Juvenile Club of the Year- Kevins Hurling & Camogie Club
Kevin’s have a long and proud tradition dedicated to promoting Gaelic games in Dublin’s south city. The club was originally established to promote Gaelic football and hurling, but now focuses on hurling and camogie. Since its foundation in 1902 Kevin’s have never broken their affiliation to the Dublin County Board, has never merged, or moved from its original roots in the south city.
In 2013 the club launched a club strategy to build on the good work of our predecessors. The plan encompassed all aspects of the club from its interaction within the community to improving the playing standards in hurling and camogie and is tailored based on our location and available resources. Since launching the strategy,we have doubled our membership and significantly increased the number of active members. The growth in numbers is most evident on Saturday mornings when the noise levels in Dolphin Park explode.
Much of the clubs’ history is outlined on the website, but recent research has highlighted the fact that Kevin’s had a huge influence on underage development in Dublin. A little-known fact is that Kevin’s established the first successful underage nursery over 100 years ago under the leadership of Harry O’Kelly. In 1919 Kevin’s were at the forefront of underage development organizing sports days in Dolphins Barn competing in football, hurling, handball and athletics. This was followed by the Dublin Schools Leagues adopting some of the club’s initiatives. The club won the intermediate hurling championship 1924 and under 21 league in 1925. Much to everyone’s surprise they reached the senior hurling final of 1926 beating the star-studded Army Metro team along the way. While beaten in the final by the famed Garda side, Kevin’s achievement was significant, as they were the first club to reach a senior final with so many home grown players.
