having gone the season unbeaten. In 1929 the club won the Intermediate league and in 1934, an Under 21 league. In 1935 Service won the Corn Ceitin. There path to victory was somewhat unusual however. The club had received a walk over in the semi final from Crokes, and as a result were to play Banba in the final which they did ending in a draw. In the meantime Crokes persuaded the board to refix their semi final and so Service were now forced to play Crokes who they beat. The replay against Banba took place which the club won.
In 1938 an interclub committee meeting between Civil Service Hurling, Gaelic football and Camogie clubs took place in order to attain a common goal- their own grounds It was chaired by Colm O’Sullivan of the hurling club, Joe Moylan represented the hurling club, Tom Wolfe the football club and Delia Kelly the camogie club. Islandbridge came on stream as a result in 1944. A former dump, transformation to a level playing pitch was a difficult task with arable soil difficult to come by. The clubs managed to obtain around 600 tons of good soil from Ballyfermot where building was in progress for the foundations of what is now suburb of Dublin. The club was able to cover the cost of the soil through a grant from the unemployment relief scheme. The club developed a club house and changing rooms starting out with a two mini apartment wooden hut – without water or sanitation. Development was difficult due to the scarcity of building materials after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, resulting in a statutory limit of £750 outlay on recreational buildings. Using voluntary labour the club dug out the foundations for a new four-apartment concrete building with hot and cold showers and sanitation in 1947 and developed by 1951.
The clubs senior status which they had obtained in when they won the Intermediate Championship was lost in 1948 and regained again in 1949 when they won their second Intermediate championship
Dublin Intermediate Hurling Championship
Dublin Senior Hurling Club Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Intermediate Dublin Clubs. The winners of the Dublin Championship qualify for the Dublin Senior Hurling B Championship. The 2006 intermediate champions were Round Towers who beat Thomas...

. In 1949 the club was fielding two teams at senior and junior level. The senior team won the Corn Ceitin while the junior team reached both league and championship final, losing in both. The clubs success resulted in four members of the club being selected to the Dublin panel which won in the Leinster junior hurling championship in 1950. The Junior team won the Junior A league and Smyth cup in 1952. The Senior team reached their first ever Senior hurling championship final having beaten Young Irelands in semi final. They were defeated by St. Vincents
St Vincents GAA
St Vincents is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Marino, on the northside of Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1931, originally in Raheny, but it moved to its home in Marino in 1987. St Vincents merged with Marino Camogie Club in 1997 to form the St Vincents Hurling, Football and...

. Nine members of the team that had played inter county hurling at some stage with counties Wicklow
Wicklow
Wicklow) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. Located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island, it has a population of 10,070 according to the 2006 census. The town is situated to the east of the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford. Wicklow is also connected to the rail...

, Dublin, Clare
Clare
-Australia:* Clare, South Australia, town in the Clare Valley* Clare Valley, wine region-Canada:* Clare, Nova Scotia, municipal district* Clare , electoral district-Ireland:* County Clare, one of the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland...

, Laois, Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 and Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

. The club reached the semi final of the Senior championship the following year but won the senior league. The junior league won the Miller Shield in 1958. In 1961 the junior team won the championship and the following year they won the intermediate championship. In 1964 the club won Senior League Division 2. The 1960’s saw new difficulties facing the club and indeed other Dublin clubs who depended on players from the country resident in Dublin. The advent of the five day week, the allowing of players resident outside their native county to play with that county, transport out of Dublin becoming more easily available. These and others resulted in the end to the days where people would arrive in Dublin from the country in the summer and not travel home again until Christmas time. The club continued to compete despite these difficulties at senior level and in 1973 were runners up in Senior league Division 2 and promoted to Division 1. The junior team won the Junior A league in 1976. The club embarked on a successful run from 1983-1986 winning the 1983 Intermediate League after a top Four playoff, the Intermediate League in 1984, the Junior League in 1985, an Intermediate league and championship in 1986, Doyle Cup in 1986, the Naas
Naas
Naas is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. With a population of just over twenty thousand, it is also the largest town in the county. Naas is a major commuter suburb, with many people residing there and working in Dublin...

 Tournament in 1986 and the Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...

 Tournament in the same year. The club returned to Senior status in 1987 however by 1989 they were reduced to fielding a single team and nearly disbanded. The club dropped down to Junior status winning the Miller shield in 1992 and in 1993 won the Junior League, Junior B championship and retained the Miller Shield. The club continued to experience difficulty in fielding until 1995 when a successful recruitment drive gave them sufficient numbers. The club won the Corn Fag a Bealach in 1996. The club won the Corn Fag a Bealach again and reached the Junior hurling championship final the following year, losing to Setanta of Ballymun. The club celebrated 75 years in existence in 2001. Since 2002 the club has had a golf society. One of the clubs players who is from Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 was featured in an article in the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...

  called Juan Facundo Contreras. The club were subject of a short documentary by Dutch media students in 2011.

Roll of Honour

  • 1926,1952, 1957, 1976 Junior League
  • 1926, 1961 Junior Championship
  • 1929, 1983, 1984, 1986 Intermediate League
  • 1934 Under 21 League
  • 1935, 1949 Corn Ceitin
  • 1949, 1958, 1962, 1985 Intermediate Championship
  • 1952 Smyth Cup
  • 1952 Senior Hurling Championship Runners Up
  • 1957 Senior League
  • 1958, 1992, 1993 Miller Shield
  • 1964 Senior League Division 2
  • 1985, 1993 Junior B League
  • 1986 Doyle Cup
  • 1986 Naas Tournament
  • 1986 Leixlip Tournament
  • 1993 Junior B League
  • 1996, 1997 Corn Fag a Bealach
  • 1997, 2001 Junior A Championship Runners Up
  • 2004 Tobin Cup

People of Note

Sean O’Braonain
Sean O’Braonain was one of the founding members and spent many years as chairman stepping down in 1973. He was then elected president of the club, a position he held until his death on the 30th December 1983 at the age of 84. He was chairman of the Dublin County Board from 1939-1946.
James Andrew Walsh (hurler)
Played in the 1934 All-Ireland Final representing the Civil Service.
1949 Winning Intermediate Championship Winning panel: Larry Staines, Col Murphy, Paddy Crowley, Paddy Murphy, Donie Ryan, Mick Shalloe, Pakie Brennan, Finbar Carroll, Tadgh Donavan, Owen Ryan, Larry Doyle, Sean O’Mahoney, Liam Mc Andrew, Gerry Houlihan.
1950 Senior Championship Runners Up panel: Larry Stynes, Frank Foley , Paddy Crowley, Mick Shalloe , Jim Dermody, Donal Whelan, Brendan Brennan, Con Murphy, Austin Hannon, Tommy Barry, Ned O’Driscoll, Sean O’Mahony, Barry Houlihan, Colm Murphy, Liam McAndrew, Subs: Paddy Nolan, Jim Roche, Mossy Long, Mick Curneen, Jim Crowley.

1986 Intermediate Championship, League, Doyle Cup, Naas tournament, Leixlip Tournament Winning Panel: Dave Behan, Tom Cuddy, Stephen Griffin, Jim Carew, John McNamara, Larry Kinsella, Peter Scully, Gerry Butler, Seamus Power, Gerry Crowley, Pascal Moran, Danny Burke, Seamus Mannion, Jim Power, Seamus Hough, Tom Maxwell, Tommy Carew, Denis O’Connor, Joe O’Grady, Declan Fitzpatrick, Tom Pender, Gerry Delaney.
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