KILLOE YOUNG EMMETS - KILLOE ÓG - KILLOE LADIES
KILLOE GAA

Club Facilities

About Emmet Park

Killoe Young Emmets has been headquartered at Emmet Park in Clonee, 6km north of Longford Town, since June 1993. Emmet Park was officially opened on 13th June 1993 by Mr. Peter Quinn, President of the GAA in the presence of An Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and other distinguished guests. The complex consists of three playing pitches, changing rooms, weights room, meeting room and function room. The quality of the facilities and central location means Emmet Park is a popular venue for club games at all levels. Emmet Park has also hosted a range of non-club fixtures including Leinster Ladies Football championship games, College and Universities games and Senior inter-county matches. Among the more high profile ties at Emmet Park were the 2013 O’Byrne Cup vs UCD, 2005 Leinster Minor Championship Round 2 and Quarter Final games vs Louth and Laois respectively, 2012 Ladies National League Division 3 final, 2009 Leinster Colleges clash of St Mel’s and Marist College and 2004 All-Ireland Higher Education League final (IT Sligo vs UCD).

Image: GAA Pitches Ireland (Instagram)
Image: GAA Pitches Ireland (Instagram)

Directions to Emmet Park

Killoe Young Emmets GFC
Clonee
Killoe
Co. Longford
N39 A562

Emmet Park is located in the townland of Clonee in Killoe parish, 6km north-east of Longford Town.

From Longford Town head northeast on N5 towards Ballinalee.
Take second exit at Leo Casey roundabout onto R194 towards Granard/Ballinalee.
At The Olde Forge pubic house, follow the road to the right towards Granard/Ballinalee.
Emmet Park is located on the right side of the road, 750m after the Olde Forge public house.

Facilities History

Our club facilities at Emmet Park are a far cry from the days of uneven or overgrown fields, whin bushes and non-existent dressing rooms of the past. At a time when transport was in short supply and movement within and beyond the parish wasn’t so straight forward, with various locations providing temporary homes to football in Killoe before 1961 when the field at Cullyfad was purchased.

In the early 20th century, members of the all-conquering team of 1907-1915 established group training at different locations, including the Shrough at Clontumpher and a training field set up by James ‘the Flying McCusker’ Cosgrave and Nipper Hughes in Ballincurry.

In the decades that followed, local people provided their land for training and playing of games; among them the Brady’s of Rhyne, Duffy’s at Clonee, Flanagans at Kilmoyle, Mimnagh’s at Clontumpher, and Devine’s and Gormley’s at Esker. The work of a determined number of club officials paved the way for the acquisition of the pitch at Cullyfad that would provide the permanent base for Killoe games over the next twenty five years. The field at Cullyfad was purchased in 1961 for the sum of £240. Chairman Thomas McGoldrick and Vice Chairman Jack Hagan presided over the purchase and the grounds was officially opened on St. Patricks Day 1963, with Killoe playing Colmcille in the first official game. In January 1974 the facilities at Cullyfad expanded when Packie Joe Lynch and Seamus Igoe marked out the foundations for dressing rooms on the site. Few senior teams would relish the prospect of facing the home side on the famed cambered playing field. Young and old of all ages enjoyed playing for and supporting Killoe in the place that was home to Gaelic sports and Community Games in Killoe for over a quarter of a century.

Cullyfad – Home of Killoe GAA until June 1993

With a growing population, the move towards larger and more modern facilities was necessary and initiated with the purchase of the field at Clonee in 1987 and so began the long process of fundraising and grant applications before Emmet Park complex came to fruition in 1993. A total of two development draws took place – a house-to-house collection and a prize draw in New York – before the necessary funds were available for project completion. Eugene Murphy headed the development committee as chairman alongside senior officers Berney Brady, Frank Kiernan, John Doherty and Declan Rowley.

Launch of the Emmet Park project in 1990

The new grounds, complete at the time with two playing pitches, club rooms, squash courts and stand was opened by Mr. Peter Quinn, GAA President, on a wet Sunday on 13th June 1993. A large crowd braved the inclement weather as Killoe Young Emmets defeated their old rivals Fr. Manning Gaels by 3-7 to 2-8 to win the Hideout Cup, while Roscommon under the command of Dermot Earley overcame Offaly in a senior intercounty challenge by 2-14 to 1-5. Killoe also claimed victory in the minor (by 4-5 to 1-6 over Colmcille) and ladies U-14 games in a historic day for the club.

Official opening of Emmet Park in 1993 – Chairman John Doherty & GAA President Peter Quinn

The excitement generated by this new landmark development at Emmet Park in June 1993 also created a feel good factor within the parish and by September 1993 the Killoe Young Emmets senior team had claimed an eighth county title while the juniors completed a hat-trick of championships. Two years later in 1995 the senior title once again found its home at Emmet Park as the club was enjoying its most successful period to date. Since the opening of the new park, underage football has made significant progress while Ladies football has enjoyed a revival and a golden era too. The growth and success of the GAA in Killoe has contributed immensely to the vibrancy of the whole community. 

The old grounds at Cullyfad remained active in the 2000’s as an option for winter training after serving the club as the home for official matches for over 25 years. The Cullyfad grounds was upgraded in the early 2000’s with floodlights installed and the dressing rooms upgraded. It has also served in the 2000’s as a vital training base for club and county during the winter months and all-year location for challenge matches for Senior, Ladies and Underage teams alike as well as a base for Longford County Minor and County Ladies training.

Emmet Park was extended significantly since opening in 1993, with additional dressing rooms, meeting room, kitchen and the erection of floodlights in the early part of the new millennium with gym facilities added to the club house by 2005. Further development saw the main playing field converted into an all-weather “Prunty” pitch, the stand re-dedicated to the memory of the late Micheál Kiernan and new training field added, while the meeting rooms and car parking area was upgraded in the late 2010’s and the function room upgraded in the early 2020’s to help keep pace with the needs of a modern Gaelic Football Club.