Fr. Eugene Sheehy, the Land League Priest, who was parish priest in Rockhill-Bruree at the time, founded the South Limerick GAA Club in 1893. Under the charge of Fr. Sheehy, the club, based in Bruree, won the 1893 County Senior Hurling title. The winning team was; T. Buckley, J.J. Flanagan, T. Flanagan, R. Smith, W.K. Martin, J.R. Hayes, L. Roche, J. Byrne, M. Sheehy, D. Higgins, J. Riordan, P.J. Kelly, E.J. Walsh, D. Flynn, N. Simcox, J.M. Hynan, A. Fenton.

After some success in the 1930’s, the club disbanded in 1940. The Bruree Hurling Club was revived at a meeting in the L.D.F. Hall in Bruree in November 1944. A large crowd elected the following officers: President, Denis Horgan, N.T.; Chairman, D. Cahill; Vice-Chairman, Donal O’Riann N.T.; Hon. Secretary, Con Simcox; Treasurer, John Murphy; Captain, Mick Sexton; Vice-Captain, Henry Simcox. It was a few years before success came Bruree’s way, but when it came, it came in style.

Bruree won the South Junior Hurling title in 1948 and went on to repeat the deed in ‘49, ‘50 and ‘51 to make it a record four in a row of South Championships. The winning streak culminated with the annexation of Bruree’s first County Championship since 1893, when Bruree defeated South Liberties in the County Junior Hurling Final of 1951. Some of the prominent members of the Bruree teams at that time included the Mullane’s - Bertie, Mick and Frank, Mick Sexton, J.J. O’Brien, Connie Carroll, the Simcox’s - Ger, Con and Henry, Mick Potter, Mossie Riordan, Maurice Jones, Jimmy Burke, Jim Canty, Edward Barry and J. Kearney.

Bruree went on to win South Junior Hurling titles again in 1957, 1963 and 1966. 1966 was an especially successful year for the club, with Bruree winning its second County Junior Hurling Championship with victory over St. Patrick's. The Bruree team that day was Liam Hogan, Jim O'Brien, John Horgan, Johnny Wall, Nelius Doody, Jim Horgan, Jerry Horgan, Jim Moynihan, Connie Duggan, Jerry Doody, Mick Potter, Pat O'Brien, Teddy Cotter, Bobby Cotter, Mossie Riordan. 

Bruree went Senior the following year and came close to glory on a few occasions, losing county finals in ‘78, ‘82 and ‘94 (after a replay). It wasn't until 2006 that the County Senior Hurling title came back to Bruree, after a nail-biting one-point win over Patrickswell. The victorious team was Daniel Lane, Kieran O’Rourke, John O’Brien, John Paul Murphy, Dessie Lenihan, Stephen McDonogh, Shane Mullane, James C. O’Brien, Emmett Morrissey, James V. O’Brien, Gerard O’Brien, Brendan Hogan, Tommy O’Brien, Stephen O’Halloran, Michael Lane, Eamon Sexton, Paul Sexton, Andrew Sexton, Declan Sexton, Conor O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, David Hogan, Seamus O’Connell, Christopher Sexton, Michael Brouder, Joachim O’Kelly, John Lynch, Vincent Stanton, Donal Deady, Laurence Sexton.

Bruree has one Munster title to its name, winning the Junior B Hurling Championship back in 2008.

Bruree has also done well in Gaelic Football with the 1990’s being a period of particular success where the club won three County Championships, one at Junior A level in ‘92 and two at Intermediate level in ‘94 and ‘96.

Since 2013, we have amalgamated at underage level with Castletown/Ballyagran as Killacolla Gaels.

The full list of Bruree’s County and Provincial Championship final victories can be seen below:

1893, Bruree 9-1 St. Michael’s 0-1

Captain, Tom Buckley

1951, Bruree 5-6 South Liberties 6-2

Captain, Mick Mullane

1966, Bruree 4-4 St. Patrick’s 1-5

Captain, Jim O’Brien

1977, Bruree 2-7 Fedamore 0-7

Captain, Kevin Murphy 

1987, Bruree 4-6 Killeedy 1-9

Captain, John Sexton

1992, Bruree 1-9 Ballylanders 1-8

Captain, Mike Sexton

1993, Bruree 1-4 Cappamore 0-6

Captain, Aidan Frawley

1994, Bruree 3-8 Ballinacurra Gaels 1-4

Captain, Danny O’Shea 

1994, Bruree 3-8 Glin 1-7

Captain, Donal McCarthy 

1994, Bruree 1-8 Kildimo 0-8

Captain, Mike Carey 

1996, Bruree 0-8 Galtee Gaels 0-8

Replay, Bruree 1-11 Galtee Gaels 1-7

Captain, Mike Sexton

2003, Bruree 2-7 Cappagh 0-10

Captain, Charlie O’Shea

2004, Bruree 2-8 Blackrock 0-11

Captain, John Deady

2006, Bruree 1-16 Patrickswell 1-15

Captain, Stephen McDonogh

2008, Bruree 1-13 Granagh/Ballingarry 1-12

Captain, David Hogan 

2008, Bruree 1-11 Moyne/Templetuohy 0-14

Replay, Bruree 1-12 Moyne/Templetuohy 2-7

Captain, David Hogan

2009, Bruree 3-9 Galtee Gaels 1-9

Captain, Shane Mullane 

2010, Bruree 2-7 Kilteely/Dromkeen 1-7

Captain, Anthony O’Shea

2014, Killacolla Gaels 0-16 Cappamore 0-11

Captain, Pa Carey

2014, Bruree 5-11 Askeaton/Ballysteen 4-13

Captain, Pa Carey

2015, Bruree 3-7 Knockainey 0-13

Captain, Michael Lane 

2015, Bruree 0-19 Glenroe 2-10

Captain, Shane Feane 

County Under-21 B Hurling Championship

2019, Killacolla Gaels 3-16 Southside Gaels 1-10

Captain, Tommy Cronolly

2019, Killacolla Gaels 2-10 Belville Gaels 1-8

Captain, John Sheehan