Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic Athletic Club ( ga, Raonaithe na CroiseCrossmaglen Rangers GAC
/ref>) is a GAA club in

Crossmaglen Crossmaglen (, ) is a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,610 in the 2011 Census and is the largest village in South Armagh. The village centre is the site of a large Police Service of Northern Ire ...

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 has ...

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. North ...

. They cater for

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 ki ...

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 only ...

. Their home football ground is St. Oliver Plunkett Park, which was opened in 1959. In 1971 the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

took possession of a portion of the ground despite opposition from the club and the

Irish Government The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

, and this led to a controversy regarding the British Army's conduct. BreakingNews.ie/ref> The club have won the

All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament which began in season 1970–71. It is the top-tier competition for the senior football clubs of Ireland and London. The current champions are Kilcoo of ...

on six occasions. They have won the

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition played between the top clubs in Ulster GAA. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup ( ga, Corn Shéamuis Mhic Fearáin). The winners and th ...

11 times and won the

Armagh Senior Football Championship The Armagh Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Armagh GAA clubs. The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1889. Clann Éireann are the title holde ...

46 times .

History

Founded in 1887 as Crossmaglen Red Hands, the club did not acquire its present name until 1909. The Red Hands claimed the

in 1887 through default by Keady Dwyers. After a period of inactivity due to political differences, the Red Hands reaffiliated in 1905, when Owney Martin became the first Crossmaglen player to join the county team.Newry Memoirs
feature on GAA In 1906 the Red Hands won their first contested Championship final, defeating Shane O'Neill's by 1-4 to 6 points.

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 ...

, ''Clár Oifigiúil'' (programme), Senior Football Championship Final, 6 October 2012 They also won the All-County League. After further political controversy, the Red Hands split, and a new club called Creggan Rovers emerged to win the 1908 championship, defeating

Armagh Harps GFC Armagh Harps Gaelic Football Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in the city of Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It plays exclusively Gaelic football in the Senior competitions of Armagh GAA. Its home ground is Páirc na Mai ...

by a point. The modern Crossmaglen Rangers club started only in 1909. Rangers soon made their presence felt, however, winning the Championship in 1911, 1912 and 1913, overcoming, respectively, Shane O'Neill's, the Harps and Cullaville Sons of O'Connell. In 1918, political divisions in the district disrupted both the Rangers and nearby Cullaville Blues GAC, leading to the creation of Crossmaglen Plunketts, supported by

republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, and Clonalig Dillons, supported by Redmondites. The Armagh championship was not played from 1919 to 1922, at the time of the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and United Kingdom of Gre ...

. When it resumed, however, Rangers won five successive Armagh senior championships, completing the first five-in-a-row in the competition. This feat went unequalled until Crossmaglen achieved it again in 2000. In 1929 the Rangers' Jamesy Kernan (uncle of Joe Kernan) died in hospital from injuries sustained in an on-field clash with Cavan Garda Jim Smith during an

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

semi-final at

Belturbet Belturbet (; ) is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It lies on the N3 road, around north of Cavan town and from Dublin. It is also located around south of the border with Northern Ireland, between the counties of Cavan and Fermanagh, and fr ...

. Smith was charged with murder, but the case was dismissed. Rangers won further titles in 1933, 1936 and 1937. The 1940s were to prove a more frustrating decade for Crossmaglen, their only county senior title being in 1947. The 1950s were still more difficult for Crossmaglen, being the only decade of the twentieth century in which they did not win an Armagh Championship. After this, however, the club's fortunes revived considerably. Rangers captured five Championships in the 1960s (1960, 1962, 1965, 1966 and 1967), in addition to several league titles. Further Armagh Championships were won in 1970, 1975, 1977, 1983 and 1986. Crossmaglen Rangers regained the County title in 1996 after a lapse of ten years, beating Clan na nGael 3-12 to 1-4. Since then, they have been completely dominant in the tournament, retaining the title every year since, with the only exception being 2009. In this period, they have won eleven

s (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015). They have gone on to win the

six times, in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2011 and 2012. The club fields underage teams from U-10 to U-21 as well as Senior, Junior and 'B' teams. Ladies football and camogie are played in the club, with the camogie teams in particular achieving much success in recent years. The seniors play in the Armagh Senior Leagues and

. On 19 October 2008 the club won their 13th

Armagh Senior Club Football Championship The Armagh Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Armagh GAA clubs. The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1889. Clann Éireann are the title hold ...

in a row by defeating Pearse Óg. This was a national record. This unbeaten run came to an end in 2009 when they were defeated by eventual champions Pearse Óg at the quarter final stage. In 2010 a new look Crossmaglen team emerged and regained the Armagh Senior title, they then went on and regained the Ulster Championship before completing the season with yet another All Ireland Title in 2011 defeating St Brigid's from Roscommon in the final to claim their fifth All Ireland club title. In 2012 they retained the title by defeating Garrycastle from Westmeath after a replay to claim their sixth championship.

