Gaelic Football
At present the club competes in interclub competitions in the following categories:
- Senior Football Team;
- Reserve Football Team;
- Under 20 Football;
- Under 19 Football
- Minor Football (Under 17);
- Under 15 Football;
- Under 13 Football;
- Under 11 Football;
- Under 9 Football;
- Under 7 Football;
- Under 5 Football.
As previously stated Warrenpoint GAA won the first ever Gaelic Football Competition organised in Down in 1889. Over the years Warrenpoint has established a very proud reputation of organising Gaelic Football at all age levels and of producing Gaelic Footballers and administrators of the highest calibre. In addition, many club players have represented Down with distinction.
Peter Rooney won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Medal with Down in 1968, two National League medals with Down (1968 and 1978), four Ulster Senior Football Championship medals in 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1980, two Railway Cup medals with Ulster in 1979 and 1980 and an Ulster Colleges MacRory Cup and All-Ireland Hogan Cup medals with St. Colman’s College in 1968.
Miceal Magill became the first club member to win an All Star Gaelic Football Award in 1994 when he was awarded the honour for the right corner back position.
At present there are over 50 All-Ireland medals in St. Peter’s Warrenpoint Club. Most of these medals were won by members of the club who were on the victorious St. Mark’s, St. Colman’s College, Abbey and Newry Regional College All-Ireland winning teams.
Terry McCormack was the first Down man to be selected for Ulster (as a sub in the 1930’s) and John McClorey and Johnnie Carr, both great Warrenpoint players in the late 1930’s were the first Down men to play for Ulster. Peter Rooney and Martin Slevin played for Ulster in the 1970’s and Miceal Magill also represented his Province in the 1990’s. Miceal Magill was also a member of the Ireland panel which represented Ireland in the International Games series with Australia.
A number of club players have also won Sigersan Cup medals with their respective Universities and were chosen for the Combined Universities Gaelic Football team. Feargal McCormack was chairman of the University GAA Council of Ireland in the Centenary year of the Association in 1984.
The club has organised in conjunction with Down County Board very successful Cul Camps in August in recent years. A Gaelic Football Academy for U-7 to U-5 year olds was launched in 2009 and continues.
2010 was a very sad and traumatic year for Cumann Pheadair Naofa, following the tragic and untimely death of Warrenpoint Minor Player Patrick Dinsmore on Sunday evening 22 August 2010, during a Minor Football League game away to close neighbours Rostrevor. Patrick was a shining example of a young man who enjoyed playing Gaelic Football and had a love for a diversity of sports. May he rest in peace.
Hurling
In the early 1930’s St. Peter’s had a Hurling team with Brian Gribbon, Secretary and Jim Cassidy, Club Captain of the team. However the game was not played again in the town until the mid 1970’s when it was revived under the astute leadership of Liam O’Hare.
Since that time the club has undertaken a number of Hurling development initiatives including regular coaching for underage players and at present hurling is flourishing with the club hosting nine hurling teams at:
- Senior;
- Under 19;
- Under 17;
- Under 15;
- Under 13;
- Under 11;
- Under 9;
- Under 7;
- Under 5.
In 2008, the Senior Team won the Ulster Hurling League Division 5 title and won promotion from the Down Hurling Division 2 to Division 1.
In 2009, St. Peter’s won the Down Junior Hurling Championship for the first time and captured this title again in 2022.
The club successfully hosted Feile na nGael An Duin in 2013 and 2014 under the leadership of Declan Doyle.
Club players have also won All-Ireland Hurling Medals as detailed below:
All Ireland Minor Hurling C Winners 2008:
- Mark Rafferty
- Mark Murtagh
- Ian Todd
- Chris Teague
- Matthew Teague
- Miceal Cunningham
- Michael Fegan
- Blaine Murphy
- Manager – Brian Murphy
All Ireland Under 16 Hurling B Winners 2008:
- Declan O’Neill
- Blaine Murphy
All Ireland Minor Hurling C Winners 2007:
- Danny Grant
- Mark Rafferty
- Karl Maxwell
- Allan Higgins
- Matthew Teague
- Miceal Cunningham
- Chris Teague
- Conan O’Neill
- Aaron O’Hare
- Michael Fegan
- Blaine Murphy
In addition the club organises a very successful Caman Og Hurling Academy.
Furthermore, it is very encouraging that club hurlers are now performing for Down hurling teams with distinction.
Camogie
The Camogie Association was founded in 1904 with Newry being the second club formed in Ireland. In 1925 the Betsy Gray Camogie club was founded by the late Sighle Nic an Ultaigh, a lady who played a leading role in the development of Camogie.
