Ballyvarley - A century of Hurling tradition
This year the parish of Aghaderg and the town land of Ballyvarley, in particular, celebrates 100 years of hurling tradition. It is a remarkable milestone in a proud and distinguished association with Down hurling that ranges from the Clann Na Banna hurling teams of 1903 – 1907 that played in “The Hurley Field” of McConvilles at the Blue Road, through the legendary period that was Ballyvarley Shamrocks from 1908 – 1934 and up to the present day. Those early Clann Na Banna teams played, at various stages, in the Down and Belfast Leagues and several players from the Ballyvarley area played on those teams. In 1908 Ballyvarley Shamrocks were born and up until 1921 they competed in Down Senior League and Championship. In 1910 Ballyvarley Shamrocks won the Down Senior Hurling Championship beating Newry Faughs and in 1916 they drew the Final 6-1 to 6-1 with Kilclief in Castlewellan but for some reason there was no replay and Kilclief were awarded the title. In their final year, in 1934, Shamrocks won the Rathfriland and District Hurling League.

When the present Aghaderg Club was founded in 1943 hurling tradition yearned for a hurling team and on March 29th 1946 the myth of the Shamrocks inspired the men of Ballyvarley to form Ballyvarley Hurling Club. Five months later, on August 29th at Aghaderg GFC’s AGM, the club assumed it’s present title of “Aghaderg GFC and Ballyvarley HC” and today we remain unique as the only club in Down with a double-barrelled name.

The hurling selection committee for their first season was Fr Pettit, Bertie Leckey, Jack Fitzpatrick, Harry McCann, Jimmy McShane, Gerard Taylor and Harry McKay and the team that lined out for the first competitive game against Ballela Seconds was John Toner, Jim Loughran, Jimmy McShane, Jimmy Fullerton, Michael McGrath, Harry McCann(capt), James McGrath, Dinny Macken, Gerry Lennon, Augustine Lennon, J.H. O’Neill(vice-capt), Bertie Leckey, Sean McGrath, Ned Barry and John Lennon. Subs: Dan Lennon, Hugh McGrath, Seamus McGrath, Jackie Toner, Jim Murnaghan, Geordie Murnaghan, Jimmy Stewart, James Trainor and John McGarry.

In 1955 and 1958 Ballyvarley were Down Junior Hurling Championship Finalists but on both occasions lost to Leitrim. Throughout the sixties the senior selection committee included Pat Meehan, Ned Barry, Augustine Lennon, Gerard McGrath, Brian Murphy, Bob Farrissey, T B Lennon and Jimmy Stewart and in 1963 the current club captured their first senior hurling title by winning the South Down Hurling League. The victorious players were as follows: Gregory McGovern (capt), John H O’Neill, Eugene McGrath, Dan Lennon, Martin Lennon, Francis McEvoy, Fr Malloy, John Stewart, James Robert

Lennon, Noel McGrath, Gerard McGrath, Bob Farrissey, Augustine Lennon, Frank Lennon, Jimmy Stewart, Sean Cribbin, Pat Meehan, Desmond Quinn, Sean McGrath, Mickey McGrath, Brian Murphy, Eddie Lennon, Mickey Keenan, T.B Lennon, Aidan Flanagan and Barney McGivern.

That league success signalled the phased retirement of a number of hurling stalwarts and by the end of the decade local hurling stock was fairly low. However fortunes were about to change and an influx of young talent lead to a gradual revival in the clubs standard of hurling. The breakthrough came in 1974 when Ballyvarley took Kilkeel to a league play-off in Ballykinlar and did the seemingly impossible by winning 4-4 to 4-3 to capture the Down JHL title. The Ballyvarley team on that occasion was: Billy Clarke; Gerard O’Neill, Sean O’Neill(capt); Eugene McGrath, Martin Byrne, Sean Cribbin; Francis McGrath, Gabriel Barry; Brendan Lennon, Gabriel Cribben, Raphael Cribbin; Joe McGrath, Joe Cribbin. Subs: Seamus Lennon, Seamus Murnaghan, Michael Higgins, Adrian Lennon, Liam Ross, Brian Sands, Cairbre McGovern, Sean McShane, Paul Simpson, Dermot Maguire, Michael Farrissey and Jimmy Stewart.

The victory run continued into the Junior Championship Final of the following year when Ballyvarley renewed acquaintances with Leitrim for the third time in a Junior final. The Reds were under-dogs but with their entourage of flag-waving supporters they breezed into Holy Cross Park in Attical fully confident of a famous victory. It was an experience never to be forgotten as the Reds overcome their more experienced opponents to win by 3-6 to 3-2 and bring a Championship trophy back to the Parish after a drought of 65 years.

