The story of St. Judes GAA, Southern Gaels and the strong Mayo links
A week ago, in an online competition, there was great support locally for Mayo club Davitts LGFA, based in Ballindine/Irishtown, against opposition from the south of England, St. Judes.
Davitts won, narrowly, to claim a set of jerseys from Adrenaline Sportwear, so it could be categorised as a good result for the local team.
But as a GAA club in England, there was sure to be strong Mayo links with St. Judes – and a little investigation revealed that of course there are! Read on for the very interesting story of St. Judes GAA Club, based in Bournemouth and Southampton, and how many Mayo people are part of a thriving GAA scene on the south coast of England.
From humble beginnings
The GAA club was formed in 2013 utilising a group of players who met playing for the very successful Southampton Titans Aussie Rules team. Over time, though, the desire to play with the round ball again grew too strong and as there were no active GAA clubs in the local area, St. Judes was formed. The name was aptly chosen after the patron saint of lost causes!
Those early years for the club were difficult at times as they did not have any facilities, limited equipment and a smaller pool of players than currently available. It was, however, a special time where the fundamental ethos of the club was installed, with some amazing strong characters involved. Lifelong friends have been made and thanks to the labours of those early years, the club has been able to grow and develop.
In 2016 a chance meeting in Dublin airport with Rich Graven, son of Mayo native and Southern Gaels founder Jimmy Graven, sparked the formation of the youth academy. It also ignited the GAA links of the past, which at the time were unknown to many in St. Judes, and a strong bond with Southern Gaels (1987-2006) was formed.
Stalwart GAA people
During the '80s Gaelic football was kept alive on the south coast thanks to the enthusiasm of stalwart GAA people – Jimmy Graven (Co. Mayo), Tom Conway (Co. Mayo), Jim ‘Bruiser’ Culkin (Co. Sligo) and the Reilly brothers (Co. Roscommon). They were helped notably by P.J. Keane, the Gloucestershire chairman who helped to arrange fixtures.
As the 1980s progressed, another wave of Irish emigration brought new GAA blood to the region. In Poole, many lads from Islandeady, Co. Mayo, came for work to their contacts Jimmy and Tom, with Macbar Construction. In Southampton, Trant Engineering was recruiting from Ireland, with particular success in Cork and Kerry. With the help of an advert in the Irish Post for players, these two nuclei joined forces to form the Southern Gaels.
Southern Gaels went on to dominate in Gloucestershire, winning six league titles and seven championships in a row between 1992 and 1998. The club’s pinnacle came in 1997 when they reached the All Britain final, narrowly losing to London giant Tir Chonnail Gaels. They continued to be a GAA beacon for players until the passing of Jimmy Graven in 2006, which unfortunately effectively halted the Southern Gaels GAA revolution on the south coast of England.
During those years, Southern Gaels became the adopted and loved club for many immigrants from all over Ireland, especially during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mayo men and women were especially prominent – particularly through the Islandeady connection. Other parts of Mayo were well represented too, with players and supporters over the years from Achill, Balla, Ballinrobe, Belmullet, Crossmolina, Geesala, Swinford and Westport, to name but a few.
A Southern Gaels club tour to the west coast of Ireland in May 1994 took in Islandeady, of course. Jimmy and Tom were proud to take the Gaels home and delighted to secure a win in torrential conditions – a match which, because of the ebb and flow of emigration, brought many former team-mates up against each other. A generous reception was provided by Islandeady GAA Club in the Halfway after the match, which went on long into the night and will stay long in the memories of those involved.
Piece of GAA history
St. Judes are proud to be involved in this piece of GAA history, with Rich Graven following in his father’s footsteps coaching the youth academy teams with his brother Michael.
Together with siblings Maria and Jim, they have children who represent St. Judes and carry on as third generation Gravens to play GAA on the south coast of England.
Tom Conway also continues the link and association between both clubs as honorary president of St. Judes.
St. Judes itself has grown year by year, now boasting senior men, women and youth academies, and the club has experienced great success on the field. Each year the club sets out with the aim of winning national titles at all levels, while off the field they try to put a strong emphasis on community and try to create a home away from home for all members and to especially help young Irish people settle into a new area, whether for work or education.
Success on the field has been there from the start for St. Judes, with the men’s team winning the Den Haag International tournament in 2015 and 2016, Gloucestershire league titles in 2014, 2018 and 2019, and championship titles in 2018 and 2019.
The ladies' team, formed in 2020, has already grown so much that they have now more members than the men’s team and after their first taste of championship action in 2020, all at St. Judes are firmly in the belief that success is just around the corner for this highly driven and talented bunch.
Meanwhile, the youth teams have been regular attendees as the ABC tournament in London each year since their formation in 2018, and enjoyed a great trip to the Bammel Malone tournament in Carlingford in 2019. The youth academy and facilities are key areas of development identified in recent member surveys, and with the launch of an ambitious club development plan later in the year, St. Judes is hoping to introduce Gaelic sports to the schools around the south coast of England as well a develop a full size GAA pitch to be used as its home for years to come.
The club has always had strong Mayo representation on the field, with players hailing from Bohola-Moy Davitts, Ballina, Westport, Balla, Claremorris, Killala and Kilmaine, all of whom helped to shape St. Judes into what it is today.
Everyone involved with the club is looking forward to what the future brings and with the fantastic team of club officers, amazing members and the wisdom and experience from the Southern Gaels cohort, the future looks bright for GAA on the south coast of England for many years to come.