Club History

Killarney Athletic A.F.C. History

Killarney Athletic A.F.C. was founded in 1965 by Don Harrington, a young Garda who hailed from Cork City and was stationed in town. This came after Don had observed youngsters from various parts of Killarney playing soccer on the streets at that time.

The club played its first competitive game in the Desmond League as a youth team and entered a junior team at the start of 1966.

When Don Harrington left Killarney in 1969, the late Brian Gilhooley took over as manager with Big Jim O’Sullivan, Sean O’Donoghue, Joe Grant and Donagh Gleeson as officers of the club.

In the early 70s, a fresh and vibrant young club emerged, becoming a founding club of the Kerry District League. The nucleus of the team was formed with some of the old guard and a large number of the Franciscan Youth Club team under the guidance of Brian Gilhooley and Fr. Vivian Molloy.

The club entered its first youth and B teams into the Kerry District League in 1975 and presently has two senior teams and a youth team competing in the league.

The club was also a founding member of the Kerry Schoolboys League in 1984 and currently fields teams across age groups from under 10s to under 16s boys and girls. The club has also actively contributed to Kerry soccer by providing officers for both leagues.

Academy

In response to growth, particularly at underage level and due in part to the relative success of the Irish team in the 1990 World Cup, the club set up its first coaching academy in 1992. The academy focused on individual technique and skill development for under 10 year olds.

Under the guidance of Jerry Doyle and regional development officer Darren Aherne, the academy continues to progress the development of players of the future.

Celebrated Players

The club has a proud history of promoting soccer in Killarney and is very proud to have produced numerous talented players who have excelled at higher levels of the game.

In 1990, Michael Moloney of High Street became the first Kerry player to win a schoolboy international cap. He was also part of the Irish under 17 squad which won a bronze medal in the Youth Olympics in 1990.

Bryan Murphy of Beaufort was part of the Irish universities squad that competed in the World University Games in 1997 while a student of Boston University. Diarmuid O’Carroll began his professional career with Glasgow Celtic in 2003, while Michael “Smiler” Moloney was capped on five occasions for the Irish under 16 team in 2004.

Brendan Moloney signed a four-year professional contract with Nottingham Forest in August 2005. Ronan Murphy from Beaufort was also noted as an up-and-coming player for the future.

Club Grounds

The club’s home at Woodlawn is a source of real pride. With the Flesk river as a picturesque backdrop, it is a place where dreams have been made and where future players will continue to grow.

In 1965, John McShain, a wealthy American benefactor, provided the use of a pitch in his Demesne estate known as the Half Moon Field. The club moved from the original Half Moon in 1988 to the Knockreer area and continues to use this pitch today.

At this point the club purchased a 6½ acre site in Woodlawn from Tom Lyne, formerly of The Vintage Bar. Development of the ground heralded a new era in the club’s history, and since 1993 the club has continued to develop the ground into facilities that now include two full-size pitches.

7-A-Side Tournament

It is no overstatement to say that the tournament has been the greatest promoter of soccer in Killarney and beyond over the past three decades, with the roots of a number of clubs in the area stemming from the 7-a-side.

The club ran the first 7-a-side with two objectives: to promote and encourage participation in the game, and to contribute a portion of the revenue raised to local charities.

In 1977, the club hosted its first tournament with 19 teams competing. A Killarney Athletic based team, the Laurels, overcame a youthful Killarney Albion team in the final. The bulk of that Albion team later joined with Killarney Rangers to form Killarney Celtic.

In 2011, the tournament marked its 35th consecutive year, having run from 1977 to 1999 in Aras Phadraig before moving to Killarney Athletic Park.