Knockalisheen Park

Knockalisheen Park is the official playing ground for Meelick GAA and was offically opened on May 7th 2000.  Meelick were delighted to have the Clare Hurlers playing their inter-county rivals Limerick Hurlers as a headline match.  This event was a community effort and a lot of work has gone into making sure this event was a huge success from a lot of people.

One person in particular deserves a special mention and that man is Joe Sherlock.  In 1975, Joe was elected Chairman of this own club, and in his inaugural speech he promised to have a hurling pitch of our own by the centenary year 1984.  In his first year of office, he set up a committee to investigate the possibility of buying a field, but land was expensive and not available in a suitable area.  Oliver Flanagan was Minister for Defence at the time and Joe wrote to him about leasing some land at Knockalisheen.  The minister was sympathetic to the request and in 1976 we got permission to play our games at Knockalisheen at a rent of £5 per annum.

In 1980 - 1981 the new Minister for Defence was Clareman Sylvester Barrett.  Joe was quick off the mark and contacted Mr. Barrett about the purchase of about six acres for a playing pitch, and dressing-rooms and after a long hard fought battle, permission was given to purchase the present pitch at Knockalisheen.  Joe will be the first to admit that, without the support and financial backing of the Meelick people, this could not have been achieved.  Joe says, there is one person without whom all this could not have been achieved, and he is Seamus Spaight.  Seamus became Treasurer in 1976, a position his still holds today, and in all those years he has worked tirelessly for the financial affairs of the club, with the result that the clubs financial statement has never been in the red.

                                                                                     Knockaliseen Park, Meelick