North Kildare Hockey Club

Formed in 1926 the club was originally known as the North Kildare Tennis and Cricket Clud which was an amalgamation of two tennis clubs, Firmount and Lucan, with Frank Fields as its first Hons. Secretary.

Hockey started in North Kildare Club in 1928 with a Men’s and Ladies team playing in Leinster.  The men were very successful, winning their section on several occasions.  The Ladies, while not winning any major trophies did very well.

Prominent players in this era include:-

Men – Charlie Wiley, Billy Walsh, Jimmy Walsh, Tom Plunkett, John Plunkett, Percy Hannon, Jack Hannon, Kit Cosgrave, Tom Cosgrave, Kevin Carey.

Ladies – Pauline Delaney, Sheila Kehely, Joan Kehely, Ella Dempsey, Nancy Bruton, Martha Dempsey, Kathleen Scully, Kitty McKenna, Nancy Hope, Ena McCarnon.

For lack of numbers the men’s and ladies teams discontinued competitive play in about 1935.

Kit Cosgrave and Jackie Rowan revived the club in 1937 and the following year the Men’s team won the Minor Cup in Leinster.

After the war the men’s team won the Meehan Cup in 1948 in the Midland League.  In the final they played Deighton Wanderers of Carlow in Naas. In a ten year period from 1948 onwards NK won the Midlands League, the Mixed Shield and the Godfrey Cup many times and got to the final of the Irish Junior Cup on two occasions only to be beaten by Ulster teams Banbridge and Lisnagarvey.

In the late 40’s and 50’s the men’s team was strengthened by the incoming of many talented players, including the first North Kildare players to be chosen to play for Connaught – Ike Jacob, John Foley, Paddy Dolan, Brendan Meaghan, Jack Moore, George Sterling.

The Mixed Team played hockey on Sundays and kept going from the early days right through the war years. The players travelled by car, whilst petrol was available, bus and bicycle.  North Kildare ‘Hockey-ites’ were pioneers in the art of “hitch-hiking”. The team started playing competitive hockey in the Connaught Branch in the late 40’s and won the Mixed Shield for the first time in 1948.  The Ladies team, lead by Therese morissey, started their series of successes by winning the Minor Cup in Leinster in 1950 and the Intermediate League in 1953.

Some noteworthy members of North Kildare Hockey Club were Roughan Banim, president of the Irish Hockey Union 1955-56/1959-61, and Patricia Magee who was capped for Ireland in 1953.  Also capped for Ireland were Ralph Satchwell, in 1957, and Edward Carroll in 1970 on the under 23 team.

More to come very soon!