Armagh GAA

The Armagh County Board (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Armagh.

Armagh GAA
Irish:Ard Mhacha
Province:Ulster
Nickname(s):The Orchard County
County colours:Tangerine, White         
Ground(s):Athletic Grounds, Armagh
Dominant sport:Gaelic football
Competitions
NFL:Division 2
NHL:Division 2B
Football Championship:Sam Maguire Cup
Hurling Championship:Nicky Rackard Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football:Brendan Martin Cup
Camogie:Nancy Murray Cup
Standard kit
Regular kit
Change kit

The County Board is responsible for preparing the Armagh county teams in the various Gaelic sporting codes; football, hurling, camogie and handball.

Kits, colours and crest

Armagh's county colours are orange and white. Originally they wore black and amber striped shirts until 1926 when Dominican nuns from Omeath, in County Louth knitted the team a pair of orange and white kits ahead of a Junior clash with Dublin which they have kept since.[1]

Sponsorship

The Armagh County Board negotiated a number of new sponsorship deals in 2012, including telecommunications company Rainbow Communications as principal jersey sponsor,[2] and Simply Fruit for the Minor team. Previously, the county's main sponsor had been Morgan Fuels, but that 17-year relationship ended somewhat acrimoniously in 2012.[3][4]

Football

Clubs

The county's most successful football club is Crossmaglen Rangers. Crossmaglen have won the Armagh Senior Football Championship on 45 occasions, the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship on 11 occasions, and All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship on six occasions.

