Lavey GAC
Encyclopedia
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
.
The club's biggest success is when they won the 1991 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
. They have won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
twice and won the Derry Senior Football Championship on eight occasions. The club have won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship 19 times. Lavey won Club of the Year at the 1990 Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards.
Underage teams up to U-12's play in Doire theas league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.
have won the competition more often.
Lavey have won an All Ireland Junior Camogie
final, 2 Ulster titles in a row, as well as 3 Derry championships in a row.
, settled in Lavey. He was instrumental in setting up Knockloughrim Erin's Own GAC. The team wore green and gold jerseys with white collars, like Kerry
. He also helped set up the Derry County Board and the Erin's Own GAC Cargin in Toome
, County Antrim
. O'Connor was also a talented player and played for and captained
the Derry Senior side. O'Connor christened the club Erin's Own in memory of his home club in County Mayo, which bore the same title. In 1928 O'Connor emigrated to America for a few years, his departure led to the folding of Knockloughrim Erin's Own. In 1933 under the guidance of Mick Crilly and others the club were officially reorganised as Erin's Own GAC Lavey and the pitch moved to the townland of Gulladuff
.
Lavey's first trophy came in 1936 when they won the Dean McGlinchey Cup. Lavey thought they had won their first Derry Senior Football Championship in 1937, when they defeated Newbridge
by a point at Magherafelt
. However Lavey were stripped of the title under the Foreign Games Rule, when a Lavey player had been reported attending a soccer match. They won the next year's Derry Senior Football Championship, defeating Pearses of Derry City
in the final. In 1947 Lavey schoolteacher Master John Fay originally from County Tyrone
, managed Derry to their first ever National League
success.
In 1977 after a gap of 23 years seen the side win their fourth Derry Senior Football Championship, beating Ballinderry
in the final. They also won the Senior League, Derry Reserve Football Championship and Reserve League that year. The current grounds were opened in 1979.
The late 1980s and early 1990s were a glory period for the club. They won the Derry Senior Football Championship four times in six years (1988, 1990, 1992 and 1993). They also won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
in 1990 and 1992. The club biggest success came on 17 March 1991 when they were crowned All-Ireland Senior Club Football Champions
.
League with teams like Cargin, Creggan and Randalstown.
Shamrocks won Lavey's first Derry Senior Hurling Championship in 1940. The team was helped by a few playing members they had from "traditional hurling counties" such as Tipperary
and Galway
. 1944 was a special year for the club when they completed the "Football and hurling Double". They won the Derry Senior Football Championship beating Mitchel's of Derry City in the final, and also won the Derry Hurling Championship after defeating Sarfield's (also of Derry City).
In 1983, Lavey played in the Antrim Minor Hurling League, and won it. They also collected the Derry Minor Hurling Championship in 1983, 1984 and 1985. These Minor successes laid the foundations for Lavey 1985 Derry Senior Hurling Championship success. It was the club's first Senior Championship success in 23 years and they would go on to win 11 of the next 17 Senior Championships after that year up until 2002. The club have reached five Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
finals, but have been beaten narrowly on each occasion.
*Derry Senior Camogie Championship:6
*Ulster Junior Camogie Championship:2
*All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship:1
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 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 Lavey
Lavey
Lavey is a Roman Catholic parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Lavey is bordered by the parishes of Castledawson, Maghera, Bellaghy, Greenlough and Kilrea. The parish contains no particularly large settlements, although it accommodates a number of small villages and hamlets, in order 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...
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...
, 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 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...
.
The club's biggest success is when they won the 1991 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
. They have won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
twice and won the Derry Senior Football Championship on eight occasions. The club have won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship 19 times. Lavey won Club of the Year at the 1990 Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards.
Underage teams up to U-12's play in Doire theas league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.
Gaelic football
Lavey fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve, and Senior levels.Well known players
- Henry DowneyHenry DowneyHenry Downey is an Irish former dual GAA player, who is most notable for being a Gaelic footballer for the Derry senior football team in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, where he usually played in at centre half back. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, where...
