Back row L-R; Brian McDermott, Brendan Ryan, Joe McKenna, BB Weldon, Daithi Duffy
, Tommy duffy, Stephen Kelly, Terry Fenlon.
Front row; Niall McDermott, Jason Carroll, Enda McDermott, Noel Carty, Paul Cox, Derek Carty, Colin Shortall.
Walsh Island Shamrocks was reborn on the 26th day of June 1992. We say reborn because we
took our name from the original Shamrocks team that was in existence in the early 1970's.
That team too, was very successful and it was both as a mark of respect to them, as well as continuing a tradition, that we
decided to take red and black as our colours. They were the team that brought the first soccer trophies to the Island and
also had a player that went on to play for League Of Ireland side, Bohemians, and Ireland.
The second coming was brought about by the desire of a few local lads to play competitive association football while they were
still young enough to do so, but for a team that was their own and not one from an adjoining town
that they had little or no allegiance to. After a lively meeting in Mahons lounge on that fateful evening
it was the unanimous choice to reform the club under the auspices of the Leinster Football League and endeavour to
make our mark on the local soccer scene. Little did we know that in the space of five years, we
would surpass all expectations and find ourselves playing in the home of Irish Soccer, Dalymount Park.
Those first few years were predominantly a survival exercise, after a lot of hard work from a relatively small
committee, got the club off the ground. However, the support of a helpful and co-operative landlord
made it possible to look to the immediate future and beyond with a view to developing the playing
and training facilities to the high standard they are at today. Referees and visiting teams alike
have never been short of praise for the club grounds which now include an immaculately
prepared pitch used exclusively for competitive games, a second pitch surrounded by 9000 watts
of floodlight power to facilitate winter training, new spacious home and away dressing rooms
equipped with showers and toilets, Ladies and Gents public toilets and a Referees changing
room. Also, the erection of specially commissioned County Council signposts at all major
junctions in the Walsh Island area in 1994, ensured that no-one has any problem locating
the club grounds.
These developments were made possible by the Club Lotto, which was initiated in 1993 and
which was the lifeblood of the club thanks to the tremenduous support of the locality and
the committment and dedication of some outstanding ticket sellers. A major factor also has
been the generosity of the business community in the local towns and villages, who have been
very forthcoming with sponsorship. The off the field achievements have been matched by on
field success. The inaugural season, 1992/93 was a success in itself, merely by the club's
participation and survival. It was essentially a feet-finding exercise, both on and off the field,
to determine if Walsh Island Shamrocks could compete and live with the bigger and more established clubs.
The answer to this was an emphatic 'Yes', and although finishing in mid-table, the seeds had been
sown and the potential of what was yet to come, was becoming less of a dream and more of a
reality.
1993/94 saw the club finish a very creditable fifth in the league and having also reached
the quarter finals of the Division 3 Cup, it was deemed a satisfactory season. However, it was
the 1994/95 season which suggested the little club would soon make a breakthrough. A tremenduous
run in the Leinster Junior Shield, which included over 100 teams from all over Leinster, ended
at the semi-final stage against North Dublin club, Verona FC, and then only after a brilliant
goal four minutes from the end of extra-time which was worthy of winning the final itself.
The club also reached the Division 3 Cup Final against the holders, St Mary's Athy, but after
a spirited performance, inexperience told and they succumbed 3-1.
Although the disappointment of being so near and yet so far was deeply felt, the 1995/96
season was greeted with an air of expectancy more so than hope. And what a season it turned out to be.
Scoring over eighty goals, the Shamrocks stormed to an unprecedented treble of League
Championship, Division 3 Cup and Division 3 Shield titles. The league was won in the hardest
of fashions, with the Shamrocks winning five and drawing one, of their last six games, four
of which were against the top three placed teams in the division. It culminated in a playoff decider against old rivals,
Templeville in Dalton Park, Mullingar, and after a tight encounter fraught with tension and drama
, the Shamrocks announce their arrival in the winner's enclosure with a 1-0 victory.
The following Sunday, they returned to the grounds of Arlington FC for the Division 3 Cup Final
, determined to avenge their defeat in the previous year's decider. Another Athy side, Bridge United
provided the opposition and after a final of classic proportions, the Islanders completed
the Double with a 4-2 victory in extra-time. This had been a phenomenal cup run through seven games,
in which they scored thirty goals and conceded only four.
To round off an incredible fortnight, and season, the Shamrocks returned to Arlington six days
later on a beautiful Summer's evening for the Shield Final, where they disposed of Division 3A
champions, Cill Beara Rovers by two goals to nil, to rubber stamp their Champions credentials.
It was an acheivement which would deservedly put the Club on the football map. The icing
on the cake was delivered at the Leinster Football league Awards in the Keadeen Hotel
on June 7th, when the Shamrocks were presented with the 'Special Merit Award' to
acknowledge the tremenduous success gleaned from such a small area with limited
resources. It was a defining moment in the club's history.
The 1996/97 season began with promotion to Division 2 and the knowledge that they were
no longer an unknown quantity. Weighing heavier still, was the loss of a friend and colleague,
Noel Duffy, who died tragically on July 6th but whose memory would be called upon many times
during the season to boost morale. Coming off the back of such tremenduous success a few months
earlier, it was difficult to see how it could be surpassed or even equalled, but the best
was yet to come. Narrow single goal defeats in the FAI and Leinster Junior Cups to eventual
Major Division Champions, Birr Town, gave proof, if any were needed, that Walsh Island were
now among the heavyweights of the LFL. However, sometimes inconsistent form in the league resulted
in the Shamrocks being pipped at the post for runner's up spot and promotion to Division One, in a championship that they really could, and probably should, have won. March saw a disappointing exit on penalties
in the quarter finals of the Division 2 Cup but with interest in the Giffney Cup still alive,
their greatest day was beckoning. A superb semi-final victory over Longford Town, secured an
outing to one of the most famous soccer grounds in the country, Dalymount Park, for the final of
Tom Giffney Memorial Cup, one of the biggest cup competitions under the auspices of the
Leinster Football league. A huge travelling support and the well wishes of a number of
local clubs accompanied Walsh Island Shamrocks to the home of Bohemians Football Club on
May 14th, 1997, for what was undoubtedly the biggest day in their short history.
The omens were good from the outset, with the Shamrocks being allocated the 'Gypsies'
dressing room, whose club colours are the same as their own, and far from being overawed by the occasion,
they gave the performance of their lives with a display of fast, fluid football that was a joy
to watch. They hit their more illustrious oppenents from Finglas, Cardiff Inn, for six, after only
eight minutes with a superbly crafted goal to take the lead. Throughout the final, the Dublin
side never really threatened their Country counterparts and were fortunate not to be beaten
by a bigger margin than the single goal which would ultimately prove to be enough. The final whistle
brought emotional scenes of Jubilation and Joy at the realisation that the Dream had indeed
become a reality, as the Shamrocks climbed the steps to lift the
Tom Giffney Memorial Cup. It was a night that will live forever in the memory of every
player and supporter that entered that famous ground to witness the club's greatest moment,
and the conclusion of an incredible journey, from dandelions to Dalymount in five short years.
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