St Mary's Banagher GAC (Irish: CLG Naomh Mhuire Beannchar) 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 caters for Gaelic football, hurling and camogie. The club motto is the Irish Ni neart go misneach, which translates as "No strength like courage".
| CLG Naomh Mhuire Beannchar | |||||||||
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| Founded: | 1965 | ||||||||
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| County: | Derry | ||||||||
| Colours: | Maroon and white | ||||||||
| Grounds: | Fr. McNally Park | ||||||||
| Coordinates: | 54°53′31.24″N 7°00′49.87″W / 54.8920111°N 7.0138528°W | ||||||||
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Underage teams up to U-12s 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 times in the Derry Senior Football Championship
History
editUp until 1965, St Mary's Park and St Joseph's Banagher were the two teams in the area.[1] 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 Galway team who were All-Ireland Champions at the time.[1]
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.[1] 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. The current manager for football is Eamon Lynch.
Players
edit- Seán Marty Lockhart – All Star-winning Derry footballer
- Darragh McCloskey – Derry hurler
- Brian Óg McGilligan – Derry hurler
- Mark Lynch – Former Derry football captain
Gaelic football titles
editSenior
edit- Derry Intermediate Football League: 4
- 1970, 1972, 1996, 2002
- Dr Kerlin Cup 9
- 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1995, 1996, 2016
U-21
edit- North Derry U-21 Football Championship: 1
- 2006
Minor
edit- 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
Hurling titles
editSenior
edit- Derry Senior Hurling Championship: 3
- 1978, 1980, 2005
- Derry Senior Hurling League: 2
- 1999, 2001
- Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship: 4
- 1989, 1991, 1994, 2021
- Ulster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship: 1
- 2021
Under-21
edit- Derry Under-21 Hurling Championship:1
- 2007
Minor
edit- Derry Minor Hurling Championship: 6
- 1977, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2003
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "History of the Club". Retrieved 4 September 2007. [dead link]