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The GAA was founded in Thurles
on November 1st, 1884 with the main aim of
promoting Irish Athletics. It’s first President,
Maurice Davin, invited Archbishop Croke to become a
Patron. Croke’s letter of acceptance dated December 18th,
1884 was so celebrated as to be recognised as a charter
of the association. It contained the strong plea for
support for the games and sports that were traditional
in Ireland, and that seemed to be dying out. Dr Croke’s
support for the GAA was a major cause of its early
success.
The GAA in its turn has been
mindful of its great benefactor. In 1920, it erected a
monument to him in Liberty Square, Thurles. It consists
of a bronze figure of the Archbishop standing on a
limestone pedestal.
Dr. Croke was born in Castlecor,
Kanturk, Co. Cork. He was ordained a priest of the
Cloyne Diocese on May 29th 1847. He served
in Midleton, Mallow, St. Colman’s College Fermoy and
Doneraile. He was summoned to Rome and ordained Bishop
of Auckland, New Zealand on July 10, 1870. He returned
to Ireland and was appointed Archbishop of Cashel & Emly
in 1875. He served his people and country with
distinction until his death.
To him the Gaelic Athletic
Association owed a deep debt. The letter written to
Michael Cusack in 1884 consenting to become Patron of
the Association was one of its most cherised
possessions. He put a vigorous life into that
organisation that had done much to train, discipline and
develop the young manhood of our country. Croke Park in
Dublin is a lasting memorial to his work for the
organisation. Wherever the men of the GAA, the finest
type of the world’s manhood, sweep along their playing
fields, the name of Croke is an inspiration.
Killarney Dr. Croke
Connection
“The Kerry Champion” journalist sums up our club’s
honoured tradition in his 1938 column. “If a free
choice were to be made in the problem of selecting, on
its merits, the GAA Club in the “Kingdom” which could
rightly claim pride of place in a record of the
movement, the Dr. Croke club, Killarney, could not
easily be denied the honour. Apart from the merits of
the club’s case on every other ground, the name of its
patron was sufficient. The proud distinction has been
allotted to it, without contradiction, that it is the
only GAA club in the country to bear the name of the
illustrious Archbishop of Cashel, whose distinguished
patronage was a great source of strength to the infant
Association in its uphill fight. It is no small boast
that the Gaels of Killarney can make, that they also had
the honour of enjoying the patronage of Dr. Croke, of
golden memory. His Grace conveyed his gracious assent
to act as patron in a letter which is still treasured at
the club’s rooms” Sadly this letter of 1888 from our
Patron who was a man of national, continental and
universal vision has been lost
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