Records show that the club was founded in 1888 and that it entered the Cork county championship the following year but past generations point to football being played in Clondrohid long before that time. They went back to 1877 when the Clondrohid team, considered invincible in Muskerry, defeated the Duhallow champions, Coolclough (Dromtarriffe), and a song titled "The Valiant Young Blades" celebrated not just that triumph but other successes years earlier.
On the formation of the Cork County GAA Board in 1886, Clondrohid put the process of affiliation in train and when club secretary Tim O'Shea met Michael Deering - later a chairman of the county board - he spoke of his hopes for the team, adding "you might expect a great deal from them". His confidence was based on the fact that before the county championships were inaugurated, Clondrohid had recorded a famous win over Macroom at Cloghroe.
In 1891 Clondrohid , captained by Con O'Leary were crowned Cork County Senior Football Champions in 1891 after defeating Kilmurry, Dunmanway in the semi final and "Nils" of Cork by 3-6 to 0-2 in Cloghroe. In the Munster semi final in Killarney the Kerry Champions Ballymacelligott were defeated by 2-5 to 0-2. The Munster Final was won on 1st November 1891 when Dungarvan were defeated 3-2 to 1-1 in Youghal. Clondrohid had now qualified for the All Ireland Senior Football Final against Young Irelands of Dublin played on 28th February 1892 in Clonturk Park in Dublin. Clondrohid won the game 2-9 to 2-1, but several hours after the game the referee disallowed the first Clondrohid goal and as at the time a goal outweighed any number of points, Young Irelands were deemed victorious. Clondrohid subsequently appealed the decision and a replay was granted but for different reasons was never played and Dublin entered the record books as winners of the All Ireland Football Title of 1891.
In March 1892 a second team from the parish began the defence of the county title and did so successfully beating Castlemartyr in Cork Park, Kilmurry 2nd team by 2-11 to 0-2 in Macroom, Dromtarriffe were defeated in the County semi Final in Millstreet, and Kilmurry were defeated in the County Final played in Cork Park 1-4 to 0-2. In the Munster championship before an estimated crowd of 10,000 in Killarney, on 30 October 1892 Clondrohid were defeated by Laune Rangers 3-6 to 0-5. Then after there were periods when the club disbanded and reformed with the club reformed in 1925 and unsuccessfully contesting the Mid Cork Junior Football finals of , 1928, 1931 and 1937 being defeated by Ballyvourney, Kilmurry and Ballincollig respectively.
In 1938 Clondrohid transferred to the Duhallow Division, winning the Duhallow Junior Football Final in 1940 and 1942 defeating Knocknagree and Newmarket respectively. The club returned to the Muskerry Division in 1945 and was disbanded in 1949.
The club was reformed in 1963 and won the Mid Cork Junior B Football Championship and League Double in 1978 and this team together with the winning Mid Cork Under 21 championship in the same year provided the spine of the team that lost the Mid Cork Junior Football Final of 1984 to Kilmurry after a replay by a point. However underage success particularly the winning of the Mid Cork U-16 B Championships of 1983 and 1989 provided a bunch of new players, which together with the survivors of the 1984 team finally won the clubs first and to date only Mid Cork Junior Football Title when our neighbours and rivals Aghinagh were defeated in the 1995 final in Macroom. We unsuccessfully contested the 1998 final to Donoughmore and the wait for title number two continues.
Clondrohid's Football history is a long and proud one, the only club in Muskerry with a Munster Football title, one of only two Muskerry clubs to hold Cork County Senior football title (Macroom is the other) and the only club in Muskerry and Duhallow to have won the Junior Football Championship in both divisions.
Club Colours:
Blue and white
Playing grounds:
1984 to date Clondrohid Community Field, The Village, Clondrohid; previously at ‘The Inch', Bridgemount, Clondrohid.
County players who played with Clondrohid:
- Danny Murphy (Junior 1940)
- Denis Kelleher (Minor)
- Billy Wiseman (Senior 1940)
- Mick Corcoran (Senior 1941 - 1945, Junior 1940)
- Jack O'Driscoll (Senior 1911 - winner of All Ireland Senior Football Championship Medal)
- Dan O'Driscoll (Senior 1949, Junior 1950), Denis Manning (Senior 1949, Junior 1950)
- Johnny Creedon (Junior 1953- Holder of 1 All Ireland Junior Football Medal & national Football League Medal, Senior 1956 - )
- Gus O'Shea (Senior 1959)
- Kieran Creed (Junior 1985-1996 - Holder of 4 All Ireland Junior Football Medals)
- Martin Corkery (Junior 1996- Holder of 1 All Ireland Junior Football Medal)
Major Honours Won at Adult Level:
Munster Senior Football Champions: 1891
Cork County Senior Football Champions: 1891, 1892
Duhallow Junior A Football Champions: 1940, 1942
Muskerry Junior A Football Champions: 1995
Muskerry Junior B Football Champions: 1978
Muskerry Junior C Football Champions: 1999, 2008, 2010
Muskerry/Carrigdhoun Junior A Football League : 1989
Muskerry/Duhallow Junior Football League: 1992, 1993
Muskerry Junior B Football League: 1978
Muskerry Junior C Football League: 1999, 2010
Muskerry Cup Winners: 1983, 1989
