Clonakenny GAA club is located in the parish of Bournea between Roscrea and Templemore and therefore is on the border of the Mid and North Division. Around the time of its foundation in 1905, Clonakenny played in the North division for a few years but for the life time of present club members Clonakenny has played in the Mid Division. Ironically, we won a number of North finals in recent years as part of a combination with Moneygall with whom we have joined forces underage.
The club is one of the smallest rural Clubs in the county drawing on a parish with less than two hundred households. Its scarcity of numbers has meant that the club has mainly played in lower grade competitions at underage level since these grades were introduced. Clonakenny GAA have had their share of success winning county finals in minor and U21 C competitions in both hurling and football over the last twenty odd years. In 1967 Clonakenny defeated Kilsheelin in the County Intermediate (Junior No.1) final. That same group of players also brought the first county junior football title to the parish in 1966. As often happens, a few barren years followed this great team of the 60s. The club did manage to win the Mid No 2 junior hurling final in 1973 and went on to contest three mid intermediate finals in the 1980s without success. Clonakenny were mid Junior B champions in 1995 but were defeated by Toomevara in the county final. Clonakenny competed at Junior A level from 1996 and also were able to field a second team at Junior B level. In 2001 and 2002 the club won the Mid Junior A hurling but failed to capture a county title – the closest they came was when they brought Ballinahinch to a replay in the 2002 County Final. In 2003 the club went Intermediate again and won the Mid Final but Kilruane defeated them in the county semi-final. Clonakenny also won the Mid Junior B football in 2001 and 2005.
The last decade saw four successive Mid titles at intermediate level in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 only to fall at county quarter-final or semi-final on each occasion. The date of 25 October 2015 will live long in the memories of all Clonakenny people. After a wait of 48 years, their Intermediate hurlers defeated Thurles Sarsfields by the narrowest of margins in the County Final in Semple Stadium. This win demonstrated the strides the club has made as they were promoted to Senior status 20 years after losing a Junior B county final. The success in 2015 was not just limited to the hurling field. The club went onto win the County Junior B Football Championship to cap a hugely successful year for the club.
In recent years, Clonakenny have continued to remain competitive with 2 adult teams at Premier Intermediate Level and Junior B level. In 2020, Clonakenny were promoted to Division 1 in the County Hurling League having qualified for the Division 2 final in 2019. Clonakenny won the inaugural Mid Tipperary Premier Intermediate Championship in 2022.
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