Hurling in Arklow dates back many years. Arklow and Ballymoney had won Wicklow titles in 1910 and 1917-19. In the summer of 1953, then Willie Kavanagh, a farmer’s son from Wexford and well used to hurling was impressed with the Arklow Rock boys and together with Colin Byrne, John Dunne, Mick Mellon, Willie Clancy and John Byrne formed the first committee of the Arklow Rocks. The name was easy, the Rock was closeby and near that was the Parnell quarries. Since then, they have become poularly known as “the Rocks”. They originally trained in a field by the Rock, but later when land was made available, moved to Lamberton.
In 1965 the junior hurlers won the South league and then went on to face Kilcoole in the final, after a rough first half, they improved their play in the second half and beat Kincoole to win the junior hurler final. The 1970s provided some of the Rocks best performances. In 1970, the team made it to the Senior Hurling Championship against Avondale and beat them in the end 4-4 to 1-4. In 1971, they beat Carnew in the Senior Hurling Championship. In 1972, they beat Glenealy in the semifinal, but the other semifinalists were disqualified, so they won the championship by default. In 1973, the Rocks won the Kavanagh Cup in football, showing how well-rounded the club had become in GAA. In 1975, the won the Lacey Furlong Cup, but were beaten in the Senior Hurling Championship final by Glenealy, but in 1977, they avenged their loss by beating Glenealy to win the Senior Hurling Championship.
In 1978, the club won the minor hurling championship and in 1980, almost the same team won the under 21 title. They won the county sevens title in 1981 and then in 1982 recorded the best performance of their twenty year history. In 1982, the Rocks won the senior hurling championship, junior hurling championship, Kavanagh cup in football, the county sevens in hurling and the under 12 juvenile title. This was also the year that the team opened the new pitch at it’s current location behind the cemetery. Since then, the team has gone on to record another senior hurling championship in 1985, junior hurling championship in 1987, minor hurling championship in 1993 and a Junior “B” hurling championship in 2002.