The first GAA Social Club in Co. Down opened its doors in March 1976 to a bewildered public who did not know what to expect from this big bus garage that had lay idle on the Town’s Circular Road for the previous 30 years or more.
Neither too did the local GAA Club who had purchased the former UTA Garage a number of years previously from the then parish priest one Austin McNabb. It seemed like a good idea at the time to purchase the garage that lay adjacent to the old meadow which was the playing pitch for Castlewellan GAC. If nothing else it would do to garage the Club Bus. No doubt Fr. McNabb thought it was a good idea too when he had purchased the old garage from the Ulster Transport Authority who in turn had purchased it from the RAF or British Army where it was used for billeting trucks during the war.
Fast forward a few years to about 1973 and a young and enthusiastic Club Secretary by the name of Gerard Dougherty bombshelled a rather bewildered middle aged committee with the suggestion that the old garage should be turned into a Social Club complete with licensed bar. Following, at first apprehension and many debates the committee warmed to this novel idea. After all we were the first club in all of Ireland to own our own club coach (1954) why not first GAA CLUB, if not in Ireland, well at least in County Down to open our own Social Club.
Money and labour was required to turn this dream into reality. Money was scarce, but labour was plentiful in the form of players, their families and local well wishers many of who had the necessary trades and the experience to carry out the job. It would be impossible to name all the workers who give up their time on a voluntary basis to see the job through to fruition. But some of the more prominent volunteers included Pat Rice, Pat Keown, Dermot McCabe, Brendan Steele, Big Joe Bannon, Joe McPhilips, Gerry Dougherty, Mickey Brannigan, Baldy Corrigan, Dominic Owens, Pat and Johnny Rooney, Teddy Rice, Phil King, Colm and Ivan McGreevy, Joe McKibben, Johnny O’Neill, Teddy Hardy, Danny Keown. Perhaps the youngest skilled worker present and one who deserves special mention is Sean McPhilips who at 17 was still in apprenticeship wired the entire premises on his own. There were plenty of others about too, to provide much needed labour to the skilled workers, Butcher Burns, Colm and Ciaran Crilly, Ned McCartan, Gerard McAlinden, Jimmy Bannon, Brendan Toner, Kieran Nixon to name but a few.
The price of a pint when the Club finally opened in 1976 would have set you back a mere 28 pence and the cover charge for a Sunday night dance 20 pence. The Social Club which opened 7 nights a week from 7.30pm until late proved very successful particularly on a Sunday night as no other pubs were (officially) open due to the licensing laws. This brought in much needed revenue to facilitate the development of the "meadow" which officially opened as Parc Naomh Maolmhoig a few years later in 1978.
Cabaret, and folk concerts became a very popular feature of the new Club, and the Club’s young and enthusiastic entertainment’s officer Ciarán Crilly, ensured that all the major acts of the day played the Castlewellan venue in the 70s and early 80s. Folk music was very popular in the 70s, many of the top bands hailing from Belfast. "Blackthorn", "Tara Folk", "The Pikemen"(formerly "Wolfhound"), "Battering Ram", "Hoggs Eye", "Hyland Paddy", to name but a few, and of course Castlewellan’s own "Claddagh" later to become "Slainte" they were Tom McCann, Terry Cowan, Fee Dobbin, and Dermot McNamara. Perhaps the most popular of the folk bands was "Tara Folk" who became an institution in the club, playing one Sunday night a month for two or three years to packed houses. The cabaret nights too proved very popular, featuring the popular Belfast singer Bo Birch, as well as up and coming comedian, Gene Fitzpatrick, Ann Breen from Downpatrick, big John Trotter from Derry and a host of other cabaret artists, and stars in their own right. Encouraging top southern act to travel north proved a bit more difficult during the seventies, but come they did. Danny Doyle, a popular television and recording artiste of the day was the first of the southern acts to appear, followed by Johnny McEvoy who also was in his heyday then. Other acts included the Dublin City Ramblers, Paddy Reilly, Roly Daniels, and Brendan Grace.
But the Club was still heavily in debt because of the amount of borrowing required for the Club development, but more particularly because of the very heavy interest rate of about 19% or 20% which continued right through the 70s and into the 80s. It would take another 10 years of blood sweat and tears and 5 outdoor festivals before the Club would be in the black again.
As the last decade of the 20th century dawned, the social club was beginning to show serious signs of wear and tear. It was no longer the Mecca of entertainment that it had been in it’s hey day and turnover had begun to slump. Only the few loyal diehards continued to frequent the Club although that been said there were still some good memorable nights. But the place seriously required major surgery, and it was finally decided to build a new wing adjoining the old club, which would include a new modern member’s, lounge, kitchen, toilets and committee and meeting rooms. The work was carried out by direct labour under the expert supervision of local Builder and Clubman Seamus Laverty, who insured that the work was completed to a very high standard. The work was completed early in 1995 and soon after was officially opened. The old club became the function hall and was virtually mothballed until finances enabled a complete refurbishment in 1998.
This also was completed in record time and this time the work went out to contract, and was awarded to John McCartan, another local Building contractor, who later became Club Chairman
For further information on any Social Club events including those mentioned above please e-mail the Club at this address or telephone the Bar Steward any evening after 7.00pm telephone 028437 78422.
