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The disqualification after the 1910
county semi- final and the defeat by Tralee in
1911,steeled the Killarney mens resolve for the new
year, thus creating the first three –in-a-row of Kerry
senior football championships for Dr’ Crokes
1912,1913.and 1914--- and would you believe it, the
three in-a-row wasn’t complete until 1916. Protracted
delays in playing the finals didn’t deter the Black and
Amber men
Significant
Dates:
1912-defeated Laune Rangers
in Rathmore,4th august, Ballydonoghue in
Listowel,20th October, Rathmore in
Castleisland, December, and Tralee Parnells in
Listowel, 22nd of December.
1913- defeated Tralee
Mitchels, 25th September, Castlegregory, 16th
November and Kilcummin, the 18th
January1914.
1914- walk-over from Currow,
6th December. In the Co’ final, Tralee
Mitchels won by a controversial point in April, 1915,
but agreed to a re-fixture. This ended in a draw in
July 11th, and the third meeting in January,
1916 at Rathmore resulted in a Dr’ Crokes win by two
points.
Others to play in the Dr Crokes 3 in a row
W Hickey(Goalie) E
Foley, P Doherty, E Murphy, A O'Callaghan (College St)
and Humphrey Murphy (Currow) a Star midfielder for the
Club in this period later became the famous OC of the
Kerry Brigade No.1 in the War of Independence & Civil
War. Also missing from the Photograph was one of the
clubs brightest stars Johnny O'Mahoney (New St) who won
a Senior All-Irelands with Kerry 1913,1914. The delay in
playing the 1914 County Final meant he had to lose out
as he departed to the USA before the Replay in 1915. A
real Croke ledgend who we meet again in the early 1920's
Humphrey Murphy
Johnny O'Mahoney
"Since the 1915
and 1916 County Championships in Kerry were disbanded Dr
Crokes were in reality Champions of the Kingdom 1912 to
1917 a magnificent epilogue to our Golden era."
In July 1918 the curtailment of
Trains interfered with the scheduling of Games and
Police stopped many Games throughout the Country.
In Nov 1918 Dr Crokes beaten
in the County Championship led to the following comments
in the Kerryman Newspaper - "Dr Crokes and Tralee
Mitchell's who have figured in the final honours for
years are down and out for the present. It cannot be
denied either combination that in their heyday they had
few, if any, equals in Ireland.
Now in the year 2007-over a hundred
years later-the Dr’ Croke club is very aware of direct
links held between present day members, those holding
positions in the club and present players with those
great stalwarts of the G A A’s early years who put the
Club and County on the National Sporting Map.—Small
Jerry O’ Leary,- Jack Myers- Jack and Willie Lynch –Tom[Crostown]
Looney- and the great Paddy Healy of 1912 era.
A Group of Killarney Dr Croke Footballers & Officials
pictured in 1913.
Seated from left: Denis Doyle, Dick Fitzgerald,
Jim Galvin,
Centre: Joe O'Brien, Pat
Mahoney, Micksey Hurley,
Back: Mickey
PD & Small Jer O'Leary
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