Successful Years

The late 1970's and early 80's were successful years for the club as they were promoted to Division 2 of the All County Hurling League and entered a second team in Division 4. 1979 started with great encouragment for juvenile hurling with 60 underage players turning up for hurling training. With this, the club had entered U-12 and U-14 teams in the North Antrim leagues. The following season the club had entered teams at U-12, U-14, U-16 and minor levels in North Antrim competitions. This year also saw the breakthrough in another code with the entering of a football team in the North Antrim Championship. During this period the club found themselves alternating between Divisions 2 and 3 for a number of seasons.

In 1979 the club won its first hurling title when it won the North Antrim Junior Hurling Championship. 1980 saw the club attempt to buy land nearer to Larne at Sallagh but Larne Council again flatly refused to entertain any notion of a GAA field anywhere near the town and a public enquiry was later held. The first phase of the Feystown pitch was completed in 1981 but as 1981 was a very turbulent and politically sensitive time the club was able to play only 5 All County league fixtures. The club did win the North Antrim Junior Hurling Championship but were unable to win the county final. The joys and expectations for the next year were absolutely devastated by the death of a member of the championship winning team, Kevin Burke. The newspaper report about the Championship victory had listed Kevin as Man of the Match. Indeed on many occasions his natural and sportsmanlike play shone through. On and off the field in the many sports that he participated in, he showed great skill and leadership qualities. Latharna Og had lost a great talent who would have graced any team at the highest level.

The club won Division 3 of the All County Hurling League in 1983 by defeating Tir na nOg in the final game of the season at Feystown on the day of the Long Kesh escape. 1983 Player of the Year was Ritchie Dobbin. Playing at full forward with Ritchie anchored at the edge of the square the cry that season was  Feed the Bear .

In 1985 Camogie was reintroduced to the club under the stewardship of Patricia Magill and Veronica Cairns who managed a junior and minor team. However due to lack of interest in the younger camogie players they had to withdraw from the minor league in 1987.

The Junior Feis was won in 1988 and players who received special mention that year were Billy Bell, Greg McGoldrick and Richard Connolly. The Junior Feis was retained in 1989. The club again reached the final of the North Antrim Junior Hurling Championship in 1990 when they met Glenariff at Glenravel. Unfortunately the icing was not on the cake and this was no fairy tale. At the end of the match the ugly and brutal side that can attach itself to hurling became evident. The years that followed this final appearance saw Latharna Og enter a period of serious decline. The team of the 80's were reaching retirement and with no juvenile structures in place coupled with naked sectarian aggression the club found it difficult to replace these players. However in 1989 when Antrim reached the All Ireland Hurling Final interest in the club grew as Paddy McNeill and his small band of helpers put 70 juvenile hurlers through their paces and hurling was reborn in Larne. However this early promise proved to be a false dawn as that potential was not realised due to the lack of facilities.