Senior Club of the Year Naomh Barróg
The development of hurling was very much part of our vision from the foundation of the Club in 1974. Our heading paper from the start of the Club was. “Cumann Iománaíochta agus Peile Naomh Barróg”. Scoil Lorcáin and some teachers took the lead in promoting Gaelic Games in the new primary school and from 1971 to 1978 the school was successful during that period in reaching Cumann na mBunscol Finals in Croke Park, losing some but winning the most. This experience influenced and inspired the young boys involved. They grew to love and appreciate Gaelic Football and hurling, with proud parents and the Parish becoming fans.
When the Club was founded, we decided to progress with care and to establish ourselves first. By 1978 we were confident to introduce hurling teams at u10, u11, u12, u13 and u15 level. That Season the u12 Hurlers won their League. With our Juvenile Teams thriving and hurling and football going from strength to strength we realised it was time to form our Adult Section. On the 1st February 1977 we applied to the Dublin County Board for Adult Membership. History was made when we played our first Football game 3rd March 1977 in the Phoenix Park v Bamba winning by a margin of 2 09 to 1 06. Our Adult Hurling team was soon formed in 1977 and played its first game v Na Fianna.
Dublin hosted the All Ireland u14 Hurling Féile in 1982 & 1983. This Festival of Hurling was an opportunity to highlight the great game of Hurling. For Naomh Barróg and the people of Kilbarrack-Foxfield, we achieved our dream by winning the Div 4 Final in 1982 and the Div 3 Final in 1983. What an honour and achievement for a Club, only 9 years in existence? Intercounty Hurling also came to Kilbarrack in 1986 to open our temporary Dressing Rooms when Dublin v Galway at Páirc Bharróg, that was officially opened in 1984. The next ten years were important and visionary.The Club made a conscious decision to spend more time and finance in developing our teams, by being more involved in the schools by communicating, supporting and providing them with the resources they needed to promote and develop school teams in hurling and football.
From 2000 onwards with the arrival of our first GPO, Martin Nolan and with the relationship between schools/teachers now strong and positive, the results we were looking for began to surface. As well as coaching in the classrooms, our GPO was also involved with the school teams and assisting teachers in winning Hurling Finals in Croke Park.
From 2005 onwards we started to see the results of all our work in the Club since 1974 and our commitment to the 6 Primary Schools and 3 Secondary Schools associated with Naomh Barróg. Below are some of the results we were to witness in the Adult Hurling Section during this golden period in the Club’s history.
2006 Minor B Hurling Championship: 2007 u21 Hurling Championship: 2008 Div 4 League Winners-Promoted to Div 3-Junior Championship Runners-up-Promoted to Inter Championship-Leinster & European Championships: 2009 Inter Winners & promoted to Senior Div 2: 2010 Inter Championship Runners-up & promoted to Senior B Championship: 2019 Winning Div 2 and promotion to Div 1 Hurling: 2019 u12 Cámaint Winners, u13 League Winners, PJ Troy Champions
As a Club we must acknowledge the progress our Camogie section, founded in 1978 has achieved: 1982 Camogie Inter Winners-Final in Phoenix Park: 6th November 2019 Div 2 Championship Winners v Good Counsel in Abbottstown. 2019 u16 & u14 Camogie Championship semi-finals.
Jim Butler, a Kilkenny man, founder member and Manager of the u14 All Ireland Féile winning teams of 1982 & 1983, died this year, RIP. It was an honour and proud moment for our 2019 Div 2 Hurling League Winners, to be presented with the Jim Butler Memorial Cup.
