Thomas Davis (GAA Club)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Davis is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club with extensive grounds and a clubhouse located on the Kiltipper Road in Tallaght
, County Dublin
, Ireland
. Founded in 1888, Thomas Davis has a long association with Tallaght from the time when it was a small rural village in the countryside. The club motto is Nascann Dúshlán Daoine (A Challenge Unites People).
. Government grants totalled in excess of €500,000 from 2001-2003.
A further grant of €200,000 was announced in April 2007.
twice, on both occasions after epic matches against Wicklow champions, Baltinglass
. The club also won the Dublin Under 21 Football Championship
in 1992, beating Fingallians
, 1-7 to 0-8.
Thomas Davis won the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship once, in 1913.
More recently, Thomas Davis faced Round Towers
in the 2006 final of the Dublin AFL Division 1
and won by a scoreline of 0-10 to 0-07. Shane Smith played a prominent role, scoring a prolific 0-08 points in the game which denied Round Towers their first ever league title.
In 2007, Davis won the John Humphrey Memorial Cup by beating Lucan Sarsfields
in the final.
Thomas Davis were involved in a long running series of objections relating to the Tallaght Stadium
. Thomas Davis initially objected to the original planning permission almost ten years ago. More recently, they sought to overturn a council decision that assigns a sports stadium under development in Tallaght with a playing surface unsuitable to the dimenesion of a senior GAA pitch. The minister for sport and SDCC have indicated that Junior GAA games will be accommodated in the current design as junior GAA games would not require an increased pitch size. South Dublin County Council initially decided that the stadium would be multi-use containing a soccer sized pitch. This was reversed in January 2006 when SDCC sought to include a Senior GAA pitch also. The council reverted back to the original plans after they were informed by the Minister for Sport that he would not fund the stadium unless it was designated as soccer only (RTÉ, 2007). The intention of the council is that the League of Ireland soccer team, Shamrock Rovers would play in the new facility. The Rovers chairman stated on the 13th of March 2007, "But we're also amazed that a local GAA club - that already has superb, publicly-funded facilities in place - can begrudge us the opportunity to complete the club's move to the new stadium.".
In a High Court application to have the design of the Tallaght Stadium changed Thomas Davis argued that they would be placed "at a severe disadvantage in attracting the youth of Tallaght to our club, our sport and the GAA culture". In a reserved judgment, made on the 30th March 2007, Justice Iarflaidh O'Neill found in favour of Thomas Davis in seeking leave for a judicial review of the decision making process that led to the decision to designate the facility as single rather than multi-use, stating that Thomas Davis had established that it did indeed have a 'substantial interest' in the case and had raised the necessary 'substantial' grounds required for leave to be given for a judicial review of planning decisions.
However, in a subsequent ruling on the 14 December 2007, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy ruled against Thomas Davis in the Judicial Review. After a delay of over 2 years building work at the stadium resumed in 2008. An application by Thomas Davis for leave to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court was refused at a hearing on 25 January 2008. At this hearing Thomas Davis were also instructed to pay the full costs of South Dublin County Council and Shamrock Rovers F.C.
In February 2011 it was revealed that the club were €2m in debt and "no longer in a position to meet its on-going financial commitments" and called an EGM to discuss "the current perilous state of the finances.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club with extensive grounds and a clubhouse located on the Kiltipper Road in Tallaght
Tallaght
Tallaght is the largest town, and county town, of South Dublin County, Ireland. The village area, dating from at least the 17th century, held one of the earliest settlements known in the southern part of the island, and one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.Up to the 1960s...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Founded in 1888, Thomas Davis has a long association with Tallaght from the time when it was a small rural village in the countryside. The club motto is Nascann Dúshlán Daoine (A Challenge Unites People).
Club facilities
For many years Thomas Davis played on a field adjacent to the Church of Ireland chapel, known as 'The Graveyard' in Old Tallaght Village (beside the Belgard Road where Smyths Toys is currently located) before relocating in the early 1980s to a green field site on the Kiltipper Road. The club continued to use the Graveyard, together with public pitches in Seán Walsh Park, Dodder Park and Aylesbury throughout the 1990s. The Seán Walsh Park fields were subsequently redeveloped into a man-made lake and landscaped areas, with plans for a stadium to be there also (see below). Early development of club facilities were primarily financed through private sources, including the sale of life memberships, a series of large scale private members draws and general club fund raising activities. In more recent years, the club has also benefited from grants from the Department of Arts, Sport and TourismMinister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
. Government grants totalled in excess of €500,000 from 2001-2003.
A further grant of €200,000 was announced in April 2007.
