Northern Towns/villages without GAA clubs

[marty34]

Folks I've just stumbled upon this thread.

Curious to know why Gilford in County Down currently does not have a GAA club? Is there the potential there to create a club - thinking land and playing numbers.

I know Tullylish is the local club in the parish, but with it being approx. 3 mile out of Gilford in Lawrencetown and a growing population in Gilford surely there would be demand for a new club in the village? New housing developments in recent years has seen a lot of people come into the area (almost becoming a commuter village given proximity to Banbridge A1 etc) and its also clear to see a lot of GAA jerseys being worn in the village/kids playing football, hurling and comogie... The population of the local school St John's is also growing. I'm wondering would Tullylish survive if a new club was created in Gilford village also? Competition can be a good thing and Tullylish still have a big catchment area.

A club on your doorstep where the local people can go within walking distance is hard to beat. Would be great for local community... Would welcome peoples thoughts on the matter and also has anyone thought about similar towns or villages in the north that could potentially start a new club?

Gilford to Tullylish GAC is what, 2-3 miles?

That's as good as on top of each other when it comes to rural GAA.

Tullylish have also developed some of the best facilities in the county the past decade.

Why on earth would anybody want to run another club against that instead of joining in?

If you'd like GAA in Gilford, petition for the council to build and maintain a GAA field. It would for all intents and purposes become Tullylish's second facility.

Spoken like the Tullylish chairperson/committee member. 

[johnnycool]

Ballymena division 1 in Antrim(just this year) and have floated up and down for the guts of my life. They are getting stronger at underage I think. They have two county starters, a sub and a guy who would be a starter but he did his crucially.

Lisburn an interesting one. They have been on the go ages. They were very poor when I played but the last number of years have tapped into new population and are improving. They are division two now and seem to yo yo a bit between two and three.

Larne have a club, hurling, and won junior b in Antrim about four or five years ago but haven't been able to sustain the numbers. They may have some underage teams or amalgamations.

It'd be a cold day in hell before there was a gaa club in Newtownards. Bangor has nothing to best of my knowledge.

Portadown have a club but don't know anything about them. Craigavon I don't know about.

St Paul's in Holywood would represent the host town, along with Bangor and Newtownards. They've a good set up.

There used a football team in Newtownards called the Scrabo Harps, but I think they went out of existence in the 1970's, 1978 to be precise.

There's a pretty big catholic primary school in Ards, current Principal is one of our former players.

[Itchy]

I cannot think of any crossroad in Cavan that doesn't have a gaa club, never mind a village

[Rossfan]

How many Clubs in Cavan?

[AustinPowers]

Is/was there  a Lough shore championship, like the Gaeltacht championship?

Would be a great  idea , with different hosts annually. Seems a no brainer  given there seems to be so many clubs near  the Lough Neagh shoreline , and  would be great for the local economies

Because they're all mental (the derry part of the lough shore anyway)

Just don't tell  the Derry wans  about it

[markl121]

Is/was there  a Lough shore championship, like the Gaeltacht championship?

Would be a great  idea , with different hosts annually. Seems a no brainer  given there seems to be so many clubs near  the Lough Neagh shoreline , and  would be great for the local economies

Because they're all mental (the derry part of the lough shore anyway)

Just don't tell  the Derry wans  about it

Nah I'd be in agreement

[lurganblue]

Is/was there  a Lough shore championship, like the Gaeltacht championship?

Would be a great  idea , with different hosts annually. Seems a no brainer  given there seems to be so many clubs near  the Lough Neagh shoreline , and  would be great for the local economies

There is a bit of mention in our club centenary book about a Lough Neagh Cup in and around 1910. Teams in it like Shamrocks(Aghagallon), Dalcassians (Brankinstown), O'Donnells (Crumlin), Owen Roe's (Glenavy) and Davitts (Lurgan).

It's certainly interesting to consider the amount of teams from around the Lough Shore, and what a cup comp would look like now. 

[general_lee]

What would be the entry requirements for this hillbilly Loughshore Championship?

[markl121]

What would be the entry requirements for this hillbilly Loughshore Championship?

Open to anyone afflicted by the flies. Although these have reduced massively recently

[Milltown Row2]

What would be the entry requirements for this hillbilly Loughshore Championship?

Open to anyone afflicted by the flies. Although these have reduced massively recently

Or fly tipping

[Gerard O’Neill]

Wasn't there a map on social media a few years back showing a light for every GAA club in Ireland?

[Gerard O’Neill]

Wasn't there a map on social media a few years back showing a light for every GAA club in Ireland?

https://x.com/PublicHistoryUL/status/1597212893115977730

Quite a big gap west of the Antrim Glens until you get into Derry.

[AustinPowers]

Wasn't there a map on social media a few years back showing a light for every GAA club in Ireland?

https://x.com/PublicHistoryUL/status/1597212893115977730

Quite a big gap west of the Antrim Glens until you get into Derry.

There's a club on Rathlin?

[Gerard O’Neill]

Wasn't there a map on social media a few years back showing a light for every GAA club in Ireland?

https://x.com/PublicHistoryUL/status/1597212893115977730

Quite a big gap west of the Antrim Glens until you get into Derry.

There's a club on Rathlin?

Looks like there is a GAA pitch on the island but no club.

[Milltown Row2]

Wasn't there a map on social media a few years back showing a light for every GAA club in Ireland?

https://x.com/PublicHistoryUL/status/1597212893115977730

Quite a big gap west of the Antrim Glens until you get into Derry.

Gaps in Donegal and Connemara.. West of Antrim would be Lough Neagh