Faughanvale GAC
Encyclopedia
St. Mary's GAC Faughanvale is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club based in Greysteel
, County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
, in the parish
of Faughanvale, nine miles from Derry City
. The club is a member of the Derry GAA
and currently cater for Gaelic football
, Ladies' Gaelic football
.
Faughanvale have won the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
five times and the Derry Junior Football Championship
once. The club's catchment area includes Greysteel
, Eglinton
, Ballykelly
, Enagh, Highlands and parts of Glack
. Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.
in the All-Derry Senior Championship final. In 1975 Faughanvale won the Derry Junior Football Championship
. Three years later St. Mary's won the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
and have won the competition a further four times since (1981, 1996, 1998, 1999). Faughanvale was awarded Irish News Rural Club of the Year 2005 by The Irish News
.
The Club purchased its current grounds in 1982. When the new pitch opened in 1983 it was named after one of the founding club members and former Chairman of the Derry County Board John McLaughlin. In May 2007 the club began a £1.2million re-development of their playing facilities at John McLaughlin Park and opened the new grounds in May 2009.
In 2008 the club took part in the Celebrity Bainisteoir
programme and were managed by journalist Nell McCafferty
.
Notable Club members include former All-Ireland Minor Football Winning Captain Paul Bradley and All-Ireland Senior Football Medallist Stephen Mulvenna. Club Members Kevin Bryson, Derek McFeely and Joe Grey have all represented the Club at County level. In administration Colm O'Hara a former Chairman, Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Club severed as Chairman of the North Derry Board and a member of the County Committee while former Club Secretary Breige McGuinness served in various County Committee roles including Assistant Secretary while current Club Development Officer and long-time Committee member Ryan Feeney is a former member of the Derry County Board and is currently a senior full-time official with Ulster Council.
Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
club based in Greysteel
Greysteel
Greysteel or Gresteel is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Derry and to the west of Limavady on the main A2 coast road between Limavady and Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle...
, County Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, in the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Faughanvale, nine miles from Derry City
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. The club is a member of the Derry GAA
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
and currently cater for Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
, Ladies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football
Ladies' Gaelic football is a team sport for women, very similar to Gaelic football, and co-ordinated by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association...
.
Faughanvale have won the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
Derry Intermediate Football Championship
The Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...
five times and the Derry Junior Football Championship
Derry Junior Football Championship
The Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
once. The club's catchment area includes Greysteel
Greysteel
Greysteel or Gresteel is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Derry and to the west of Limavady on the main A2 coast road between Limavady and Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle...
, Eglinton
Eglinton, County Londonderry
Eglinton is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies east of Derry, to which it serves as a sleeper village, and west of Limavady. Many inhabitants of the village work in Derry city and send their children to school there. Eglinton had a population of 3,165 people in the 2001...
, Ballykelly
Ballykelly
Ballykelly is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies west of Limavady on the main Derry to Limavady A2 road and is east of Derry. It is designated as a Large Village and in 2001 the population of Ballykelly was 1,827...
, Enagh, Highlands and parts of Glack
Glack
Glack is a hamlet and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is 4 km south of Ballykelly, in a raised spot overlooking Lough Foyle. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 183 people. Glack is within the Limavady Borough Council area....
. Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.
Gaelic football
Faughanvale fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve and Senior levels. They currently compete in the Derry Intermediate Championship. Having won Division 4 of the Derry ACFL in 2007,in 2008 they maintained their position in Division 3 in 2009.Ladies' Gaelic football
As well as Minor and Senior Ladies' football teams, St. Mary's fields U12, U14 and U16 teams.History
St. Mary's GAC Faughanvale was established in 1933 by a group of local farmers and labourers. A Camogie team was founded in 1946 and affiliated to the club, before folding in 1989. The club's first major success came in 1943 when they won the North Derry Senior Football Championship, before losing to LaveyLavey GAC
Erins Own GAC Lavey is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Lavey, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Hurling, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football....
in the All-Derry Senior Championship final. In 1975 Faughanvale won the Derry Junior Football Championship
Derry Junior Football Championship
The Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
. Three years later St. Mary's won the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
Derry Intermediate Football Championship
The Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...
and have won the competition a further four times since (1981, 1996, 1998, 1999). Faughanvale was awarded Irish News Rural Club of the Year 2005 by The Irish News
The Irish News
The Irish News is a compact-sized daily newspaper based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is perceived as being broadly Irish nationalist in outlook...
.
The Club purchased its current grounds in 1982. When the new pitch opened in 1983 it was named after one of the founding club members and former Chairman of the Derry County Board John McLaughlin. In May 2007 the club began a £1.2million re-development of their playing facilities at John McLaughlin Park and opened the new grounds in May 2009.
In 2008 the club took part in the Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir
Celebrity Bainisteoir is a prime-time reality programme produced for Radio Telefís Éireann, which was produced by Animo Television/Kite Entertainment...
programme and were managed by journalist Nell McCafferty
Nell McCafferty
Nell McCafferty is an Irish journalist, playwright, civil rights campaigner and feminist. In her journalistic work she has written for The Irish Press, The Irish Times, Sunday Tribune, Hot Press and The Village Voice....
.
Notable Club members include former All-Ireland Minor Football Winning Captain Paul Bradley and All-Ireland Senior Football Medallist Stephen Mulvenna. Club Members Kevin Bryson, Derek McFeely and Joe Grey have all represented the Club at County level. In administration Colm O'Hara a former Chairman, Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Club severed as Chairman of the North Derry Board and a member of the County Committee while former Club Secretary Breige McGuinness served in various County Committee roles including Assistant Secretary while current Club Development Officer and long-time Committee member Ryan Feeney is a former member of the Derry County Board and is currently a senior full-time official with Ulster Council.
Senior
- North Derry Senior Football Championship: 1
- 1943
- Derry Intermediate Football ChampionshipDerry Intermediate Football ChampionshipThe Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...
: 5- 1978, 1981, 1996, 1998, 1999
- Derry Junior Football ChampionshipDerry Junior Football ChampionshipThe Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
: 1- 1975
- Dr. Kerlin Cup 3
- 1943, 1947, 1950 (shared with DungivenDungiven GACSt. Canice's GAC Dungiven is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They currently cater for Gaelic football and Ladies' Gaelic football. The hurling club in the town is Kevin Lynch's....
- 1943, 1947, 1950 (shared with Dungiven
U-16
- North Derry U-16 'B' Football Championship: 1
- 1999
- North Derry U-16 'B' Football League: 1
- 2006
-
-
- All county A Championship Winners 1
- 1984
-
U-14
- North? Derry U-14 'B' Football Championship: ?
- 1998, 2001, 2002
- North? Derry U-14 'B' Football League: ?
- 2002
- Derry Feile Na Nog u-14 'B'
- 2010 Hosting Cahir Ladies
Senior
- Derry Ladies' Football Championship: 1
- 2006
Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.
See also
- Derry Intermediate Football ChampionshipDerry Intermediate Football ChampionshipThe Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...
- List of Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Derry