The first rules of Gaelic games were brought to Aghagallon in 1907 by a man originally from Belfast and his name was Paddy Barnes. Paddy was a member of the famous Shaun’s Club of Belfast and already was well steeped in the rules and the games of the GAA.

In the years, leading up to 1907, Paddy Barnes and his family moved to the Aghagallon area, initially to a small house and holding in the moss. In 1907, Paddy gathered up some of the boys at Brankinstown ‘to catch and kick a ball’. This was the first introduction of Gaelic games, in this area and the wider area also.

excerpt from “100 Years of the GAA in Aghagallon, 1907 – 2012”
by Gerard Lenehan