Ballinacurra is located in East Cork about 17 miles from Cork and to the south of Midleton. Ballinacurra in the early 20th century was a small village with a population of about 400–500 people. At the time Ballinacurra was one of the largest ports in Ireland. Between the port and the granary there wasn't much in the line of recreation for the people of this small village so in 1925 Cumman Lúthchleas Gael Baile na Corann (Ballinacurra GAA) was founded. Among the founders were Maurice Walsh, John L. Sullivan, Michael Ring, and Billy “Bokham” Donovan. The colours of the Ballinacurra jerseys were green and white and to this day the jerseys remain the same. The club had no field for training but a field was generously donated to the club for matches and training by Mr. Roland. The players were very dedicated; in some cases players went straight to training after a 12-hour day working in the granary or on the port.

The club was founded primarily as a hurling unit of the newly formed East Cork Divisional Board. The club enjoyed instant success winning the East Cork Junior A Hurling Championship in 1927 and retained that title the following year in 1928. This winning team went on to represent East Cork in the Inter-Divisional Junior A County Championship. Ballinacurra reached the final after beating Ballinghassig in the semi-final but were beaten in the final by a strong St. Annes team. The village was very successful, winning numerous tournaments around East Cork, but failed to win another major East Cork Championship title until 1942. That victory was probably the sweetest of them all because on a November day in 1942 in Cloyne, Ballinacurra were victorious over local parish rivals Midleton. This brought Ballinacurra’s Junior A Championship total to three. In 1955 the fourth championship cup arrived in the village when they won the East Cork Junior B Grade Championship for the first time.

Ballinacurra GAA Club was very prominent in the East Cork Divisional Junior A Championship from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s and were most unlucky not to increase their championship tally in those years, having been narrowly defeated by very strong teams such as Carrigtwohill, Castlemartyr and Cloyne. That all changed when Ballinacurra won the Divisional Junior A Hurling League in 1962. This was quickly followed up the next season when they retained the league title, but the club were deprived of a hat-trick when losing to Whitecross in the replayed 1964 final. This league double was followed by the winning of the Junior B Hurling Championship in 1970.

The game of Gaelic football was a late developer for the lads from the village, with the club not affiliating until 1980. However, great strides have been made with the big ball over the years and Gaelic football is now a major part of the club. Ballinacurra won their first football championship in the 1991 East Cork Junior Championship against Carrigtwohill. The club went on to win the James Colbert Memorial Cup in 1997 and 1999, which is the East Cork Junior B Football County Qualifier. The cup is named after Ballinacurra local man James Colbert.

Down through the years local farmers were great benefactors of the village club by providing the use of fields for training purposes, while the principal of St. Colman’s College, Midleton provided the use of the Tech Field for league and tournament matches. The decision to provide players and members with their own grounds was taken in 1989 and in 1992 Ballinacurra GAA Club purchased seven and a half acres of land on the Gereagh Road from local farmer Noel McCarthy and the malting firm J.H. Bennett Ltd. Local developers worked on the club’s new purchase and developed a beautiful full-size playing field just half a mile from the village. The field was first used for league matches in 1995, with the first championship match played there in 1997 in the Junior B Football Championship between Ballinacurra and local parish rivals Midleton. A large scoreboard erected by local man Robert O’Driscoll was also used for the first time. This was followed by the development of dressing rooms comprising two team rooms, a meeting room, referee’s room, storage room, and ladies’ and gents’ toilets.

On the opening of the new ground the club developed an underage programme, fielding teams at U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor and Under 21 levels. This programme improved the standard of players progressing to the junior team. Underage teams came close to winning several trophies, including reaching the U16 East Cork Football Championship semi-final, the U14 League final, and the Minor Hurling Championship semi-final. Success came when the club won the U12 East Cork Football Championship in 1999 after defeating Castlemartyr in the final. The U14 team went on to win the East Cork Championship in 2001 and reached the county final. After the first game ended in a draw, Ballinacurra lost the replay.

