Castlebar Celtic

Castlebar Celtic is an Amateur Irish Football Club based in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Republic Of Ireland. The club was founded in 1924 and they compete in the Mayo Super League. Their home ground is Celtic Park, it is located in the town of Castlebar. The clubs colours are green and white. The club does not currently have a first team manager but a recruitment process is underway following the resignation of coach Gavin Dykes on Monday 9th of June 2008. It was reported in the Connaught Telegraph (a well respected local newspaper) that the clubs former goalkeeper Declan Kilkelly is going to take the job. Kilkelly recently led the club's under 18 team to All Ireland success.In recent years they have done well in the FAI Junior Cup - reaching the semi finals three times over the last few years. They have however never made the final. Local rivals Westport United have won the FAI Junior Cup and Celtic fans are desperate for their side to emulate their success.

Club history

It is a fact that Castlebar’s first soccer team was established in 1924 but there is a question mark over whether it was called Castlebar Celtic or simply Castlebar. It is a tribute to the dedication of those men who founded the team that the roots of soccer were planted in the town and has sprouted, grown and flourished to such a degree in the intervening 7 years. It was a haphazard start and games would have been few and far between. It took until 1928 before any organisation was brought into the team with the arrival of players such as Tommy McDonald, Tommy Leonard and Tommy Kilfeather. Games were played in the Fairgreen, while they would be later played at Niland’s Field, situated behind the local Bacon Factory.

The first secretary of Castlebar Celtic was Charlie Hanley. Others involved included Peter O’Malley, Robert Kilkelly, Michael Heverin, Paddy Gilligan and Hugh McGartland. The team of the thirties had a group of naturally talented players whose skill and dedication put the club on a firm footing in the town. Competition was very limited. There was no Mayo League as such in those days and Westport was the only other soccer club in the county.

It took until 1947 for Celtic to win their first major trophy, the Connaught Cup, when they defeated Galway Rovers at Maryland Park, their home since the early forties.

An event in the 1920s which was to have far-reaching and lasting effects on soccer in Castlebar, and indeed Mayo and Connaught, probably went unnoticed at the time. It was the arrival of Hughie McGartland from Omagh. No mean player himself, he was endowed with a talent to motivate and bring the best out of others. He also possessed organisational skills and farsightedness that was to influence the club and game to the present day.

He was club secretary for almost 40 years and was a key figure in the purchase of Flannelly’s Field, now known as Celtic Park, still the home of Celtic. With a committee consisting of himself, Michael Heverin, Robert Kilkelly, Chas Guthrie, Tommy Leonard, Paddy Gilligan and Andy Leonard. They purchased Flannelly’s Field in 1954 for £1,879. A sum of £123 was spent on drainage and a further sum of £400 was spent on renovating a premise in Market Square as a clubhouse. Two old C.I.E. buses were bought for dressing rooms, to bring the total expenditure to £3,000. Running a series of carnivals and dances raised the money.

The first match played in Celtic Park was on the 4th May, 1958. This was a challenge game between Castlebar Celtic and Castlebar A. The first competitive game in the ground was between Castlebar Celtic and Westport United the following Sunday in the Mayo Area Final of the Connaught Cup. Celtic won the game 1-nil, with Frank Roache scoring the winning goal.

The Celtic team that day was: Joe Foy, Dessie Ainsworth, Patsy ‘Bisto’ Feeney, Sean O’Loughlin, Josie Feeney, J.J. Mullen, Charlie Garavan, Brian O’Loughlin, Peter Duke, Wally Tighe and Frank Roache.

That game was to herald a golden era in Celtic’s history, an era that was to see them win three Connaught Cups, four Mayo League Championships and reach the semi-final of the F.A.I. Junior Cup.

The club had come a long way in 40 years since a group of young men had decided to form a soccer team in the town.

