58-772: The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( Irish : Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Dhoire ) or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland . It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland (the GAA refers to the county as Derry). The county board is also responsible for the Derry county teams. Football
116-547: A 2015 TUD study by Shane Mangan, Derry had slightly more than over 9,100 players. Within a year of the GAA's foundation in 1884, GAA clubs were established around the county in Derry , Desertmartin and Magherafelt . However, the administration of Gaelic sports in the county took some time to get properly organised. A Derry county board was established in 1888 and paid affiliation fees to the GAA Central Council. By
174-604: A District Inspector in the Royal Irish Constabulary , P. J. Ryan of Tipperary, John Wyse Power and John McKay. Maurice Davin was elected president, Cusack, Wyse-Power and McKay were elected Secretaries and it was agreed that Archbishop Croke , Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt would be asked to become Patrons. In 1922 it turned over the job of promoting athletics to the National Athletic and Cycling Association . The GAA organises
232-538: A group of Irishmen gathered in the Hayes' Hotel billiard room to formulate a plan and establish an organisation to foster and preserve Ireland's unique games and athletic pastimes. Arising out of the meeting, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded. The architects and founding members were Michael Cusack of County Clare , Maurice Davin , Joseph K. Bracken , Thomas St George McCarthy ,
290-495: A keener interest in the club scene than the inter-county scene, which can adversely affect attendances at Derry senior matches. Bellaghy have four Ulster Senior Club Football Championships and an All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship . Ballinderry Shamrocks have three Ulster Senior Club Football Championships and an All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. Slaughneil have three Ulster Senior Club Football Championships. The Derry Senior Football Championship
348-522: A number of GAA supporters were killed and clubhouses damaged. As the profile of Gaelic football has been raised in Ulster so too has there been an increase in the number of sectarian attacks on Gaelic clubs in Northern Ireland. Some of the protectionist rules are as follows: Rule 42 (Rule 5.1 in the 2009 rulebook) prohibits the use of GAA property for games with interests in conflict with
406-401: A number of competitions at divisional, county, inter-county , provincial, inter-provincial and national (All-Ireland) levels. A number of competitions follow a progressive format in which, for example, the winners of a club county football competition progress to a competition involving the top clubs from each county in the province, with the champions from each province progressing through
464-459: A number of initiatives aimed at making the association and Gaelic games more accessible to northern Protestants. In November 2008, the council launched a Community Development Unit , which is responsible for "Diversity and Community Outreach initiatives". The Cúchulainn Initiative is a cross-community program aimed at establishing teams consisting of Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren with no prior playing experience. Cross-community teams such as
522-600: A record of his own, as the youngest person ever to play in a Final in Croke Park, that year (1982), playing for Kevin Lynch's Hurling Club Under 14 All-Ireland Féile na nGael winning team. The 1990s started with Derry claiming back-to-back Ulster Minor titles in 1990 and 1991. The Under 21 side won two more Ulster Under 21 Championships in 1993 and 1997. Derry won the All-Ireland 'B' Senior Hurling Championship in 1996 and
580-453: A report that was highly critical of the police investigation into Brown's killing, stating "the police investigation was incomplete and inadequate". Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of. Bellaghy's main pitch, Páirc Seán de Brún, is named after their former club chairman Seán Brown. The club also have two full-sized pitches, 4G area and dressing rooms at Wolfe Tone Park, Drumanee, just outside
638-562: A rule in 2007 that prohibited collective training for inter-county players for a period of two months every winter. This has proven to be controversial in that it is difficult to enforce; in the drive to stay competitive, managers have found ways to avoid it, such as organising informal 'athletic clubs' and other activities that they can use to work on the physical fitness of players without overtly appearing to be training specifically at Gaelic games. Bellaghy GAC Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Gaelic Athletic Club ( Irish : CLG Baile Eachaidh )
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#1732786582175696-574: A series of national finals. The association has had a long history of promoting Irish culture. Through a division of the association known as Scór (Irish for "score"), the association promotes Irish cultural activities, running competitions in music, singing, dancing and storytelling. Rule 4 of the GAA's official guide states: The Association shall actively support the Irish language , traditional Irish dancing , music , song, and other aspects of Irish culture . It shall foster an awareness and love of
