Gaelic games play an important part in the lives of the people of Kilkenny and the parish of Conahy is no exception. Conahy Shamrocks G.A.A. club has flourished for almost one hundred and twenty years. Two years after the founding of the G.A.A. in 1884 in Thurles, Conahy registered a football team and played two practice games against Firoda and Donaghmore. They registered the clubs colours as orange and green and entered a team in the Senior Football championship of that year. In 1888, Conahy made national headlines through the achievements of Mark Downey, who won Long Kick Championship of Ireland at a Sports event in Kilkenny. In so doing he beat the legendary J.P. O'Sullivan of Killorglin, Co. Kerry into second place. Following these early successes one would have expected the Conahy name to be in the forefront in the 1890's but there is no record of even a team entry again until 1914 when they qualified for the Northern Junior Football Final but lost to Burnchurch who went on to beat Harristown in the County Final. The club's first major success came in 1918 when they won a four team hurling tournament, organised by the Tullow Club, which also included Dicksboro and Clomantagh. This tournament was organised because no county championships were played that year.

In the 1920's Conahy acquired their own grounds in Ardaloo, the Polo Grounds, for it is said, the princely sum of £80.00. In the early years, the majority of the club's successes came on the football field. The highlight of their footballing efforts was in 1928 when they qualified for the junior footballing county final against Corbettstown in James' Park on April 8th, 1928. Conahy travelled with high hopes, but following a real thriller the match ended in a draw - Conahy 2-2 Corbettstown 2-2. The replay was fixed for Nowlan Park, which added to the excitement, as this was to be the first county final in any grade to be played there, but it brought no luck to Conahy as they lost 2-4 to 1-2. However record books will show that Conahy man Mick Maher was the first man to score in a county final in Nowlan Park. The following year did not bring any success on the field but this particular year was an extremely important one, however, as it marked the arrival of local teacher Joe Dowling who for the next 30 years served as secretary and treasurer in the club.

While the initial years of the club mainly centred on success in football, they made a significant breakthrough into Kilkenny hurling circles when they captured the Intermediate hurling title in 1930 and did so again in 1932. They continued to be competitive in football in which they were called Conahy Sarsfields, and they soon secured their highlight of that era, the winning of the senior football championship in 1947, the club's only senior title in either code. 7 years previously, the club moved from the Old Polo Grounds in Ardaloo to the New Polo Grounds in Jenkinstown, where the club remains to the present day.

The 1950's and 1960's were a barren period for the club as they were defeated in a number of Northern junior hurling and football finals. The club's golden era was surely in 1976 when under the guidance of future Offaly and Kilkenny manager Diarmuid Healy, Conahy won the Northern Final by beating Danesfort, before accounting for Carrickshock in the County final. The footballers had their own success that year when they themselves captured the junior title beating Bigwood in the County Final. A double success came in 1977 when Conahy edged out Dicksboro by a single point in a thrilling Intermediate County Final. It took another nine years before Conahy tasted success, winning the Intermediate County Final for a record fourth time, defeating Piltown in the 1986 final. A first-ever success followed at special junior level in 1988 and again in 1997 after an epic three match struggle with John Lockes (Callan).

The club suffered relegation back to the junior ranks in 1998 and have come close on a number of occasions to winning promotion to intermediate level, the major highlight being in 2002 when they won the All-County Hurling League. The club have also consolidated their strength in football, but despite this were desperately unlucky not to win a county title having lost 2 intermediate football finals in a row in 2003 and 2004. The club were similarly unfortunate in hurling in 2004, when they narrowly lost to eventual county champions Galmoy in the Northern final.

The greatest period in the club's existence, however, was not far around the corner. The county junior title that had eluded the club for a number of years was finally captured in 2007 by defeating Tullogher-Rosbercon, and in doing so, the club went forward to represent Kilkenny in the Leinster club junior championship. The club was also fortunate to win this competition by defeating Castlepollard from Westmeath in the Leinster final and subsequently defeat Armoy from Antrim in the All-Ireland semi-final.

The club grounds, the Polo Grounds in Jenkinstown, have been continually updated and modernised over the last number of years. Major development concluded in 2007 with the refurbishment and extension of the squash court building into meeting and function rooms and a clubhouse facility.