The GAA has always been a passion of rural Ireland, and Park/Ratheniska has been no different in this respect. GAA has always played a prominent role in the community, dating back to a Ratheniska team in 1913, where the first signs of football in the area can be traced. This team faded away after contesting a few finals in that era, and it wasn’t until the Loughteague team in 1927 and ’28 that football began to flourish in the area when the newly formed club won Junior Championships under the captaincy of Liam Wall. 

However the first appearance of what was to become the Park/Ratheniska GAA Club came in 1933 when the Park Football Club was founded, with Minor and Junior teams being affiliated with the Laois GAA County Board. Football quickly blossomed among the locals with a Minor title coming in its first year. The real breakthrough for the Club was to come in 1942 though, when they broke out of Junior ranks for the first time. Four years of Intermediate football was rewarded in 1947 when the Intermediate title came their way, and at last Senior Football was achieved.

The Park men quickly became a force to be reckoned with in senior ranks, good championship runs followed as they attempted to scale the heights of senior football in Laois. This they did in style in 1952, which was to be the Clubs greatest era. Trained by the famous athlete Will “Bruno” McEvoy the Park team swept aside all in front of them, culminating in a famous final victory against a much fancied Ballyroan side. Not content to rest on their laurels, the Park men were only to keen to prove 1952 to be no fluke, and so they duly retained the title in 1953. 

After such heights a plateau was inevitable. The Clubs next title of note was in 1972 when they captured the Junior Football “B” crown. Local rivalry was to the fore for the Clubs next success when in 1978 the Club captured the Senior Football League final defeating neighbours Stradbally in what was described as an “epic contest”. 

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1972 Laois Junior Football Champions

Front Row L to Right - Mick Cushen, Liam Wall, Mattie Lyons, Har Ramsbottom, John Kelly, John Joe McDonald, Tom Cushen, Liam Cushen, Gar Kelly.

Back Row L to Right - Paddy Dunne, Tom Bowe, Jack Dunne, Murty McDonald, John Wall, Mick Cushen, Martin Wall, Jack Cushen, Larry Cushen.

It was during this period of success for the Football Club that another Club was coming to prominence in the area. The Ratheniska Hurling Club had been founded in 1953, running along side the Park Football Club, while primarily using many of the same players as the footballers. The Club took its first ever-hurling title in 1958 when it clinched the Junior Hurling title. Success agreed with the Club early on, and a defeat in the Intermediate final of 1960 was followed up quickly with a win in the very same in 1961. The infant Club had grown up quickly and in a mere eight years of existence was performing at the highest level in Laois.  

Back Row L to R- Tom Fingleton, Tom Leonard, Joe Fingleton, Brendan Fingleton, Paddy Ramsbottom, Joe Ramsbottom, Har Fingleton, Har Ramsbottom, Noel Whelan, Jimmy Billy Fitzgerald, George Rankins, Paddy Kearns.

Front Row- Jackie Kelly, Lar Cushen (Jr), Paddy Morrin, Jim Leonard, Paddy Rankins, Seán Conroy, Harry Ramsbottom, Paddy Fingleton, Jimmy Rankin, Mick Fingleton, Dan Fingleton.

However following ten years at senior level the move was taken to return back to junior ranks where success came quickly again in the form of the 1971 junior hurling title. An Intermediate title followed in 1977 as the Club again ascended through the ranks.  

In 1981 however both Clubs underwent their greatest change when it was decided it would be best for all, to amalgamate the Park G.F.C and the Ratheniska Hurling Club under the one name, the Park/Ratheniska GAA Club. The new Club had to wait six years for its name to be carved on a trophy, and this came along in 1987 when the Junior Hurlers done the League and Championship double. The footballers took their lead from this and stormed their way back to Senior ranks in 1988 when winning the Intermediate Football final on a wild and windy day in O Moore Park. 

 

Back Row (L to R) Ned Mansworth, Tom Cushen, Patrick Keegan, Larry Cushen, Pat Morrin, James Brennan, Ned Flanagan, Domo Byrne, Willie Dunne, Murty McDonald, Donal Keane, James Keegan, Pat Brennan, Brendan Delaney, Andy Morrin, Mick Cushen, Tom Cushen Sr.