Competitions

Castlebar Celtic are the most successful side in the history of Mayo football having won more Mayo Leagues, Mayo Cups and Connacht Cups than any other club. Celtic have won an impressive 16 league titles, the first coming in 1954 and the latest in 2006. The Club has won the Mayo FA Cup 6 times and are current holders of the trophy, following a penalty shootout victory over Westport United at Milebush Park in October 2007. Celtic hold the record for Connacht Cup victories with a total of 9, the first win coming in 1947. During the late 1950's and early 1960's, Celtic won the competition 3 times in the space of 6 years and during the 1980's, won the competition 3 times in the space of 7 years. The most recent success in this cup came in 2003, a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Galways Moyne Villa at Milebush, with goals in either half from Kevin Ryan and Declan Reilly. Kevin & Stephen Ryan made history that day when they became the first father & son to play together in a Connacht Cup final. Celtic almost made it title number 10 in 2006, but fell at the final hurdle, losing the final to Sligo based side Abbey United on penalties.

Role of honor

FAI YOUTH CUP WINNERS

2006/2007

MAYO LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (16)

1953 / 54; 1957 / 58; 1958 / 59; 1959 / 60; 1960 / 61; 1961 / 62; 1967 / 68; 1978 / 79;1980 / 81; 1982 / 83; 1983 / 84; 1984 / 85; 1985 / 86; 1986 / 87; 2001; 2006;

CONNAUGHT CUP WINNERS (9)

1947; 1955; 1959; 1960; 1964; 1980; 1985; 1986; 2003

CONNAUGHT SENIOR LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

1988 / 89

CONNAUGHT SENIOR LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP CUP WINNERS

1996 / 97

CONNAUGHT CHAMPIONS CUP WINNERS (MICHAEL BYRNE CUP)

1978 / 79; 1980 / 81

ROBERT KILKELLY / AIB CUP WINNERS (Mayo FA Cup) (6)

1987 / 88; 1997; 2000; 2004; 2005; 2007

TOUHY CUP WINNERS

1980 / 81; 1985 / 86

WESTARO CUP WINNERS

2001; 2005; 2006

GILL CUP WINNERS

1996; 1997

TONRA CUP WINNERS

1995

MAYO PREMIER DIVISION CHAMPIONS

1997, 2005

MAYO 1st DIVISION CHAMPIONS

1995; 2001

MAYO 2nd DIVISION CHAMPIONS

1981/82

MAYO YOUTH CUP CHAMPIONS (Quigley Cup) (13)

1977 / 78; 1980/81, 1982 / 83; 1983 / 84; 1984 / 85; 1986 / 87; 1987 / 88; 1990 / 91; 00/01, 01/02, 04/05, 05/06, 06/07

MAYO YOUTH LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (Helen Johnston Cup) (3)2003; 2006, 2007

CONNAUGHT YOUTH CUP WINNERS (8)

1947 / 48; 1962 / 63; 1974 / 75; 1979 / 80; 1982 / 83; 1984 / 85; 2005 / 06, 2006/07

CONNAUGHT U-16 CUP WINNERS

2005 / 06

MAYO U-16 CUP WINNERS

2004, 07/08,

MAYO U-16 LEAGUE WINNERS

05/06; 06/07; 07/08

CONNAUGHT U-14 CUP WINNERS

2002/03, 2003 / 04

MAYO U-14 LEAGUE WINNERS

2003; 2004; 2005; 2006

MAYO U-14 CUP WINNERS

92/93, 03/04; 04/05; 05/06

CONNAUGHT U-13 CUP WINNERS (Castleconner Cup)

1976 / 77; 1998 / 99

CONNAUGHT CUP U-12 CUP WINNERS

2000 / 01; 2001 / 02

MAYO U-12 LEAGUE WINNERS

95/96, 98/99, 00/01, 02/03, 03/04, 06/07, 07/08

MAYO U-12 CUP WINNERS

95/96; 97/98, 01/02, 02/03, 03/04, 06/07, 07/08

ALL-IRELAND COMMUNITY GAMES U-12 WINNERS

2002; 2006; 2007

CONNAUGHT COMMUNITY GAMES U-12 WINNERS

1976; 1999; 2002; 2006, 2007

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