Drumsurn GAC
Encyclopedia
St. Matthew's GAC Drumsurn is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club based in Drumsurn
, County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
. The club is a member of the Derry GAA
and currently cater for Gaelic football
and Camogie
.
Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.
and play as St. Patrick's.
was abandined due to fighting. A team from Drumsurn took their place in the re-played final, but were beaten by Ballinderry in the decider. There were a few stop-starts over the next 13 years before Drumsurn ceased to function as a club in 1940, after players moved to other clubs since Drumsurn didn't enter the 1940 championship. In 1947 John Eddie Mullan from Drumsurn won a National Football League
medal with Derry.
Interest in Gaelic football in North Derry was once again very high after Derry reached the 1958 All-Ireland Senior Championship final. The current club was founded that year and played in red jerseys, with white collars and a green shamrock
on the breast. Their first Senior match came was a victory over Glenullin
in the 1959 Neal Carlin Cup. 1960 saw Drumsurn win the North Derry Junior Championship for the first time. They went onto play the Derry City Champions Faughanavale
in the All-County Junior Championship
semi-final at Celtic Park, but were defeated. The club also won the following year's North Derry Junior Championship.
In 1965 Drumsurn's Seán Moore won an All-Ireland medals with Derry Minors. During this time the club also purchased their current playing field. In 1966 St. Matthews's won the Mahon Cup and Neal Carlin Cup with vicorys over Ardmore
and Glenullin respectively.
St. Matthew's best ever performance in the Derry Senior Football Championship came in 1968 when they reached the semi-final stage. Joe Chivers from the club was part of the 1968 Derry All-Ireland U21 Football Championship winning team. The club added another Neal Carlin Cup success in 1979. In 1980 the club won Division 2 of the league and were narrowly defeated in the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
final by Glen
. That year the club were awarded an Allied Irish Bank Club of the Year award.
Joe Irwin, who had returned to the club from Swatragh in 1978, established himself on the Derry side in the 1980s and captained Derry in 1984 and won Railway Cup medals with Ulster
in 1983 and 1984. Drumsurn's greatest success came in 1991 went they won the Derry Intermediate Football Championship
. Drumsurn's Ciarán Mullan was part of Derry's 2002 All-Ireland Minor Championship winning team. He has since played for Derry Seniors.
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 Drumsurn
Drumsurn
Drumsurn is a small village and townland in the Limavady Borough Council area of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is southeast of Limavady and northeast of Dungiven. It lies in the Roe Valley, at the foot of Donald's Hill and at the edge of the Sperrins...
, 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...
. 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...
and Camogie
Camogie
Camogie is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women; it is almost identical to the game of hurling played by men. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and world wide, largely among Irish communities....
.
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
Drumsurn fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14 and Senior levels. They currently compete in the Derry Intermediate Championship and Division 4 of the Derry ACFL. The U16 and Minor teams are amalgamated with DrumDrum GAC
St. Colm's GAC Drum is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Drum, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie and up to recently also played Hurling....
and play as St. Patrick's.
Well known players
- Joe Irwin - Former Derry footballer. Member of Derry's 1987 Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Football ChampionshipFor information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
winning team. Captained Derry in 1984. Won Railway Cup medals in 1983 and 1984. Won Drumsurn Senior Player of the Year in 1999, aged 40. Also played for SwatraghSwatragh GACMichael Davitt's GAC Swatragh is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Swatragh, County Londonderry, Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Hurling and Camogie...
for a while. - Richard Ferris - Member of Derry's 1993 All-IrelandAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1993-All-Ireland Football Final:-Top championship scorer:...
winning Squad member - Eunan Rafferty - Former Derry footballer.
- John Eddie MullanJohn Eddie MullanJohn Eddie Mullan was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1940s and 1950s. He was part of the first Derry side to win the National Football League and also won two Dr. McKenna Cups and three Dr. Lagan Cups with the county.For most of his career he played club football for St...
