The Wolfe Tones Gaelic Football Club was founded in 1957 and first took the field in the summer of 1958. While not the oldest Gaelic Football club in Chicago, the Wolfe Tones is one of the most successful clubs in North America with 21 senior Chicago titles and 13 North American Championships and competing in 17 NCAB finals.

While many clubs formed in the USA, Canada and in more recent years in Australia and The Middle East draw from a narrow geographic part of Ireland The Wolfe Tones have always been representative of every part of Ireland. Winning is a habit born from a strong home base, great Summer additions and a great club atmosphere which. The stories of our great teams and our style of play are legend and every player who has worn the blue of The Chicago Wolfe Tones will be proud to share his story

 

The Wolfe Tones have always fielded competitive teams and have drawn from some of the most famous and skilled Gaelic Footballplayers from nearly every county in Ireland, going so far as to play in the GAA Golf Tournament. They have also played several challenge games in Ireland

The Tones won their first American League Title in 1978. Nicknamed "The Blue Machine," they drew players from all counties which was an advantage and in the seventies and eighties were mostly home-based with strong social ties because everyone worked and socialised together.

In the mid-1980s, the club added a Junior team, while the Juniors have not had the same level of success as the Senior team, it has still added to the level of support that the club enjoys and allows many younger Irish-Americans to participate in the rich culture of the GAA. In the late 1990s and early 2000s Mike Mulligan, then of the Chicago Sun Times, wrote that the Wolfe Tones were "a Chicago-based Gaelic football powerhouse."[4]

In past years, the Wolfe Tones main rivals have been the  and the St. Brendan's GFC and, more recently, the Mcbrides GFC.

Due to the economic downturn and changes in US Immigration law, GAA clubs in North America have come upon hard times. Despite this, the Wolfe Tones still have been able to field competitive teams.[8]

Here are just a few of the county players that have played for the Tones through the years;

County Players

County

Province

Jack O'Shea

Kerry

Munster

Val Daly

Galway

Connacht

Graham Geraghty

Meath

Leinster

Sean Cavanagh

Tyrone

Ulster

Jonathan Clerkin

Louth

Leinster

John Conlon

Monaghan

Ulster

Nigel Dineen

Roscommon

Connacht

Karl Ennis

Kildare

Leinster

Rory Mone

Monaghan

Ulster

Conor Mullane

Limerick

Munster

Odhran O'Dwyer

Clare

Munster

Darren Clarke

Louth

Leinster

Peter McGinnity

Louth

Leinster

JP Rooney

Louth

Leinster

James McCartan

Down

Ulster

Brian Burns

Down

Ulster

Cathal Murray

Down

Ulster

Gary Mason

Down

Ulster

Greg McCartan

Down

Ulster

Paddy McKeever

Armagh

Ulster

Paul Brewster and Mark Gallagher

Fermanagh

Ulster

Brian Connor

Offaly

Leinster

Richie Connor

Offaly

Leinster

Matt Connor

Offaly

Leinster

Jonathan Conroy

Roscommon

Connacht

Colm Coyle

Meath

Leinster

David Mitchell

Westmeath

Leinster

George Hannigan

Tipperary

Munster

Paul Doyle

Carlow

Leinster

Willie Brennan

Laois

Leinster

Kevin O'Brien

Wicklow

Leinster

Paddy Bradley

Derry

Ulster

Tommy Ryan

Donegal

Ulster

Shane Durkin

Sligo

Connacht

Liam Reilly

Cavan

Ulster

Marty Lynch

Kildare

Leinster

Kevin Concannon

Cork

Munster

Fergus Daly

Wicklow

Leinster

Shane Cullen

Wexford

Leinster

David Brady

Mayo

Connacht

Liam Brady

Mayo

Connacht

Jack Sheedy

Dublin

Leinster

Frankie Griffin

Clare

Munster

David Keenan

Roscommon

Leinster

Dermot Malone

Monaghan

Ulster

John Conlin

Monaghan

Ulster

Owen Lennon

Monaghan

Ulster

 

Through the years, the Wolfe Tones have enjoyed successes through in the North American County Board, having won titles for both their division and in the county. Here is the list of the Senior Titles of the North American GAA the club has won through the years.

 

1978 chicago and north America champions

1980 chicago and north America champions

1982 chicago and north American champions

1985 chicago and north American champions

1988 chicago and north American champions

1991 chicago and north American champions

1995 1996 1997 chicago and north American champions first team to complete the 3 in a row

1999 chicago and north American champions

2001 2002 chicago north American champions

2006 chicago and north American champions

 

In 2001, the Tones won the Chicago championship and went on to add the North American Board title. In '02, they successfully defended both crowns. This year [2003] they were in the process of doing likewise when an unfortunate ruling essentially banned the Chicago champions from the national competition.

 

Indeed Wolfe Tones were bidding for their second three-in-a-row of North American titles, having worked the oracle in 1995, '96 and '97. They have won twelve national titles in total, including six of the last nine!

True to form, Tones had ruled the roost in Chicago in '03. However, they were then disqualified from defending their North American title - a decision that angered the club greatly ..

Therefore  the Wolfetones did not play any football the flowing year .

 

It was 2006 until the Wolfetones won there next and last north American title with the likes of Sean Cavanagh Tyrone and Graeme Geraghty Meath  on the team mixed with some experienced homebased players Rory Mone Derek Byrne Sean Folan and John Kerley.

 

The  Tones won Chicago in 2012 but lost the north American semifinal by a point to Ulster san Francisco who went on to win the final

Tones lost the Chicago final last year to the Padraig Pearses .

The wolfetones is still attracting top Gaa players to play each summer with the likes of Neil Flynn kildare and Kieran Duffy Monaghan in the squad last year .

 

Although  the club has not had as much sussess on the field in last few years the club is very much alive with plenty of members and plenty of club activities with an annual golf  outing and 25 card game drive and 4th of July picnic ..every year .

 

Tweet

Most Read Stories