Front Row (L to R) - Liam Greene, Des Conroy, Tommy O Connell, Joe Flanagan, Billy Conroy, Aidan Downey, Liam Cushen, Brendan O Connell, Seán Cushen, Johnny Brennan, Liam Wall.

1994 was to prove one of the most trophy laden years in the Club’s history. The Division 2 football league trophy was collected first, and this was followed up by the Hurlers doing the league and championship double as they marched back to senior ranks again. 

The Junior C hurlers broke a barren spell for the Club in 2003 when they picked up the Championship trophy in dramatic circumstances in O Moore Park with the long serving Liam Greene hanging up his boots in style by lifting the trophy. 

In 2006 the Junior A Footballers would finally break out of the Junior ranks and do a little bit more too as it turned out. They went unbeaten throughout the whole Championship season in Laois, where they overcame Barrowhouse in the County Final, 1-13 to 0-8.  

Not content with resting on their laurels in Laois the Club set out on a trip through Leinster. First up was an away win over Longford representatives St Munis Forgeney. From there it was home to Crumlin of Dublin who were also put to the sword in fron of the home faithful.  

The semi final saw the footballers travel away again, this time to Caulry of Westmeath where an epic encounter saw the Park men come out on top.  

The 2006 year culminated in a never to be forgotten December day in Ratheniska when St Ultans of Meath were defeated 2-8 to 1-8 in the Leinster Junior Club Football Championship Final. A last minute goal from the diving Johnny Nevin in what will forever be known as "Nevin's Square" from this point forward, was the defining moment of a titanic game in which the players wrote their names down in the Club's history books forever. There were scenes of euphoric joy on the field afterwards as captain Cathal Óg Greene accepted the trophy from Leinster Council Chairman Liam O'Neill, in doing so rubber stamping the club's first ever provincial title in front of the whole community. 

​The Club pushed onwards again from their 2006 win, falling at the final hurdle in the 2008 Laois Intermediate Football Final to a strong Ballyroan Abbey outfit. 

Over this period our Junior hurlers had been knocking on the door re-entry to the Intermediate Hurling grade. Having regraded to Junior in 2004 they would go on to contest Junior hurling Finals in '04, '05 and '07 before finally reaching the summit in Laois with a County Final win over Borris in Ossory/Kilcotton in O Moore Park, Portlaoise. In a one sided game, the Park/Ratheniska men blew their opponents away with a 2-14 to 0-3 with Brendan Fingleton putting in a man of the match winning performance from midfield, while at the same time assuring himself of 2011 Laois Junior Hurler of the Year.

Not content with this achievement, they then went on a run through Leinster with wins over the Louth and Kildare representatives, before culminating in yet another never to be forgotten Provincial Final on a winter afternoon in Ratheniska GAA Grounds. This time it was Parnells of Dublin who stood in the way of Leinster glory and goals from Darragh Nolan and Barry Fingleton secured a 2-10 to 1-08 win, giving Park/Ratheniska the honour of becoming the first Laois Club to hold Provincial Titles in both Hurling and Football with Captain David Larkin receiving the trophy from Leinster Council Chairman, Martin Skelly of Longford.

Such success whets the appetite and we look forward to achieving more again in the future. Our Juvenile section continues to function vibrantly, with us fielding teams now from U8 to U21 in gaelic football and hurling (with hurling now catered for under our Park/Ratheniska-Timahoe Hurling Club). Winning is our goal naturally, and we constantly push ourselves to achieve our goals, but our Club is about more than silverware. Its about community, nurturing our younger member, teaching them skills that will stand by them throughout their lives.

Our club is at the coalface in the promotion and development of our games and culture. We provides enjoyment, involvement and personal development for all our members and players (especially for our youth). We develops friendships, teamwork, and equality for all. We provides our community with a positive identity and a sense of pride.

This is our Clubs goal, continual movement forward on and off the field. Mirror success on the field with development off it, fulfilling its goals of providing a sporting outlet for our community and social outlet for our people. 

This is Park/Ratheniska.​​