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The Early Days
The G.A.A was founded in 1884 and one year later we find Aherlow listed as a club in "The Cashel Sentinel". This was due to two men called Chris Lee, the principal teacher in Lisvernane N.S. and his friend R.J. Frewen of Glenview House who offered one of his fields as a sportsfield.
Chris Lee, while in the Training College of Dublin founded the famous "Erin's Hope" football club and the club captained by himself won the Dublin Senior Football Championship in 1887. He played senior football for Dublin and Tipperary and was also a fine athlete. A patriotic Irishman, he kept the games and the spirtit of the G.A.A. alive in the Glen till his death in 1944.
Information about the G..A.A in early days is very scarce but we know that an Aherlow team, captained R.J. Frewen, played Ballylanders, led by the great Frank Dineen (later to be President and Secretary of the Association). Bob Frewen's war cry was "Push it Aherlow" but his team must not have responded they were beaten. They brought home the ball however. It was custom in the eighties when a match finished to kick the ball in the air between all the players and let the best man have it. The tussle was was like a fight for a kingdom. Aherlow won it through the power of the "battering ram of steel-a man called Patsy Mullins" from the foot of the Galtees, who kicked and played with his bare feet.
The same R.J. Frewen became treasurer of the G.A.A. in 1887 and in the following year he accompanied 48 athletes to America with a view of fostering in the exiled gael a great love for the pastimes of his land.
This was a big venture for the still young G.A.A. man, but proved immensely successsful. The Americans press said of the first hurling match played there "There is nothing in the world to compare with Irish Hurling. In the roar and rush of battle, we expected to see skulls flying, but never a head was touched."
Back home Chris Lee and R.J. Frewen, continued to promote the game playing challenge games with neighbouring localities and attending central council meetings of the still growing and sometimes divided G.A.A. Both men attended a meeting in Bobbyn's Hotel, Tipperary in 1893 to re-organise the Association.
The Frewen Cup played for by Munster Colleges commemorates R.J. Frewen of Aherlow and was presented in his memory by Rev. M. Lee (son of Chris Lee).
The 1900's
In the early part of the century we find we find Kilross to the forefront, supplying many players to the Tipperary senior football team. From 1907 to 1911, Matt Moroney, Pat Heffernan, Dan Dwyer, Willie and Jerry O'Brien all played for Tipprary. Around 1900 the Aherlow boys walked over the Galtees to play Ballyporeen and won. Fr. Pat Hennessy of Lisvernane and William O'Brien of Monaboula were there that day. Also around that time, Bill Nagle of Lisvernane who was playing club football with the famed Bohercrowe club was selected to play for the Tipperary team.
The Aherlow Football Club area is small, being the part of Galbally-Aherlow Parish which falls within the borders of Tipperary County. It is a narrow strip from roughly the "Caravansary Bar" in Gortnafurra to the "Shamrock Lounge Bar" in Kilross, a journey of about 12 miles.
This area is, being scattered and thinly populated has found it difficult to maintain a club to maintain a club of its own at all times. We find therefore Aherlow men playing with Galbally to the west and with Bansha to the east down the years. Again we find that every so often the club lapses only to rise again.
From 1916 onwards the G.A.A. began to be thought of as anti-British and many people played games just for such motive. There was no organised club in Aherlow in those days but challenge games continued to be played. Strange to relate most of these games were played in the "forty acres" field, an open space owned by the landlord, the Dawsons of Ballinacourty House. Football was played in some parts of this area right up to the time in 1946 when the Land Commission divided the estate and gave the local club some five acres as a sportsfield. The older members of the community speak well of the landlord in this matter.
The Aherlow Blues
Around 1922 a combination of footballers came to the fore known as "The Blues". They were based largely around Coach Road being inspired by the three Frewen brothers, the three Moloney brothers and Mick Bowes of Coach Road and they played and practised in "The Pound Field". Of within the Glen in those days and a great match was played in Long John's Meadow (Longford) between the "Top Road" led by Anthony Donovan of Monaboula and "Coach Road" led by Mickey Bowes. There were seventeen-a-side in those days and I would say it was slightly more rugged than the modern game.
The Aherlow Cluc played many matches in the twenties, one against th Guards and another against Cordangan. They played in the South Tipperary Championship from 1925 to 1927 and they won a silver medal in a tournament in Lattin in 1927. These men are still remembered to this day, Mick Bowes, Bobby, Paddy and Johnny Frewen, Micky, Dan and Ned Moloney, Mickey German of Coach Road, Ned Heffernan, Jackie Bourke, Bill and Dany Noonan, Anthony and Timmy Donovan, Fr. Maurice O'Brien, Mick Barry, Pat Hanly, Pat and Maurice Fitzgerald of Barna and Mick Maher.
