Club Facilities

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.

Emmet Park (1993-Now)

With a growing population, a move to larger and more modern facilities was necessary and led to the purchase of a field at Clonee in 1987. So began the long process of fundraising and grant applications before Emmet Park 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

Emmet Park, 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. 

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.

Cullyfad (1963-1993)

Prior to opening Emmet Park, Killoe GAA was headquartered at the clubs first owned grounds at Cullyfad. The club purchased the pitch at Cullyfad in 1961, providing the first permanent base for Killoe teams. The field was obtained by the club following the divide of the Bond estate by the Land Commission, and purchased for the sum of £240. Chairman Thomas McGoldrick and Vice Chairman Jack Hagan presided over the purchase along with Johnny McGoey and others and the grounds was officially opened on St. Patricks Day 1963, with Killoe playing Colmcille in the first game. Games also continued to be played at the field in Pat Devines field in Esker up to end of 1963. 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. Lights were erected in the 1980’s for training purposes. Few senior teams would relish the prospect of facing the home side on the famed cambered surface. 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 30 years.

Cullyfad – Home of Killoe GAA until June 1993

After the opening of Emmet Park in 1993, the old grounds at Cullyfad was retained throughout the rest of the 1990’s and 2000’s for winter training. The Cullyfad grounds was upgraded in the early 2000’s with improved floodlights installed and dressing rooms upgraded. In the 2000’s it served for a period as a 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 for a short while too. 

Today the old GAA grounds at Cullyfad is home to the Killoe Celtic soccer team.

Past Fields (1904-1963)

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 fields for football games in Killoe before 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 in Ballincurry. In the decades that followed, local people provided their land for training and playing of games including Duffy’s at Clonee, Flanagan’s at Kilmoyle, Mimnagh’s at Clontumpher, Rusk’s at Kilnacarrow, Big Frank Gormley’s at Esker and Fullam’s Field along the Camlin river to name a few. The 1940’s saw a move to a field provided by John Joe Brady of Rhyne, which became known locally as Brady’s Flats and then later to a field owned by Tom McLoughlin of Farragh which was known as Flanagan’s Field. After this a field known as the Widow Quinn’s field in Kilnatruhan was used in the 1950’s while Pat Devine of Esker also supplied a field which was used in 1960’s just prior to the move to Cullyfad. Below is a list of various fields used by Killoe Young Emmets over the years, as well as some training fields used in various areas of the parish. 

Killoe Football Fields:

• Reynolds’ field in Shrough in Clontumpher
• Pee Maguire’s field in Shrough in Clontumpher
• Mimnagh’s field in Clontumpher.
• Vincent Mollaghan’s field in Clontumpher.
• Cosgrove & Hughes’ fields in Ballincurry.
• Fullam’s field in Rhyne.
• Paddy Hagan’s field in Rhyne.
• John Joe Brady’s field (Bradys Flats) in Rhyne.
• Thomas McLoughlin’s field (Flanagans Field) in Farragh.
• Major Bond’s field in Farragh.
• Widow Quinn’s field in Kilnatruhan
• Flanagan’s field in Kilmoyle.
• John McKeon’s field in Aughaboy.
• Duffy’s Marsh in Clonee
• Quinn’s field (Rape Field) in Clonee
• Johnny McGoey’s field in Killoe Glebe
• John Macken’s field in Crieve
• Quinn’s field in Treanlawn
• Hagan’s Field in Treanlawn
• Big Frank Gormley’s field in Esker.
• Pat Devine’s field in Esker.

Killoe Training Fields:

• Peter Heaney’s field in Corneddan.
• Michael Murphy’s field in Ohill.
• Phil Reilly’s field in Bawn.
• Bull Park in Bawn.
• Packie Keogh’s field in Boher.
• Johnny McCann’s field in Clonough.
• Bob Rusk’s field in Kilnacarrow.
• Johnny Doherty’s field in Esker.
• Mick Fenelon’s field in Esker.

Killoe Camogie Fields:

• Tom Farrell’s field in Clonee.
• Bertie Moorehead’s field in Rhyne.

(Source: Past fields data by John Doherty)