List of football clubs
Club NameIrish NameSenior Armagh TitlesProvincial TitlesAll-IrelandHome Stadium
Annaghmore Pearses GFCCPG Na Piarsaigh Eanach Mór000Páirc an Phiarsaigh/Pearse Park
Armagh Harps GFCCláirsigh Ard Mhacha2100Páirc na Mainistreach/Abbey Park
Ballyhegan Davitts GACBaile Uí hÁgáin000Páirc Baile Uí hÁgáin/Ballyhegan Park
Ballymacnab Round Towers GACCLG na gCloigthithe, Baile Mhic an Aba000Páirc na nGael
Clan na Gael GAA (Armagh)CLG Clan na Gael1430Davitt Park/Davitt Park
Clann Eireann GACCLG Calnn Éireann200Páirc Chlann Éireann/Clann Éireann Park
Clonmore Robert Emmet's GFCCluain Mhor Roibeard Eimeid000Páirc Roibeaird Emmet/Robert Emmet Park
Collegeland O'Rahilly's GAACluain Mhor Roibeard Eimeid100Páirc an Athar Mhic Neachtain/Father McKnight Park
Crossmaglen Rangers GACRaonaithe Crois Mhic Lionnáin45116Páirc Naomh Oilibhéar Pluincéid/St Oliver Plunkett Park
Cullaville Blues GACCLG Na Gormacha, Baile Mhic Choll000Páirc na nGael/Gaelic Park
St Mochua Derrynoose GACNaomh Mochua, Doire Núis000Páirc Naomh Mochua/St Mochua’s Park
Dorsey Emmet's GFCEiméid na nDoirse000Páirc Ruairí Mhig Aoidh
Dromintee St Patrick's GACCLG Naomh Pádraig, Droim an Tí000Páirc Uí Luachra agus Mhic Cathmhaoil
Éire Óg Craigavon GAAÉire Óg000Bruach na bPéine/Pinebank
Forkhill Peadar Ó Doirnín GACCLG Peadar Ó Doirnín, Foircea100Páirc Pheadair Uí Dhoirnín/Peadar Ó Doirnín Park
Granemore GFCAn Ghraínseach Mhór000Páirc Naomh Muire/Pairc Mhuire
Grange St Colmcille's GACNaomh Colmcille CLG, An Ghráinseach000Páirc na Gráinsí/Grange Park
Keady Michael Dwyer's GFCCeide Micheal Mac Dubhurs400Páirc Ghearóid Mhic Giolla Fhinnéin/Gerard McGleenan Park
Killeavy St Moninna's GACNaomh Moninne, Cill Shléibhe300Páirc Chuimhneacháin Chill Shléibhe/Killeavy Memorial Park
Lissummon GAALios Iomána000Entry needed
Madden Raparees GACRopairí na Madan000Páirc na Ropairí/Raparee Park
Maghery Sean MacDermott's GACSeán Mac Diarmaida an Mhachaire100Páirc Fheilimí Uí Adhmaill/Felix Hamill Park
Middletown GAAEoghan Rua000Páirc P.J. Uí Néill/P.J. O'Neill Park
Mullabrack O'Donovan Rossa GFCÓ Donnabháin Rossa an Mhullaigh Bhric000O’Donovan Rossa Park
Mullaghbawn Cúchullain's GFCCú Chullain an Mhullaigh Bháin210Páirc Chú Chulainn/Cúchulainn Park
Pearse Óg GACNa Piarsaigh Óga400Páirc na Piarsaigh Óga, Baile Chromhtha/Pearse Óg Park, Ballycrummy
Phelim BradysUnknown000Páirc scoile Dhearclaí/Darkley school field
Redmond O’Hanlon’sUnknown000Páirc Uí Anluain/O’Hanlon Park
High Moss Sarsfields GFCCLG Sáirséiligh na Móinte Arda100Páirc an Athar Dónal Mac Eoghain/Father Dan McGeown Park
Shane O'Neill's GACCLG Sheáin Uí Néill200Páirc Sheáin Uí Néill/Shane O'Neill's Park
Silverbridge Harps GFCClársigh Bhéal Átha an Airgid000Páirc Uí Chaollaí/Keeley Park
St Michaels KilleenNaomh Micheál , An Cillín000Páirc Naomh Micheál/St Michael’s Park
St Michael's GAC, NewtownhamiltonCLG Naomh Micheál, Baile Úr200Páirc Naomh Micheál/St Michael’s Park
St Patrick's GFC, CullyhannaNaomh Pádraig, Coilleach Eanach000Páirc Padraig/Park Padraig
St Paul's GFC, LurganNaomh Pól CLG000Na Páirceanna Imearthea/The Playing Field
St Peter'sNaomh Peadar's100Páirc Naomh Peadar/St Peter’s Park
Tir na nÓg[5]To be completed000Páirc an Athar Uí Raifeartaigh/Father Rafferty Park
O'Connell's GAC, TullysaranTulach Saráin000Páirc Uí Chonaill/O’Connell Park
St. Killian's GACCLG Naomh Cillian, Crois Bán000Páirc Naomh Cillian/St Killian’s Park
Wolfe Tone GAC, DerrymacashDe Bhulbh Ton Dhoire Mhic Cais agus Naomh Éanna000Páirc na Ropairí/Raparee Park

County team
Main article: Armagh county football team

Armagh has a long tradition of football. Several clubs were already in existence before the formation of the County Board in 1889.[6]

Armagh became only the second team to win the Ulster Senior Football Championship in 1890. In the early years of the GAA, a club that won its county championship went on to represent the county and would also wear the county colours. Armagh Harps represented Armagh in the Ulster final, beating Tyrone (Cookstown's Owen Roes), but losing to All-Ireland Champions Cork (Midleton) in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Despite early success at provincial level, national success at junior and minor level and All-Ireland final appearances in 1953 and 1977, it took until 2002 for the Armagh county team to win their first and only All-Ireland Senior Football Championship under manager Joe Kernan. The county won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, in 1949 and again in 2009, but lost the 1957 All-Ireland Minor final to Meath.

The current manager of the county football team (since 2015) is Kieran McGeeney, who had a five-year contract that was extended by a year in 2019 to 2020.

Hurling

Like most counties outside of the game's heartland of Munster and south Leinster, hurling has tended to live in the shadow cast by Gaelic football in Armagh, with the exception of border areas such as Middletown.

In 2006 Armagh won the NHL Division 3 championship, winning all their games in the group stages before beating Louth 3-10 to 1-11 in the final at Breffni Park in Cavan. The step up to Division 2 proved to be a difficult one for the men from the Orchard County. While the team failed to win any of their group games they were unfortunate to lose to Meath and also managed to come within a point of the 2006 Christy Ring Cup finalists Carlow. Heavier defeats were suffered at the hands of more established counties such as Derry and Laois.

