A Brief History of Baltinglass Gaa
Football has been played in Baltinglass since the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association. In the early years the club played under the name of Maurice Davins but achieved little in the way of success on the field of play, and from time to time disappeared from Wicklow inter-club activity. The first real success for the club came in 1913, when playing under the banner of Baltinglass Shamrocks, they won the delayed 1912 Wicklow Junior title -- the final of which was played in Croke Park. Lean years followed the winning of the Junior title; the next championship to come to the town was in 1927 when the Wicklow Senior Hurling title was won. Football had fallen away in the town in the early thirties but in 1934 a meeting was held to re-establish the club and out of this the seeds of the present club were planted.
Success was slow in coming, over the next couple of years the club worked hard to get football going again in the town and in 1940 they were rewarded with a minor title. Off the back of this team a Junior title was captured in 1943 and with it promotion to Intermediate ranks. During the early fifties a lot of work was put into the Juvenile section of the club and this work was soon to bear fruit when the four-in-a-row minor team emerged in 1952-1955. Around this time the club embarked on a fund raising drive with the aim of buying their own pitch. This came to fruition in 1957 when the present playing pitch was bought.
When the Intermediate grade was abolished in 1954 the Wicklow County board decided to promote Baltinglass to the Senior grade. Two years later the club reached its first Senior final and although defeat was their lot a new era for the club was about to begin.
1958 saw Baltinglass win the Wicklow Senior title for the first time and over the next four decades the Miley cup was to become a regular visitor to the town. Four titles in the sixties - including a 3 in a row, four titles in the seventies, six in the eighties and five in the nineties. This included an eight in a row from 1987 to 1994. A much sought after Leinster club title was finally secured in 1989 and this would lead to the clubs finest achievement a few months later when on March 17th 1990 the club claimed the Andy Merigan cup and with it the title of All-Ireland club champions.
The club has won every football honour available in Wicklow including the elusive Intermediate title in 1993. Apart from the championship success Baltinglass has also won numerous leagues and tournaments.
The club now has two training pitches to go along with the main playing pitch, dressing rooms, weight rooms and a committee room. Currently the ground is undergoing a major redevelopment, which has seen floodlights installed, a stand being built and other improvements carried out. The club currently fields three adult teams, one Senior and two Junior.
Our Juvenile Section of the Club is where it all begins. We are very fortunate to have so many excellent qualified coaches looking after our Minors, U16s, U14s, U12s, U11s, U10's and U8s. From February right through to November our training pitches are a hive of activity - with young lads learning their skills and developing their characters and all of them hoping that some day they will represent Baltinglass GAA Club at Senior Level.
Club Officers
PatronsLiam Quinn, Fr Tommy Dillon P.P. , Fr. T. Dooley C.C., Canon M. McCullagh, Fr. P. Shelly C.C., Billy Timmins T.D.
President
Sean O'Toole
Vice Presidents
Patsy Burke, Peter Timmins, Johnny Kenny, Jim Whelan, Jim O'Keeffe, Seamus Kelly, Tom Whelan
Chairman
Con Murphy
Vice Chairman
Ciaran Fleming
Secretary
Mary Cullen
Assistant Secretary + Fixtures Secretary
John Timmins
Martin Coleman (Fixtures)
Juvenile Committee Chairman- 2008
Kieran Burke
Juvenile Committee Secretary - 2008
John Timmins
P.R.O.
Enda Hallahan
Berni Kilcoyne
Treasurer
Anne Whelan
Assistant Treasurer
Damien Patterson
Registrar
Eamonn O'Keeffe
School Liaison Officer
Paul Garrigan
Scor Officers:
Jo Coogan
Miriam Parke