Kerry History - MLGFA Munster Ladies Gaelic Football Association

Kerry Ladies Football History 1975

The Annual General Meeting of the County Board was held on the 10th March.  All the outgoing officer sand selectors were returned unopposed.  The Munster championship was once more played in a league system with each of the counties playing each other.  Kerry played Cork in the first round on the 6th July in Castleisland and won comfortably on the score of Kerry 2-9 Cork 0-3.
In the second round Kerry played Waterford at Dungarvan on the 20th July and again had a comfortable victory on the score, Kerry 4-8 Waterford 2-2.

Kerry prepared hard for the Munster final against All Ireland champions Tipperary and had high hope of victory. The game was played at Fitzgerald stadium, Killarney on the 17th August and very early in the game, hopes that Kerry had of victory were well and truly buried as a rampant Tipperary team with their half forward line in particular too good for the Kerry defence.  Tipperary ran out the easiest of winners on the score Tipperary 7-3, Kerry 1-5.

The Kerry part were very depressed and disappointed after the game, not at the fact of been beaten but the huge gap between the teams in standard.  Tipperary went on to win their second All Ireland.

Kerry team:

Teresa Murphy   Eileen O'Shea      Marion Quill      Ann O'Connell
Mary O'Connor   Bernie Donoghue   Jenny Mason      Marie Murphy
Esther Murphy   Kathleen Brosnan   Mary Geaney      Mai Lombard
Margaret Lawlor   Margaret Doherty   Helen Slattery      

In 1975 also the Kerry County Board introduced a county league and championship.  Fossa and Castleisland met in the final of the county league on the 20th September and Fossa won by two clear goals, Fossa 3-1 Castleisland 1-1.  The final of the county championship between the same two teams was postponed until early in 1976. When it was played, Castleisland turned the tables on Fossa this time and won Kerry's first county championship in ladies football on the score of Castleisland 2-3, Fosssa 2-0.   In the last few minutes of that game, Castleisland and Kerry mid-fielder broke her leg and was never to play football again.  Esther was promising to be a really great player.  She was a native of Mallow, Co Cork and was a bank official in Castleieland.