- Former Derry player. While he played most of his club football for 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....
, he started out his career with Drumsurn, playing for the club in 1940-1942.
History
Glenullin won the 1927 North Derry Championship, but were disqualified from the All-County Championship final after their final with BallinderryBallinderry Shamrocks
Ballinderry Shamrocks GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinderry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and cater for both Gaelic football and Camogie...
was abandined due to fighting. A team from Drumsurn took their place in the re-played final, but were beaten by Ballinderry in the decider. There were a few stop-starts over the next 13 years before Drumsurn ceased to function as a club in 1940, after players moved to other clubs since Drumsurn didn't enter the 1940 championship. In 1947 John Eddie Mullan from Drumsurn won a National Football League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
medal with Derry.
Interest in Gaelic football in North Derry was once again very high after Derry reached the 1958 All-Ireland Senior Championship final. The current club was founded that year and played in red jerseys, with white collars and a green shamrock
Shamrock
The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland. The name shamrock is derived from Irish , which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover ....
on the breast. Their first Senior match came was a victory over Glenullin
Glenullin GAC
John Mitchel's GAC Glenullin is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Glenullin, County Londonderry - a valley near Garvagh, partly coinciding with the parish of Errigal. The club is a member of the Derry GAA. They currently cater for both Gaelic football and Camogie...
in the 1959 Neal Carlin Cup. 1960 saw Drumsurn win the North Derry Junior Championship for the first time. They went onto play the Derry City Champions Faughanavale
Faughanvale GAC
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...
in the All-County Junior Championship
Derry Junior Football Championship
The Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
semi-final at Celtic Park, but were defeated. The club also won the following year's North Derry Junior Championship.
In 1965 Drumsurn's Seán Moore won an All-Ireland medals with Derry Minors. During this time the club also purchased their current playing field. In 1966 St. Matthews's won the Mahon Cup and Neal Carlin Cup with vicorys over Ardmore
Ardmore GAC
St. Mary's GAC Ardmore is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ardmore on the outskirts of Derry City. They play in the Derry league and championships and currently cater to Gaelic football, camogie and ladies Gaelic football....
and Glenullin respectively.
St. Matthew's best ever performance in the Derry Senior Football Championship came in 1968 when they reached the semi-final stage. Joe Chivers from the club was part of the 1968 Derry All-Ireland U21 Football Championship winning team. The club added another Neal Carlin Cup success in 1979. In 1980 the club won Division 2 of the league and were narrowly defeated in 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...
final by Glen
Glen GAC
Watty Graham's GAC Glen is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Maghera, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The team draws players from Maghera and some surrounding townlands. They currently cater for Gaelic football, Ladies' Gaelic football and Camogie.Glen are also committed to Scor,...
. That year the club were awarded an Allied Irish Bank Club of the Year award.
Joe Irwin, who had returned to the club from Swatragh in 1978, established himself on the Derry side in the 1980s and captained Derry in 1984 and won Railway Cup medals with Ulster
Ulster GAA
The Ulster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in Armagh City....
in 1983 and 1984. Drumsurn's greatest success came in 1991 went they 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...
. Drumsurn's Ciarán Mullan was part of Derry's 2002 All-Ireland Minor Championship winning team. He has since played for Derry Seniors.
Facilities
Drumsurn moved to their current location in 1962, before this they played on EC O'Connor's field. A new hall was opened in 1988 and a new training pitch opened in 2004.Senior
- Derry Intermediate Football ChampionshipDerry Intermediate Football ChampionshipThe Derry Intermediate Football Club Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition between the intermediate Derry clubs...
: 1- 1991
- Neal Carlin Cup 3?
- 1966, 1979, 2003
Minor
- North Derry Minor 'B' Football League: 1
- 2004
- Carlin/Duffy Cup ?
- 2004, 2005
U-16
- North Derry U-16 Football League: 1
- 1985
- Derry U-16 'B Football championships:1
- 2008
U-14
- North Derry U-14 'B' 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