St Oliver Plunkett Park

Crossmaglen Rangers homeground is St. Oliver Plunkett Park ( ga, Páirc Oilobheir Pluinceid), which was officially opened on 19 April 1959. The Armagh GAA county team have played inter-county games there. In 1971, in the early years of

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

, part of Crossmaglen's property at St. Oliver Plunkett's Park was requisitioned by the British Army for a military base despite attempts by the club and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs to prevent it. The club grounds were subsequently damaged by the movement of vehicles. With the end of The Troubles in 1998, the club regained possession of the grounds and have embarked upon a series of development programs. In recent times, the club has purchased more land to develop additional senior standard playing facilities. Extensive renovations on the Rangers Hall were completed, and the then GAA President Jack Boothman opened the new Social Club Complex.

Notable players

Oisín McConville Oisín McConville ( ga, Oisín Mac Conmhaoil; born 13 October 1975) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He has been manager of the Wicklow county team since 2022. McCoville played at senior level for the Armagh county team i ...

, winner of two All Stars, the all-time top scorer in Ulster Senior Championship history; also holds a national record for playing 103

games in succession * Paul Hearty,

Armagh county 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 ...

player, 19 County Senior Club Championships, All Ireland County Championship Winner Armagh 2002, National League 2005 *

Aaron Kernan Aaron Kernan (born 16th December 1983) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Crossmaglen Rangers club and, formerly, for the Armagh county team. Kernan is the son of former Armagh player and manager Joe Kernan, his brothers Stephen ...

, Armagh county player, All Ireland U21 County Winner 2004, National League 2005 *

Seamus Mallon Seamus Frederick Mallon (; 17 August 1936 – 24 January 2020) was an Irish politician who served as deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2001 and Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) from 1979 to 20 ...

* Joe Kernan, winner of two GAA All Stars 1977 & 1980 - replacement 1982, Armagh manager, Ulster Manager, Ireland Manager * John McEntee, All Ireland Winner Armagh 2002, National League 2005 * Tony McEntee, All Ireland Winner Armagh 2002, National League 2005 *

Francie Bellew Francis "Francie" Bellew (born 25 March 1976) is a Gaelic footballer who played for the Armagh county team. He has won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal, five Ulster Championships and a National League title with the county. H ...

, Armagh county player, 2003 All Star All Ireland Winner Armagh 2002, National League 2005 *

Gene Morgan Gene Morgan (March 12, 1893 – August 13, 1940) was an American actor. He appeared in 111 films between 1926 and 1941. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, United States, and died in Santa Monica, California. Selected filmography * '' Rog ...

All Ireland Team 1954,

Football titles

Senior

(6 times): ** 1997, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2012 *

(11 times): ** 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 *

(46 times): ** 1906, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1947, 1960, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1983, 1986, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 2019 2022

Under-21

* Armagh Under-21 Football Championship (12 times): ** 1977, 1979, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017

Minor

* Ulster Minor Football Championship (1 time): ** 2015 * Armagh Minor Football Championship (11 times): * 1971, 1977, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

Under-17

* Armagh Under-17 Football Championship (1 time) ** 2020

Under-16

* Ulster Under-16 Football Championship (1 time): ** 2013 * Armagh Under-16 Football Championship (5 times): ** 1969, 1985, 1987, 1991 and 2013

Ladies football titles

Started in 1996

Armagh Ladies Senior Championship

Intermediate (6 times) * 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Junior

* 1997 (RU), 1998

Minor

2018, Cross 7:15 Granemore 1:04. Player of the match Eimear McMahon

Under-16

* Armagh Under-16 Ladies Football Championship (2 times): ** 2018. 2020

Camogie titles

* All-Ireland Junior Club Camogie Championship (1 time): ** 2003 * Ulster Junior Club Camogie Championship (1 times): ** 2003 * Armagh Senior Camogie Championship (1 times): ** 2003 * Armagh Intermediate Camogie Championship (1 times): ** 2018

References

External links

Crossmaglen Rangers Homepage"A picture that shows the battles Crossmaglen GAA faced in the 70's"
3 June 2020. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crossmaglen Rangers Gac

Rangers A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

Gaelic games clubs in County Armagh Gaelic football clubs in County Armagh