From Killarney, the rare and wonderful vintage GAA world grows

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE: Liam Hassett of Kerry wearing an Adidas jersey during the 1999 season. Pic: Aoife Rice/Sportsfile

In October 2020, Adam Moynihan took one last look at Armagh’s orange and white and swallowed his worry and dread. Then he clicked post.

For years he had collected classic soccer jerseys and that path naturally led to pursuing historic kits of his beloved Kerry. It proved more challenging than anticipated. 

That provided an opportunity. In the depths of the pandemic, he took the first step and decided to set up VintageGAA.ie.

“I tried to source a collection to suss out the market and to see how difficult it would it be for me to have some jerseys to start off,” he explains. “It wasn’t easy because there wasn’t a centralised hub. When I started I had about 30 jerseys, a completely random collection of club and county.

VintageGAA.ie owner Adam Moynihan sporting a vintage Kerry GAA Bainisteoir sweatshirt. Pic: AdamMoynihan/Twitter.

“That is how I started and from there it was just see how it goes. The first one was a 1998 Armagh jersey. I had only 1000 Instagram followers and I was thinking, ‘will this even work? I might not be able to sell any of these.’ Thankfully it sold and I realised there is an appetite out there.” Moynihan is the sports editor of the Killarney Advertiser and host of the Kerry football podcast. 

Vintage GAA partners nicely with his profession. It is an online business where GAA fans from all over the world can purchase replica jerseys. He fields enquiries about various designs but one in particular is constantly coveted.

The Adidas flirtations with the GAA started in the early 1970s with free boots for the Kingdom and soon sprawled across the border with designed gear for Cork. It never sat well with HQ. When Mick O’Dwyer escalated proceedings and helped bring the three stripes onto the green and gold, it became a full-blooded affair. 

OLD BUT GOLD: Kerry senior footballer Joe O'Connor sporting a classic Austin Stacks jersey from Vintage GAA.

Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Liam Mulvihill and Uachtarán Paddy McFlynn pleaded with the county to “do the right thing” and wear Irish products.

In 2000 a motion at congress to change the rulebook failed and Kerry’s famed adidas jersey was discarded. Now an authentic version is rare and immensely valuable. Last month Moynihan ran an auction for an XL size with the starting prize at €250.

“The GAA market is dominated by O’Neills. Any jersey that is different immediately becomes interesting. The 98/99 Kerry jersey is just special. It is so unusual for a foreign company to make a jersey and the fact that it is a massive brand helps.

“I have one for myself that I’ll keep. They are very hard to come across. if I could find one every week, I would be a very happy man, but it doesn’t work like that. You are depending on someone coming to you. I get messages all the time from people looking for that jersey.” 

His top five? Kerry 1997 ranks at the top. Second is Dublin’s 1998 kit, followed by Derry 1993, Waterford 1999 and Cork 1996.

PURE CLASSIC: The Waterford footballers jersey from 1999. Pic: Vintage GAA/Instagram

On Saturday he takes another step in a new direction with a pop-up store at Good Boy Coffee in Killarney to coincide with the Kerry and Mayo Sam Maguire Group 1 clash. Moynihan has been desperate for a tie like this. So has the town.

The recipe for success demands two vital ingredients: Enthusiastic visitors and Gaelic football. They are guaranteed both this weekend and are grateful for it.

“It is not a massive space or anything. I wanted to start with something modest. It will be a mix of Kerry and Mayo jerseys back to the 1990s. There is also Dublin, Tipperary, Cork, Offaly and Sligo. A few clubs. I’ll also have my own Bainisteoir made-up jerseys that are based on old-school sideline wear from the 1990s. The reaction to that has been great. I’ve new Ciaran McDonald t-shirts for sale for the first time. It is a good opportunity for anyone interested in gear to have a look. If they see something they like, great. This is my first step into the real world.

“It is a huge weekend for the town generally. Massive. I am from Killarney and here most of my life. It is a town very dependant on people coming in and spending money. It is why a lot of us are in jobs, people coming down visiting. We are fortunate to be where we are and all the things that go with that. Football is such a massive part of our lives too.

“There are plenty of events but when there is a big football game, the excitement around is completely different to anything else. We are in a place where people like to come as well. It is good for everyone.” 

*Vintage GAA pop-up is on Saturday, May 20 in Good Boy Coffee, New Market Lane, Killarney 10am-2pm.