HISTORY
Piltown GAA was initially formed as far back as 1887 and went through many amalgamations until Parish Rule was introduced in the fifties. The modern club was formed in 1953. The original grounds, consisting of approximately 5 acres, were purchased from the Land Commission on 1st November 1945. The original trustees were Canon Philip Comerford PP, Patrick Power MCC (Piltown) and Richard Keating (Clonmore). The price paid was £77. In 1957, Eddie Norris and Pa O'Shea replaced Canon Comerford and Patrick Power as trustees and Bob Aylward, who was the County Board Chairman, was added to the trustees.
Early meetings took place at St. Columba's Hall which was located at the old graveyard in Piltown. After it was demolished the meetings took place at Anthony's Inn, Piltown National School and eventually in the dressing room that used to exist at the road end of the front pitch.
In 1961, the club began fundraising through the annual Fete (Carnivals). Commencing on Easter Sunday, they originally took place in "Francie Walsh's" field on the Tower Road until 1973. These carnivals featured live music in a marquee, amusements and tournament hurling matches with clubs from all over the south east.
Development of the grounds began in the early sixties. In 1961, the wall at the road end was erected along with the original dressing rooms, complete with showers and toilets. In 1962/3, the pitch was levelled, resodded and drained. In 1964, a 10 foot fence was erected around the main pitch. In 1965, the toolshed and the original scoreboard were erected at the road end and it cost approximately £9000 to transform the pitch. The main playing pitch was officially opened on the 12th August 1965 when the Kilkenny Senior Hurling team played a challenge match against Waterford. The game was refereed by Tommy Foran and the Kilkenny team featured Piltown's Ned Power (Brenor).
In 1972, an additional 12 acres of adjacent land was purchased. These were lands formerly owned by Issac and Lilly Tector from Piltown. The representatives of the club paid £3,500 for the land, £500 more than their brief. All money was from the proceeds of carnivals.
In 1977, it was decided to build a Complex building with an estimated cost of €40,000. With the popularity of carnivals beginning to wane, a new source of income had to be found. In 1982, the club ran a 600 club draw which a year later turned in to what is now known as the hurlers co-op draw. (In 1991, the Kilkenny County Board came on board). The Complex building was constructed in 1985 and was officially opened by the former President of the GAA, Paddy Buggy, on 15th August 1986.
HURLING
In its early days, Piltown hurling club was quite successful contesting senior county finals in 1904 and 1910, but losing on both occasions to Tullaroan. The teams featured Kilkenny stalwarts of that time such as John T Power, Jack Anthony and Drug Walsh (normally more associated with Mooncoin). Before the advent of parish rule in the fifties, Piltown players played with many amalgamations of teams such as Suir Rangers which sourced its players from Mooncoin, Piltown, Windgap and Kilmacow and St. Columba's.
Some of the club's notable hurling achievements are as follows:
Leinster Junior Club Hurling Championship
2003 Piltown 1-15 St Vincent's of Dublin 1-8
Leinster Special Junior Club Hurling Championship
2009 Piltown 4-18 Enniscorthy Shamrocks 0-5
Kilkenny Junior Hurling Championship
1981 Piltown 3-6 Emeralds 2-6
1996 Piltown 0-11 Dicksboro 1-3
2003 Piltown 1-11 St Patrick's 1-8 (replay) (drawn game finished 2-12 each)
Kilkenny Junior Hurling League
2012 Piltown 0-21 Cloneen 2-9
Kilkenny Southern Junior Hurling Championship
1981 Piltown 1-17 Mullinavat 1-7
1995 Piltown 2-7 Slieverue 0-4
1996 Piltown 3-11 Windgap 1-11
2000 Piltown 2-9 Windgap 0-13
2003 Piltown 0-14 Tullogher Rosbercon 0-12
2011 Piltown 4-20 Kilmacow 1-6
2016 Piltown 0-21 Mooncoin 1-13
Kilkenny Southern Junior Hurling League
2003 Piltown 4-8 Tullogher Rosbercon 1-12
2008 Piltown v. Tullogher Rosbercon (w/o)
2009 Piltown 4-15 Kilmacow 1-15
2010 Piltown 1-17 Kilmacow 1-10
Paddy Cahill Cup – Junior Hurling
2003 Piltown 2-14 Mount Leinster Rangers 1-12
Kilkenny Junior B Hurling Championship
1990 Piltown 2-10 O'Loughlin Gaels 3-5 (replay) (drawn game finished 2-8 each)
2008 Piltown 1-14 Graigue Ballycallan 1-11
Kilkenny Southern Junior B Hurling Championship
1989 Piltown 3-6 Carrickshock 2-6