Armagh returned to the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in May 2007 for the first time in almost 60 years with a match against Derry. Despite putting in a strong performance the team lost out on the chance of a semi-final encounter with neighbours Down to an injury-time score.

The advances made in the county over the past two years placed them as favourites in the Nicky Rackard Cup encounter on August 12 against Roscommon; however they lost this game by two points.

In 2010, Armagh won the Nicky Rackard Cup, beating London on a scoreline of 3-15 to 3-14 on 3 July in Croke Park. The Minor team won the Ulster Minor Hurling League Division One title and reached the Ulster Minor Hurling Championship Final. The Under 21 team also reached the Ulster U21 Championship Final.

In 2011 the senior side reached the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship final for the first time since 1946 and made it to the Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship final for the second year in a row for the first time in their history. Armagh then won Division 2B in 2016 earning promotion to Division 2A. They were then subsequently relegated. They then beat Down in the Ulster Hurling championship semi final giving them a place in the final where they were beaten. They beat Down in the 2017 ulster hurling semi final and are in the final. They were beaten in the 2016 Nicky Rackard cup by Mayo on a score line of 2-16 to 1-15.

In 2012, Armagh won the Nicky Rackard Cup for the second time, beating Louth 3-20 to 1-15 on 9 June in Croke Park.

Armagh have the following achievements in hurling.

Ulster Minor Hurling League Division One Winners: 2010

Camogie

The high point in Armagh's camogie history was an appearance in the National Camogie League final of 1995 against Cork, beating Galway and Wexford's first teams en route to the final. It came just one year after they qualified for senior status having won the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship in 1994, the "Premier Junior" championship for the Kay Mills Cup just twelve months earlier in 1993. The bulk of that team had emerged from an under-16 squad who reached the All Ireland final of 1988.

Armagh won Division 2 of the National Camogie League four times, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 1994, and the Nancy Murray Cup in 2006.[7] Armagh qualified for the All Ireland Minor B final of 2003[8] and won the Minor C championship in 2011.[9]

Crossmaglen won the 2005 All Ireland junior club title.[10] Keady Lámh Dhearg qualified for the finals in 2006 and 2007.[11][12] Keady Lámh Dhearg and St Brenda's Ballymacnab have won divisional honours at Féile na nGael. Notable players include young player of the year for 2005 Colette McSorley.

Under Camogie's National Development Plan 2010-2015, "Our Game, Our Passion",[13] five new camogie clubs were to be established in the county by 2015.[14]

Armagh have the following achievements in camogie.

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References
  1. Neville, Conor. "6 Counties Who Have Changed Their GAA Kit Colours And The Reasons Why". balls.ie.
  2. Hoganstand.com coverage of 2012 sponsorship deal
  3. Keys, Colm (8 November 2012). "Morgan adds fuel to Armagh sponsor row". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  4. O'Riordan, Ian (8 November 2012). "Sponsor ends ground deal with Armagh". Irish Times. Irish Times Ltd. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  5. "Slipping through the cracks: Tír na nÓg GAA club needed for more than just sport". BBC Sport. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  6. Newry Memoirs feature on GAA
  7. 2006 Jun A Armagh 0-7 Laois 0-1 in Drogheda scorers in Irish Independent
  8. 2003 minor b Waterford 6-11 Armagh 1-4 report in Irish Independent
  9. "Minor C final Armagh 3-5 Meath 1-10 report on camogie.ie". camogie.ie.
  10. 2003 Junior Crossmaglen 2-5 Drumcullen 0-6 report in Irish Independent
  11. 2006 junior club final Harps 1-7 Keady 0-5 report in Irish Independent and Irish Times
  12. 2007 Junior club final Harps 2-8 Keady 2-7 report in Irish Independent, Irish Times and on camogie.ie
  13. "Final goal for camogie". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  14. National Development Plan 2010-2015, Our Game, Our Passion information page on camogie.ie Archived 2010-09-01 at the Wayback Machine, pdf download (778k) from Camogie.ie download site Archived 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine
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