Lavey GAC

Erin's Own GAC Lavey
Leamhaigh CLG
Founded: 1933
County: Derry
Colours: Orange and Black/Green
Coordinates: 54°49′50.12″N 6°36′19.98″W / 54.8305889°N 6.6055500°W / 54.8305889; -6.6055500Coordinates: 54°49′50.12″N 6°36′19.98″W / 54.8305889°N 6.6055500°W / 54.8305889; -6.6055500
Playing kits

Football
Hurling
Senior Club Championships

All Ireland Ulster
champions		 Derry
champions
Football: 1 2 10
Hurling: - - 18
Camogie: - - 6

Erins Own GAC Lavey (Irish: Leamhaigh CLG) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Catholic 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 came when it won the 1991 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. It has won the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship twice and won the Derry Senior Football Championship on eight occasions. The club has won the Derry Senior Hurling Championship 19 times. Lavey won Club of the Year at the 1990 Ulster GAA Writers' Association Awards.[1]

Underage teams up to U-12s play in Doire theas league and championships, and teams from U-14 upwards 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

Hurling

Lavey is the second most successful Derry hurling club of all-time. It has won 18 Derry Senior Hurling Championships. Only Kevin Lynch's has won the competition more often.

Well-known players

Camogie

Lavey has U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve and Senior Camogie sides.

Lavey have won an All Ireland Junior Camogie final, 2 Ulster titles in a row, as well as 3 Derry championships in a row.

History

Football

In 1926, Liam O'Connor, from County Mayo, 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.[2] 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.[2]

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.

Hurling

Between 1934 and 1935 hurling was introduced to Lavey.[3] Fr. James McLaughlin helped launch a hurling club in Lavey by the name of Shamrocks GAC, who until the amalgamation 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 Antrim 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.[3] 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.

Honours

Football

Senior

Reserves

Minor

U-16

Derry U-16 B Football Championship:1

U-14

Hurling

Senior

Minor

U-16

U-14

Camogie

*Derry Intermediate Camogie Championship:1

*Derry Senior Camogie Championship:6

*Ulster Junior Camogie Championship:2

*All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship:1

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards - 1990". Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
  2. 1 2 "Football History". Archived from the original on 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
  3. 1 2 "Hurling History". Archived from the original on 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2007-09-09.
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