Milltown/Castlemaine is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Milltown, County Kerry, Ireland.
History
The club was founded in 1889, but the exact date is not clear. The club's first appearance in the Kerry Senior Football Championship was the following year. In 1891, Milltown entered two teams. It was the only club to do so. This was a great feat as both teams were composed of 21 players. They had some success with the A team, the Milltown Volunteers, winning a few games, only to be beaten by Laune Rangers. In 1892 the club entered one team. It won the first two games beating Cordal and Tough, only to be defeated by Ballymacelligott. Milltown club then seems to have declined for a few years as it didn't contest the County Championship again until 1900.
After 1913, Milltown GAA Club no longer appears to have contested the County Football Championship. In 1947 Milltown won the Mid Kerry Senior Football Championship. Early in the 1950s it amalgamated with Castlemaine and as Milltown-Castlemaine won this championship in 1953, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1962, 1972, 1989, 2001, 2007, 2008 and most recently in 2010
They also won the Kerry Novice Football Championship in 1979 and the Kerry Junior Football Championship in 1990. Milltown/Castlemaine won the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship in 1991, 1994 and again in 2003.
In 2001 the club had an historic year, winning the Kerry County Football League - Division 1 title and also the Mid-Kerry Championship. 2004 was a special year for the club when they won the Kerry Club Championship.
Football titles
All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship (1) 2012 Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship (1) 2011 Munster Intermediate League (1) 2003 Kerry Club Championship (1) 2004 Centenary Cup (1) 2003 All-County Football League, Division 1 (2) 2001, 2009 All-County Football League, Division 2 (4) 1989, 1999, 2004, 2011 All-County Football League, Division 3 (1) 1988 Kerry Intermediate Football Championship (4) 1991, 1994, 2003, 2011 Kerry Junior Football Championship (1) 1990 Kerry Novice Football Championship (1) 1979 Mid Kerry Senior Football Championship (16) 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1972, 1989, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019 Mid-Kerry Football League (13) 1972, 1988, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016 O'Sullivan Cup (5) 1979, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993
Notable players
Seán Burke
Ian Twiss
Wille Maher
Willie Maher must have created some kind of history in 1980 when, after he received a pass from Ambrose O’Donovan, he cracked home a goal with his first touch of the ball in Croke Park.
That was approx. three minutes into the All Ireland minor semi-final against Meath and Kerry went on to win the All Ireland that year and so Willie claimed his first All Ireland medal.
Indeed, only four people in the club area hold All Ireland minor medals, Derry Griffin (1933), Benny O’Sullivan (1946), Mike Colgan (1975) and Willie (1980).
From an early age it became clear that Willie would make it all the way to the top as, at eight years of age, he lined out for the Milltown/Castlemaine U12 as they reached the Mid-Kerry U12 final only to be beaten by Laune Rangers.
From then on he gave over twenty five years dedicated service to the club, winning almost every honour in the game.
At County level he holds medals at all senior grades, Novice (1979), Junior (1991), Intermediate (1991 and 1994) and Senior (1992 with Mid Kerry) Indeed, in the 1979 Kerry Novice Football Championship final he scored 1-1 at the age of 16 years when they beat Knocknagoshal to win their first title at county level.
While at university he played in a Sigerson Cup final and a Dublin Under 21 Football Championship final with UCD, but lost both.
After two years on the Kerry minor team he progressed to the senior ranks and played his first senior Munster final in Killarney’s Fitzgerald Stadium in 1984, scoring a goal as Kerry overcame Cork to claim the title. However, later that year his promising career took a setback when he picked up a serious leg injury in an Under-21 championship game.
There is no doubt that this injury had a serious impact on his playing career in the green and gold of Kerry, but showing tremendous courage and resilience, he once again donned the jersey.
Having won County U21 (with Mid Kerry) and National League honours ( v Galway), his crowning glory came in 1986 when, after recovering from that broken leg sustained two years earlier, he fought his way back into the County panel and lined out at No 10 as Kerry staged a dramatic comeback to beat Tyrone and claim another three in a row.