History

Valley Rovers GAA Club is a vibrant and successful Hurling, Football, Camogie and Ladies Football club in the parish of Innishannon in Co. Cork. Formed in 1919 when the two teams in the parish, Innishannon and Knockavilla, came together, the club has made a significant contribution to the GAA whilst contributing to the many diverse organisations and groups within the local community.

Valley Rovers have enjoyed considerable success over the years. The club has a very even balance between football and hurling, both in terms of success on the playing field and in the relative emphasis placed on the two sports within the club. Furthermore, in recent years, the advent and growth of camogie and ladies’ football has added a new dimension to the club.

Valley Rovers is presently represented at Cork county intermediate level in both hurling and football. The main recent highlight for the club was winning the 2008 intermediate football county title. The football team’s earlier achievements have included county intermediate league titles, as well as numerous divisional honours, while the hurling teams’ successes have included Cork county junior and intermediate hurling titles and, more recently, the hurlers reached the county semi-final of the 2008 intermediate competition.

At under-age level, Valley Rovers has been very successful in both hurling and football, bringing numerous titles to the club over the years, up to and including 2008.

The camogie part of the club has had considerable success since its inception in 1987. Many titles have been captured at all grades from under 12 to Junior A, and the club is currently represented at Senior B grade.

In its short history, Valley Rovers ladies football club (founded in 1995) has also enjoyed great success at all levels, including several under-age county titles.

In addition to the achievements mentioned above, some of the many high points in the history of Valley Rovers over the years have included the following:

    *

      Valley Rovers is unique in that two club members, Sean McCarthy and Conchur Ó Murchú, have served as national Presidents of the GAA.
    *

      Conchur Ó Murchú was also a member of Cork hurling team which won four All Irelands in a row in the 1940s, as was Con Cottrell, another Valley Rovers player.
    *

      Brendan O’Sullivan was part of the Cork hurling team in Cork’s double all Ireland year in 1990.
    *

      More recently, the club was immensely proud to see Elaine Burke captain Cork’s winning All Ireland senior camogie team in 2005.
    *

      Alan Quirke has done the club proud as Cork’s first choice senior football goalkeeper in recent years, while the club has also taken pride in seeing Kevin Canty as a senior hurler with the county team.

 Valley Rovers has also contributed numerous under-age players to Cork teams in hurling, gaelic football, camogie and ladies’ football. In addition, the club has provided many selectors and trainers to a variety of inter-county teams in all of these codes.