St. Peter’s has been at the forefront of providing and encouraging a multitude of ongoing cultural activities and entertainment for a very wide group and on a cross gender basis. In the early 1970’s, starting in 1972 the club organised a very successful Feile an Phointe, during the first two weeks of June.
Scór
The club has been very active in the GAA Scor, cultural competitions and has been successful at All-Ireland level in both Scor and Scor na nOg competitions. In 1978 the Junior team won the All-Ireland Scor na nOg Ceili Dancing Title.
Warrenpoint won the All-Ireland Scor Set Dancing Title in 1982 and after many years of winning County and Ulster titles the club won the prestigious Scor All-Ireland quiz title in 1996. The winning quiz team members were Sheila McAnulty, Matt Durkin and Hugh Carr.
In addition, as highlighted in the Achievements section of the website, Warrenpoint has won four Ulster Scor Sinsear Titles and sixty two Down Scor Sinsear Titles. The club has also won 2 Ulster Scor Na nOg Titles and 41 Down Scor Na nOg Titles.
Dancing
The club is proud to have been at the forefront of the revival of Irish Set Dancing and for over 20 years, commencing in 1978 organised annual set dancing competitions and workshops. An exciting European dimension was developed in 1993 when St. Peter’s Set Dancers along with a company of musicians and singers, led by Moya McCormack, Liam O’Hare and Ted Bradley travelled to Normandy to participate in the annual Normandy Cultural Festival.
Whilst in Liseux in Normandy, the Troupe performed at five venues and were hosted to a civic reception by the Mayor. The following year in 1994, Warrenpoint hosted a Troupe of French dancers and musicians from the Liseux area.
In November 2008, the club organised a major set dancing competition, the Moya McCormack Memorial Competition in honour of Moya McCormack, who died on 4 April 2008, having given a lifetime of service promoting Irish dancing and Culture activities in Warrenpoint and Co. Down.
Since Warrenpoint hosted its first Ceili in 1917, the club has been very prominent in the promotion of ceili’s and hosted the GAA Centenary County Ceili in Warrenpoint Town Hall on 14 November 1984.
A Celebrity Jigs and Reels organised as part of GAA 125 Celebrations in 2009, proved to be a tremendous success and this was surpassed by a fantastic The Point does Strictly in the Canal Court Hotel on Friday 27 June 2014.
On Saturday 27 February 2010, the club set-dancing team under the management of Carmel McGrath won the All-Ireland Ríadoirí Set Dancing Competition in Limerick for the first time.
In August 2010 at the All Ireland CCE Fleadh in Cavan, St. Peter’s GAA Club won the Under 15 Mixed Four Hand Reel dancing competition and the Under 18 Set Dancing Competition.
An Ghaeilge
Irish language classes have been a feature of the club activities for over 50 years, with Joe Lambe, Jimmy Devlin, Pat Ahern and Ted Bradley pioneering these activities initially and the tradition is carried on by Hugh Carr and Louise Carr. Classes were organised for adults and children and the club members participate annually in Feis an Duin.
At present the club hosts a Cumann na nOg and history was made on 17 December 2009, when young actors at St. Peter’s GAA Club, Cumann na nOg performed their Christmas Nativity play, Sceal Na Nollag in the Irish Language in the Clubrooms, Mary Street.
In addition to winning their competition section in the All-Ireland Schools Drama Festival 2010 (An Cumann Scoil Drámaiochta) in Mullingar, Cumann Pheadair Naofa Cumann Na nOg also won the Adjudicator (Ray Yeates) Special Award for overall production with their performance of their play Gairdin an Fhathaigh (The Selfish Giant). All 23 children in the cast were excellent.
The play “The Selfish Giant” was written in Irish by Hugh Carr, based on the short story “The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde. The play was produced by Pat Mooney assisted by Louise Carr and Hugh Carr.
Cumann Pheadair Naofa retained its All-Ireland Schools Irish Drama Festival (An Cumann Scoil Drámaiochata) title in Mullingar on Wednesday 13 April 2011, when they performed their Irish Language Play, Fear Draíochta Oz (The Wizard of Oz with an Irish twist).
Cumann Ogra Naomh Peadar, St. Peter’s GAA Youth Irish Drama Group had a great triumph at the Newry Irish Drama Festival (Feile An Iuír 2012) on Friday 9 March 2012, when their play “Ar Bord na Loinge” (a Play about the Titanic) won four awards.
The play involving 25 club members under the age of 12, was written and directed by Hugh Carr and Louise Carr, won the Best Youth Club Award, Best New Script Award and Best Overall Production Award. In addition Ruairi McCormack won the Best Actor Award for his performance of Sean da Burca.
In 2013, All Ireland success was secured again with the production of Taibhi Loch Lein. In 2014 the Youth Irish Group performed Iontach an Aaol é.
Michael Walsh co-ordinates a Ciorcal Comhra. Three Scholarships are provided annually for local children to attend Summer Irish courses and an annual Irish Language Collection is organised.
Band
The club is very proud of the achievements of its Brass band section formed in 1971, and has won a number of All-Ireland Awards including 3 All-Ireland National Intermediate titles in 1975, 1981 and 1984 and has played at prestigious events throughout Ireland.
The band has been at the forefront of cross community activities and has joined up with the Warrenpoint Silver band on numerous occasions. St. Peter’s Brass Band played at Croke Park in 1973 at the Tyrone v Cork, All-Ireland Senior Football semi-final and also played for Pope John Paul II, when he visited Drogheda in 1979. For further details on band see www.stpetersgaaband.com.
The Band celebrated its 40th Anniversary with a Band Concert in Warrenpoint Town Hall on Friday 16 March 2012 and held a very successful Golden Jubilee Concert (delayed due to Covid-19) on Sunday 15th April 2023 in the Parish Centre, Warrenpoint.
Music
In recent times a closer association has built up between Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Craobh an Phointe and Cumann Pheadair Naofa. The Club won County Scor Na nOg Instrumental Music titles in 2010 and 2014.
Drama
From 1973 to 1986, there was a drama group within the club, and many outstanding productions followed. In the past its drama section performed such plays as “All the Kings Horses”, produced by John McMahon, “Drama at Inish”, “Our Town” and “The Diary of Anne Frank”.
Indeed in 1976 it won the Ballymoney Drama Festival performing “The Diary of Anne Frank” (produced by Pat Mooney) and Geraldine Smyth won the Best Actress Award for her part as Anne Frank. In recent years the Irish language section have won prizes at Féile Scoil Drámaíochta and in 2010 won the All Ireland competition in Mullingar.