In the late forties – early fifties Warrenpoint ceased to have a Camogie team and whilst some girls, Anne Rooney, Eleanor Maguire, Elizabeth Maguire, Bernie O’Hare and Belle O’Loughlin travelled to play with St. Brigids Newry in the late sixties, it was 1970 before Belle O’Loughlin called a meeting and a new club, naming it St. Peters Camogie Club, was formed. The Camogie Club held a 40th Anniversary Celebration Dinner in 2010 and relaunched its Senior Camogie team in the same year.
Success came in 1972 with the club winning the double – Down Junior League and Championship, what an achievement for a small club. In 1973 St. Peter’s won the Intermediate League, and in 1976 won Feis An Dun, however whilst Camogie continued to thrive in our club, we had no success until 1985 when we again won the League and 1988 saw us take the Junior Championship again, 1995 League and Championship, 1996 and 1999 were other successful years winning Intermediate Championship, 2001 Junior League, 2002 Intermediate Championship. In 2004 St. Peter’s won the Junior Camogie Championship and were runners up in the league, not a bad record for a small club.
Many many girls have played Camogie with the club over the years, some winning All Ireland medals. Anne Toner (nee Rooney), Elizabeth Gibson a teacher in St. Marks and in 2009, Catriona Fegan (nee McCabe) won a Centenary runner up medal.
In the early 70’s Arthur O’Loughlin’s work van journeyed the girls to and from matches all over the county. The van had two benches (wooden planks sitting on top of a few concrete blocks). Every corner turned saw one or other side fall on top of each other. This stately mode of transport was also the changing room for most of the games, the eating place, first aid room etc. however many many stories and laughter was shared in it.
With the exception of an underage player who fell out with her opponent over a boyfriend and started fighting on the pitch, who eventually were off, no senior team player was sent to the line. This speaks volumes for the ‘Point girls. Many families supplied Warrenpoint teams with players over the years, Rooney’s, Daly’s, O’Hare’s, O’Hagan’s, McCabe’s, Ryan’s, Cunningham’s, McAnulty’s, McShane’s, Campbell’s, Trainor’s, to name a few. Some of these girls began playing at 10 years of age and are still playing with the club to date.
Belle O’Loughlin trained the team for many years, then Anne and Eugene Toner followed by Sean Caughey and then Brendan McGivern whose training and fitness sessions left many sore and aching joints, the girls had a great respect for him.
Warrenpoint currently hosts four Camogie teams at U-16, U-14, U-12 and U-10 levels.
Anne Toner (nee Rooney) won an All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship medal with Down in 1976, an All-Ireland Camogie Colleges medal with Sacred Heart School Newry in 1971, three Ulster Colleges Camogie medals with Sacred Heart School Newry in 1970, 1971 and 1976, a Philadelphia Camogie Championship medal in 1978 and a Feis An Dun Camogie medal in 1976.
Two members of the club Sighle Nic An Ultaigh (1949 – 1953) and Belle O’Loughlin (1994 – 1997) have held the prestigious position of President of the Camogie Association of Ireland. Sighle also held the post of General Secretary of the Camogie Association for 25 years (1953 – 1975). Sighle was also chairman of the Ulster Council for 1947 – 1949 and was a trustee of the Camogie Association. Belle O’Loughlin also served as Down County Chairman for three terms, Ulster Chairman for two terms and Ulster Secretary.
Belle O’Loughlin was honoured at 2011 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final at Croke Park for her efforts in promoting Camogie across the island.
At present the Camogie section has 7 teams at the following levels: Under 16, Under 14, Under 12, P2 & P3, P4 & P5, P6 & P7 and Nursery & P1. The current Club Camogie Co-ordinator is Yvonne McFerran.
Ladies Gaelic Football
Following a school liaison project with St. Dallan’s P.S., co-ordinated by Anne McCormack, St. Peter’s decided to launch its first Ladies Gaelic Football initiative with an 8 week Gaelic 4 girls training programme on Saturday 10 March 2012. 61 girls turned up for the first coaching session on Saturday 10 March 2012. As a result the club entered an U-12 team in 2012 and added an U-14 team in 2013. A U-16 team was added in 2015. In 2014 the club won an historic Down U-14 B Ladies Gaelic Football Championship and League double.
In 2021 the club won the Down LGFA Senior “B” Championship and U-18 “B” Championship titles.
In 2022, the club launched a Gaelic for Mothers team, with Roisin Keenan as Co-ordinator. The current Ladies Gaelic Football Co-ordinator is Mike Barnett and the club currently has 5 LGFA teams at Senior, Under 18, Under 16, Under 14 and Under 12 levels.
Handball
Declan Doyle organised a club U-14 Boys and Girls Handball team in 2013. Formal handball taster and coaching sessions commenced in November 2014. The club entered adult teams in Down Competitions for the first time in 2015 and the inaugural internal adults singles club handball competition was organised in 2015.
