The History of the GAA Clubs in County Down, Old and New

Thursday 21st December 2017

FROM Annacloy to Scrabo Harps, Bohill Bog to Ulster Emmets Benraw and everything in between, ‘The History of the GAA Clubs in County Down, Old and New’ is an intricate and comprehensive encyclopaedia of the club scene and more in the Mourne County from 1888 to the present day.

Compiled with great effort and tender loving care by Kieran Heenan, Poilin Ni Clierigh, Kevin Bell, Gerry Curran, Robert Gorman, Leo King, Seamus McClean, Tommy McGrady and Gerry Mullan, this 368-page anthology is a must-have for Down Gaels in particular and fans of Gaelic Games in general and is available throughout the county with all the proceeds from sales donated to Southern Area Hospice.

As well as a club by club anthology, the book is a treasure trove of information on Down’s GAA roots and trail-blazing development.

Clare native Michael Cusack, co-founder of the GAA in 1888, taught for a time at St Colman’s College in Newry and married Margaret Woods, from Dromore, in 1876.

After the GAA was formed by Cusack, Maurice Davin and others at their historic meeting in Hayes’ Hotel in Thurles, St Patrick’s Mayobridge and John Martin’s Warrenpoint were the first two clubs from Down to apply for membership. John Martin’s application was refused meaning that Mayobridge can rightfully claim to be Down’s oldest club.

However, Gaelic Games had been played in the county long before 1888. One of the earliest references is contained in O’Laverty’s ‘History of the Diocese of Down and Connor’ which includes an account of a local priest, Fr Magrorey, who intervened in a football dispute in the townland of Ballinran (Kilkeel) in 1686 and was stabbed to death.

Some years later, a survey between 1814 and 1819 recorded that hurling was played – thankfully with no reported fatalities – in the Holywood area of north Down.

Every club – still active or no longer operating – is included in the book which is illustrated with many rarely seen photographs including a striking image of the Fontenoy Hurling team dated 1902 which is believed to be the oldest picture of a hurling team in Ulster.

Hurling features prominently in the book, as does camogie, Ladies’ football, handball and Scor but it’s no surprise that – in a county that boasts five All-Ireland titles – football is the main feature.

The foundations for Down’s first success in 1960 were laid in 1904 when the first county championship final was played between Faugh a Ballagh, Newry and Clann na Banna, Banbridge at the Newry Marshes. It was a 17 a-side game with Banbridge (who later helped establish teams at Aghaderg and Lawrencetown by lending them their goalposts) emerging victorious.

Mayobridge native Frank O’Hare provided the cup that still bears his name for the 1906 finals and the Newry Faughs won that one, beating Liatroim 0-7 to 0-4.

Sadly Newry Faughs are no longer in existence and this book recalls many other clubs that have come and gone over the years. For example ‘The Pints, Downpatrick’ which emerged in the 1920s and ‘The Square, Kilcoo’ who included “Swiss/Austrian or German” chef Otti Ott (who worked at the Slieve Donard Hotel) in their ranks.

Down’s three successes in the 1960s led to an explosion of interest in the game and saw St Comgall’s, Bangor join the North Down League and included former Armagh star Jack Bratten. St Comgall’s improved steadily until 1979 when the club amalgamated with St Paul’s Holywood.

Packed with facts and folklore, this is a painstakingly researched book that is worthy of its subject – the tireless work of thousands of Down Gaels who have contributed to the enduring success of the county.