Laune Rangers – 1905
Laune Rangers re-entered the Co. Senior Football Championship but lost to Keel in the first round.
Although the Co. Championship semi-final, Tralee versus Killarney, was scheduled for Killorglin, Austin Stack, despite the protestations on the Laune Rangers’ delegate, John Fitzpatrick, succeeded in having the game rescheduled for Listowel.
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Co. Senior Football Championship
A letter in The Kerry Sentinel (partly reprinted below) by the Co. Secretary, on the subject of areas reviving the Gaelic code, seemed to have the desired effect. Nineteen teams took part in the Co. Senior Football Championship, Dingle, Annascaul, Irremore, Tarbert, Fossa, Castlemaine, Keel, Rathmore, Kilcummin, Milltown, Ballylongford, Duagh, Castlegregory, Killarney Crokes, Listowel, Laune Rangers, Cahersiveen, Castleisland and Tralee Mitchels. Laune Rangers returned to the fray after an absence of one year.
Sun. 3rd Sept. at Milltown: Keel 1-9; Killorglin 1-5.
The teams lined up at 3.00pm. Killorglin, winning the toss, played with a strong wind and led at halftime by 1-5 to 0-1. During the second half, Keel had it all its own way. Ref: J.J. O Sullivan (Milltown).
At the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 16th Sept. a letter of complaint was received from Killorglin in reference to their game with Keel but, as no formal objection, accompanied by the fee of 10s, was received, it was decided to uphold the referee’s report awarding the match to Keel.
Later, it appears that Keel dropped out of the competition. Cahersiveen reached the finals of the Co. Championship in 1904 and 1905. However, because of a series of objections, the semi-final of the 1904 championship between Tralee Mitchels and Killarney Crokes was not played until 7th Oct. 1906. At that stage, Mitchels and Crokes had also reached the semi-final of the 1905 championship. It was decided to play the semi-final of the two years as one game and Mitchels won by 0-8 to 0-6. It was further decided to play the final of both years, between Mitchels and Cahersiveen, as one game also. Unfortunately, Cahersiveen, having played its 1905 semi-final sixteen months earlier, was forced to concede the game. Tralee had then won six titles but none on the field of play!
1798 Memorial Football Tournament Games
Sun. 26th Nov. at Milltown: Killorglin v Kilcummin. Ref: J.J. O Sullivan (Milltown).
Keel v Fossa. Ref: Mike Joy (Killorglin).
Those games were not played and had to be refixed on a number of occasions during the following year.
Senior Football Challenge Game
Sun. 20th Aug. at Killarney: Kerry (1st Team) 1-3; Kerry (2nd Team) 1-5.
That game was played in preparation for the All-Ireland Final replay versus Kildare, on the following Sunday in Cork. The 1st team was short seven of their men and the 2nd team was short six.
Kerry (1st Team): Eugene O Sullivan, Austin Stack, P. J. Cahill, Maurice McCarthy, Thady O Gorman, James O Gorman, Dan McCarthy, Dick Fitzgerald, Jack Lynch, Dinny Curran, Charlie Duggan, M. Collins, T. Murphy, J. O Sullivan, Con Healy, Mike Pendy, J. Hayes.
Kerry (2nd Team): Mike Joy, Danny O Lyons, Paddy Joy (all Laune Rangers), Larry Buckley (Firies), Denis O Keeffe (Killarney), John C. Fleming (Kilcummin), J. Doherty, Tom O Sullivan (Killarney), D. Leary, J. Collins, M. Sheehan, J. Sheehan, Con Murphy (Killarney), Miksey Hurley (do.), P. Regan, T. Kissane, Jack Myers (Killarney).
Administration/Miscellany
James Nolan, Cill Coinnigh, was Uachtarán CLG.
Annual Congress was held in Thurles on Sun. 8th Jan. It was decided, commencing on the 1st Feb. to suspend for two years any member playing rugby, association football, hockey, cricket or such like imported games.
The Munster Convention was reconvened on 26th January. The following officers were elected: Chairman – Thomas F. O Sullivan (Ciarraí), Secretary – Pat McGrath (Tiobrad Árainn), Treasurer – Dan Fraher (Port Láirge).
