Na Piarsaigh GFC

Na Piarsaigh C.P.G. – History Details 1982 to 2008  

The ambitions of local priest and staunch GAA follower Rev. Vincent Duffy C.C. were realised on 27^thNovember 1982 when Na Piarsaigh was founded as a Gaelic football club for the rapidly growing Holy Family Parish area.  The club grounds which are situated on the Blackrock Road, are officially named Pairc an tAthair Ui Dubhaigh in honour of Fr. Vincy.

The inaugural meeting took place in the Parochial House in Mourne Vale on November 27th 1982. On that night it was agreed to form a club and the name was chosen in honour of our great national hero – Padraig Mac Piorais. The club colours were agreed as black and amber stripes and the following committee was elected:- President - Paddy Kenny; Vice President -Patsy Martin; Chairman - Rev. Fr Vincy Duffy (RIP); Vice-Chairman - Thomas Bracken (RIP); Secretary - Sean Gordon; Asst Secretary - Ian Brodigan; Treasurer -Patsy Clarke (RIP); Asst Treasurer -PatHughes; PRO & County Board Rep - Paddy Larkin; Committee:PatHartigan; Johnny Duffy; Tom Kirwan; Don McEvoy; Thomas Connor; Joey Kirk; Brendan O'Mara (RIP); John Tobin.

January of 1983 was a busy time for the new committee involving affiliation to the Louth County board for the first time, and arranging the playing the clubs historic first game, a challenge match against Stabannon Parnells which Na Piarsaigh won by two points. There were no trophies secured at Junior or Minor level in its inaugural year.

1984 also yielded no trophies but was a busy year for the finance committee of the club as they were organising the financing of our new playing facility. All the hard work of our fundraising committee was finally rewarded by the purchase of land and a house Cox’s on the Blackrock Road.  The decision was agreed at an EGM of the club in Bay Estate School on May 6^th 1984.

Whilst Na Piarsaigh appeared in the final of 7 adult county competitions in their first ten years of existence, success was not abundant and the Holy Family Parish team only prevailed in one of these finals, the Donagh Cup Final in 1986, following a 1-7 to 1-4 victory over Wolfe Tones at Dromiskin on October 5th. 18 year old Ciaran Tobin was the hero that day when he came off the substitute’s bench to score 1-1 and seal victory for the Black and Amber. Thomas Connor captained the team.

The 1987 season ended on a sad note for the club with the transfer of our Rev Chairman Fr. Duffy to a new parish. The 1987 AGM provided the opportunity for a new Chairman to be elected and in the guise of Paddy Kenny the club found a competent Chairman and the club went from strength to strength under his direction.  

June 19^th 1988 saw the club play their first match on their new pitch against Dowdallshill and the final off the field act on 1988 saw planning permission secured for dressing rooms.  1988 finished with a Donagh Cup (Div 4FL) Final defeat versus O’Raghallaighs. Na Piarsaigh ending up on the wrong end of a 2-6 to 0-8 score line at Dunleer on11^th December.

1990 and 1991 proved to be lean times on the playing field but an Avonmore Shield Final appearance was secured in 1992, however St. Nicholas 3-9 Na Piarsaigh 0-3, Castlebellingham 5^th June. The Avonmore Shield final loss was a demoralising one but the club was to bounce back in the best possible way in 1993, by winning promotion to Intermediate football following a fine Junior Championship victory over Glyde Rangers on a score line of 2-6 to 0-10, at Haggardstown.  Glyde were fully expected to win the Junior Championship title, however a young Na Piarsaigh team had other ideas and proved worthy winners on the day.  

In 1994, Na Piarsaigh followed up on the success of 1993 by winning the Junior 2B Championship in the competition’s inaugural year, when they defeated Lannleire 2-9 to 0-8, also at McGeough Park Haggardstown on 25^th September. Despite trailing 1-4 to 0-4 at half time, the Holy Family Parish team outscored their mid Louth opponents 2-5 to 0-4 in the second half, both Na Piarsaigh goals coming from the fist of Paul McCourt to secure a memorable victory. 