- Captain of Derry's 1993 All-IrelandAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship 1993-All-Ireland Football Final:-Top championship scorer:...
winning team. 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...
winner and Texaco Footballer of the YearTexaco Footballer of the YearThe Texaco Footballer of the Year is a Gaelic football award, created in 1958, that honours the achievements of a footballer of outstanding excellence...
for 1993. - Séamus Downey - Member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team.
- Johnny McGurkJohnny McGurkJohn McGurk is an Irish former dual GAA player, who is most notable for being a Gaelic footballer for the Derry senior football team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side and also won two Ulster Championships with the side...
- 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...
winner and member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team. - Anthony McGurkAnthony McGurkAnthony 'Tony' McGurk is a two-time All Star winning former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Derry in the 1970s and 1980s. He won three Ulster Championships with the side...
- Two-time 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...
winner. - Kevin McCloyKevin McCloyKevin McCloy is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry, with whom he has won a National League title. He also won an All Star for his performances in the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship....
- 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...
winner and current Derry footballer. - Cailean O Boyle - Current Derry Footballer
- Hugh Martin McGurkHugh Martin McGurkHugh Martin McGurk is an Irish former dual GAA player, who played Gaelic football and hurling for Derry. He captained the Derry football team in the 1980s and won the Ulster Senior Football Championship with the county in 1987....
- Derry captain in the 1980s - Gabriel Shivers - First Lavey player to hold All Ireland winners medal.
- Jack Convery - Derry footballer who represented UlsterUlster GAAThe 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 the Railway Cup on two occasions. - Eugene Laverty - Footballer in 1960s and 1970s.
- Harry Scullion- Footballer in 1960s and 1970s.
- Paddy Chivers - Footballer in 1960s and 1970s.
- Colm Mulholland - member of Derry All Ireland runners up 1958
- Tommy Doherty - member of Derry All Ireland runners up 1958
Hurling
Lavey are the second most successful Derry hurling club of all-time. They have won 18 Derry Senior Hurling Championships. Only Kevin Lynch'sKevin Lynch's Hurling Club
Kevin 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...
have won the competition more often.
Camogie
Lavey has U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve and Senior Camogie sides.Lavey have won an All Ireland Junior 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....
final, 2 Ulster titles in a row, as well as 3 Derry championships in a row.
Football
In 1926, Liam O'Connor, from County MayoCounty Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, settled in Lavey. He was instrumental in setting up Knockloughrim Erin's Own GAC. The team wore green and gold jerseys with white collars, like Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry 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 Kerry...
. He also helped set up the Derry County Board and the Erin's Own GAC Cargin in Toome
Toome
Toome or Toom is a small village and townland on the northwest corner of Lough Neagh in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 722.-History:...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. O'Connor was also a talented player and played for and captained
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
the Derry Senior side. O'Connor christened the club Erin's Own in memory of his home club in County Mayo, which bore the same title. In 1928 O'Connor emigrated to America for a few years, his departure led to the folding of Knockloughrim Erin's Own. In 1933 under the guidance of Mick Crilly and others the club were officially reorganised as Erin's Own GAC Lavey and the pitch moved to the townland of Gulladuff
Gulladuff
Gulladuff is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 405 people. It lies within the Magherafelt District Council area....
.
Lavey's first trophy came in 1936 when they won the Dean McGlinchey Cup. Lavey thought they had won their first Derry Senior Football Championship in 1937, when they defeated Newbridge
Newbridge GAC
Seán O'Leary's GAC Newbridge is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Newbridge, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie. They have won the Derry Senior Football Championship on ten occasions...
by a point at Magherafelt
Magherafelt
Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area...
. However Lavey were stripped of the title under the Foreign Games Rule, when a Lavey player had been reported attending a soccer match. They won the next year's Derry Senior Football Championship, defeating Pearses of 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"...
in the final. In 1947 Lavey schoolteacher Master John Fay originally from County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, managed Derry to their first ever National 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...
success.
In 1977 after a gap of 23 years seen the side win their fourth Derry Senior Football Championship, beating Ballinderry
Ballinderry 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...
in the final. They also won the Senior League, Derry Reserve Football Championship and Reserve League that year. The current grounds were opened in 1979.
