Sport
The Killarney Cricket Field and Kerry’s long-standing connection to the English game
Eamonn Fitzgerald traces the roots of cricket in The Kingdom, going back to the days of the Cricket Field here in Killarney
There is something special about sports beginning with the letter ‘c’. Immediately I think of canoeing, curling, CrossFit, climbing, cycling, camel racing, camogie, caid, and cricket. Let’s look at ‘cricket’. More about the other sports at some later dates.
Cricket has made a few rare enough appearances in these pages but it is the focus of this week’s column arising out of several queries I’ve had about how the Cricket Field in Killarney got its name.
Just state the obvious: that is where cricket was played from the 1870s until the sport just faded away in Killarney for strong historical reasons. For the uninitiated, go to the end of Muckross Road and from the Flesk Bridge see what remains of the Cricket Field on the left bank of the Flesk River. It is still quite a sizeable green field, but much reduced with the expansion of housing in the Woodlawn area.
A couple of weeks ago, the Irish Cricket team won their first ever test match by beating Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi. That was a breakthrough because they had lost their first seven matches since they earned test status in 2017.
Several countries claim that the game of cricket began in their land, but all the indicators are that England is the birthplace of the game. Some form of it was played in the 1600s. Gradually it grew in other countries, especially where the British Empire held control. This led to the first test cricket match in 1877. Those tests are certainly a test of endurance as some can last up to five days.
The origin of cricket in Ireland is set in the history of its time, particularly in the 1800s when the native Irish peasants lived under the regime of the landed gentry who promoted the game of cricket and confined it mainly to their own class.
In O’Caithnia’s splendid work Scéal na hIomána (The Story of Hurling), he recalls: “In 1829 Crofton Croker walked down Flesk Road on a Sunday stroll with Killarney ADM Fr Edmund Fitzmaurice. They came upon a group of lads playing cruicéad na hÉireann (Cricket of Ireland).”
I expect that is the first recorded mention of cricket in Killarney. While cricket was quite common throughout Ireland and was an imported game for the English gentry, the County Kerry Cricket Club wasn’t formed until 1872, even though it was already played intermittently in some parts of the county.
Valentia Island was a case in point. Valentia Cricket Club played Tralee at the military barracks square in Ballymullen, Tralee. Later they played their games in the local sportsfield (the present Austin Stack Park). Their colours were green and gold. Surprise, surprise.
The Valentia team included the workers from Britain who came to the island to lay the famous Transatlantic Cable, all 3,500 miles of it, a remarkable feat of engineering at that time. After three attempts they succeeded in 1858. The company had a very active Valentia CC for the British workers. The locals were bemused at first, but in due course they also learned the basics of cricket.
KILLARNEY CC
The Killarney Cricket Club wasn’t founded until April 1887. There is a record of a match between Killarney CC and Major Henderson’s team played on the lawn opposite the Major’s posh residence in Glenflesk in the 1880s. Killarney CC also played two matches against the Middlesex Regiment stationed in Buttevant. Those games were played in 1888.
There were also cricket teams in such unlikely places as Sneem, Ballylongford, Kenmare, Waterville, Cahersiveen, Milltown, Killorglin, Listowel, Tarbert, Causeway, Ballyheigue, Ardfert, Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West. However, they did not last too long in some of these areas.
The GAA was founded in 1884 and Dr Crokes was founded in 1886. Patron of the new Killarney Cricket Club was Lord Kenmare who duly provided the Killarney Cricket Field on a nominal rent to promote the game. The Killarney CC team was very active and while cricket was the game of the gentry in Ireland, when their numbers dwindled in some locations some Irish tenants were included to make up a team. However, that was not widespread.
Anywhere the British were in the ascendancy they introduced the game of cricket. So, if there was a British garrison stationed you can be sure that cricket was played regularly. That was how soccer was also introduced to different parts of Ireland. Soccer was the sport of the garrison towns. A bonus for cricket was when the Trinity-educated well-to-do Irish graduates returning home. They played and supported cricket as a status symbol in society. The same can be said of rugby as it was played up to the 1960s. That has changed in current rugby circles.
Canon Tom Looney informed me that there is a strong cricket connection with his former parish of Kilcummin. It goes back to a ‘John Morphy’ from Ballinamanagh Kilcummin, who emigrated to Australia. Briefly, his daughter Florence Rose made the ‘Canberra News’ after Australia crushed England in 1882.
The Killarney Cricket Field also became the centre for Gaelic football where the local GAA games were played on the pitch leased from Lord Kenmare long before the Fitzgerald Stadium was built. It was also the venue for some stirring Kerry v Cork Munster finals and a venue for Killarney RFC.
Readers will recall the infamous Ban or Rule 27 of the GAA which forbade GAA members and players from playing foreign games (rugby, soccer, cricket, hockey). That was a big bone of contention right up until 1971 when it was abolished at the GAA Congress in Belfast. It became very much a cat-and-mouse game when spectators interested in those games had to avoid GAA personnel catching anyone breaking the Ban.
Ironically, Michael Cusack from Carron in Clare was a well-known rugby player, starring with Trinity RFC. When he was teaching at Blackrock College, Dublin in the early 1870s he played cricket and when he set up his own school in 1877, he founded a rugby team with himself as secretary and trainer. Sevan years later he was a founding member of the GAA. Hence the stand in Croker.
Who can remember the spectators who viewed the local rugby match from the Flesk Bridge?
Cricket is enjoying a revival and recently I viewed the beautiful new base for Kerry Cricket in Spa. No, not the famous football club in Killarney parish, but the Oyster Oval at The Spa, Tralee. Kerry CC won the Senior Munster Cup for the first time in its history in 2018 and were awarded the Munster Club of the Year for successes in the Munster Junior Cup and the Munster Junior T20s.
Currently, they are playing in the above competitions and also in the Irish National Cup. No doubt the game has got a great boost with the increasing numbers of immigrants from countries where cricket is the national game. Will Cricket make an official comeback to Killarney? If so, where will the games be played? Currently, who owns the Cricket Field? Níl fhios agam ach i ndeireadh na dála cricket in Kerry is on the up and up.
And so, back to the Killarney Cricket field off the Muckross Road, getting greener by the day. Wouldn’t the Bull McCabe have a field day claiming the famous field? The late great John B. Keane was so perceptive understanding the DNA of the Kerry psyche.
SPORT IN BRIEF
Cheltenham was centre stage this week. Did you pick the winner for the Gold Cup?
Congrats to the Utility Trust St Paul’s basketball team who delivered a top-class display in the Division 1 league final at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Saturday. They put the Swords Thunder side to the sword with a whopping 23 points to spare. Well done to all concerned and further proof why Killarney’s James Fleming is one of the most sought-after coaches in basketball. Next season St Paul’s will be playing in the Super League.
Meanwhile, the Irish bubble burst at Twickenham and it was well-deflated before that late drop kick. No Grand Slam but there is an early opportunity tomorrow (Saturday) to get back on track with the home game against Scotland which is scheduled to kick off at 4.45pm.
Plenty of TV coverage for GAA patrons this weekend with 9 games on TV, including Kerry away to Roscommon on Sunday (TG 4). I expect Kerry to win that and conclude their league programme here in the Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday 24 March. Best of luck to Mercy Mounthawk in the Hogan Cup final.
Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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