Ballinlough GFC
Ballinlough Gaelic Football Club is situated in North County Meath and has been affiliated with the County Board without cease since 1938. The club is represented from Juvenile up to Intermediate level, where its first team competes. The club colours consist of a red jersey with white trimmings.
Although the present club has been in existence since 1938 the first signs of football within the parish date back to the latter part of the nineteenth century when a team called Wolfe Tones represented Ballinlough. The fragmented nature of club structure during that era meant that the club endured a number of forays into official competition before becoming firmly established. A talented team is known to have existed within the club in 1905 only to disband in the years afterwards.
In 1913 Ballinlough Junior Football Club was reformed, a number of unofficial challenge matches between various town-lands within the area had unearthed a desire to once again compete within the Meath County Championships. The club affiliated for five or six years by which time arrests, raids and imprisonments by the Black and Tans made it impossible for the club to prosper.
Ballinlough GFC was once again in existence during the mid 1920’s but struggled to establish a foothold within the parish as teams from Crossakiel and Dervor were formed and they called on the services of a number of players who had previously been representing Ballinlough and so the club once again faded out of official competition in 1929.
In the mid 1930’s Crossakiel and Dervor had both disbanded and the first tentative steps were taken to re-establish football within the club. Interestingly, athletics held sway among local sporting enthusiasts at the time, but when the late Rev. Fr Drake purchased a football for the school in Ballinlough in 1932 the first seeds of the current club were firmly planted. In the years that followed a group of local teenagers used to gather at Gaynors Cross where they would kick a football about on the road and as the interest developed a challenge was sent out to any team from the surrounding area with a similar past-time. A number of unofficial challenge matches took place during those years, but they only served to wheat the appetite among the locals and a decision was made to affiliate the present club in 1938.
In 1939 championship success visited Ballinlough for the first time when an exciting young team captained by the late Jack Connell won the Junior Championship. The club plied its trade in the intermediate ranks for 15 seasons before they made the breakthrough and attained senior status for the first time in 1954. That team included some of the clubs Honoury Presidents such as Bob Ryan, Tom Ryan and Gerry Gaughran who went on to back-bone an emerging force in club football within the county. In 1962 Ballinlough reached the senior county final, only to be defeated by a Trim side spearheaded by Tim Ryan who had been an integral part of the clubs successful intermediate side of 1954.
That appearance in the senior final of 1962 proved to be the highlight of that spell in senior football and with retirements and with emigration taking its toil the club was relegated back to intermediate football in 1973. The immediate years afterwards represented an era of modest achievement on the field as the slide continued and the club could once again be found drifting in the murky waters of junior football in the early 1980’s.
However, strong work at underage level was beginning to bear fruit and in 1988 a talented young team, defeated Cortown in the semi-final of the championship to set up a mouthwatering final against local rivals Carnaross. Ballinlough found themselves holding on to a three point lead in the dieing moments only to concede a goal, but when Jody Devine glided over a winning point another chapter was wrote in the history of Ballinlough GFC. It was a fitting reward for team manager, the late Matty Mc Donnell, who was synonyms with achievement for both club and county. A memorable year was capped off with promotion in the A-league following a victory over Dunshaughlin in the Division 3 final.
With confidence growing and a talented group of young players developing a formidable team spirit it seemed only a matter of time until Ballinlough regained its place at the top table of club football. The following year an exciting league campaign culminated in a final appearance against Moynalvey in Pairc Tailteann in late autumn, a riveting hour of football could not deliver a winner and a replay was fixed for the same venue a week later. A dense fog descended around Navan on the morning of the match and cavalcades of loyal supporters were redirected to Kilberry where the Division 2 A-league title was earned in nail biting circumstances.
|
Despite this league success, consistency was proving elusive in the first couple of years of intermediate football, Shane Mc Entee drafted in as team manager in 1991 and a sense of belief was once again starting to develop within the squad. The group stages were successfully negotiated and Simonstown were defeated in the quarter-final, a clear sign of intent was issued when championship favorites Dunboyne were toppled in the semi-final. St. Patrick’s provided the opposition in an epic final, despite falling behind early-on Ballinlough recovered to win by the narrowest of margins 1-8 to 0-10, the wheel had turned full circle. A battle hardened outfit was evolving and a senior semi-final was reached in 1993, eventual winners Navan O’ Mahony’s proved too strong on front of a large crowd in Kells.
Further championship success has eluded Ballinlough; however there have been notable achievements in league competitions. In 1996 the Division 2 A-League title was attained after St. Patrick’s were defeated in Walterstown. The following year Ballinlough defeated many of the counties top teams as they weaved their way in to the Division 1 A-League final against Simonstown Gaels. Pairc Tailteann was the venue on a wet and windy November day as Ballinlough prevailed by 0-9 to 0-6. |
 |
The Division 1 A-League title was regained in 1999 when Walterstown were defeated in Carlanstown, but it was perhaps that year which represented the greatest opportunity for senior championship success, eventual winners Skyrne fought back to win by the narrowest of margins in the quarter-final.
In 2007 Ballinlough were relegated to the intermediate championship following a 16 year stint in senior football, despite reaching the knock-out stages of the I.F.C. regularly in the last four years a return to the senior grade has eluded the club.
In 2007 Ballinlough were relegated to the intermediate championship following a 16 year stint in senior football, despite reaching the knock-out stages of the I.F.C. regularly in the last four years a return to the senior grade has eluded the club.