The late 1980s and early 1990s were a glory period for the club. They won the Derry Senior Football Championship four times in six years (1988, 1990, 1992 and 1993). They also won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
in 1990 and 1992. The club biggest success came on 17 March 1991 when they were crowned All-Ireland Senior Club Football Champions
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
.
Hurling
Between 1934 and 1935 hurling was introduced to Lavey. Fr. James McLaughlin helped launch a hurling club in Lavey by the name of Shamrocks GAC, who until the amalgation in 1941, were officially independent from the football club. They originally wore green jerseys with a white shamrock on the breast. Because there were few hurling teams in the area, Shamrocks originally competed in the South West AntrimAntrim 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...
League with teams like Cargin, Creggan and Randalstown.
Shamrocks won Lavey's first Derry Senior Hurling Championship in 1940. The team was helped by a few playing members they had from "traditional hurling counties" such as Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
and Galway
Galway 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,...
. 1944 was a special year for the club when they completed the "Football and hurling Double". They won the Derry Senior Football Championship beating Mitchel's of Derry City in the final, and also won the Derry Hurling Championship after defeating Sarfield's (also of Derry City).
In 1983, Lavey played in the Antrim Minor Hurling League, and won it. They also collected the Derry Minor Hurling Championship in 1983, 1984 and 1985. These Minor successes laid the foundations for Lavey 1985 Derry Senior Hurling Championship success. It was the club's first Senior Championship success in 23 years and they would go on to win 11 of the next 17 Senior Championships after that year up until 2002. The club have reached five Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual tournament played between the senior hurling clubs in Ulster. There are nine county championships between the nine counties of Ulster. The nine winners go on to play each other in the Ulster Club Championship in a knock-out format...
finals, but have been beaten narrowly on each occasion.
Senior
- All-Ireland Senior Club Football ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Club Football ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
: 1- 1991
- Ulster Senior Club Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Club Football ChampionshipThe Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football club competition played between the top clubs in Ulster. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup...
: 2- 1990, 1992
- Derry Senior Football Championship: 8
- 1938, 1943, 1954, 1977, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993
- Derry Senior Football League: 4
- 1954, 1969, 1977, 1978
- South Derry Senior Football Championship: 4
- 1938, 1943, 1944, 1947
- Derry Football League Division 2: 1
- 1967
- McGlinchey Cup: ?
- 1936
Reserves
- Derry Reserve Football Championship: 1
- 1977
- Derry Reserve Football League: 2
- 1977, 1978
Minor
- Derry Minor Football Championship: 3
- 1975, 1983, 1984
- Derry Minor 'B' Football Championship: ?
- 2008, more?
- South Derry Minor 'B' Football League: 1
- 2006
U-16
- Derry U-16 Football Championship: 2
- 1969, 2011
- South Derry U-16 Football Championship: 2
- 1969, 1980
U-14
- Derry 'B' Féile na nÓg: 1
- 2007
- South Derry U-14 Football Championship: 1
- 1978
- South Derry 'B' U-14 Football Championship: 1
- 2001 2009
- Derry U-14 'B' Football League: 1
- 2006
Senior
- Derry Senior Hurling Championship: 18
- 1940, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1962, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2010
Minor
- Ulster Minor Club Hurling Championship: 2
- 1996, 2006
- Derry Minor Hurling Championship: 5
- 1983, 1984, 1985, 1996, 2005
- Antrim Minor Hurling League: 1
- 1983
U-16
- Derry U-16 Hurling Championship: 8
- 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2005
U-14
- Derry 'A' Féile na nGael:1
- 1996, 2003
- Derry 'B' Féile na nGael: 2
- 2004, 2007,2009
Camogie
*Derry Intermediate Camogie Championship:1-
- 2006 (won by Lavey Reserves)
*Derry Senior Camogie Championship:6
-
- 1995, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009
*Ulster Junior Camogie Championship:2
-
- 2008, 2009
*All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship:1
-
- 2009