Bruff GAA

In 1951, Bruff people felt that it needed a sportsfield but it was not until November 1955, that a plot of ground, 9 acres in size, was inspected and a public meeting of the parishioners was called. Addressing the meeting, Very Rev. A.Canon Riordan, P.P. explained that the land and levelling, not to mention equipment (enclosure, boundary wall, sideline, seats, moving of some six ESB pylons, equipping tennis grounds and miniature golf grounds, children’s and adults practice pitch etc) would come to a total of £4,500 at the very minimum. Despite the almost unsurmountable obstacles that lay ahead it was unanimously decided to go ahead with the project and a committee was formed. The money was raised through donations by various organisations and by the people of Bruff. House to house collections and appeals to Bruff natives in Ireland and abroad netted £1,500, Bruff Guild Muintir na Tire contributed £400, proceeds from dances and carnivals, £800, raffles and sale of works, £100, each club represented on the Bruff Sportsfield Committee contributed £25. Forty parishioners loaned the committee £25 each to pay of urgent bills.

These £25 loans were paid back within 40 weeks. The Munster Council of the GAA gave a £100 grant. In total £6000 was spent to provide for the excellent facilities back then. Work was completed and the field was open for games in 1956. It was decided that now the parish had a facility that it could be proud of, it was important that it made a showcase of it so the committee invited the teams of Limerick and Cork to play a tournament match as part of the official opening. This game took place on the 28th of April 1957 and an estimated 6,000 people packed into the grounds on a glorious day to witness Limerick emerge victorious against a star studded Cork team which included the famous Christy Ring. A reception was later held in the courthouse where both teams received a meal and the Limerick players as winners of the match were all given beautiful watches. Now, 50 years on history repeats itself.

In 2001, members of the GAA club felt that there was an urgent need to upgrade the facilities in the sportsfield. During 2001 a committee was set up to discuss and plan what was required to bring the facilities into the 21st century. It was decided that a new sports complex was needed along with new dressing rooms for players and for match officials, new toilets for the general public, a new entrance with new gates and ground maintenance work needed to be carried out. This was a mammoth undertaking and it required a lot of detailed analysis and constructive debate. Once the green light was given the committee set about raising the finances. It was estimated that the total project would come in at approximately €470,000 once everything was completed along with a few extra items that were later added so that the facilities could be kitted out to the highest specifications.

The money was raised through various grants and by the very generous contribution of €500 each from 170 people through a Self Help Scheme. As part of the clubs way in saying thank you to those who took part in this scheme, during July 2005 the club gave away 10 cash prizes of €1,000 in a draw held within the new complex. The new sports complex and other amenities were completed this year, 2006. The financial costs have been very high and fund raising still continues to repay the loans, however, no one is in doubt that the money has been justly spent and the people of the parish of Bruff can look upon this complex and hold their heads high with pride knowing that they were part of something special, something that will stand the test of time and something the future generations will thank them for. To mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the sportsfield and to celebrate the opening of the new complex it is fitting that both the teams of Limerick and Cork return to Bruff and play in a tournament match. This is truly 50 years on and history repeating itself.