Everyone involved in that famous victory now set their sights on the Intermediate Championship and for the next twenty years the Reds were consumed with the unsuccessful quest for this Holy Grail. You need luck to win a championship and that fickle lady never smiled on the Reds. Circumstances dictated that we had little chance of winning the finals of 1979 and 1983, but there were four other occasions when Ballyvarley were at their peak and capable of taking that elusive crown. In 1976 the Reds looked like making it three senior trophies in consecutive years but Ballyvarley were squeezed out at the semi-final stage by Ballycran in Ballykinlar by 2-7 to 4-3 and felt they were robbed by some key decisions by an Ards referee. In the following season the Ballykinlar jinx, an Ards team and an Ards referee conspired once more to stop the Reds on their march to glory, with Ballygalget edging us out by 4-5 to 4-9 in a hotly contested game. Those confidence sapping victories succeeded in stifling the meteoric rise of Ballyvarley hurling but in 1981 we were back in contention again. It is an old cliché that a game is never over until the final whistle and unfortunately Ballyvarley learnt that lesson the hard way. Ballyvarley looked to be heading for victory in their semi-final clash with Kilkeel in Leitrim but an injury time goal from Owen Sheehan snatched victory from Ballyvarley’s grasp on a 3-8 to 2-10 score line. That defeat was a crushing blow which was made even more regrettable when Kilkeel went on to hammer Ballygalget by a cricket score in the final. The team on that occasion was: Liam Ross; Cairbre McGovern, Brendan Lennon, Martin Byrne; Gerard Lennon, Sean O’Neill, Seamus Lennon; Colm Broderick, Gerard O’Neill; Brendan Malone, Kevin O’Neill, Liam Stewart; Martin Malone, Michael Higgins, John Lennon. Subs: Francis McGrath, Aidan Hegarty, Anthony McGrath, Kevin Stewart and Seamus Stewart.

The fourth and final occasion when we were good enough to win the Intermediate Championship was when we reached our third final in 1987 against Ballycran. The team had already knocked the favourites Leitrim out at the semi-final stage but their efforts were to be thwarted by one of their own. An internal dispute led to the teams full back boycotting the game and there is little doubt that without this handicap Ballyvarley would have won a game they had dominated and that long sought after Intermediate Championship Trophy would have found a welcome home in Aghaderg. Jimmy Stewart and Cairbre McGovern were joint managers and the team lined out as follows: Martin Burns; Aidan Hegarty, Sean O’Neill, Seamus Lennon; Michael Higgins, Brendan Donald, Martin Malone; Kevin O’Neill, Anthony McGrath; Eugene Stewart, Finbar Lennon, Sean Warnock; Dermot Stewart, Gerard O’Neill, Aidan McAvoy (capt). Subs: Cairbre McGovern, Billy McEvoy, Kieran Lennon, Gerard McAvoy.

Ballyvarley’s hurling stock showed signs of another great revival in the nineties as another group of young players broke into the senior ranks. In 1994 we lost the Betsy Gray Cup Final to Newry but in 1998, the Reds were an impressive force and looked like the team of the future with a 5-10 to 0-2 victory over Newry Shamrocks in the Betsy Gray Cup Final in Ballykinlar. The team that day was: Martin Malone; Brian Donald, Pat McGrath, Michael Higgins, Kieran Lennon, Gerard Lennon, Cathal O’Neill; Colm O’Neill, Conor Grew; Eugene Stewart, Anthony McGrath, Martin O’Neill; Paul Stevenson, Sean O’Neill, Liam Cairns. Subs: Aidan McAvoy, Graeme Donaghy, Paul McGivern, Gerard Fullerton, Dermot Stewart, Damien Simpson, Stephen Fitzsimmons, John O’Neill, Gerard O’Neill.

Since then we have been narrowly piped on the post by Clonduff and Darragh Cross for league honours. Darragh Cross again thwarted the club in the Betsy Gray Shield final of 2000 and in 2002 we had one of our finest ever seasons but lost out to the combined strength of a Clonduff/Rostrevor team in both the Betsy Gray Shield Final and in the ACHL Division 2 Final.

Throughout the history of the club the hurling panel has always been noted for the loyalty of its players, their positive attitude and good team spirit and many players have given long-term service to the senior team. Sean O’Neill has been typical of this breed of player and this year he set a new record by completing 33 years on the senior team.

2003 was a big disappointment as injuries, withdrawals from the panel and the vagaries of student life all contributed to the struggle to actually field a team.

2004 will test the players’ commitment to our hurling tradition as the hurlers of yester-year lay down the challenge to today’s players to continue our hurling tradition towards a second centenary.

The current senior panel is: Cathal O’Neill, Brian Donald, Gerard Lennon, Pat McGrath, John O’Neill, James McGrath, Michael Cairns, Eugene Stewart, Colm O’Neill, David McGovern, Martin O’Neill, Paul Stevenson, Eunan McConville, Dermot Stewart, Mark McGrath, Conor Lavery, Conor Grew, Cathal McGrath, Anthony McGrath, Sean O’Neill, Stephen Fitzsimmons, David Lavery, Ciaran Connolly, Sean Kennedy and Donal Moran.