754-546: A sister body of Derry GAA, but along with ladies' football , handball and the GAA county board, the Derry camogie clubs are working towards greater integration among the Gaelic games units in the county. As early as 1934, there were ten Derry camogie clubs. Derry drew with Antrim in the Maguire Cup in 1954, and built on this progress to beat Antrim in that year's Ulster Senior Camogie Championship final by 5–02 to 2-02 -
812-597: Is Paddy Tally, while John McEvoy is the Derry senior hurling team manager. Mickey Donnelly is in charge of the under-20 football team. The minor football manager (under-17) is Martin Boyle. The management teams for the under-20 and minor hurlers includes Ryan O'Neill, Martin Birt and Kevin Kelly. Derry has 40 affiliated clubs; 32 of which are football, two of which are hurling and six of which are dual. Many Derry GAA followers taken
870-517: Is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Bellaghy , County Londonderry , Northern Ireland . The club is a member of Derry GAA and currently competes in gaelic football and camogie . Bellaghy have won 21 Derry Senior Football Championships , four Ulster Senior Club Football Championships and the 1971-72 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship . Bellaghy camogie club have won two Derry Senior Camogie Championships. On 12 May 1997,
928-451: Is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling , camogie , Gaelic football , Gaelic handball , and rounders . The association also promotes Irish music and dance , as well as the Irish language and it also promotes environmental stewardship through its Green Clubs initiative. As of 2014,
986-473: Is an annual club competition between the top Derry clubs. It is recognised as one of the hardest club championships to get out of successfully in Ireland, as there are a variety of teams like, Ballinderry , Bellaghy , An Lúb , Slaughtneil , Lavey and Dungiven who have previously won Ulster titles, with some winning the All-Ireland title. Attendances at matches are particularly high, with many neutrals from
1044-412: Is the most popular of the county board's Gaelic games. The county football team won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1993 ; it was the fourth from the province of Ulster to do so, following Cavan , Donegal and Down . The county team has also won seven National League titles and nine Ulster Championships . However, Derry is also regarded as a small dual county . According to
1102-447: The 1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final but lost to Dublin . The county team won its sixth Ulster SFC in 1993 and advanced to the 1993 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final . Between appearing in the 1958 and 1993 All-Ireland SFC finals, the county team won four other Ulster SFCs: in 1970, 1975, 1976 and 1987. Since 1993 the county team has won three additional Ulster SFCs, in 1998, 2022, and 2023. The team won
1160-647: The Antrim GAA or Tyrone leagues. The local Catholic Church 's opposition to playing games on Sundays hampered growth in the 1890s, but there was something of a revival in the 1900s, especially in hurling. The county also competed sporadically in the Ulster Football Championship from 1904. After the disruption caused by political conflict in the 1910s and early '20s, the county board was re-established briefly in 1926, and definitively in 1929, since when it has remained in existence. The GAA in
1218-723: The Australian Football League . The venue alternates between Ireland and Australia. In December 2006, the International series between Australia and Ireland was called off due to excessive violence in the matches, but resumed in October 2008 when Ireland won a two test series in Australia. The Irish welcomed the All Australian team at the headquarters of the GAA (Croke Park) on 21 November 2015. It
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#17327865821751276-507: The Church of Ireland . The council has also undertaken a series of meetings with political parties and community groups who would have traditionally have had no involvement in the association. In January 2011, the then President of Ireland, Mary McAleese , announced the launch of an island-wide project called the "GAA Social Initiative". This aims to address the problem of isolation in rural areas where older people have limited engagement with
1334-663: The National Football League in 2000,2008 and 2024 but was at one point in Division 4. Derry Senior Hurling Championship Most hurling league fixtures are played on Wednesdays so as to accommodate dual players , who have football league fixtures on Sundays. Derry was a hotbed of early hurling activity, with the city's St Patrick's club winning the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in 1902–03; county teams mainly drawn from
1392-900: The National Handball Centre , which replaced the old Croke Park Handball Centre built in the 1970s. The centre is due to be the home of GAA Handball and to play host to All-Ireland Gaelic Handball finals. The next three biggest grounds are all in Munster : Semple Stadium in Thurles , County Tipperary , with a capacity of 53,000, the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick , which holds 50,000, and Páirc Uí Chaoimh , County Cork , which can accommodate 45,000. Other grounds with capacities above 25,000 include: Research by former Fermanagh county footballer Niall Cunningham led to