In the late twenties the Blues broke up and many of their members played with Galbally. In 1928 Galbally-Aherlow combination (there were fourteen Glen men in the selection) won the County Limerick Junior Football Championship. This situation continued for some years. Brendan Riordan (Bill Dan) played at this time and used to speak of Johnny Wallace's lorry coming to pick up the Aherlow players and taking them off to play their matches.
The Gleann Ogs
Tommy Lee came to teach in Lisvernane in 1928 and started the school team which became known as the "Gleann Ogs". It was a very combination and with Tommy's coaching and training they went on to two county finals only to be defeated by Thurles in 1929 and by Ballyneale in 1930. Many fine footballers came out of that group and indeed they were the foundations of the successful Tipperary Minor Football team in 1934. The team was: George Carroll, Morgan Donovan, Paddy O'Neill, Dick Bourke, John (Bully) English, Bill Griffin, Jim Carey, Jack O'Neill (capt), Bill Givens, Paddy Donoghue, Willie Moloney, Tommy Sullivan, Billy Donoghue, John Seanlan, Mickey Donovan, Subs: Neddy Sullivan, Denny Donovan.
The Thirties and start of the Official Aherlow Club
The West Tipperary Board began in 1930 but there was no club in Aherlow until 1932. Even then it lapsed until 1936 when the officers were Chairman: D. O'Donovan, Hon. Secretary: Henry Bourke, Treasurer: Mike Barry, The team however was beaten in the first round and we had to wait until 1937 to see Aherlow make any impression in West Tipperary.
In that year a group of men took over the club and they worked hard for the following ten years to get Aherlow GAA going as a club. They were Pat Hanly, Harry Keogh N.T., Pat O'Callaghan N.T., Simon P. Hanly, and Bill Griffin. Success eluded the club however, they were very unlucky to be defeated in three successive West Football Finals. In 1937 they defeated Knockavilla-Kickhams but lost the match on an objection. In 1938 and 1939 they were defeated by Emly even though they had the help of some Bansha player. The thirties then showed Aherlow struggling to make the breakthrough. The one bright spot of the decade was that Bill Griffin, who gave such great service to the club as a player and secretary, was selected to play full back for the Tipperary minor footballers and he brought the first All-Ireland to the Glen in 1934.
The Lean Forties
These years proved to be a very lean spell for our club. Beset by emigration and transport difficulties we made no progress and indeed, were there in name only during the war years. The club was re-organised in 1947 when such as Denis Noonan, John Gorman, Patrick Walsh and Willie Kiely took over and proceeded to re-organise the club. A new group of players also emerged, hungry for victory.
The Fifties and Success at Last
In 1950 Aherlow at last won their first West Junior Football Championship. They were powered to victory by three Careys and three Kielys. They failed to Kilsheelan in the county semi-final, Larry Bowes and Tom Carey were chosen on the Tipperary junior and senior teams. Forced to go senior in 1951, the club achieved very little, but in the following year 1952 we again won the West Junior Football Championship. Aherlow reached the county final that year but were narrowly beaten by Cahir Stakers. The year after that the club lost its hard working secretary and the team lost one of its best players when John O'Gorman died. The team had to play senior football and little was achieved for the following number of years. A little light appeared in the gloom when we won the Under 15 Championship in 1957 to bring us our first juvenile trophy.
The Sixties
Again in 1960 there was a revival. The junior footballers were defeated in the West final but in combination with Emly we won both the minor and under 21 West Football Championships. Then we had yet another vallay period and in 1966 with Bertie Barry as secretary the junior footballers yet again failed in the West Final. 1967 saw us win our first hurling trophy when captained by Michael McCormack we won the No.2 (B) Junior Hurling of West Tipperary.
There was great rejoicing in the Glen and perhaps the victory inspired a young lad from the village because five years later Pat Coffey brought the first All-Ireland Medal to Aherlow when playing on the Tipperary Intermediate hurling team of 1972. 1967 saw our footballers beaten in yet another final by a strangely star-studded Rockwell Rovers side. Having our strongest combination for years, this wet day in Golden is still recalled with regret. In 1968 the footballers were surprisingly defeated in the first round but in a combination with Emly, they won the West Senior Football Championship.
The Seventies
Aherlow came bouncing back and in both '70 and '71 we won the West Junior Championship. Powered by Pat Coffey, the Donovan brothers and the Moroney brothers we were unlucky to be defeated both years in the county semi-final in 1970 to Ballyporeen and in 1971 to Moyne-Templetuohy. While playing senior football from 1972 to '75 the team had no success and the same was true when playing Intermediate in 1976. The club again won the No. 2 Junior Hurling in 1975. Success again came the club's way in 1978 when our junior footballers won the West Football Championship for the fifth time. These victoriescame together with two hurling trophies been won qualified as being a satisfactory few years. Pat Moroney (secretary of the club) won a national football league medal with the Tipperary team.