Tommy Larkin's Gaelic Athletic Club was founded in 1968 with the amalgamation of both the Woodford and Ballinakill GAA clubs. Soon after amalgamation adult hurling flourished with the senior team winning the county title in 1971. However despite the efforts of many tireless workers the club struggled to compete in the late seventies and eighties due in the most part to emigration. In 1990 the club was relegated to the intermediate ranks, this prompted a renewed commitment to coaching at underage level. Since the nineties the club has been one of the strongest at underage level in the county with several titles at Under 12, Under 14, and Under 16, including two Féile titles.
Name
The club is named after two local men, both named Thomas Larkin, who played separate yet significant roles in local history.
In 1886, during a week-long eviction at a premise known as Saunder's Fort in Woodford, Tom stood up to an RIC constable who was roughly treating a young girl and struck him. Tom was subsequently arrested and imprisoned in the overcrowded Kilkenny Gaol where he died of reported neglect in 1887 aged 23.
Thought of locally as one of the most devoted lovers of all that was Irish: games, music and dancing. He fostered hurling in Ballinakill and in all East Galway when he was Chairman. Fr. Larkin played a leading part in G.A.A affairs in Co. Galway in the 1920’s and 1930’s and it was he who coached the great Tynagh teams which won ten Co. Galway senior championships and supplied the backbone of the Galway team which won the All-Ireland of 1923. He was also the founder of the Ballinakill Céilí Band. He died in 1949 aged 58.
Crest
The clubs current crest was designed by Albert Daniels, Drimkeary in 2004. The design was based on an original crest which dated back to the sixties. The only evidence remaining of the crest came from a tattered membership booklet making it impossible to fully replicate. However Albert stayed as close as he could to the original design and detail. What results is an embodiment of his great talent in both art and design. Embedded in the crest are the letters T and L which appear in Celtic monogram lettering. The T and L represent the club name. At the top of the letter T lies a hand and crucifix which represents one of the two patron heroes, Fr. Tom Larkin of Ballinakill. Placed at the top of the L is a pike head which represents the other patron hero Tom Larkin of Gurteeny. Also present in the crest are a hurl, sliotar, and a Gaelic football representing the Gaelic Games.