The Kerry Annual Co. Convention was held in the Young Ireland Society rooms on Sat. 1st April. Thirteen clubs were represented. Laune Rangers were represented, for the first time since 1902, by Mike Joy and Patrick J. Kelly. The following officers were elected: Chairman – Eugene O Sullivan (Killarney Crokes), Vice-Chairman – Thomas O Flaherty (Tralee Mitchels), Secretary – Thomas F. O Sullivan (Listowel), Treasurer – F. O Fahey (Tralee Mitchels).
The following was part of a letter, by the Secretary of the Co. Board, Thomas F. O Sullivan, which appeared in the Kerry Sentinel prior to the Annual Convention: “It is to be hoped that a number of clubs, which have fallen out of the Gaelic ranks, will rejoin the association and send delegates to the forthcoming convention. There are at least in the county a dozen parishes, including Lixnaw, Ballyduff, Causeway, Killorglin, Keel, Firies, Rathmore, Milltown, Cordal, etc., which not very many years ago were prominently represented in our hurling and football championships. Surely a few earnest Gaels in these districts should have no great difficulty in re-organising the clubs.”
At the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 29th April it was announced that Laune Rangers club had paid its affiliation of 12/6.
Mike Joy represented Laune Rangers at the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 13th May in the offices of The Kerry Sentinel. A double 1904 Co. Football Championship fixture, Cahersiveen v Castleisland and Tralee v Killarney, was scheduled for Killorglin on Sun. 16th July.
At the next Co. Board meeting on Sat. 27th May, Austin Stack moved that the Tralee v Killarney match be not played in Killorglin. He suggested that the match should be played in a properly enclosed ground and that the Sports Field Committee and the Co. Board be asked to forego their claim on the receipts in order that they might be devoted to procuring extra medals for the players who had assisted in some, but not all, of the matches in connection with the Munster 1903 Football Final, and to help to meet expenses in regard to the All-Ireland Final to be played at Tipperary on the 30th July. In the absence of a representative from Killorglin at the meeting, it was decided to postpone the question of changing the venue to the following meeting.
At the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 10th June, the Laune Rangers delegate was John Fitzpatrick. Austin Stack again moved that the venue for the Killarney v Tralee match be changed from Killorglin, on the ground that a larger gate would be made in either Tralee, Listowel or Killarney. He pointed out that the receipts should be large, as they were to be devoted to equipping the county team in connection with the All-Ireland final, and providing seven gold medals for players who had taken part in some, but not all, of the matches for the Munster Championship. The Co. Board had agreed to forego its claim to half the receipts and the three Sports Field Committees of Tralee, Killarney and Listowel had also agreed to forego their claim on the receipts having regard to the object in view. John Fitzpatrick strongly objected to the change of venue and said that it would be an injustice to Killorglin. Asked if the Killorglin committee would forego its claim on the receipts of the match, Mr. Fitzpatrick said he could not promise it. On a division, Austin Stack’s motion was carried by 7 votes to 6, the Chairman and Secretary not voting.
John Fitzpatrick represented Laune Rangers at the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 1st July, at which the 1905 Co. Championship fixtures were made. Draws in connection with the 1798 Memorial Tournament were also made.
Mike Joy represented Laune Rangers at the Co. Board meeting on Sat. 16th Dec. at which great disappointment was expressed at the action of the GS&W Railway Company in charging the full excursion rate to GAA patrons going the 1904 Co. Semi-final in Listowel, Tralee versus Killarney, instead of the usual special reduction.
1904 Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final on Sun. 29th Oct. in Limerick: Kerry 1-4; Cork 0-0.
The 1905 Munster Senior Football Championship final, Kerry 2-10; Limerick 1-6, was played in Tralee on Sun. 7th April 1906.
1905 All-Ireland Final on Sun. 16th June 1907 at Thurles: Kildare (Roseberry) 1-7; Kerry (J. Mitchels) 0-5.
Kerry: Maurice McCarthy (capt.), P.J. Cahill, James T. Fitzgerald, Thady O Gorman, James O Gorman, John O Sullivan, Con Healy, Tom Costello, Dinny Curran (all Tralee), Dick Fitzgerald, Paddy Dillon (goals), Jack Myers, Con Murphy, J. Spillane (all Killarney), Rody Kirwan, Denny Breen (all Castleisland), J. Wrenn (Tarbert). Subs: Jack Lawlor (Tralee) and Joe O Shea (Dingle).
J.P. O Sullivan was the official starter/handicapper at the Killorglin Sports Meeting (under the rules of the GAA) on Sun. 2nd July.