Book Launch Saturday 5th November at 8.00pm
The long awaited written Club History has
finally gone to the printers and will be
available from Saturday 5th November following
the book launch which will take place in the
Clubrooms on Saturday 5th November at 8.00pm,
followed by light supper and musical
entertainment - everyone welcome.
The book’s 500 plus pages and containing more
than 100 photographs charts the rich history
of the club and the community from which it
draws its players and supporters throughout
the past one hundred years. Commonly referred
to as “the town”, the club has successfully
evolved from simple beginnings, when the
town’s schoolmaster, Martin Cafferkey formed
the first Gaelic schoolboy hurling team in the
town about 1903. Two years later on
Sunday March 19th 1905
the convention of the Down County Board was
held in St Malachy’s Primary School,
Castlewellan, and it was on that historic date
that Castlewellan GAC was officially
affiliated to the Gaelic Athletic Association.
The title of the book is quite simply “The
Town” and the choice of this title will come
as no surprise to the Gaels of County Down and
further afield as this is the name commonly
given to the St Malachy’s club as far back as
anyone can remember. Equally, Castlewellan’s
neighbouring parishes and villages have always
referred to this historic little settlement as
the “town” and so when a name was being sought
for the book the Club committee’s unanimous
chose was quite simply “The Town”.
From landlordism and partition, through two
World Wars and ‘the troubles’ this is the
first time that a comprehensive history of
Castlewellan has been put together. Written
and researched by former Club Chairman and
Secretary Gerry Dougherty and current Club
Secretary Ciarán Crilly, this is their story
about the proud Gaelic tradition of the town
and parish of Kilmegan and the influences on
the community of successive generations of
local Gaels and by those that came to settle
in the town.
While “The Town” is an essential and enjoyable
read for the Gaels of Castlewellan and the
surrounding parishes it is also an enjoyable
and informative read for those with no GAA
connections whatsoever. The history of the
area is traced from the seventeenth century
when Castlewellan was one of the principal
strongholds of the Magennis clan until they
were dispossessed of their patrimony in
Castlewellan after the
Battle of the Boyne. After the Magennis’s came
the Annseley’s, and from they acquired and
built the town of Castlewellan in the 1740’s
there has always been an Annesley presence and
influence in the town right up to the 1960’s.
So no story about Castlewellan and it’s
community would be complete without describing
the influences of successive generations of
the Annesley family, on the town and its
people. Local people have their story to tell
also and this book contains accounts and
memories of local people growing up and living
in the town going back to the 1920’s.
The appearance of this beautiful hardback book
is most impressive and of a high professional
quality with the cover depicting a number of
features of this historical town and most
importantly from a Club perspective a photo of
Castlewellan’s own Pat Rice who won two
ALL-Ireland medals with Down in 1960/61
holding the Sam Maquire Cup in 1960.
Throughout the chapters of this book the great
and the good the funny and the sad are visited
but most importantly of all – the people that
formed led and brought honour to Naomh
Maolmhoig Caisleán a’ Mhuilinn CLG and its
community.
The book, which is sure to become a
collector’s item, comes cover gloss laminated
and applied onto stock hardback material. The
text is printed in 4 colour process plus silk
coating throughout on 130gsm silk art paper,
folded, gathered, sewn in sections case bound,
trimmed and packed with inside text finished
in 4 colour process on 135gsm silk finished
paper.
Priced at £20 “The Town” comes well within
budget and is available at the appropriate
time to make an ideal Christmas gift for
family members at home or abroad.
For Book orders from abroad please email
castlewellangac@gaelmail.
Kevan Owens 07712183399 for more details or
email
castlewellangac@gaelmail.com
“THE TOWN”
A
HISTORY OF CASTLEWELLAN TOWN, THE PARISH OF
KILMEGAN
AND 100 YEARS OF CASTLEWELLAN GAA CLUB 1905 –
2005
2005 marks the centenary of St Malachy’s GAC Castlewellan and throughout
the year the Castlewellan Club have been
celebrating their Centenary Year by running a
succession of family and community events at
the Club’s Circular Road Clubrooms. On Friday
11th November their Club Centenary
Banquet will be held in the Canal Court Hotel
Newry and this promises to be a memorable and
historic night. The highlight of this event
will be the presentation of 8 special ‘Spirit
of the Club’ Awards to past and current
members (living and deceased) who by their
individual commitment, inspiration and service
have epitomised the true spirit of the Club
and the Association in the 100-year history of
the Club. This will be a gala occasion and an
opportunity for members and players past and
present to come together and renew
acquaintances with many Castlewellan exiles
their flights booked home for this unique
occasion.
