History of Na Piarsaigh
Na Piarsaigh GAA Club was founded in January of 1968, fielding our first underage teams in both hurling and football later that year. The establishment of the club aimed to accommodate the significant population growth on the north side of Limerick City during the 1960’s and give young people a platform to participate in our national games. Headed up by our first Chairman Noel Drumgoole, the club went from strength to strength through the early part of the 1970’s, bringing home our first piece of club silverware in 1972, along with the opening of our new clubhouse and grounds in September of the same year. Na Piarsaigh’s first Lady’s Committee also sat in 1972 to coincide with the official opening of the club facilities.
Building success in the 1990s
Junior A Hurling County Champions 1990
Na Piarsaigh’s first county championship came in football with a victory over Oola in the 1973 U21 county final. This coincided with Limerick bringing Liam McCarthy back Shannon side for the first time in 33 years. The club continued its strong showing in football by winning the 1975 intermediate championship and moving up to the senior ranks. 1982 saw us reach our first senior football final, where we lost out to Claughaun by 3 points.
Our first City Junior Hurling title came in 1980, beating Patrickswell after a replay in our home ground. The decade that followed saw us achieve unprecedented underage success winning 6 county hurling titles in a row in the Féile na nGael from 1983 to 1988. 1984 was a special year among many with us winning the All-Ireland Féile na nGael and the All-Ireland Féile Peile with many of the same player lining out for both teams. We built on this underage success over the coming years with county championships at minor and U21, followed by progression up through the adult ranks, winning a junior title in 1990, an All-Ireland Junior 7’s in 1992, and then victory in the intermediate final of 1994.
Féile na nGael Final 1994
It would be a couple more years before we tasted another county championship, this time coming in the U21 hurling county final of 2004. The following year saw our footballers win the junior county championship after spending many years in the doldrums. That same year saw the much needed development of our current dressing rooms. Development of our facilities continued over the following years with the acquisition of 10 acres behind our dressing rooms in 2014. This was developed into 2 new full size pitches with the attrition of flood lighting to one of those in late 2018.
Our U21 hurlers victory in the 2010 county championship was the spark that set light to an incredible decade of success for Na Piarsaigh. A losing appearance in the final of 2011, we went on to win 6 U21 hurling titles in a row from 2012 to 2017.
A great era of success for our club
Minor Hurling County Champions 1989
2011 saw Na Piarsaigh win our first ever Limerick senior hurling crown. This was followed up with victory in the Munster Club Championship in the same year. Two more Limerick county and Munster club titles were to follow in 2013 and 2015 before our day of days in the 2016 All Ireland Club Final in Croke Park. It was an unforgettable St. Patricks Day for every Na Piarsaigh person young and old, that will certainly live long in the memory. We added a fourth Limerick and Munster Club Crown in 2017 before losing out in the All-Ireland final after a replay. More senior success followed in Limerick with County Championships in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
2014 saw our intermediate footballers make it back to the senior ranks after being away for the best part of 3 decades. We maintained our senior status for the next 6 years before dropping down in 2021, but were victorious again in the 2022 intermediate football final.
Throughout this great era of success for Na Piarsaigh, our county team has also made an incredible return to the top table of hurling. Limerick winning U21 All Irelands in 2015 and 2017 with many Na Piarsaigh men centrally involved. This involvement has transferred to the senior ranks with our lads playing pivotal roles in bringing Liam McCarthy back to Limerick on 5 occasions since 2018.
Damien Quigley won Na Piarsaigh’s first All Star in 1994 based on his outstanding performances in the 1994 Munster and All-Ireland Intercounty Championship. Our second All Star came to Shane Dowling in 2014. This was surely in the making as Shane’s card had been marked 7 years previously having won the Féile Skills Competition held in Nolan Park in 2007. Three more All Stars were to follow with William O’Donoghue winning in 2021 and 2023, along with Peter Casey picking up his accolade in 2021. Peter’s most impressive performance in the green jersey came in the 2023 All-Ireland Hurling Final with him picking up the man of the match award.
In the club awards we have achieved great success, being awarded the County Club of The Year accolade in 1984, Club of the Year in 1990 and The Munster Club of the Year in 2011. Scór has also been ever present in Na Piarsaigh since the club’s foundation with All Ireland success in 2001 for our Senior and Junior Ballad Groups. 2023 also saw our quiz team victorious in the Scór Luimní.