The training ground in Ballinacurra provided much greater access to training time, as sessions were no longer dependent on availability of the Tech Field. This extra training paid dividends when the junior team won the East Cork Junior B Hurling County Championship in 1998 and again in 1999. The Ballinacurra squad continued to grow as young players progressed from the underage ranks, strengthening the club overall. Under the East Cork Board, Ballinacurra were promoted to the Junior A Championship in 2002. The club’s first golf classic took place in 2003 and was a great success.

The first Junior A Hurling Championship match since the late 1960s was against Erin’s Own, runners-up in the 2001 championship. In the second round, introduced to give teams a second chance after a first-round loss, Ballinacurra were drawn against Killeagh, who won with a strong second-half performance. In 2003 the draw again proved difficult, with Ballinacurra facing Fr. O’Neill’s, who had lost the county final the previous year. Ballinacurra started strongly but Fr. O’Neill’s experience told in the closing stages. In the second round Ballinacurra played St. Catherine’s in a tightly contested match. With five minutes remaining St. Catherine’s opened a seven-point lead which Ballinacurra could not close.

In 2004 Ballinacurra decided to drop back to Junior B Hurling. Still competing in Division 2 of the Hurling League, the team faced strong opposition made up of intermediate and Junior A players. In the first round of the East Cork Championship Ballinacurra defeated Castlemartyr on a scoreline of 1–22 to 1–06, ending a two-year wait for a championship victory. St. Catherine’s were the second-round opponents, also having dropped to Junior B. Ballinacurra entered the game with a depleted side, missing five players through injury. The game was tight at half-time, with St. Catherine’s leading narrowly. Catherine’s took control in the second half and won despite Ballinacurra narrowly missing several goal chances. Following this disappointment, Ballinacurra turned their focus to the County Junior B Championship. Standing in their way was a strong Lisgoold team, county finalists the previous year. Ballinacurra produced a determined performance and earned a deserved victory. The club has since purchased the land surrounding the field, allowing for the future development of two training pitches.

A major milestone was finally achieved in 2009 when Ballinacurra reached the Junior B County Hurling Final and captured the title after a pulsating victory over Randal Óg. It was a landmark success for the club and a reward for years of perseverance at county level. Ballinacurra returned to the County Final again in 2011 but were defeated by a strong Kilmichael side.

On the football front, success continued to build. The club won the East Cork Junior B Football Championship in 2015, underlining football’s growing importance within Ballinacurra. Hurling activity gradually declined and by 2018 football had become the club’s main playing code. That year proved historic as Ballinacurra won the Junior B County Football Championship, defeating Grange after the final went to a replay. The victory saw the club advance to the Munster Junior B Championship, where wins over Solohead and Dromcollogher-Broadford carried Ballinacurra through to the provincial final. Despite a brave effort, the Munster campaign ended with defeat to Kilgarvan in the final.

The club experienced a number of challenging years following this period, with playing numbers and results proving difficult to sustain. However, a major resurgence came in 2024, driven by a surge in player participation and renewed momentum throughout the club. That year Ballinacurra captured the Junior C County Football Championship, defeating Grange in the final. This success marked a turning point and earned the club promotion back to the Junior B grade for the 2025 season. The revival continued the following year when Ballinacurra added further silverware by winning the East Cork Junior Division 3 Football League, underlining the club’s renewed strength and optimism for the future.

In 2026, hurling returned to Ballinacurra GAA, marking an important revival of the club’s original code. The club fielded teams in both the Junior B County Hurling Championship and the East Cork Junior C Hurling Championship, reflecting growing participation levels and a renewed commitment to hurling alongside football.

Football continued to go from strength to strength in 2026 with the club entering two adult football teams. This expansion was a clear sign of the renewed health of the club, driven by increased playing numbers, strong underage pathways, and growing ambition across all levels.