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Early Days (60's & 70's) -
Successful Years (70's & 80's)
Period Of Decline (90's) - Pitch
Development and Continued Growth (Present Day)
Honours & Achievements
Early Days
Latharna Og GAC was
founded in 1965 when a few men with an interest in hurling set about
promoting the game in Larne. Several attempts to do this previously
failed, both in hurling and gaelic football circles. The first
committee consisted of Rev John Moley, James McCaughan, Alex McGarry,
Denis McKillop, Jim McKermitt and Dominic Magill. The club initially
entered the Belfast and District hurling leagues and at a committee
meeting on Sunday 2 April 1967 the delegates voted on a name for the
club and Latharna Og GAC was born. In 1969 Latharna Og won the St
John's GAC, Belfast, 'Club of the Year' award and it was at a
function to celebrate this award that the club song 'The Craigyhill
Terrors' was first heard which was composed by Sr.
St. Bridget, music
teacher at St Comgalls school. 'The Craigyhill Terrors' has since
been recited at many locations throughout the world where past and
present Latharna Og hurlers have found themselves.
Training initally
took place on the Linn Road green and at Antiville playing fields
where a common sight was Fr Moley issuing training drills using a
loud hailer. Schoolboy hurling was played on the Linn Road green and
the club's first match was an underage game against St Columba's,
Glengormley on Saturday 5th June 1965 which resulted in a victory
for Latharna Og. Street leagues were organised with up to 80
schoolboys participating and friendly matches at U-9 and U-12 were
arranged against Ballycastle, Dunloy and Carey. Dominic Magill and
James McCaughan travelled to Casement Park to contact several
Belfast teams interested in starting an U-13 league. Friendly games
with Belfast teams continued throughout the summer months of 1967.
One of the players who is now a veteran of those early training
sessions, present club chairman Paul McCaughan, was a member of the
Antrim Vocational Schools team who defeated North Tipperary
Vocational Schools in the All Ireland final at that grade in 1971.
In 1970 a camogie team was formed and this was the beginning of a
nucleus of players who were to bring championship honours to
Latharna Og. 1971 saw the minor camogie team win the South Antrim
League and in 1973 the camogie team at St.Comgall’s school won the
Ulster Schools Championship. This was the first Six County team to
win the Ulster Colleges Competition for first years. These sucesses
were followed up with the capture of the Antrim minor camogie
championship in 1974. The same year the senior camogie team were
defeated by Dunloy in the final of the county junior camogie
championship.
In 1973 Fr. Moley
was transferred from Larne parish but remained as the club
treasurer. When he later resigned this position the club elected him
President of Latharna Og GAC. To say that the club was devistated
with Fr. Moley's transfer was an understatement. Everyone had lost a
great friend and a true gael. Latharna Og owed their founding member
a great debt and it was up to those who were left in Larne to carry
on with the work which he started. In 1975 John Brown was elected
Treasurer, a post he still holds, after initially being appointed
secretary where his meticulous regard for detail ensured the
standard for keeping records was set, and his years of service to
the club have been invaluable.
Initially,
permission was granted by Larne council to the club to play its
matches on the Craigyhill playing fields. However as the fledgling
club progressed with its early development there was stern
opposition to the playing of our national game on council property
and the continuing saga with Larne Borough Council about the letting
of the playing fields for hurling made the club committee more
determined to find suitable premises for our national game. In 1972
the club purchased land at the Old Glenarm Road to develop a playing
pitch but this land was the subject of a compulsory purchase order
from the DOE for a road widening scheme which left the pitch
dimensions too narrow and planning permission was refused. In 1974
the club was refused permission by Larne council to use the playing
fields in Craigyhill and with hurling or camogie being played on
every night of the week and senior hurling on a Sunday, the club was
then faced with a dilema in that they required a pitch in order to
play their home games. After searching for land in the Glenarm area
where a couple of sites were pursued, in 1975 Latharna Og entered in
a 50% partnership with St. Joseph's, Glenarm, to purchase and
develop the pitch which now exists at Feystown. This pitch served as
Latharna Og's home base until 2007, when due to the development of
our new pitch at Ballytober on the Brustin Brae Road, our stake in
the Feystown pitch was purchased by the Shane O'Neill's club,
Glenarm.
Successful Years >>
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