1450-532: The Republic of Ireland in terms of attendance. Gaelic football is also the second most popular participation sport in Northern Ireland . The women's version of these games, ladies' Gaelic football and camogie , are organised by the independent but closely linked Ladies' Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association of Ireland , respectively. GAA Handball , is the governing body for
1508-572: The Ulster team for the inaugural Gael Linn Cup inter-provincial series, but the county's appearance in the 1954 All-Ireland decider did little to further the game in Derry. The county won the Ulster championship and contested the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final in 1954. They had previously defeated Antrim in the first round of the 1948 championship, but then surprisingly lost to Down. Derry reached
1566-607: The Ulster Football Finals were played in Croke Park, as the anticipated attendance was likely to far exceed the capacity of the traditional venue of St Tiernach's Park , Clones . Croke Park is the association's flagship venue and is known colloquially as Croker or Headquarters , since the venue doubles as the association's base. With a capacity of 82,300, it ranks among the top five stadiums in Europe by capacity, having undergone extensive renovations for most of
1624-634: The Ulster Intermediate Championship the following year. In 2000 Derry won its first Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in 92 years, and successfully defended it the following year. The county also won the Ulster Minor Championship in 2001. The Seniors won the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2006. Derry Under 21s claimed back-to-back Ulster Under 21 titles in 2007 and 2008. Derry Camogie operates as
1682-488: The 1975 All-Ireland Junior Championship . The county also won the Ulster Minor Championship twice during the decade in 1973/4? and 1979, before going on to win the next four at the start of the 1980s (1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983); giving the county five consecutive Ulster Minor titles. Derry also won another Ulster Junior (1984) and All-Ireland Junior Championship (1982), with Rory Stevenson still holding
1740-411: The 1990s and early 21st century. Every September, Croke Park hosts the All-Ireland inter-county Hurling and Football Finals as the conclusion to the summer championships. Croke Park holds the All-Ireland club football and hurling finals. Croke Park is named after Archbishop Thomas Croke , who was elected as a patron of the GAA during the formation of the GAA in 1884. The Croke Park campus is also home to
1798-763: The Belfast Cuchulainn under-16 hurling team have been established and gone on to compete at the Continental Youth Championship in the USA. Similar hurling and Gaelic football teams have since emerged in Armagh, Fermanagh, Limavady. David Hassan , from the University of Ulster, has written about the cross community work of the association and other sporting bodies in Ulster. The 'Game of three-halves' cross-community coaching initiative
Derry GAA - Misplaced Pages Continue
1856-696: The Club Chairman, Sean Brown, was attacked and abducted by a Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) gang as he locked the main gate of the GAA grounds on the Ballyscullion Road. Less than an hour later the body of the father-of-six was found lying beside his burnt-out car just off the Moneynick Road near Randalstown , County Antrim . He had been shot six times. On 19 January 2004 the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland published
1914-471: The GAA is applied to the use of grounds. Clubs play at their own grounds for the early rounds of the club championship , while the latter rounds from quarter-finals to finals are usually held at a county ground, i.e. the ground where inter-county games take place or where the county board is based. The provincial championship finals are usually played at the same venue every year. However, there have been exceptions, such as in Ulster , where in 2004 and 2005
1972-813: The Ulster Minor Championship on nine occasions (1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003). Swatragh qualified for the final of the All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship in 2001. Lavey won the 2009 All Ireland junior club title . Under Camogie's National Development Plan 2010–2015, "Our Game, Our Passion", five new camogie clubs were to be established in the county by 2015. Notable players include All Star award winners Aisling Diamond and Grainne McGoldrick . Notes: The above list of honours may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of. The Camogie All Star Awards were first introduced in 2004 and in 2007 Aisling Diamond of Bellaghy became
2030-731: The World Handball Championships are organised by the World Handball Council. A European Tour has been set up with players from across Europe participating. 4-Wall Handball is played primarily in Ireland, the US and Canada while the 1-Wall code is played (in addition to the three mentioned) in Belgium, France, Holland, Italy, Spain and the UK. To address concerns about player burnout , the association adopted
