History

Kerry, along with Galway, was one of the first GAA clubs formed in Boston in the late 1800s. While initial history of the club is omitted, Kerry enjoyed success in the early 1900s football scene. With close ties to the Kerry GAA in County Kerry, Ireland, Kerry Boston brought over a number of skilled players (highlighted by Jim Sullivan, a two-time All-Ireland winner) and won their first Championship in 1927.

Football in Boston continued to grow, though there was predictably some disruption due to the Depression. As the area recovered, Boston football gained enough notoriety to warrant a visit from the All-Ireland champions, Mayo, in 1937. Mayo played a premier Boston selection that was spearheaded by Kerry Boston’s Kim Sullivan, Johnny Quirke, and Michael Dalton.

World War II saw another dip in football in Boston, with a number of notable players heading off to war. Things slowly picked back up beginning in 1947, with challenge matches being played but no Championship contests in place. Kerry Boston began its revival in the 1950s, even spawning an offshoot club, St. John’s, formed by a few Kerry Boston players (though it folded after just a few seasons). The club continued to grow and thrive during this era, attracting several high-profile players (including John and Mickey Teahan, John Flynn, Gerry Lynch, Sean Garvey, Tim McGillicuddy, John Nash, Frank Donoghue, Jim Maunsell, and Joe Courtney) from Ireland. They brought with them an inspired caliber of football that carried the Kerry Boston side to its second Championship in 1960.

After a tough loss in 1961, Kerry Boston continued to leverage its close ties with Ireland to bring over a new wave of immigrants that led the club to another Championship in 1963. This success continued over the next decade, with players like Pete Nash, Kieran Whelan, Oliver Briody, John Loftus, P.J. Shaughnessy, Joe Maunsell and Joe Driscoll helping the club to a fourth Championship in 1974. The club saw a regression during the late 1970s through the 1980s but would enjoy a thrilling resurgence in the 1990s.

The final decade of the 20th century saw Kerry Boston in top form. The club, managed by Mike O’Connor of Rathmore, won three Senior Championships (1993, 1996, and 1999) out of five trips along with two Junior A Championships (1993, 1996) during this run. 1997 saw Kerry Boston become the first club in North American Board history to field teams at the Senior, Intermediate, and Junior levels.

The club’s dominance of the Boston football scene continued into the new millennium, with Kerry Boston winning an Intermediate Championship in 2002 and losing by just a single point in the North American Final in Chicago later that year. In 2007, both the Intermediate and Junior B squads captured Championships and made deep runs into the North American Finals. The Intermediate squad (featuring Bernard O’Connor, Johnny Maroney, Jonathan O’Donnell, Mike Godley, and John McGrath) made it to the semi-final and the Juniors (led by Carol O’Connell, Sean Pete O’Sullivan, Ger Barry, Dan O’Connor, Timmy O’Neill, Mike Moriarty, and Chris O’Connor) lost in a tightly contested final.

Kerry Boston continued to compete at a high level in both Intermediate and Junior A football in 2008, with the Intermediate side overcoming a Boston Championship final loss to Galway Boston to beat that same side later that year in the North American Final to claim the clubs first and only North American Intermediate Crown.

From 2008-2016 Kerry Boston competed at the Senior level until, due to dwindling numbers, the club felt it was no longer sustainable to field a Senior team. After taking a year off, the club returned to the Boston Championship table at the Junior B level in 2017 and has recently seen an injection of new, youthful energy that has made it apparent the club has its sights set once again on Championship-level football.

Honours

  • 7x Boston Senior Football
    Championship (1928, 1960, 1963, 1974*, 1993, 1996, 1999*)
  • 4x Boston Intermediate
    Football Championship (2002, 2007, 2022, 2024)
  • 2x Boston Junior A Football
    Championship (1993, 1996)
  • 2x Boston Junior B Football
    Championship (2003, 2007)
  • North American Intermediate
    Championship (2008)

(*)-Denotes win by objection

Notable Players

  • John Quane – Limerick
  • Anthony Tohill – Derry
  • Ger Keane – Clare
  • Tom Harris – Kildare
  • Eamon Breen – Kerry
  • Charlie Conroy – Offaly
  • Liam Flahery – Kerry
  • Tom Morrissey – Clare
  • Dave Moore – Dublin
  • Paul Croft – Dublin
  • Bryan Murphy – Dublin
  • Maurice Gavin – Limerick
  • Anthony Gleason – Kerry
  • Noel O’Sullivan – Kerry
  • Mark O’Brien – Laois  
  • Bernard O’Connor – Kerry
  • Darren Homan – Dublin
  • Padraig Joyce – Galway
  • Jonathan O Donnell – Kerry
  • Mark Griffin – Kerry
  • Stephen O-Brien – Kerry
  • Mikey Geaney – Kerry