Ballymacnab Round Towers GAC

Ballymacnab Round Towers Gaelic Athletic Club (Irish: CLG na gCloigthithe, Baile Mhic an Aba) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club within Armagh GAA. It is based in the townland and village of Ballymacnab in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, in the parish of Cill Chluana, four miles south of the city of Armagh.[1]

Ballymacnab Round Towers GAC
CLG na gCloigthithe, Baile Mhic an Aba
Founded:1967
County:Armagh
Nickname:The 'Nab
Colours:Maroon and White
Grounds:Páirc na nGael
Playing kits
Standard colours

The club plays Gaelic football in the Armagh Senior Championship.

History
Mid Armagh Divisional Champions team, 1946.

In 1925 a short-lived Ballymacnab team, Brian Ógs, affiliated to the Armagh GAA Junior League. In the early 1930s a parish league was organised within Cill Chluana, out of which three clubs emerged over the following decades: Ballymacnab, Granemore and Clady. In the 1940s and 1950s the Ballymacnab Shamrocks participated in the Mid Armagh Junior League and Championships, reaching some championship and league finals, but winning only the Mid Armagh Divisional Championship in 1946.

In 1960 Ballymacnab had to amalgamate with Granemore to field a team known as Kilcluney. This team lasted only two years. After a hiatus, the Ballymacnab club was reformed as the Round Towers in 1967, and competed in Division IV of the Armagh League. The club reached Division II by 1969 but lost in the Junior Championship finals of 1969, 1971 and 1972.

Ballymacnab won Division IV of the All-County League in 1980 and Division III in 1982. The club reached the Junior Finals of 1984, 1993 and 1994 and eventually won it in 1999. In 2005 the club won the Mid Armagh Shield and League Division III, and in 2006, the Intermediate Championship, going on to the Ulster Intermediate final. In 2010 the seniors won the ACL Division II, were promoted to Division 1 for the first time, retained that status in 2011 and reached their first County Senior Final.[2] However, in the final they were comprehensively beaten by the favourites Crossmaglen Rangers, one of Ireland's most famous clubs who were making their 55th appearance in an Armagh Senior Final, by a score of 2-22 to 0-03, on 16 October 2011 at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh.[3][4]

Honours

Notable players
  • Joe O'Hare, played on the Armagh team that reached the 1953 All-Ireland Final; also played for Minors
  • Gavin McParland, Mickey O'Hare, - Armagh Senior, U21 and Minor players
  • Mickey McCone, Patrick Toner, Brian McCone, Rory Grugan, Pauric Gribben, Sean Hughes - Armagh Senior players
  • Rory Grugan, Armagh U21 and Minor player
  • Seamus Hughes, John Kelly, Gerard McClelland, Philip McCone, Ryan Kennedy - Armagh Under 21 players
  • Frank McCone, Peter Cosgrove, Packie Nugent, Brendan McKee, Jimmy Murphy, Paddy McGeown, Gary Donnelly, James Gray, Damian McGeown, Dominic McParland, Jack Grugan - Armagh Minor players
  • John McManus, Armagh U21, Minor player and 2012 All-Ireland Final

Camogie

Ballymacnab is also home to the successful St Brenda's camogie club.

Culture

The club had All-Ireland wins in Scór competitions in 1996 and 1997.[2]

Facilities

In 1975 it purchased the playing field where it had long been based, and redeveloped the grounds as Páirc na nGael, officially opened in 1981.[1]

References
  1. Ballymacnab page Archived 2012-12-19 at the Wayback Machine on Armagh GAA website
  2. Club history on website
  3. Club website report of 2011 final
  4. Sports News Ireland report of 2011 final
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