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| Droichead Abhann Ó gCearnaigh | |||||||||||||
| Founded: | 1904 | ||||||||||||
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| County: | Clare | ||||||||||||
| Nickname: | The Bridge | ||||||||||||
| Colours: | Saffron and blue | ||||||||||||
| Grounds: | O'Garney Park | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 52°44′41.91″N8°46′39.93″W / 52.7449750°N 8.7777583°W /52.7449750; -8.7777583 | ||||||||||||
| Playing kits | |||||||||||||
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| Senior Club Championships | |||||||||||||
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Sixmilebridge is aGaelic Athletic Association club inSixmilebridge,County Clare,Ireland.
Sixmilebridge GAA Club was founded in 1904. The first recorded matches were at junior hurling and football level againstNewmarket-on-Fergus with the hurlers winning and the footballers losing 2–07 to 0–02.
The first recorded championship success was in 1940.Kilkishen were defeated in theClare Intermediate Hurling Championship byNewmarket-on-Fergus. A further ten years elapsed before Sixmilebridge won theClare Junior A Hurling Championship. In 1951 they won theClare Intermediate Hurling Championship beatingEnnis Dalcassians in the final.
The following year the Bridge reached the county senior final only to be beaten byScariff. In 1954 Sixmilebridge won their first ever senior trophy winning theClare Cup againstNewmarket-on-Fergus on a scoreline of 4-06 to 2-06.
The next county final appearance was in 1962, where they lost toRuan in a replay by 3-09 to 2-08. After this defeat Sixmilebridge slipped into senior wilderness for more than a decade.[tone]
1968 saw the formation of a minor club. In 1970 theClare Minor Hurling Championship came to the village for the first time, and the following year the Under-14 title was also a first time visitor to the Bridge. The Under-14 title was won again in 1975 and they represented Clare in theFéile na nGael All-Ireland U-14 Championship.
TheClare Under-21 Hurling Championship andIntermediate titles came to the Bridge in 1971. However they had to wait until 1976 to contest the third senior county final in the club's history.Newmarket-on-Fergus were the opponents and they emerged victorious on a scoreline of 1–11 to 1–05.
In 1977, Sixmilebridge won their firstClare Senior Hurling Championship defeatingKilkishen by 1–06 to 1–05 in the final. They were beaten in theMunster Senior Club Hurling Championship bySt. Finbarr's of Cork in a replay. In 1979, the Bridge won theSenior,Under-21 (first of 3 in a row) andMinor (first of 2 in a row) as well.
Seven and a half acres of land were bought in 1978 and the new pitch and dressing rooms were opened in 1982. They won theSenior Championship in 1983 and again in 1984 winning their firstMunster Championship beating Patrickswell in the final. County titles also came in 1989, 1992, and 1993.
In 1995, the Tommy Morey memorial stand was officially opened at the club. In the same year, the senior hurlers won theClare Senior andMunster titles culminating in anAll-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship title on St. Patrick's Day 1996.[citation needed]
In 2008, Sixmilebridge marked the opening of their new facilities by hosting a challenge match between Clare and Kilkenny.[citation needed]
In 2009 Sixmilebridge captured theUnder-21 hurling title as they overcameWolfe Tones, Shannon,Clooney-Quin, neighboursCratloe and finallyCrusheen in the final.
Sixmilebridge regained theClare Senior Hurling Championship in 2013 with a victory over near-neighbours and reigning championsNewmarket-on-Fergus.[citation needed]
Sixmilebridge followed that up in 2015 with their twelfth title, beatingClonlara in the county final.[citation needed]