2088-406: The city won the 1906 championship by a walkover, and the contested 1909 final. However, soon afterwards football become the dominant sport in the county, and hurling activity declined, especially in the city where association football clubs were active. It was the 1970s before Derry claimed any more major hurling honours. The county won two Ulster Junior Championships in 1974 and 1975, as well as
2146-668: The community. The initiative was later expanded by teaming up with the Irish Farmers Association to integrate that organisation's volunteers into the initiative. Members of the Irish diaspora have set-up clubs in a number of regions and countries outside of Ireland, and there are GAA clubs in the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, continental Europe and elsewhere. The GAA World Games were first played in Abu Dhabi in 2015. The next edition
2204-781: The county is administered by a County Committee (or County Board) with a representative from each GAA club in the County, a Management Committee and a variable number of sub-committees. The county administrative headquarters and centre of excellence are located at Owenbeg, Dungiven . Derry home games are played in the county grounds at Celtic Park . Derry and Owenbeg, Dungiven . Home football games are also sometimes held in Watty Graham Park, Glen or Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen , which are regarded as secondary stadia. Hurling games are also held at Lavey or Fr McNally Park, Banagher . The current senior football team manager
2262-402: The county's first Ulster Senior Camogie Championship title. They went on to defeat Mayo and London en route to the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final. However they were beaten by an impressive Dublin side, who had not lost a competitive match since 1947, on a scoreline of 10–04 to 4-02. Theresa Halferty, Carrie Rankin, Patsy McCloskey and Pat O'Brien from this team were chosen on
2320-831: The final of the All Ireland intermediate championship in 2001, and won the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship four times, in 1969, 1978, 2000 and 2007. Derry dominated the new under-16 B championship after its introduction in 2006, winning the finals of 2006, 2007 2008 and 2010 They followed up by winning the Minor B championship in 2010 Derry won further Ulster Senior Camogie Championships in 1989, 1990, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006. The county have also won Ulster Junior Camogie Championships 1960, 1967, 1969, 1978, 1986, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007. The minor camogie side have won
2378-633: The first winner from Derry. 2007: Aisling Diamond 2009: Grainne McGoldrick In 2010 Intermediate Soaring Stars were introduced. Two Derry players have received this award: 2012: Sinead Cassidy 2012: Katie McAnely Derry has a ladies' football team. Books published about Gaelic games in County Londonderry include Oakboys: Derry's Football Dream Come True by Eoghan Corry . Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA ; Irish : Cumann Lúthchleas Gael [ˈkʊmˠən̪ˠ ˈl̪ˠuːˌçlʲasˠ ˈɡeːlˠ] ; CLG )
Derry GAA - Misplaced Pages Continue
2436-542: The following year, although 14 clubs were active, the then GAA President Maurice Davin told the national Congress that the county lacked enough clubs to have its own board. South Derry and North Derry regional boards were established in the 1890s. In the early decades (up to the 1930s), the Derry GAA competitions took in a number of clubs from County Donegal and Tyrone. At various times clubs in South Derry played in
2494-435: The interests of the GAA referred to by some as "garrison games" or foreign sports . Current rules state that GAA property may only be used for the purpose or in connection with the playing of games controlled by the association. Sports not considered 'in conflict' with the GAA have been permitted . On 16 April 2005 the GAA's congress voted to temporarily relax Rule 42 and allow international soccer and rugby to be played in
2552-466: The mainly Catholic nationalist community, and many in the Protestant unionist population consider themselves excluded by a perceived political ethos. According to one sports historian, the GAA "is arguably the most striking example of politics shaping sport in modern history". A perception within Northern Ireland unionist circles that the GAA is a nationalist organisation is reinforced by
2610-425: The management of Croke Park has been allowed to earn revenue by renting the facility out to competing sports organisations, but local GAA units which own smaller facilities cannot. It is also said that it is questionable as to whether or not such rental deals would be damaging to the GAA's interests. The GAA has had some notable rules in the past which have since been abolished. Rule 21 , instituted in 1897 when it
2668-459: The naming of some GAA grounds, clubs, competitions and trophies after prominent nationalists or republicans. Other critics point to protectionist rules such as Rule 42 which prohibits competing, chiefly British, sports (referred to by some as "garrison games" or foreign sports ) from GAA grounds. As a result, the GAA became a target for loyalist paramilitaries during the Troubles when
2726-490: The national ideals in the people of Ireland, and assist in promoting a community spirit through its clubs. The group was formally founded in 1969 and is promoted through various Association clubs throughout Ireland (as well as some clubs outside Ireland). The association has many stadiums scattered throughout Ireland and beyond. Every county and nearly all clubs have grounds, with varying capacities and utilities, where they play their home games. The hierarchical structure of
