Drum GAC
Encyclopedia
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
.
Drum have won the Derry Junior Football Championship
six times. 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.
Cahir O'Kane - Derry Post and Irish Star journalist
UP DRUM! Shovely Joe..
in a close encounter. Drum reached another Derry Senior Championship final in 1956, but were defeated by Bellaghy. In that year Eugene McCaul, Séamus McCloskey from Drum were part of Derry's first ever All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
winning side.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Drum and rivals Foreglen
combined to play as Muldonagh, but soon went their separate ways again. Peter Stevenson
from the club won an All Star
in 1975 for his performances for Derry in that year's Championship
. Having slipped down to the Junior ranks, in 1977 Drum won the Derry Junior Football Championship
, Division 3 of the league and the Neil Carlin Cup. In 1974 Drum reached the first of their four Derry Intermediate Football Championship
finals, losing out to Glack
. Greenlough
denied them in the 1976 decider, Glen
in 1983 and Moneymore
in 1984.
In 1989 St. Colm's opened their new pitch at a cost of £75,000. It was opened by Bishop Lagan at an Antrim
versus Kilkenny
hurling match followed by Derry
versus Meath
football match. That year the club received the Gerry Crossan Memorial Cup for North Derry Club of the Year. In 1992 Drum's Neil Farren, Seán More, Shauna McCaul and Julie Colgan all won Derry handball
titles. St. Colm's became Derry Junior Football Champions again in 1994, with a victory over Eoghan Rua in the final. A new pavilion was completed in May 1995 and Drum won the following year's Neil Carlin Cup with victory over Doire Colmcille CLG
, and also won the club's fifth Derry Junior Championship. Cousins Niall and Eoghan Farren were rewarded with Bank of Ireland Colleges All Stars following their performances for St. Pat’s College Maghera. Drum retained the Neil Carlin Cup in 1997 with victory over Ardmore
.
In 2000 St. Colm's won the Fair Play League, rewarding their sporting conduct both on and off the field. Drum hurler, Shane McCartney claimed consecutive Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
s with Derry in 2000 and 2001. They won the Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2003 and the club's sixth Junior Football Championship came in 2006 after a comeback against Lissan
.
They also made it to the final in 2007 but lost to Lissan. In 2008, under the management of former Derry captain Joe Irwin, they lost a promotion playoff to Limavady.
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 Drum, 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....
and up to recently also played 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...
.
Drum have 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...
six times. 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
Drum fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14 and Senior levels. They currently compete in the Derry Junior Championship and Division 5 of the Derry ACFL. The U16 and Minor teams are amalgamated with DrumsurnDrumsurn GAC
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....
and play as St. Patrick's.
Well known players
- Peter StevensonPeter StevensonPeter Stevenson is an All Star winning former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1970s and 1980. Described as a "tower of strength", he won the Ulster Senior Football Championships on two/three? occasions. Stevenson played club football with a number of clubs throughout his career...
- 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. Also played hurlingHurlingHurling 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...
for Drum and DungivenKevin Lynch's Hurling ClubKevin Lynch's Hurling Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They currently cater for hurling. The Gaelic football and Ladies' Gaelic football team in the town is St...
.
Cahir O'Kane - Derry Post and Irish Star journalist
Camogie
The club also has a number of Camogie sides at various age groups.UP DRUM! Shovely Joe..
