Western Gaels GAA Bristol celebrates its diamond Jubilee
Posted on: 20 Aug 2021The most decorated Gaelic football team in Gloucestershire celebrates its 60th birthday this year.
Founded in 1961, Western Gaels GAA Bristol are 20 times senior county champions, including a run of six consecutive titles between 1982-1987.
Add to that 15 Gloucestershire league titles, one Warwickshire league title, and four Gloucestershire hurling championships, the sexagenarian club has a peerless record and has amassed a sizeable haul of silverware since its establishment.
Today, as the club enters its Diamond Jubilee, it is showing no signs of slowing down, providing a community for the Irish in Bristol, with both male and female senior teams bound in a vibrant, tight-knit society.
Western Gaels GAA Bristol's roots can be traced back to the 1940s, and to its parent club, St Kiernan's, one of the founding members of the Gloucestershire GAA County Board, who enjoyed a trophy-laden decade. Alas, the club had folded by 1950.
Like a Phoenix from the ashes, Western Gaels was founded as the 60s rolled in. It did not take long for the club to taste success. With some fresh faces and some old heads from St Kiernan's on board, the team stormed to league and cup triumphs in 1963.
But, despite these early successes, the beginning of the 1980s heralded what is regarded as the club's golden age. In 1984, Western Gaels won the 'grand slam', bringing home silverware in all age categories, from the under 12s to the senior team.
However, the success that defined the 80s was replaced in the 1990s by new rivalries and the Southern Gaels of Poole, who emerged as the dominant force in Gaelic football in the South West.
Despite beginning the decade with cup triumphs in 1990 and 1991, Western Gaels were dethroned in emphatic fashion by their southern namesake, who went on to win seven consecutive titles.
The club had to wait until 1999 to taste success again, when a strong squad of homegrown talent, including father and son combination Tim O'Loughlin senior and junior, thrust Western Gaels back atop their perch.
This success proved to be the beginning of a fierce rivalry with St Colmcille's. The two clubs played ping pong with the title between 1999 and 2005.
In 2008, Western Gaels contributed seven players to the Gloucestershire county team, including its captain Brain McCarthy, that went on to win the British Championship title. McCarthy remains the only Gloucestershire captain to lift the trophy.
Although league form has been inconsistent since 2010, as always, the club was 'up for the cup', adding three more titles in 2010, 2015 and 2016.
Western Gaels is not solely defined by their success on the pitch, fostering a community that provides support, friendship and sport for the Irish in Bristol.
The club has male and female squads. If you're interested in finding out more, click here to view their website.
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George is a journalism graduate and writer passionate about music and culture. Get in touch via email at george@365bristol.com
