Naomh Mearnóg

Infobox GAA club
club gaa =Naomh Mearnóg
irish =| crest =NM Logo 2.jpg
founded=1975
province=Leinster
county =Dublin

nickname =?
colours =Black and Amber| grounds = Torcaill

pattern_la= |pattern_b=_blackstripes |pattern_ra=
leftarm=FFC125 |body=FFC125 |rightarm=FFC125 |shorts=FFFFFF |socks=FFC125
|

Naomh Mearnóg is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Portmarnock, County Dublin, Ireland.

The club fields a total of 34 teams in football, hurling, camogie and ladies football including 3 adult football, 2 adult hurling, 2 adult camogie and 2 ladies football adult teams. A large number of juvanile teams also play.

History

Early yearsIn the late 1920’s and early 1930’s there were two grades of Adult inter-club football: Senior and Junior. It was the same at Inter-County level. The interest in Inter-County Football was nothing like it is nowadays, most of the focus was on the inter-club scene.

In the late 1920’s there was a temporary break-up of the Innisfails Junior Football team in Balgriffin, and as a result it was decided to form a team in Portmarnock. At that time Portmarnock would have been what is now called 'Old Portmarnock'. The population was sparse and if a team lost a few players it found it very difficult to survive.

Success came to the newly formed team quite quickly. (The team wore a black jersey with an amber sash.) In their first year of competition they were runners-up in Division 3 of the Fingal League. In the following years they won the Fingal League Division 1 on two occasions: the Fingal Championship once. During those years 7-a-side tournaments were very popular and drew huge crowds to the venues. St. Marnock’s were beaten by St. Margaret’s in the final of the Swords tournament played on August Monday 1930, after extra time. They won the Fintan Lalor tournament, beating Erins Isle in the final. This final was played at ‘The Thatch’, where the present Whitehall Catholic Church stands. Quite often St. Marnocks travelled to their ‘away’ games by train. The Club secretary would fill in a form by the Thursday before the game and the team consequently travelled at a reduced rate.

Their home games were played at different venues during those years:

a) A field behind Freaney’s house in Old Portmarnock.

b) The site of the old St. Anne’s Church

c) The site of the present St. Anne’s Church. (By sheer coincidence the newly formed Naomh Mearnóg played many of their early games on the same site.)

Other teams that St. Marnocks would have played against during those years were:

Pioneers (Balbriggan):Ballyboughal: St. Maurs: Parnells: Wild Geese: Peadar Mackens: St. Laurences (Howth) Erins Isle: Fingallians and many others.

Naomh Mearnog Re-launch

At the relaunch of the club, chaired by Mr. Leo Nealon, some members of the Dublin panel including Jimmy Keaveney, David Hickey and Robbie Kelleher were present. The club was not officially registered with Dublin County Board during that first year. The first year, under the Chairmanship of Paddy Doherty, was spent putting the club on a proper footing in terms of organising football and hurling at adult level and putting a juvenile structure in place with the co-operation of St. Marnock’s National School. In 1975 there was no school at St. Helens nor was there a Community School in existence.

Having made the initial breakthrough, it was deemed appropriate to have the club affiliated to the County Board. The first meeting of the club proper which was held on the 29th January 1976 at the North Coast Hotel. Paddy Doherty chaired that meeting with Jackie Hughes acting as Secretary and his brother-in-law Eanna Mac Caba acting as Treasurer. Records show that that meeting was attended by Frank McNulty, Patsy Haran (later to become Lord Mayor of Portmarnock), Danny McCormick, Vincent Hughes, Micheal O’Braonain, Jim Carroll, Eugene Keaveney, The Hanley brothers, Tom, Pat and Jack, Pat Keaveney (Principal of St. Marnock’s School), Christy Dwyer, Tony Jordan, Pat Dillon and Robert Kenny as well as the five original founding members.

The meeting was also attended by Liam Price of Naomh Maur who was later to become chairman of the Fingal Football Board. Eanna Mac Caba as acting Treasurer reported to the meeting that the club’s finances were in a healthy state showing a credit balance of £27 made up of subscriptions from Jackie Hughes, Brother O’Fearghail, Colaiste Mhuire, Ray Burke T.D. and Shay Corrigan. In the course of his report, the Secretary in waiting reported that the visit of the Dublin team to the parish in 1974 proved very valuable. The meeting decided that a football and hurling team be registered with the County Board under the name St Marnock’s.

Also at this meeting Patsy Haran commenced his long and distinguished career in football management when he was chosen to manage the club’s adult football team. Eugene Keaveney was selected team Captain and Pat Dillon was chosen as Vice-Captain. Robert Kenny was selected as trainer of this team. Selectors on the junior football side were to be Danny McCormick, Jackie Hughes and Vincent Hughes.

A juvenile committee was also set up to organise under age games in the Club under the auspices of the following: Frank McNulty, Patsy Haran, Micheál O’Braonáin, Pat Keaveney and Christy Dwyer.

On the playing side two teams were registered at under 11 and under 13 in the Dublin Football League. This historic event took place on the 25th February 1976. Approximately one month later (29th March in fact) an adult hurling team was formed with John Joe Lane selected as team manager with Danny McCormick and Vincent Hughes as selectors. Dermot Kennedy was selected as Captain with Jim Carroll (he of Camogie fame) as Vice-Captain.

In May 1976 Fr. Philips was appointed Club President, a position he held until his departure some years later to Ballymun.

Just to show that things have remained unchanged this first meeting set up a Finance Committee with the following members; Tom Farrelly, Pat Keaveney, Brendan Shannon, Martin McDonagh and Frank McNulty.

In 1978, Dublin County Council made 2 pitches available to the Club at Carrickhill.

Modern Naomh Mearnóg

Naomh Mearnog has some of the best facilities available in any GAA club in Ireland, covering almost 32 acres. There is a modern clubhouse containing dressingrooms, club bar, function hall, hand ball alley, catering facilities, meeting rooms and club shop. There are two adult pitches, a flood lit astro pitch, a juvenile pitch and training areas. There are two county council pitches nearby.

Famous Players

*Shane Ryan ryan o'sullivan

External links

* [http://www.naomhmearnog.ie/ Naomh Mearnóg Club Website]
* [http://www.clubgaa.ie/dublin/index.htm Dublin Club GAA]
* [http://www.hoganstand.com/dublin/ Dublin GAA]