Clough–Ballacolla GAA

Clough–Ballacolla is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in County Laois, Ireland. The colour of the club jersey is all blue with a gold band.

Clough–Ballacolla

Cloch–Baile na Coille
Founded:	1890
County:	Laois
Nickname:	The Colla
Colours:	Blue and Gold
Grounds:	The Hawthorn
Coordinates:	52°52′53.69″N 7°27′04.71″W
Playing kits
Standard colours
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland Leinster champions Laois champions Hurling: 0 0 12

History

Since its founding in the late 19th century, the club has changed its name a number of times and was previously known as Ballygeehan, St Canice's, Cannonswood, Ballacolla.^{[citation needed]}

From 1914 to 1918, hurling was particularly strong the area with the Ballygeehan team winning the Laois Senior Hurling Championship, as well as supplying the bulk of the team in 1915 when Laois won its only All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.^{[citation needed]} Mick Aherne, a member of the Laois senior football and hurling teams of the 1980s, is one of the best known players the club has produced.^{[citation needed]}

During the late 1990s and the 2000s Clough–Ballacolla won several titles in U/14, U/16, Minor and U-21. In 2009, Clough–Ballacolla won their first Laois Senior Hurling Championship title in 91 years. They beat Portlaoise in the final. In 2011, Clough–Ballacolla regained the Laois Senior Hurling Championship beating Portlaoise in the final. In 2015, Clough–Ballacolla regained the Laois Senior Hurling Championship beating Camross in the final.^{[citation needed]}

Achievements

• Laois Senior Hurling Championship: 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 2009, 2011, 2015,^[1] 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
• Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship: 1910, 1913, 1938, 1952, 1957, 1972, 1991, 1998,2022
• Laois Junior A Hurling Championship: 1909, 1929, 1937, 1949, 1950, 1980, 1990, 2007, 2015
• Laois Junior B Hurling Championship: 2004
• Laois Minor Hurling Championship: 1973, 2002, 2003, 2006
• All-County Football League Division 5: 2003

Notable players

• Mick Aherne
• Stephen Bergin
• Lee Cleere
• John A. Delaney
• Willie Dunphy
• Jack Finlay
• Tom Finlay
• Willie Hyland, captained Laois and represented Ireland in the Shinty–Hurling International Series. He retired in 2016.^[2]
• Stephen Maher

References

1. "Maher the hero for Clough-Ballacolla". Irish Independent. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
2. O'Connell, Cian (17 November 2016). "Willie Hyland retires from inter-county hurling". Retrieved 12 November 2022.