Four Junior Feis Sevens Titles
For many people in the club the hurling Feis Sevens competition was always regarded as something very important. Ballyvarley’s first appearance in the finals at Newcastle in 1963 and the nostalgia aroused by the team photograph that appeared in the Armagh Observer’s “Down Memory Lane” inspired others’ in later years, to try and emulate that historic achievement. The team didn’t win in 1963 but unknown to them they left a legacy that encouraged others to go one better. The team mentors in ’63 were Ned Barry and T.B. Lennon and the players were Mickey McGrath, Jimmy Stewart, Gerard McGrath, Brian Murphy, John Henry O’Neill, Francis McEvoy, Augustine Lennon and Gregory McGovern.

Ballyvarley qualified for 8 more finals losing in 1975, 1976, 1982, 1994 and winning in 1978, 1983, 1987 and 1999. A total of 31 players took part in those four winning finals and they were Gerard O’Neill(played 3); Michael Higgins, Brendan Malone, Kevin O’Neill, Damien Lennon, Sean O’Neill, Gerard Lennon, Aidan Hegarty, Aidan McAvoy, Anthony McGrath, Martin Malone, Finbar Lennon, Seamus Lennon and Eugene Stewart(played in 2); Liam Ross, Brendan Lennon, Raphael Cribbin, Francis McGrath, Martin Byrne, John Lennon, Brian Donald, Pat McGrath, Colm O’Neill, Kieran Lennon, Conor Grew, Cathal O’Neill, John O’Neill, Dermot Stewart, Martin Malone, Martin O’Neill, David Lavery and Liam Cairns(played 1).

Juvenile Hurling Success
In 1963 Ballyvarley entered a minor team in the championship and in 1965 they won the U-15 Hurling League. Ballyvarley’s proud tradition in Juvenile hurling really started in the seventies and from that point onwards, they have always been a significant force in South Down hurling. Two golden periods of under-age success are easily discernable:

1971 - 1982: was a buoyant period and 18 different pieces of silverware came our way but in 1972 our Minor team that was one of our strongest ever yet won nothing. A stirring 5-8 to 4-1 victory over Portaferry on their own ground was typical and they finished as Championship finalists and leaders of an unfinished All County League. The players were: Des Mackin, Brian Campbell, Liam Ross, Sean O’Neill, Sean Maguire, Alan Sheehan, John Higgins, Brian Sands, Gabriel Barry, Billy Clarke, Ned McCartan, Brendan Lennon, Martin Byrne, Seamus Rooney, Raphael Cribbin. Charlie McCartan, Seamus McAreavey, Seamus Lennon, Adrian Lennon, Michael Higgins, Michael “Jack” Lennon.

1993 – 2000: Ballyvarley continued to enter juvenile competitions throughout the 80’s but struggled with numbers and the quest for honours soon became a fading memory. However, a new drive to bring back the “Glory Days” began in 1988 when Gerard, Kevin and Sean O’Neill initiated the Saturday morning coaching sessions for Under 12s. Players were divided into small groups according to ability and coached in the skills of the game by a growing group of coaches who have included Cairbre McGovern, Deirdre McGrath, Pat McGrath, Gerard Lennon, Conor Lavery, Colm, Martin and Cathal O’Neill, Seamus Lennon, Martin Malone and Dearbháil O’Neill.

This new venture included hurlers from Glenn and the resurrection came in 1993 when the U-14 hurlers made a clean sweep of hurling honours beating Kilclief to win both the Division 2 Feile and the Championship, before beating Clonduff in the League play-off. This ground-breaking team were: Martin O’Neill, Niall Burns, Christopher Sands, Colm O’Neill, Cathal O’Neill, Adrian McEvoy, Christopher McGovern(capt), Liam McGrath, Peter Farrelly, Gerard Fullerton, Aidan McConville, Niall Sands, David McGovern, Patrick Sands, Michael McConville, Philip McGovern, Darren Macken, Paul Stevenson, Cathal McGrath, Cathal Farrelly, James McGrath, Eunan McConville, Darren McGrath, Mark Devlin, Paul Strain, Gary Strain, Paul McGivern and P Convery

Success mixed with heartbreak continued for the next seven years with 11 more final appearances and 8 more titles being added to the role of honour. A third Div 2 Feile title in 1994, two more U-14 league successes (1994,1996), two U-16 HC(95 and 96), two U-16 HL (1995,1998) The infamous U-16 Championship Final in Leitrim in 1995 saw Downpatrick go berserk during our2-11 to 0-1 victory and the impact of this disastrous PR exercise was to signal the end of the partnership with Glenn.

The long awaited breakthrough at minor level came in dramatic fashion in 1999 when a point from a last minute side-line cut by Martin O’Neill settled a thrilling championship semi-final with Kilclief in Ballykinlar and at the same venue a few weeks later the club captured it’s one and only minor championship with a 2-7 to 1-5 victory over Castlewellan.