Kerry's new Civil War commemorative jersey sells out on first day of release

August 12, 2021

Colm Cooper, David Clifford and Mikey Sheehy at the launch of the Kerry Civil War commemorative jersey at Fitzgerald Stadium.

Kerry's new commemorative jersey which pays tribute to footballers from opposite sides of the Irish Civil War that "united the county" were sold out online soon after they were released today.

The unique green and gold jersey produced by O'Neill's was unveiled by current Kingdom star David Clifford, along with former greats Mikey Sheehy and Colm Cooper at Fitzgerald Stadium and honours the 1924 All-Ireland winning Kerry side who "inspired generations of Kerry footballers."

"In September 1924 as the hostile atmosphere of the recent Civil War lingered, a young Kerry side entered Croke Park to contest the county’s first All-Ireland final in nine years. It was a team formed from players who had been active on both sides of that tragic conflict in a county where the war’s final weeks was framed by horrifying atrocities," Kerry GAA remembers.

"Though deeply divided by ideology, men like John Joe Sheehy, Con Brosnan, Joe Barrett and Paul Russell backboned a side that would dominate Gaelic football like none before or none after for decades to come. In the process, they forged a unique legacy. United by the Kerry jersey, this team symbolised to many the part Gaelic games could play in helping to heal the wounds and reconcile a society still traumatised by conflict."

"The commemorative jersey has some striking features, including a 1929 picture of the side, captained by Joe Barrett, after the first of what would be Kerry’s original four-in-a-row. The Irish phrase, Mise Ciarraí, signifies the unity the Kerry jersey has always promoted. The image of the Sam Maguire being lifted illustrates the role this team played in nurturing the county’s unique record in Gaelic football, while the gold band marks every year a Kerry side has won the senior All-Ireland championship. The jersey is composed of O’Neills’ high performance koolite technology," they added.

"This jersey commemorates the team that became arguably the greatest Kerry has ever produced. Their story is complex, but it has rightly endured – not simply because of what they won, but because of what they represented and how they have inspired generations of Kerry footballers."

The hugely popular jersey was revealed at 8am on Thursday morning and within less than seven hours had almost sold out completely but will be back in stock soon.

"What a phenomenal response! As a result most sizes are sold out online but a few sizes remain in the Kerry GAA Store," Kerry GAA tweeted.

"Thank you for purchasing and more jerseys will be in stock soon..."

 


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