Clarecastle GAA 3.37

Clarecastle GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in the village of Clarecastle in County Clare, Ireland.In existence since 1887.HonoursClare Senior Hurling Championship: 12 (1928) 1943, 1945, 1949, 1970, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2003, 2005 1997HistoryThe name “Clár Átha an Dá Choradh” has its origins in the local medieval castle first built around 1250 and reconstructed and fortified in the late 15th century. The castle is built on a site, which was an island formed by a divide in the river Fergus. In the Irish Annals, the place is called “Clár Átha an Dá Choradh” or ‘the board of the ford of the two weirs’. The shortened form of this place name “An Clár” in the anglicised form eventually gave its name to the modern county of Clare.Hurling and football have been played in the parish since earliest times but its present existence dates probably from the spring of 1887. A football tournament is recorded as having taken place in October of that year. It is also on record that the Killone hurling club and the Clarecastle football club took part in a funeral procession of a Clarecastle Fenian in March 1888.There have been many changes since those times. The name of the club in Clarecastle has been changed many times from “Robert Emmets”, “Parnells” to “An Clar”, “An Clar Mor”, “Droichead an Chlair” etc., until 1971 when the historic name of “Clár Átha an Dá Choradh” was restored to the club and has remained ever since.The club remained without a home ground until the early 1980s when a first permanent site was purchased from St Flannans College at Clareabbey. That well-appointed grounds and clubhouse has since passed from the club in a roundabout way to the Clare County Board. It was purchased from the club by the Ennis Urban Council in 1998 and subsequently bought back from the Urban Council by the county board and is now the official headquarters of Clare GAA.