However perhaps the event looked forward most by the Gaels of Castlewellan
is the publication of their written Club
History, which will be launched in the
Clubrooms at a special function on Saturday 5th
November 2005 commencing at 8.00pm.
The book’s 500 plus pages and containing more than 100 photographs charts
the rich history of the club
and the community
from which it draws its players and supporters
throughout the past one hundred years.
Commonly referred to as “the town”, the club
has successfully evolved from simple
beginnings, when the town’s schoolmaster,
Martin Cafferkey formed the first Gaelic
schoolboy hurling team in the town about 1903.
Two years later on Sunday March 19th 1905 the
convention of the Down County Board was held
in St Malachy’s Primary School, Castlewellan,
and it was on that historic date that
Castlewellan GAC was officially affiliated to
the Gaelic Athletic Association.
The title of the book is quite simply “The
Town” and the choice of this title will
come as no surprise to the Gaels of County
Down and further afield as this is the name
commonly given to the St Malachy’s club as far
back as anyone can remember. Equally,
Castlewellan’s neighbouring parishes and
villages have always referred to this historic
little settlement as the “town” and so when a
name was being sought for the book the Club
committee’s unanimous chose was quite simply
“The Town”.
From landlordism and partition, through two
World Wars and ‘the troubles’ this is the
first time that a comprehensive history of
Castlewellan has been put together. Written
and researched by former Club Chairman and
Secretary Gerry Dougherty and current Club
Secretary Ciarán Crilly, this is their story
about the proud Gaelic tradition of the town
and parish of Kilmegan and the influences on
the community of successive generations of
local Gaels and by those that came to settle
in the town.
While “The Town” is an essential and enjoyable
read for the Gaels of Castlewellan and the
surrounding parishes it is also an enjoyable
and informative read for those with no GAA
connections whatsoever.
The history of the
area is traced from the seventeenth century
when Castlewellan was one of the principal
strongholds of the Magennis clan until they
were dispossessed of their patrimony in
Castlewellan after the Battle of the Boyne.
After the Magennis’s came the Annseley’s, and
from they acquired and built the town of
Castlewellan in the 1740’s there has always
been an Annesley presence and influence in the
town right up to the 1960’s. So no story about
Castlewellan and it’s community would be
complete without describing the influences of
successive generations of the Annesley family,
on the town and its people. Local people have
their story to tell also and this book
contains accounts and memories of local people
growing up and living in the town going back
to the 1920’s.
The appearance of this beautiful hardback book
is most impressive and of a high professional
quality with the cover depicting a number of
features of this historical town and most
importantly from a Club perspective a photo of
Castlewellan’s own Pat Rice who won two
ALL-Ireland medals with Down in 1960/61
holding the Sam Maquire Cup in 1960.
Throughout the chapters of this book the great
and the good the funny and the sad are visited
but most importantly of all – the people that
formed led and brought honour to Naomh
Maolmhoig Caisleán a’ Mhuilinn CLG and its
community.
The book, which is sure to become a collector’s
item, comes cover gloss laminated and applied
onto stock hardback material. The text is
printed in 4 colour process plus silk coating
throughout on 130gsm silk art paper, folded,
gathered, sewn in sections case bound, trimmed
and packed with inside text finished in 4
colour process on 135gsm silk finished paper.
Priced at £20 “The Town” comes well
within budget and is available at the
appropriate time to make an ideal Christmas
gift for family members at home or abroad.
Enquiries about the book launch and the
centenary banquet can be made through St
Malachy’s GAC website
www.castlewellangac.com or e-mail
castlewellangac@gaelmail.com