Hurling
Up to recently Drum also played hurling. They won the 2003 Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship.History
A club was set up in the area around 1918 and were known as O'Carolan's Gortnaghey. St. Colms's GAC Drum was officially founded in 1937. The club's first major honour came in 1940 when they won the Dr. Kerlin Cup and in 1941 they won the club's biggest honour to date a year late; the Derry Senior Football League. Five years later, after winning the North Derry Senior Football Championship, the club reached the Derry Senior Football Championship final, only to be denied by MagherafeltMagherafelt GAC
O'Donovan Rossa GAC Magherafelt is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football. Underage teams play in the South Derry league and...
in a close encounter. Drum reached another Derry Senior Championship final in 1956, but were defeated by Bellaghy. In that year Eugene McCaul, Séamus McCloskey from Drum were part of Derry's first ever All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...
winning side.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Drum and rivals Foreglen
Foreglen GAC
O'Brien's GAC Foreglen is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Foreglen, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie...
combined to play as Muldonagh, but soon went their separate ways again. Peter Stevenson
Peter Stevenson
Peter Stevenson is an All Star winning former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1970s and 1980. Described as a "tower of strength", he won the Ulster Senior Football Championships on two/three? occasions. Stevenson played club football with a number of clubs throughout his career...
from the club won an All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The 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...
in 1975 for his performances for Derry in that year's Championship
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...
. Having slipped down to the Junior ranks, in 1977 Drum 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...
, Division 3 of the league and the Neil Carlin Cup. In 1974 Drum reached the first of their four 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...
finals, losing out to Glack
Glack GAC
O'Connor's GAC Glack is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Glack/Ballykelly area in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie....
. Greenlough
Greenlough GAC
St. Oliver Plunkett's GAC Greenlough is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Clady/Greenlough, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie, and also compete in Scór. The club is named after Irish martyr...
denied them in the 1976 decider, 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,...
in 1983 and Moneymore
Moneymore GAC
Henry Joy McCracken GFC Moneymore is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Moneymore, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football. The club is named after Irish patriot and martyr Henry Joy McCracken.Underage teams play...
in 1984.
In 1989 St. Colm's opened their new pitch at a cost of £75,000. It was opened by Bishop Lagan at an Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
versus Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
hurling match followed by 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...
versus Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
football match. That year the club received the Gerry Crossan Memorial Cup for North Derry Club of the Year. In 1992 Drum's Neil Farren, Seán More, Shauna McCaul and Julie Colgan all won Derry handball
Gaelic handball
Gaelic handball is a sport similar to Basque pelota, racquetball, squash and American handball . It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association...
titles. St. Colm's became Derry Junior Football Champions again in 1994, with a victory over Eoghan Rua in the final. A new pavilion was completed in May 1995 and Drum won the following year's Neil Carlin Cup with victory over Doire Colmcille CLG
Doire Colmcille CLG
Doire Colmcille CLG is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Ladies' Gaelic football....
, and also won the club's fifth Derry Junior Championship. Cousins Niall and Eoghan Farren were rewarded with Bank of Ireland Colleges All Stars following their performances for St. Pat’s College Maghera. Drum retained the Neil Carlin Cup in 1997 with victory 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....
.
In 2000 St. Colm's won the Fair Play League, rewarding their sporting conduct both on and off the field. Drum hurler, Shane McCartney claimed consecutive Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
The Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
s with Derry in 2000 and 2001. They won the Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2003 and the club's sixth Junior Football Championship came in 2006 after a comeback against Lissan
Lissan GAC
St. Michael's GAC Lissan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the parish of Lissan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Rounders and handball. St...
.
They also made it to the final in 2007 but lost to Lissan. In 2008, under the management of former Derry captain Joe Irwin, they lost a promotion playoff to Limavady.
Senior
- Derry Senior Football League: 1
- 1941
- Derry Junior Football ChampionshipDerry Junior Football ChampionshipThe Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
: 6- 1973, 1977, 1982, 1994, 1996, 2006
- Dr. Kerlin Cup: 1
- 1940
Minor
- North Derry Minor 'B' Football Championship: 1
- 1994
- Neil Carlin Cup: 4
- 1977, 1996, 1997, 2007
U-16
- Derry U-16 Hurling Championship: 2
- 1992, 1993
- All County U-16 Championship
- 2008
Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.
See also
- Derry Junior Football ChampionshipDerry Junior Football ChampionshipThe Derry Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition between the Junior Derry clubs...
- List of Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Derry