Banagher GAC
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Banagher GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association
club based in the Feeny
/ Park
area of County Londonderry
, Northern Ireland
. The club is a member of the Derry GAA
. Banagher is a dual club and currently cater for Gaelic football
, Hurling
and Camogie
. The club motto is Ni neart go misneach, which translates as No strength like courage.
Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry
league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions. The club was formed in 1965, when St Mary's Park and St Joseph's Banagher amalgamated.
The club have won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship on three occasions and have been runners up three time in the Derry Senior Football Championship.
team who were All-Ireland Champions
at the time.
The stag depicted on the crest represents the legend that Saint Muireach O'Heaney (a local Saint) followed a stag to the site where he founded his church, the present day ruins of Banagher Old Church. The mythical beast to the right is a "peiste", which St. Muireach is said to have banished into a deep pool in Banagher Glen known as “Lig na Peiste” (pit of the serpent). The mountains at the top of the crest are the Sperrins
, which surround Banagher.
. However despite reaching the final three times (1974, 1978 and 1981), the Derry Senior Football Championship still eludes them.
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 the Feeny
Feeny
Feeny is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is between Dungiven and Claudy. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 542. Feeny lies just inside the boundary of the Sperrins Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-Features:...
/ Park
Park, County Londonderry
Park is a small village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains near the village of Claudy, some fifteen miles southwest of Derry...
area of 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...
. Banagher is a dual club 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...
, Hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
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....
. The club motto is Ni neart go misneach, which translates as No strength like courage.
Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry
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...
league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions. The club was formed in 1965, when St Mary's Park and St Joseph's Banagher amalgamated.
The club have won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship on three occasions and have been runners up three time in the Derry Senior Football Championship.
History
Up until 1965, St. Mary's Park and St. Joseph's Banagher were the two teams in the area. Fr. McNally went about reviving Gaelic football in the area by creating a new team to cover both Feeny and Park. The name was chosen as a compromise between the two old clubs and the maroon and white colours were chosen in recognition of the GalwayGalway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
team who were All-Ireland Champions
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
at the time.
The stag depicted on the crest represents the legend that Saint Muireach O'Heaney (a local Saint) followed a stag to the site where he founded his church, the present day ruins of Banagher Old Church. The mythical beast to the right is a "peiste", which St. Muireach is said to have banished into a deep pool in Banagher Glen known as “Lig na Peiste” (pit of the serpent). The mountains at the top of the crest are the Sperrins
Sperrins
The Sperrins or Sperrin Mountains are a range of mountains in Northern Ireland and one of the largest upland areas in Ireland. The range stretches the counties of Tyrone and Londonderry from south of Strabane eastwards to Maghera and north towards Limavady...
, which surround Banagher.
Gaelic football
Banagher have had some measure of success in Gaelic footballGaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. However despite reaching the final three times (1974, 1978 and 1981), the Derry Senior Football Championship still eludes them.
Well known players
- Seán Marty LockhartSeán Marty LockhartSeán Martin Lockhart is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry. He has won an Ulster Senior Football Championship and three National League titles with the county, as well an All-Ireland Under 21 Championship. He also won an All Star for his performances in the 1998 All-Ireland Senior...
- All StarGAA All Stars AwardsThe All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
-winning DerryDerry GAAThe 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...
footballer - Mark LynchMark Lynch (Gaelic footballer)Mark Lynch is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry, with whom he has won a National League title. He plays his club football and hurling for St. Mary's Banagher.-Inter-county:...
- Current Derry footballer - Paul CartinPaul CartinPaul Cartin is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry, with whom he has won a National League title. Cartin plays his club football for St. Mary's Banagher...
- Current Derry player
Senior
- Derry Intermediate Football League: 4
- 1970, 1972, 1996 ,2002
- Dr. Kerlin Cup 9
- 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1995, 1996
Minor
- Derry Minor Football Championship: 3
- 1952, 1969, 1976
- North Derry Minor Football Championship: 3
- 1968, 1970, 1998
- North Derry Minor Football League: 1
- 2002
- Carlin/Duffy Cup 2
- 2002, 2008
U-16
- Derry U-16 'B' Football Championship: 1
- 2009
- Derry U-16 Football Championship: 1
- 2002
- North Derry U-16 Football Championship: 4
- 1985, 2001, 2002, 2006
- North Derry 'A' U-16 Football League: 3
- 1990, 2001, 2002
- North Derry 'B' U-16 Football League: 1
- 1998
U-14
- Derry U-14 Football Championship: 2
- 2000, 2004
- North Derry U-14 Football Championship: 3
- 1987, 2000, 2004
- Derry U-14 'B' Football Championship: 1
- 2008
- Derry U-14 'B' Feile: 1
- 2008
Senior
- Derry Senior Hurling Championship: 3
- 1978, 1980, 2005
- Derry Senior Hurling League: 2
- 1999, 2001
- Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship: 3
- 1989, 1991, 1994
U-16
- Derry U-16 Hurling Championship: 3
- 2001, 2002, 2006
- Derry U-16 Hurling League: 1
- 2002
U-12
- North Derry U-12 Hurling League: 1
- 1986
Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.
See also
- Derry Senior Football Championship
- Derry Senior Hurling Championship
- List of Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Derry