2784-869: The neighbouring counties of Tyrone , Donegal and Antrim also going to matches, as many view it as the highest standard of club football in Ulster. The winners of the Derry Championship qualify to represent their county in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship and if they win, go on to the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship . Most football league fixtures are played on Sundays so as to accommodate dual players , who have hurling league fixtures on Wednesdays. The county team won its first Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC) in 1958. The team advanced to
2842-422: The organisation had over 500,000 members worldwide, and declared total revenues of €96.1 million in 2022. The Competitions Control Committee (CCC) of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) governing bodies organise the fixture list of Gaelic games within a GAA county or provincial councils . Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular activities promoted by the organisation, and the most popular sports in
2900-451: The publication in 2016 by his website, gaapitchlocator.net, of a map of 1,748 GAA grounds in Ireland, ranging from 24 grounds in his own county to 171 in Cork. The association has, since its inception, been closely associated with Irish nationalism , and this has continued to the present, particularly in relation to Northern Ireland, where the sports are played predominantly by members of
2958-463: The rules of either Gaelic football or hurling. However, the first international match between France and Italy was played in 2014. Compromise rules have been reached with two "related sports". Hurlers play an annual fixture against a national shinty team from Scotland . International Rules Football matches have taken place between an Irish national team drawn from the ranks of Gaelic footballers, against an Australian national team drawn from
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#17327865821753016-539: The sport of handball , while the other Gaelic sport, rounders, is managed by the GAA Rounders National Council ( Irish : Comhairle Cluiche Corr na hÉireann ). Since its foundation in 1884, the association has grown to become a major influence in Irish sporting and cultural life , with considerable reach into communities throughout Ireland and among the Irish diaspora . On 1 November 1884,
3074-648: The stadium while Lansdowne Road Football Ground was closed for redevelopment. The first soccer and rugby union games permitted in Croke Park took place in early 2007, the first such fixture being Ireland's home match in the Six Nations Rugby Union Championship against France . In addition to the opening of Croke Park to competing sports, local GAA units have sought to rent their facilities out to other sports organisations for financial reasons in violation of Rule 42. The continued existence of Rule 42 has proven to be controversial since
3132-489: Was established in predominantly Protestant east Belfast in 2006. Organised through Knock Presbyterian Church, this scheme brings Association coaches to work alongside their soccer and rugby counterparts to involve primary school children at summer coaching camps. The Ulster Council is also establishing cross-community football and hurling teams in schools and is developing links with the Ulster-Scots Agency and
3190-522: Was expelled for attending a soccer international. Rule 27 was abolished in 1971. The association points out the role of members of minority religions in the membership throughout its history. For example, the Protestant Jack Boothman was president of the organisation from 1993 to 1997, while Sam Maguire was a Church of Ireland member. Nonetheless, to address concerns of unionists, the association's Ulster Council has embarked on
3248-506: Was played in Dublin in 2016 with subsequent editions to be played in Ireland every three years. The 2019 games were awarded to Waterford , but the next edition in Derry was deferred to 2023 due to the Covid pandemic. While some units of the association outside Ireland participate in Irish competitions, the association itself does not organise regular international games played according to
3306-487: Was single one-off test match, which led the Irish to reclaim the Cormac McAnallen Cup by a score of 56–52. The international dimension of Gaelic handball includes a World Championship tournament, alongside a European Tour and US Semi-Professional Tour. The 4-Wall and 1-Wall codes of the game are played around the world [with slightly different rules depending on which country one is playing in] and
3364-629: Was suspected that Royal Irish Constabulary spies were trying to infiltrate the organization, prohibited members of the British forces from membership of the GAA. The rule was abolished after an overwhelming majority voted for its removal at a special congress convened in November 2001. Rule 27 , sometimes referred to as The Ban , dated from 1901 and banned GAA members from taking part in or watching non Gaelic games. During that time people such as Douglas Hyde , GAA patron and then President of Ireland,
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