In the first Parish Summer Project in 1977, Ernest Kenny provided Gaelic football activities at the request of Fr Greene. It was decided to organise two competitions at Under 10 and Under 14 using the four areas of the parish as the basis for organising the teams. So the first Gaelic teams in St Judes parish were Templeogue Wood, Glendown, Orwell Park and Willington. The community spirit in ST Judes parish came to the fore with Seamus O’Connor providing soccer goal posts on the Green for the competitions. The Under 10 competition was won by the Orwell team led by Kieran O’Reilly who beat Orwell in the final. After this project people were sought who would be interested in Gaelic games with a view to starting a club in the parish. Ernest Kenny and others set about talking to and encouraging people into attending a meeting to discuss the possibilities. With the enthusiasm show in the 1978 Parish Summer Project it was right that we should form our own GAA club.
The vision of the men and women who nurtured the club from the early years was for their club to attain senior status and a glance at the progress and growth of the juvenile football throughout the 80s and 90s is testament to their grit, foresight and sheer determination. The juvenile section is seen as the lifeblood of ever club and St Judes was no exception.
The 1988/89 season at Intermediate Football level was very much a year of consolidation, after a rather breathless run from Division 4 Junior to Intermediate level. The team was managed by Don Lehane and Gerry Quinn with Ernest Kenny and Donnchadh Lehane again managing the Junior B team. Success for the club continued to grow throughout the early ninties.
The Senior Years
1993/94 was the first year that St Judes competed at senior football level. It was a tremendous achievement to go from Junior 4 in 1986 to senior football in 1993. It took seven years to complete that journey which was a remarkably short time considering the team had to transgress in effect through 11 divisions of football with eight junior divisions (North/South) and three Intermediate divisions. We had started with a very ambitious plan to progress from junior to senior within ten years and now we had achieved this objective in seven years. Don Lehane and his team of players and mentors including Gerry Quinn, Cyril Loughlin and Ernest Kenny achieved the first step in the plan by moving from Division 4 Junior to Intermediate football in two seaons. Tommy Bassett and his team of players plus mentors Luke Mooney, Seamus Durkan and Bert Smith achieved the second step in the plan by going from Intermediate to Senior 2 in the period between 1989/90 and in 1992/93 seasons.
The 1995/96 season was St Judes third season in Divison 2 of the senior football league. There was a quiet confidence around Tymon that the 95/96 season was the season to push onto Senior 1. St Judes had finished the previous season in third place after a great campaign. That season St Judes finished second on 25 points with Clontarf winning the league on 26 points. St Judes were promoted for the first time to Senior Division1 which sparked wild celebrations in the parish. Tremendous credit due to Tommy Bassett, Luke Mooney, Seamus Durkan on achieving this landmark occasion.
In 1998/99 the management of St Judes Senior Football Team was taken over by Brian Talty assisted by Christy Kilcoyne and Declan O’Boyle. This was the start of another successful period for St Judes at senior level. Brian Talty was a highly successful and innovative coach who had previously brought senior championship success to Parnell’s and St Sylvester’s before arriving at St Judes. That season St Judes finished runners-up in the Senior Football league Divison 1 after a very good season. The team was unbeaten in the league away from home and ran up some impressive shorelines throughout the league. In addition to some good point scoring the team averaged two goals a game over the year.
The 2000 season was another milestone year in the club with St Judes winning Division one of the Senior Football League for the first time in the clubs history. The team wen through the league campaign dropping only three points with a draw against Kilmacud Crokes and the only defeat predictably against our old bogey teams St Olafs. Tom Morley made his league debut for St Judes that season alongside Damien Carroll, Liam Belton and Ciaran McGovern, Enda Sheehy and Conor Conneely.
During 2002 the Under 21 football team with Bartle Faulkner, Tommy Hartnett and Paddy Keogh at the helm had a tremendous year all round. This squad is based around the players who reached the Under 16 football and hurling championship finals in 96/97 and a number of these players also played in the Junior B football championship final later in the year. Therefore a number of these players played in three of the four football championship finals played in St Judes in the first twenty give years of their history. Our very own "Dream Team" was later to enjoy success with a convincing Junior B Championship victory. In 2005 St Judes went on to reach the Intermediate Championship final and also later that season achieved promotion to Senior 2. This was an indication of the strength of players St Judes was developing. The club now had Senior 1 and Senior 2 teams playing in Dublin. The second team successfully competed in division 2 before being relegated in 2007.
Under 21 Success
What is questionably one of the most pleasurable football to watch is the Under 21 level in Dublin. This is a competition where in recent years St Judes has excelled thanks to the guidance and mentoring throughout Juvenile level.
In 2003 under the guidance of Bartle Faulkner and Tommy Hartnet St Judes' Under 21 team won the Division 1 South League after an unbeaten run in the competition recording wins against Lucan Sarsfields, Liffey Gaels, and St Brigids. They then went on to record a great win against Northside league winners Parnells in the All Dublin Under 21 League final in Bohernabreena on 11 January 2003 and eventually reach the Under 21 Championship Finals later that year. They were however beaten in the county final in Parnell Park on 22 February by a very strong Kilmacud Crokes side on a scoreline of 0-4 to 0-11. Later that year Michael Lyons picked up a Leinster Under 21 football championship medal and an All Ireland runners up medal when Dublin were beaten by a fine Galway side in the All-Ireland Under 21 Football Final.
The Club was later to enjoy glorious success when both Under 21 Footballers and Hurlers both won the Dublin Under 21 Championships. Both teams displayed a resilience and determination in such a highly competitive and sought after competition.
The continual success of St Judes is testament to the drive and determination of players and mentors alike.