Seir Kieran is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in a parish and Electoral Division of the same name (population c.460). Seir Kieran takes its name from Saint Ciarán of Saighir, who founded the parish as a civitas (a monastic city) in the 5th century. The club's playing facilities are based in the village of Clareen in County Offaly, Ireland. Seir Kieran caters mainly for players of the games of hurling and camogie, although the club has also competed in the Offaly football competitions and reached the Offaly Senior Football Semi-final in 1927. Founded in 1887, for 67 of its 128 years, and continuously since 1970, the club has competed in the Offaly Senior Hurling Championship, winning the Sean Robbins Cup on four occasions. Seir Kieran have also had successes at junior, intermediate and under-age levels, for example winning the Offaly Junior 'A' Hurling Championship for the seventh time in 2014. Players from Seir Kieran were on each of the four Offaly teams that have won the Liam MacCarthy Cup, and eleven hurling All Star Awards have been won by five players from Seir Kieran: Eugene Coughlan (1984, 1985); Johnny Dooley (1994, 1995, 2000); Kevin Kinahan (1994, 1995, 1998); Billy Dooley (1994, 1995); and Joe Dooley (1998). Three players from the club have captained the Offaly Senior hurling team – Joe Dooley (1997), Johnny Dooley (2000), and Joe Bergin (2014). Two Clareen players have captained Offaly teams that reached All Ireland Junior Hurling Finals – Jimmy Corrigan (1915), and P.J. Grogan (1929). Joe Dooley managed the Offaly Senior hurlers from 2008 to 2011. Early years First twenty-five years, 1887 to 1912 The advent of the GAA club at Clareen in 1887 coincided with the drive to build a new Parish Church, as the old one (erected in 1795 in the townland of Breaghmore) had become structurally unsound. The first secretary of the club, from 1887 until he emigrated in 1895, was Frank Pilkington of Bell Hill. Pilkington went on to become secretary to the Offaly GAA Club in New York for many years. Seir Kieran participated in competitions year on year. In 1907, the Offaly hurling championship was divided into Senior and Junior grades, and in 1909, the Offaly County Board introduced the "Parish Rule". These developments led to a first big breakthrough for club, when they beat Roscore (3-0 to 1-1) in the Offaly Junior Final for 1912. This