Na Piarsaigh found themselves back playing in Junior football grade again in 1996 following relegation from the Intermediate grade at the end of the 1995 season.  But, it was not long before the Holy Family Parish men were back in the Intermediate ranks again.  Na Piarsaigh won this right when they captured the Division 3 Junior League in 1997 by defeating St. Brides 2-7 to 0-7 in a play-off at Haggardstown on 8^th November. A very young Cormac Malone among the goals that day, as Captain Paul Roddy collected the trophy amid scenes of great joy. In 1998, the club consolidated their position in the Intermediate league and following a replay were defeated by Oliver Plunketts in the Intermediate Championship semi-final.

At the end of the 1999 season, Na Piarsaigh qualified to play in the Division 2A Intermediate league for the 2000 footballing year.  The 2000 season resulted in Na Piarsaigh being relegated to the Division 2B Intermediate league and in 2001 the Rock Road team were again relegated and so they found themselves playing in Junior football for 2002.  Their return to Intermediate was instant following a 0-13 to 1-8 victory over town rivals Dowdallshill in the 2002 Junior Football Championship final. Barry Magill acted as captain for the team and he was joined by Gerry Stewart, Kenny Sullivan, Paul Smith and substitute Eugene Burns as surviving members of the 1993 Junior Championship win.

In 2003 the club made no impact in the Intermediate Championship and following a poor first half to the Division 2B league campaign, Na Piarsaigh performed really well in the second half of the campaign, retaining Intermediate status following a comfortable relegation play-off success (1-10 to 0-3) against St. Mochtas played at Haggardstown.

2004 – This was perhaps Na Piarsaigh’s most successful calendar year to date on the field of play.  The club won the 2003 U-21 competition which concluded in January 2004 by defeating Mattock/Hunterstown/Glen Emmett’s combination 3-10 to 1-8 at Dromiskin.  This success was followed up later in the year with promotion to Division 2A via a promotion play-off win over Westerns with a 1-8 to 1-5 victory on Sunday 14^th November in The Grove and the year ended with the club capturing the Junior 2B Championship with a 0-10 to 0-6 victory over Dreadnots at Louth Village.  Off the field developments took another giant step at the end of 2004, when the installation of floodlights on the playing field was completed.  The first competitive game to be played under the new floodlights was a Division 4B league game againstNaomh Malachi.

2005 -  In the Championship, Na Piarsaigh were pitted against Lannleire, town rivals Sean O’Mahonys and O’Raghallaighs in Group C, and following a defeat to Lannleire, a draw with Sean O’Mahony’s and defeat to O’Raghallaigh’s they exited the Championship. Na Piarsaigh completed the second round of Division 2A league games and finished in joint 1^st place with Sean O’Mahonys and Naomh Malachi. The draw for the play-off saw Na Piarsaigh drawn against Naomh Malachi with the winners qualifying to meet Sean O’Mahonys and a place in senior football at stake.  The play-off game with Naomh Malachi took place in Knockbridge but a large tally of wides was the deciding factor in the defeat. However the season ended on a high with the club capturing the Junior 2B Championship title for the second successive year with victory over Dundalk Gaels at Haggardstown. 

In 2006 Na Piarsaigh were hoping to make up for the disappointment of losing out to Naomh Malachi in a promotion play-off in 2005, but in Division 2A after a number of mixed results the team finished in a mid-table position. In the Championship, despite kicking off the campaign on 8^th July at Ardee with a 1-9 to 0-7 victory over Glen Emmet’s, two very disappointing defeats against Sean McDermott’s and O’Raghallaighs and the team came out of the final group game versus Hunterstown Rovers on the wrong side of 4-7 to 1-10 score line and with Championship elimination.

2007 saw the re-appointment of Pearse Craven and Damien Shields as the Na Piarsaigh Intermediate side management team.  The team and management put in a massive effort and the season ended with Na Piarsaigh finishing a close 2^nd in the Division 2 league to Dundalk Gaels and beaten in an Intermediate Championship semi-final replay to eventual winners Dundalk Gaels. .

In 2008 Pearse Craven and Damien Shields continued their great work with the team and at the completion of the Division 2 campaign, which stretched from April to November, the team found ourselves in second place again with no reward in terms of promotion. Most notably the team reached the Intermediate Final in the club history following a 100% record in the Group stages, when wins over Geraldines, Sean McDermotts, Hunterstown, Oliver Plunketts and O’Raghallaighs, was followed by a 5 point semi final victory over Oliver Plunketts in the semi-final. The support for the team on the day of the final was phenomenal, however unfortunately it was not to be Na Piarsaigh’s day and the Dreadnots held out for a one point victory.  

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