Drum GAC

St. Colm's GAC Drum

CLG Naomh Colm An Droim
Founded:	1937
County:	Derry
Club colours:	Orange, White and Green
Grounds:	St. Colm's Park
Coordinates:	54°57′28.23″N 6°59′09.89″W / 54.9578417°N 6.9860806°W / 54.9578417; -6.9860806Coordinates: 54°57′28.23″N 6°59′09.89″W / 54.9578417°N 6.9860806°W / 54.9578417; -6.9860806
Playing kits
Standard colours

St. Colm's GAC Drum (Irish: CLG Naomh Colm An Droim) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Drum, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and currently cater for Gaelic football and Camogie and up to recently also played Hurling.

Drum have won the Derry Junior Football Championship six times. Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.

Gaelic football

Drum fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14 and Senior levels. They currently compete in the Derry Junior Championship and Division 5 of the Derry ACFL. The U16 and Minor teams are amalgamated with Drumsurn and play as St. Patrick's.^[1]

Well known players

• Peter Stevenson - All Star winning Derry footballer. Also played hurling for Drum and Dungiven.

Cahir O'Kane - Derry Post and Irish Star journalist

Camogie

The club also has a number of Camogie sides at various age groups.

UP DRUM! Shovely Joe..

Hurling

Up to recently Drum also played hurling. They won the 2003 Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship.

History

A club was set up in the area around 1918 and were known as O'Carolan's Gortnaghey.^[2] St. Colms's GAC Drum was officially founded in 1937. The club's first major honour came in 1940 when they won the Dr. Kerlin Cup and in 1941 they won the club's biggest honour to date a year late; the Derry Senior Football League. Five years later, after winning the North Derry Senior Football Championship, the club reached the Derry Senior Football Championship final, only to be denied by Magherafelt in a close encounter. Drum reached another Derry Senior Championship final in 1956, but were defeated by Bellaghy. In that year Eugene McCaul, Séamus McCloskey from Drum were part of Derry's first ever All-Ireland Minor Football Championship winning side.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Drum and rivals Foreglen combined to play as Muldonagh, but soon went their separate ways again. Peter Stevenson from the club won an All Star in 1975 for his performances for Derry in that year's Championship. Having slipped down to the Junior ranks, in 1977 Drum won the Derry Junior Football Championship, Division 3 of the league and the Neil Carlin Cup. In 1974 Drum reached the first of their four Derry Intermediate Football Championship finals, losing out to Glack. Greenlough denied them in the 1976 decider, Glen in 1983 and Moneymore in 1984.

In 1989 St. Colm's opened their new pitch at a cost of £75,000. It was opened by Bishop Lagan at an Antrim versus Kilkenny hurling match followed by Derry versus Meath football match. That year the club received the Gerry Crossan Memorial Cup for North Derry Club of the Year. In 1992 Drum's Neil Farren, Seán More, Shauna McCaul and Julie Colgan all won Derry handball titles. St. Colm's became Derry Junior Football Champions again in 1994, with a victory over Eoghan Rua in the final. A new pavilion was completed in May 1995 and Drum won the following year's Neil Carlin Cup with victory over Doire Colmcille CLG, and also won the club's fifth Derry Junior Championship. Cousins Niall and Eoghan Farren were rewarded with Bank of Ireland Colleges All Stars following their performances for St. Pat’s College Maghera. Drum retained the Neil Carlin Cup in 1997 with victory over Ardmore.

In 2000 St. Colm's won the Fair Play League, rewarding their sporting conduct both on and off the field. Drum hurler, Shane McCartney claimed consecutive Ulster Senior Hurling Championships with Derry in 2000 and 2001. They won the Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2003 and the club's sixth Junior Football Championship came in 2006 after a comeback against Lissan.

They also made it to the final in 2007 but lost to Lissan. In 2008, under the management of former Derry captain Joe Irwin, they lost a promotion playoff to Limavady.

Honours

Gaelic football

Senior

• Derry Senior Football League: 1
  • 1941

• Derry Junior Football Championship: 6
  • 1973, 1977, 1982, 1994, 1996, 2006

• Dr. Kerlin Cup: 1
  • 1940

Minor

• North Derry Minor 'B' Football Championship: 1
  • 1994

• Neil Carlin Cup: 4
  • 1977, 1996, 1997, 2007

Hurling

Senior

• Derry Intermediate Hurling Championship: ?
  • 2003

U-16

• Derry U-16 Hurling Championship: 2
  • 1992, 1993

• All County U-16 Championship
  • 2008

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

See also

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

External links

• St. Colm's GAC website
• Official Derry GAA website
• Derry Club GAA

References

1. ^ "Underage football". Archived from the original on 2009-07-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20090728132452/http://geocities.com/naomhcolmandroim/. Retrieved 2007-09-22. 
2. ^ "Club History - Staire Clúb". Archived from the original on 2009-07-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20090728132452/http://geocities.com/naomhcolmandroim/. Retrieved 2007-09-23.