Magherafelt GAC

O'Donovan Rossa GAC Magherafelt

CLG Ó Donnabháin Rosa Machaire Fíolta
Founded:	1934
County:	Derry
Nickname:	The Rossa
Club colours:	Red and White
Grounds:	Rossa Park
Coordinates:	54°45′53.50″N 6°35′08.69″W / 54.764861°N 6.5857472°W / 54.764861; -6.5857472Coordinates: 54°45′53.50″N 6°35′08.69″W / 54.764861°N 6.5857472°W / 54.764861; -6.5857472
Playing kits
Football
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland Ulster champions Derry champions Football : - - 6

O'Donovan Rossa GAC Magherafelt (Irish: CLG Ó Donnabháin Rosa Machaire Fíolta) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football, Camogie and Ladies' Gaelic football. Underage teams play in the South Derry league and championships. The club is named after Irish patriot and revoltuionary Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa.

The club have won the Derry Senior Football Championship on six occasions. Underage teams up to U-12's play in South Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.

Gaelic football

Magherafelt fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor, Reserve and Senior levels. The Senior team competes in the Derry Senior Football Championship and Division 2 of the Derry ACFL.

Well known players

• Barry Gillis - Current Derry player
• Joe Keenan- Current Derry player
• Gerry O'Loughlin - Former Derry & Ulster player.
• Frank Niblock - Former Derry player.
• Mickey Niblock - Former Derry player.

Camogie

The club has U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, Minor and Senior camogie teams.

History

O'Donovan Rossa GAC Magherafelt was established on 15 April 1934.^[1] The founding members were Pat McFlynn, Pat Keenan, Gerry Gallagher, Paddy Collins, John Walls, John Kearns and Charlie McFlynn.

Having recently read Pádraig Pearse's now famous graveside oration at Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa's funeral, Pat McFlynn proposed the idea of calling the call after O’Donovan Rossa. His proposal was accepted and it was also decided that the club would play in red and white colours.

Magherafelt moved to their current ground Rossa Park (or The County Grounds) in 1941, having previously played at Bellvue Park and Millbrook Park. The club won their first Derry Senior Football Championship in 1939 and added four more in the 1940s. In 1978 after a gap of 29 years, the team won the Senior Championship for a sixth time.

Rossa Park

The club's home ground is Rossa Park, located on the road between Magherafelt and Castledawson.^[2] In the past it was the main ground for the Derry inter-county matches, but this ended in the 1970s.^[2] Celtic Park in Derry City is now Derry's main county ground.^[3]

Honours

Senior

• Derry Senior Football Championship: 6
  • 1939, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1978

• Derry Junior Football Championship: 2
  • 1960, 1963

Minor

• Derry Minor Football Championship: 4
  • 1959, 1972, 1992, 2010

• Hughes/McElwee Memorial Cup: 2
  • 2009, 2010

U-16

• Derry U-16 Football Championship: 5
  • 1958, 1959, 1964, 2004, 2009

• South Derry U-16 Football Championship: 4
  • 1958, 1959, 1964, 2004

• Derry U-16 Football League: 2
  • 2007, 2008

• South Derry U-16 Football League: 2
  • 1990, 2004,

• Derry U-16 Ladies Championship:1
  • 2009

U-14

• All-Ireland Féile na nÓg: 1
  • 2007

• Derry Féile na nÓg: 4
  • 1988, 2002, 2005, 2007

• Derry U-14 Football Championship: 2
  • 1987, 2005

• Derry U-14 Football League: 1
  • 2007

• South Derry U-14 Football Championship: 4
  • 1985, 1987, 1988, 2005

• South Derry U-14 Football League: 3
  • 1985, 1987, 1988

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

See also

• Derry Senior Football Championship
• List of Gaelic Athletic Association clubs in Derry

External links

• O'Donovan Rossa GAC website
• Official Derry GAA Website
• Derry Club GAA

References

1. ^ "Club History". http://www.rossagaels.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=28. Retrieved 2007-09-10. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Rodgers, Alan (20 February 2009). "The way we were". Gaelic Life: p. 23. 
3. ^ Scott, Ronan (13 February 2009). "'Screen to win back hearts of Derry fans". Gaelic Life: p. 3.