Madden Raparees Gaelic Athletic Club ( ga, Ropairí na Madan) 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 from the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

of Madden, southern

County Armagh County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

.Madden page
on Armagh GAA website The club is part of

Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in Cou ...

and plays

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 ...

in the Armagh Senior Championship. They play at Raparee Park ( ga, Páirc na Ropairí). The club takes its name from the raparees (pikemen), a term applied to guerrilla fighters on the Jacobite side during the 1690s

Williamite war in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

, and subsequently to

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

s and

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

History

Founded in 1931,Maghery GAA
website but not officially affiliated until 1934, Madden initially adopted green-and-black colours and played at a pitch near Brootally crossroads. The club ceased to operate during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, but returned in 1946, adopting green jerseys with gold hoops and moving to a new field at Lisglyn.History section
on club website

Gaelic football

The club's first county title came in 1953 when the Raparees won the Junior Championship, defeating St Peter's of

Lurgan Lurgan () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, near the southern shore of Lough Neagh. Lurgan is about south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway and the Belfast–Dublin railway line. It had a population ...

by 4-05 to 1-01.

, ''Clár Oifigiúil, Craobh Sóisearach Peile'' (JFC final programme), 29 September 2012 These were the years of the club's greatest player, Jimmy Whan, one of the winners of the inaugural Cú Chulainn Awards, precursors of the All Stars. After a time in the Senior ranks, in 1964 Madden won the inaugural Intermediate Championship final, defeating

Blackwatertown Blackwatertown is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits on the River Blackwater, in the townland of Lisbofin, at the border with County Tyrone. The village is around north of Armagh city, and the villages of Benburb and ...

1-08 to 0-08. In the following year, in which its Senior team briefly featured in Division 1 of the All-County League, Madden reached the county Minor final, losing the replay. Madden won Division 2 of the ACL in 1969. The present red and black strip in the 1960s. The Intermediate title came back to Madden in 1970 (beat

Mullaghbawn Mullaghbawn ( or ; ), or Mullaghbane, is a small village and townland near Slieve Gullion in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 596. History A barracks was built near Mullaghbawn in 1689 and was known ...

0-06 to 0-05) in 1994 (beat Middletown 2-04 to 0-08) and in 2013 (beat Tir Na Nog 0-15 to 2-06).

, ''Clár Oifigiúil, Craobh Idirmheanach Peile'' (IFC final programme), 6 October 2012 The club lost the

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

final to Collegeland in 1988, lost again in 1990 to Granemore but won the title in 1993. The club lost the Intermediate finals of 2003 and 2006. The high point of Madden's history to date came in 1998 when it featured in the Senior Championship final, having the misfortune to meet

Crossmaglen Rangers Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic Athletic Club ( ga, Raonaithe na Croise) is a GAA club in Crossmaglen, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. They cater for Gaelic football and camogie. Their home football ground is St. Oliver Plunkett Park, which was ...

in the third year of that club's 13-year run of Senior titles.

Honours

Armagh Intermediate Football Championship The Armagh Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Armagh GAA clubs.Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one ...

: (4) ** 1964, 1970, 1994, 2013 *

Armagh Junior Football Championship The Armagh Junior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by lower-tier Armagh GAA clubs. The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1925. The national media covers the co ...

: (2) ** 1953, 1993

Notable players

* Kevin McElvanna, Armagh defender 2001-06

Camogie

Madden also fields

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 ...

teams, which play as St Joseph's, Madden. In 2011 the Madden camógs reached the Division 4 final of the

Féile na nGael Féile na nGael (; Irish for "Festival of the Gaels") is an annual tournament comprising the sports of hurling, camogie and handball organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its stated aim is to bond communities, forge friendships, provid ...

References

External links

Madden Raparees GAC
website
Madden page
on Armagh GAA website {{Armagh GAA clubs Gaelic games clubs in County Armagh Gaelic football clubs in County Armagh