History
Thomas Davis have won the Dublin Senior Football Championship on three occasions in 1989, 1990, 1991, going on to win the Leinster Senior Club Football ChampionshipLeinster Senior Club Football Championship
The Leinster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament played between the hundreds of senior football clubs in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are Portlaoise from Laois. Offaly side Gracefield were the first winners of the Leinster senior club...
twice, on both occasions after epic matches against Wicklow champions, Baltinglass
Baltinglass
Baltinglass or Baltinglas is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is situated on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Its Irish name means "the way of Conglas", Conglas being a member of the mythological warrior collective, the Fianna...
. The club also won the Dublin Under 21 Football Championship
Dublin Under 21 Football Championship
For the current Senior Championship see 2007The Dublin Under 21 Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the under-21 Gaelic footballers of Dublin clubs.-Roll of honour:-Under 21 B Football Championship:...
in 1992, beating Fingallians
Fingallians
Fingallians is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Dublin, Ireland. Fingallians are one of the first GAA clubs from Dublin having being founded in 1884.-Achievements:* Dublin Intermediate Football Championship Winners...
, 1-7 to 0-8.
Thomas Davis won the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship once, in 1913.
More recently, Thomas Davis faced Round Towers
Round Towers GAA (Clondalkin)
Round Towers is a Gaelic Athletic Association associated with the Dublin County Board club based in Clondalkin, Co. Dublin. The Club plays the Gaelic games of Gaelic football, Hurling in both men's and women's codes.-Notable players:...
in the 2006 final of the Dublin AFL Division 1
Dublin AFL Division 1
The Dublin Adult Football League Division 1 is the top Gaelic football league in Co. Dublin. The current champions are St. Sylvester's who beat St. Jude's in the final at Parnell Park.-Roll of honour:-References:...
and won by a scoreline of 0-10 to 0-07. Shane Smith played a prominent role, scoring a prolific 0-08 points in the game which denied Round Towers their first ever league title.
In 2007, Davis won the John Humphrey Memorial Cup by beating Lucan Sarsfields
Lucan Sarsfields
Lucan Sarsfields is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Lucan, Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1886, making it one of the oldest GAA clubs in Dublin. Sarsfields were one of 16 teams which contested the Dublin Senior Championship in 1887...
in the final.
Thomas Davis were involved in a long running series of objections relating to the Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium is a football stadium in the Southside suburb of Tallaght, Dublin. Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of the stadium back in July 1996...
. Thomas Davis initially objected to the original planning permission almost ten years ago. More recently, they sought to overturn a council decision that assigns a sports stadium under development in Tallaght with a playing surface unsuitable to the dimenesion of a senior GAA pitch. The minister for sport and SDCC have indicated that Junior GAA games will be accommodated in the current design as junior GAA games would not require an increased pitch size. South Dublin County Council initially decided that the stadium would be multi-use containing a soccer sized pitch. This was reversed in January 2006 when SDCC sought to include a Senior GAA pitch also. The council reverted back to the original plans after they were informed by the Minister for Sport that he would not fund the stadium unless it was designated as soccer only (RTÉ, 2007). The intention of the council is that the League of Ireland soccer team, Shamrock Rovers would play in the new facility. The Rovers chairman stated on the 13th of March 2007, "But we're also amazed that a local GAA club - that already has superb, publicly-funded facilities in place - can begrudge us the opportunity to complete the club's move to the new stadium.".
In a High Court application to have the design of the Tallaght Stadium changed Thomas Davis argued that they would be placed "at a severe disadvantage in attracting the youth of Tallaght to our club, our sport and the GAA culture". In a reserved judgment, made on the 30th March 2007, Justice Iarflaidh O'Neill found in favour of Thomas Davis in seeking leave for a judicial review of the decision making process that led to the decision to designate the facility as single rather than multi-use, stating that Thomas Davis had established that it did indeed have a 'substantial interest' in the case and had raised the necessary 'substantial' grounds required for leave to be given for a judicial review of planning decisions.
However, in a subsequent ruling on the 14 December 2007, Mr Justice Roderick Murphy ruled against Thomas Davis in the Judicial Review. After a delay of over 2 years building work at the stadium resumed in 2008. An application by Thomas Davis for leave to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court was refused at a hearing on 25 January 2008. At this hearing Thomas Davis were also instructed to pay the full costs of South Dublin County Council and Shamrock Rovers F.C.
In February 2011 it was revealed that the club were €2m in debt and "no longer in a position to meet its on-going financial commitments" and called an EGM to discuss "the current perilous state of the finances.
Notable players
- Paul Curran, former all-Ireland winning player with DublinDublin GAADublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
- Paul NugentPaul Nugent (Gaelic footballer)Paul Nugent is a former selector and player on the Dublin Senior Football team. He was one of the selectors for the Dublin senior football team during Pat Gilroy's first season in charge in 2009...
, current Dublin senior football selector