John Mitchel's GAC Glenullin ( ga, CLG Seán Mistéil Gleann an Iolair) is a

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

club based in

Glenullin Glenullin was previously a rural area but has now expanded to become a small village in a valley between the villages of Garvagh, Swatragh and Dungiven, and lies in the borough of Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The nearest c ...

, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the

Derry GAA The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Dhoire) or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Londonderry ...

. They currently cater for both

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

and

camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...

. Glenullin fields Gaelic football teams at U8, U10, U12, U14, U16,

Minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

, Reserve, and

Senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

levels. Underage teams up to U-12's play in North Derry league and championships, from U-14 upwards teams compete in All-Derry competitions.

2019 Championship Football

2018 Championship Football

2017 Championship Football

History

In May 1925 Johnny Mullan (Seán Ó Maoláin), the local school teacher, called a meeting with the aim of establishing a new Gaelic football club in Glenullin. The club decided to name itself after Irish rebel

John Mitchel John Mitchel ( ga, Seán Mistéal; 3 November 1815 – 20 March 1875) was an Irish nationalist activist, author, and political journalist. In the Great Famine (Ireland), Famine years of the 1840s he was a leading writer for The Nation (Irish n ...

and wore green and white hooped jerseys. The first ever match took place that summer against a team from

Randalstown Randalstown is a townland and small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, between Antrim and Toome. It has a very prominent disused railway viaduct and lies beside Lough Neagh and the Shane's Castle estate. The town is bypassed by the M22 ...

, County Antrim. The team colours have now changed to green and gold hoops. Glenullins original football pitch was Tinkers Park in Coolcoscreghan townland, on the junction of the Lisnascreghog and Glen roads. This field is now livestock grazing. Their original meeting hall is a green metal building with a red roof on the Glenullin Road at the junction with Lisnascreghog Road. Sadly, this piece of their history has been abandoned and allowed to fall into disrepair. Their current pitch beside the council sink estate in Curraghmore was opened in 1973. Glenullin at the time played in South Derry competitions. They were soon successful and won the 1927 Derry Senior Football League and the 1928

Derry Senior Football Championship The Derry Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top sixteen Derry GAA clubs. The winners receive the John McLaughlin Cup and qualify to represent Derry in the Ulster Senior Club Football Champi ...

. They were also victorious in the 1934 South Derry League. A branch of the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

was also formed in Glenullin around this time. Glenullin switched to North Derry competitions in 1938. They won back-to-back Dr. Kerlin Cups in 1938 and 1939. Glenullin won the 1939 South Derry? League final. 1940 proved a very successful year for Mitchel's; they won the Dr. Kerlin Cup, the Neal Carlin Cup and the North Derry Championship. They won their third North Derry Championship in 1944. They won the Neal Carlin Cup again in 1947. 1951 was the year John Mitchel's first wore the green and gold hoops, which they currently wear today. Glenullin, like much of rural Ireland was greatly affected by emigration in the 1950s. Due to lack of numbers the club was relegated to the Junior ranks. The club won the North Derry Junior title in 1953. Glenullin re-emerged in the 1960s to become a force in Derry football once more. The side won the 1962 North Derry Minor and All-Derry Minor titles. The Seniors won the Dr. Kerlin Cup in 1964. In 1977 Glenullin defeated

Desertmartin Desertmartin (;Toner, Gregory: ''Place-Names of Northern Ireland'', page 85. Queen's University of Belfast, 1996, )Flanagan, Deirdre & Laurence: ''Irish Place Names'', page 202. Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2002. is a small village in County Londonde ...

to become Derry Intermediate Football Champions. 1985 proved a glory year for Glenullin. They won their first Derry Senior Championship in 58 years by defeating

Ballinderry Ballinderry () is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh. The parish c ...

in the final at Dean McGlinchey Park, Ballinascreen. In 2007 they defeated another South Derry "giant", Bellaghy in a replay, this giving them their first Derry Championship success in 22 years. They were managed that year by

Liam Bradley Liam Bradley, commonly known by his nickname Baker, is a Gaelic football manager and former player for Glenullin and the Derry county team. He twice managed the senior Antrim county team between October 2008 and August 2012 and from Novembe ...