1990 Piltown 4-6 Glenmore 3-6
2008 Piltown 0-12 John Lockes 0-7
2016 Piltown 1-18 Windgap 1-16
Kilkenny U-21 Roinn B Hurling Championship
2007 Piltown 4-16 St Patrick's 1-12
2011 Piltown 0-15 Emeralds 1-11
Kilkenny Southern U-21 Roinn A Hurling Championship
1978 Piltown 6-10 Ballyhale Shamrocks 5-9
Kilkenny Southern U-21 Roinn B Hurling Championship
1985 Piltown 2-8 Carrickshock 1-10
1996 Piltown 1-11 Ballyhale Shamrocks 0-8
1997 Piltown 1-7 John Lockes 0-8
2005 Piltown 1-10 Glenmore 0-5
2007 Piltown 2-10 Thomastown 0-5
2011 Piltown 0-19 Kilmacow 0-9
Kilkenny Minor B Hurling Championship
Piltown 3-12 Lisdowney 4-6
Kilkenny Minor C Hurling League
1998 Piltown 1-7 Thomastown 0-4 (replay) (drawn game finished 2-5 to 1-8)
Kilkenny Minor A Hurling League
2004 Piltown 1-12 Danesfort 2-8
Kilkenny Southern Minor A Hurling League
1946 St Columba's Piltown 4-1 Tullogher 0-1
Kilkenny Southern Minor B Hurling League
1977 Piltown 0-7 Glenmore 0-2
Kilkenny U-16 Roinn A Hurling Championship
1992 Piltown 1-13 James Stephens 4-3
Kilkenny U-16 Roinn B Hurling Championship
1985 Piltown 0-8 St Patrick's 0-6
1991 Piltown 3-5 Erin's Own 0-6
2004 Piltown 1-11 Mooncoin 0-9
2013 Piltown 0-16 Thomastown 0-11
Kilkenny U-16 Roinn B Hurling League
1975 Piltown 3-9 Lisdowney 3-1 (replay) (drawn game finished 2-6 each)
1985 Piltown 4-6 St Lachtain's 2-2
2002 Piltown 1-10 St Martin's 0-5
Kilkenny U-14 Roinn B Hurling Championship
1960 Piltown 6-1 Ballyragget 2-2
2016 Piltown 2-10 St Martin's 0-8
Féile na nGael Under-14 Hurling
1979 Piltown 4-0 Carnew (Wicklow) 2-1 (Division 3 Champions)
2016 Piltown 2-6 St Martin's 0-9 (County Final Winners)
All-Ireland U-14 Community Games
1989 National Community Games winners
GAELIC FOOTBALL
Gaelic Football was slower than hurling to kick off in Piltown. It was only on the arrival of Kerryman, Dan Kenny, did the sport begin to blossom. The first Gaelic Football title came in 1976, when the U-14's won the Roinn B title. The eighties saw many underage titles going Piltown's way with the highlight being the U-16 Roinn B league and Championship double in 1985. In 2011, Piltown won the U-14 Roinn C County title (being the delayed 2010 final).
At adult grade, Piltown reached their first Junior Football county final in 1992, but lost out to Clara. However, the following year, Piltown took the title by beating Blacks And Whites (Skeoughvosteen). Piltown pushed on from there and won their first Intermediate title in 1997 by beating neighbours Mooncoin in the final held in Mullinavat. Piltown won their second Intermediate title in 2001 and the Intermediate League title in 2010.
JOHN T POWER
John T. Power was a renowned Piltown hurler when Kilkenny enjoyed a glorious era of success from 1907 to 1913. John T. kept goal in four All-Ireland senior winning teams and was regarded as an outstanding custodian. Power Villas in Piltown is named after him.
His record of success with Kilkenny in All-Ireland Finals:
- 1907 (Mooncoin beat Dungourney of Cork 3-12 to 4-8)
- 1911(Kilkenny awarded title when Munster champions Limerick refused to accept Thurles as a venue for the All-Ireland final)
- 1912 (Kilkenny represented by Tullaroan beat Cork, represented by Blackrock, 2-1 to 1-3)
- 1913 when Kilkenny (Mooncoin) defeated Tipperary (Toomevara) by double scores, 2-4 to 1-2.
John T. Power was apparently a man of considerable influence as in 1916, after two pretty disastrous years for Kilkenny at inter-county level, he wrote to the local newspapers appealing for unity among the players so that the All-Ireland could be won. The Leinster title was landed that year but Kilkenny went down to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final of that year.
LIAM MCCARTHY
Liam McCarthy is another renowned Piltown hurler, holding a unique record in being the only hurler to win an All-Ireland Medal in Minor, U 21, Junior, and Senior grades.
Liam McCarthy was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1987 until 1994, winning All-Ireland medals in 1992 and 1993. He won an All-Ireland runners up medal in 1991. Prior to this, Liam won a Minor title in 1981 and he then went on to play U-21 for the following three years, winning a Leinster medal in 1982, and going all the way in 1984 to win an All-Ireland medal. Liam also won a Junior All-Ireland medal in 1986.
At club level, Liam won U-16 league and championship and minor championship medals for Piltown.
