As St Paul’s ladies go in search of national glory at the weekend, with a glamour superleague final clash against a fancied Killester of Dublin, Eamonn Keogh looks ahead to the big game and looks back at a great tradition of basketball in Killarney
St Paul’s Basketball Club will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year with many highlights over the past four decades but if the current senior ladies’ team can capture the coveted superleague title this weekend, it will be the club’s greatest achievement.
While St Paul’s has been in existence since 1985, there is a tremendous history and tradition of basketball in Killarney, dating back to the very first men’s game, played in the old town hall, in November 1951.
Ladies’ basketball didn’t start in Killarney until the mid-1960s, following the opening of St Mary’s Parish Hall, with local priest, Fr Leahy, facilitating the growth of the game among young boys and girls.
The very first game of competitive ladies’ basketball in the town took place in the mid-1960s when a St Brigid’s Presentation Convent team defeated a Holy Cross Mercy side. Coaching the Presentation team on that historic occasion was Tadghie Fleming – father of current St Paul’s head coach James Fleming – while the Mercy was coached by the late Michael Courtney, a man synonymous with the introduction of the John Player sponsored ladies’ tournament in Killarney in the late 1960s.
This later became the Pretty Polly ladies’ tournament, attracting several teams from all over Ireland to Killarney every Easter during the 1970s and 80s. One of the main highlights on the Irish basketball calendar, the event continued until the late 1980s.
As the current St Paul’s team bids for ultimate glory this weekend, it is worth remembering those early and subsequent years of ladies’ basketball in the town and those who paved the way for future generations.
Maura Moynihan was an exceptional talent alongside the likes of Peggy O’Sullivan, Noreen Coffey and Brenda (Bronny) Kelliher and they led a St Brigid’s Presentation Killarney team, coached by the aforementioned Tadghie Fleming, to a Munster schools’ title in 1970.
Sheila O’Sullivan from Mangerton View was another exceptional player during the 1970s and 80s and she also played for Ireland at international level.
As the current St Paul’s team bids for glory on the highest stage in Irish basketball, it is hard to believe that it is well over 30 years since the last time a Killarney player has enjoyed success at this level.
Plunkett Street native Éilis Ní Laoire, now domiciled in Australia, started her career in Tralee, where she won a league and cup in 1987 before going on to lead Naomh Mhuire (Dublin) to a national cup success.
The St Paul’s club built a strong ladies’ team in the late 1980s and early 90s and, coached by the late Donal O’Doherty, they enjoyed a number of successes in Kerry leagues and championships. St Paul’s, in fact, have reached the penultimate stages of the superleague and national cup in the past.
With the growth of juvenile basketball in Killarney, the club enjoyed underage success winning the under 19 boys’ national cup in 1995 and 1997 and the under 19 girls’ national cup in 2003. While the club has won national league division one men’s and ladies’ titles, a coveted title at superleague level has eluded them, in both codes, on a number of occasions.
National cup semi-final defeats to St Vincents in 1997 and 2005 and to Demons in 2007, and a superleague semi-final loss to Killester in 2004, have been the closest calls in men’s competitions.
St Paul’s first entry to the ladies’ superleague started in 2002, under then head coach James Weldon, while James Fleming was his assistant coach. It turned out to be a very impressive rookie year in the superleague and they finished in a very respectable third place as well as being runners-up in the national championship final.
Despite impressive superleague campaigns during the mid-noughties, there were agonising national cup semi-final defeats three years in succession. In 2004 they finished second in the league but were pipped by Waterford Wildcats in cup and league semi-finals. In 2005 they lost a cup semi-final to Killester and, the following year, they bowed out at the same stage to University of Limerick in 2006.
The teams that battled in those years put in huge effort, gave great joy to supporters and put Killarney basketball in contention for major honours but they missed out on ultimate glory.
The current St Paul’s team has already gone one step further and is within touching distance of bringing a first ever superleague ladies’ title to Killarney. Killester stand in their way and the Dubliners already pipped St Paul’s by a single point in a thrilling national cup semi-final in January.
