History
of Liatroim
Leitrim Fontenoys club was founded
in 1888 by the McAleenan brothes (Ballymaginthy) and
J. L. Savage (Backaderry) and took its title from
the celebrated Battle of Fontenoy fought in Belgium
in 1745 which resulted in victory for a combined Irish/French
army over the English.
Equally adept at both hurling and
football the Fontenoys' first major title came in
1905 when they won the County Senior Football title.
In the 1920-21 season they had the unique distinction
of capturing both the Senior Hurling and Football
titles in the one season only to lose the hurling
title on a technicality. Twice more in the Twenties,
this time in the years 1927 and '28 the Fontenoys
were Senior Hurling Champions.
For most of the 1930's and early
Forties the club had two separate teams. Gargory Geraidines
playing football won the Junior County title in 1934
as did the Fontenoys competing in the Hurling Championship.
In the years following the war, hurling was the predominant
game and between then and the end of the Fifties four
more Junior County titles came the club's way.
The Sixties began and ended on a
high note for the Fontenoys. The euphoria surroundng
Down victories in the All-Ireland Finals of 1960 and
'61 was shared by Leitrim people as one of their own,
P. J. McEiroy, was a member of that historic team.
In 1968 Colm McAlarney and Willie Doyle were key members
of the County team which brought Sam Maguire back
to Down for the third time. The opening of Fontenoy
Park in September 1969 was a major landmark in the
history of the club. This heralded a new progressive
era which saw the club expand its involvement in cultural
activities and the development of hurling, camogie
and football at juvenile level. Success followed in
underage competitions and at senior level in camogie.
The 1980's have not been without success either.
The camogic teams continued to gain
honours at the highest levels and the hurlers and
footballers achieved County success at Junior and
Intermediate levels. The opening of a new community
hall at Fontenoy Park in 1983 proved to be a focal
point for the activities of the local populace.
In 1988 the club celebrated with
pride, 100 years of gaelic activity in the parishes
of Upper and Lower Drumgooland. One era had ended,
another was about to begin.
