Ballinascreen GAC

St Colm's Ballinascreen GAC
CLG Naomh Colm Baile na Scrine
Founded: 1933
County: Derry
Nickname: Screen
Club colours: Maroon and White
Grounds: Dean McGlinchey Park
(Páirc Mhig Loingsigh)
Coordinates: 54°46′57.45″N 6°48′17.97″W / 54.7826250°N 6.8049917°WCoordinates: 54°46′57.45″N 6°48′17.97″W / 54.7826250°N 6.8049917°W
Playing kits

Football
Senior Club Championships

All Ireland Ulster
champions
Derry
champions
Football : - - 4
Hurling : - - 3

St Colm's Ballinascreen GAC (Irish: CLG Naomh Colm Baile na Scrine) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinascreen, which includes the town of Draperstown, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA. They currently cater for Gaelic football, Hurling, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football and have 25 teams across the four sports.[1]

Underage teams up to U-12's play in South Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.

Football

Ballinascreen have been a mainstay of Senior football in Derry, and despite having not won the Senior Championship since 1973, last year was their 20th year in succession in the top division in Derry. Unfortunately in 2007 the club was relegated to Division Two, though they still played in the Senior Championship. The following season, the club gained automation promotion back to Division One having won the Division Two league title. The club have won four Derry Senior Football Championships.

Well known players

Hurling

Ballinascreen have claimed the Derry Senior Hurling Championship on three occasions (1887, 1938 and 1939).

Dean McGlinchey Park

The club's home ground is Dean McGlinchey Park. It has also hosted Derry inter-county games since the 1950s.[2] Since the 1990s Celtic Park in Derry City has become officially recognised as Derry's main county ground,[2] but Dean McGlinchey Park has still hosted a number of National League and Dr. McKenna Cup games in recent years. Along with Glen it is regraded as one of two secondary stadia.[2]

History

St. Colm's GAC Ballinascreen, was founded in 1933. The founders were Sean Mac Diarmada, James Conway, Barney Rodgers and Eddie O'Neill and Michael Kelly. St. Colm's started off impressively by winning the first two Derry Senior Football Championships in 1934 and 1935. They followed this with two Derry Senior Hurling Championships in 1938 and 1939. They added a third football championship in 1941. Matt Regan played in all five championship successes. He was a regular on the Derry county team and was the first Derry man to play for Ulster in the Railway Cup.[3]

'Screen opened Dean McGlinchey Park in 1954. A covered stand was added in 1970. They won the 1954 Derry Junior Football Championship. The club won a further Senior Football Championship in 1973.

St. Colm's have won eight Ulster Scór titles and one All-Ireland title, the best performance of any club in the county.[3]

In the centenary year for Derry (1984), St. Colm's won the Og Sport award and the AIB Club of the Year award.[3] Hurling Ballinascreen are one of the top senior sides in the county. However, they have failed to secure the championship since the 1930s. They have won the league as recently as 2005 and played in a county final in 2003. Why the huge underage success that the club has experienced over the last twenty years has yet to translate into a championship winning side is a question which puzzles many in Derry GAA.

Honours

Amongst Ballinascreen's honours, they have won the Derry Senior Club Football Championship four times (1934, 1935, 1941 and 1973). More recently they won their first provincial title by capturing the Ulster League title in 2009. They have claimed the Derry Senior Club Hurling Championship on three occasions (1887, 1938 and 1939). U-16 Derry County Champions 2006 Minor Derry football County Champions 2005 Minor County hurling champions 1989, 1995, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Ulster Minor Hurling Champions 2008 and 2009 All Ireland Feile Na nGael Winners 1996,2003, 2004,

Gaelic football

Senior

Reserves

Minor

U-16

U-14

Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.

Hurling

Senior

Senior Hurling league Div 1 2 1989, 2005

Reserves

Senior Hurling league Div 2 winners, 3 2003, 2005, 2008

Minor

2008, 2009

U16

U14

See also

External links

References

  1. "Welcome - A Letter From Our Chairman". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scott, Ronan (13 February 2009). "'Screen to win back hearts of Derry fans". Gaelic Life. p. 3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "History of St. Colm's". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-31.