St Paul’s experienced coach James Fleming is well aware of the history of Killarney basketball and will be hoping his side can emulate the achievements of the St Vincent’s Gleneagle Killarney men’s team, led by the late great Paudie O’Connor, who won the top flight national league and national top four championship on two occasions, in 1980 and again in 1982.
Fleming is chasing his 10th national title as a coach having already won five titles with St Paul’s and four with Fr Mathews of Cork. As a player, his MVP performance led St Paul’s to an under 19 national cup win in 1995 while he also played on the St Paul’s senior men’s team that won the national league division one title that season.
He played a few seasons at superleague level but, it is fair to say, he would have played a lot longer but Gaelic football commitments with Dr Crokes and basketball coaching dominated his time for many years.
On the football field, he has won nine East Kerry O’Donoghue Cup medals along with a number of county and Munster championships and captained Dr Crokes to an All-Ireland senior club final in 2007.
His basketball coaching career almost happened by accident. Back in 1994, Fleming was a promising teenage basketball prospect, enjoying his rookie season as a player in the national league with St Paul’s. He had never been involved in coaching before then but was asked to help out with the club’s Under 13 girls’ team by their coach Breeda O’Donoghue.
He was hooked from day one and over the past 30 years he has been actively involved in coaching ladies and underage basketball in Killarney.
A few players stood out from that under 13 team in 1994. Coach Fleming was particularly struck with three very promising 10-year-olds and knew from an early stage that they were going to make it on the big stage. Mairead Finnegan, Diane Griffin and Lynn Jones were earmarked from the start and all three went on to represent Ireland at international level and enjoy very successful basketball careers.
With Fleming offering guidance, St Paul’s dominated underage girls’ basketball in Kerry for a number of years. From under 13 level right up to under 19, they never lost a game at underage level in Kerry over the course of six years. The highlight of their underage journey was clinching the under 19 national cup in 2003.
30 years on from his first coaching season, it is a remarkable story that James Fleming is still directing a team that includes the same Lynn Jones, who came under his wing back in 1994.
Her longevity and commitment has been incredible. Having represented Ireland at under 15, under 18 and under 20 level, she remains an integral part of the current squad bidding for glory this weekend.
With 14 coach of the month awards and two coach of the year accolades already collected in recent years, James Fleming knows that winning a superleague title this weekend would represent the pinnacle of success. He has invested an incredible amount of time and energy to the cause and secured sponsorship to ensure that a Killarney team is competing at the highest level possible in Irish basketball.
Growing up as a child in the Lewis Road/O’Sullivan’s Place part of town, in the shadow of St Mary’s Parish Hall, the spiritual home of Killarney basketball, sport dominated his life from a young age.
His own sporting background was influenced by some of the greatest names in Killarney sporting history. Close neighbours and friends to the Fleming household included legends such as Johnny Culloty, Weeshie Fogarty and Paudie O’Connor, all sadly departed, and former Irish international basketballer Aidan O’Shea who is an uncle of current St Paul’s player Leah McMahon.
James’ father, Tadhgie, won a Kerry senior hurling championship with Killarney in 1969 and seven East Kerry O’Donoghue Cup football medals with Dr Crokes along with several county and Munster championship basketball titles with the Busby Babes and Kerry.
It is 60 years since Tadhgie first made a name for himself as a top winning coach with a Killarney ladies’ basketball team and there would be great celebrations in Killarney if history can repeat itself, with his son in the pilot’s seat, in this season’s superleague decider.
Another great family link is that current St Paul’s players Rheanne O’Shea and Leah McMahon are daughters of former club stars, Trish O’Halloran O’Shea and Aine O’Shea McMahon. Their fathers, Seanie O’Shea and Karl McMahon, also played for the club while their grandfathers, Murt and Paddy O’Shea, were part of the first generation of Killarney basketball trailblazers in the old town hall in the 1950s.
* The St Paul’s v Killester final will be broadcast live on TG4 at 2.00pm on Sunday.
Advertisers: Get your message to thousands of people every day. Call 087-2229761 or email news@killarneytoday.com