, and joint captain with Brian Mullan was his son Paddy. They went on to the provincial semi-final against St Galls, but lost in an out-of-sorts performance from their key players. In 2010, Glenullin player

Eoin Bradley Eoin Bradley (commonly known by his nickname Skinner; born 31 December 1983) is a Gaelic footballer and association footballer. He plays the former for the Glenullin club and, previously, for the Derry county team. With Glenullin he won a Derry ...

brought shame upon the club, assaulting referee Declan O'Connor by punching him in the face. The incident ended up in court with Bradley being convicted and fined for the assault. The shame did not end there however. In 2017, Glenullin were due to play a match against Loup. When they discovered that Declan O'Connor was scheduled to referee, they refused to field a team which ended up costing them 3 league points. Only one goalkeeper has ever won player of the year 2 years in a row, Kevin McNicholl (Phaidi Hamish). Glenullin also hold another unique record. The oldest player in the U18 league. Frankie McNicholl (Phaidi Hamish) played for U18s whilst 32 years of age. He was so small and light, it was never questioned at the time. He was from a poor farming family and couldn't afford proper football boots so played games in his Sunday shoes. The first time Glenullin won the championship, it was with Frankie McNicholl, 6 of his brothers and 6 cousins named McNicholl. The game was played in the club's original ground Tinkers Park against Ballinascreen. According to GAA records, all the spectators could see was a field of small McNicholl men laying the opposition flat on their backs.

Well known players

Dermot McNicholl Dermot McNicholl (born 6 November 1965) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, also winning Ulster Senior Football Ch ...

– All Star winner and member of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland winning team as well as captain of the 1983 All-Ireland minor football winning team. He played in 3 All-Ireland minor finals, the 1st when he was only 14. He won 3 Sigerson and 2 Ryan cup medals with UUJ. He had a spell in Australia playing Australian Rules football with St Kilda. He represented Ireland in the Compromise Rules series' on many occasions, often as one of the most influential players. He was also captain of the Glenullin team which won the Derry CHampionship in 1985 and won an Ulster Championship with Derry in 1987 and 1993. *

Paddy Bradley Patrick Bradley (born 23 May 1981) is an Irish sportsman who plays Gaelic football for John Mitchel's Glenullin and the Derry county team. With the county he has won two National League titles, and individually an All Stars Award for his perf ...

– 2007 All Star. *

John Eddie Mullan John Eddie Mullan (27 April 1923 – 14 December 2008) was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1940s and 1950s. He was part of the first Derry side to win the National Football League and also won two Dr McKenna ...

– Former Derry player. While he played most of his club football for

Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the B ...

, he played with Glenullin for a year in 1943.

Football Titles

Senior

Ulster Senior Club Football League The Ulster Senior Club Football League is an annual Gaelic football tournament played in Ulster GAA between clubs who choose to enter. It starts with a group stage, with the group winners (and for 2008 the best group runner-up) advancing to the ...

: 3 **2007, 2014, 2016 *

: 3 **1928, 1985, 2007 *Derry Senior Football League: 2 **1927, 2008 *

Derry Intermediate Football Championship The Derry Intermediate Football Championship (currently also known for sponsorship reasons as the ''M&L Contracts Derry Intermediate Football Championship'') is an annual competition between the mid-tier Gaelic football clubs affiliated to Der ...

: **1977, 2022 *James O'Hagan Cup **1993, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2016 *Dr. Kerlin Cup 6 **1938, 1939, 1942, 1945, 1964, 2005

Minor

*Derry Minor Football Championship: 3 **1962, 1981, 1982 *Tommy O'Neill Cup 1 **1998, 2001, *Derry Minor 'B' Football Championship: 1 **2018 *Derry Minor 'C' Football Championship: 1 **2015 *North Derry Minor 'B' Football Championship: 2 **1989, 2001 *North Derry Minor Football League: 1 **1986 *North Derry Minor 'B' Football League: 2 **1989, 1993

Under-16

*North Derry Under-16 Football Championship: 2 **1980, 1996 *North Derry Under-16 'B' Football Championship: 2 **2001, 2006 *North Derry Under-16 Football League: 1 **1999 *North Derry Under-16 'B' Football League: 1 **2001 *North Derry Under-16 'C' Football League: 1 **2007

Under-14

*Derry Under-14 'A' Football League: 1 **1995 *Derry Under-14 'C' Football League: 1 **2007,2008 Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.

References

{{Derry clubs Gaelic games clubs in County Londonderry Gaelic football clubs in County Londonderry Gaelic Athletic Association clubs established in 1925