Hunterstown Rovers
Ragaire Baile Fiach
Founded:1941
County:Louth
Colours:Red and White and Blue
Grounds:Páirc Baile Fiach
Coordinates:53°49′33″N 6°31′53″W / 53.82583°N 6.53139°W / 53.82583; -6.53139
Playing kits
Standard colours
Senior Club Championships
All Ireland Leinster
champions		 Louth
champions
Football: 0 0 0

Hunterstown Rovers is a Gaelic football (GAA) club located in Ardee, County Louth, Ireland. The club's pitch is located about 3 kilometres south of Ardee on the main Dublin-Derry Road (N2). Hunterstown has teams at all age levels starting from U5's through to senior level.

History

The club was founded in 1941. After challenge matches against the O'Mahony's and Collon, the club affiliated with the Louth County Board in 1941, playing their first competitive match in March of that season in the Second Division Championship at Dunleer. They won this match, against St. Colmcille's, Togher, on a scoreline of 2–4 to nil. In their next outing however, Hunterstown lost in Dunleer. In that season, Rovers won their section of the Ranafast Cup only to fall to Kilcurry in the competition's semi-final stages.

From 1940 to 1980, Hunterstown played their football in a field owned by the Duffy family, close by the Travellers Rest. Because of its rather restricted size, it became known as the "Cabbage Field". Many visiting teams failed to come to terms with the pitch's pronounced slope.

At the club's 1980 A.G.M. it was decided to investigate the possibility of acquiring a permanent and suitable location. Later it was decided that the most desirable property was a spacious field adjoining the already existing clubrooms. This was owned by the Lynch family and within a short period of time negotiations were opened and completed. Early in 1983 the first game on the new grounds was a Ranafast Cup meeting of Rovers and Sean McDermott's. A match between Monaghan and Louth officially opened the brand new Páirc Baile Fiach in July 1984.

The club's first jerseys were navy blue/sky blue vertical stripes. Hunterstown played in the Cardinal O'Donnell Cup in 1946. The first success at County Board level came in 1954 when they won the Second Division Championship and the Ranafast Cup, beating Lann Léire in both finals at the Grove field in Castlebellingham.[1]

The club was represented by right corner-back Ollie Reilly on the winning Louth team in the 1957 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[2]

Rovers achieved senior status for the first time by winning the Louth Intermediate Football Championship in 1993. The club has most recently enjoyed success in the Louth Division 3 League (2012 winners) and the 2013 Junior Championship,[3] going on to compete in the Leinster Junior Club Football Championship. Corner-forward Ryan Burns was a member of the Louth senior team that won the 2016 Allianz National League Division 4.[4] In November 2016, Jim Matthews was appointed as manager of the Senior football team.[5]

Honours

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Proud of their standing". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Ollie Reilly played central part in Louth's '57 success". Drogheda Independent. 8 April 2009.
  3. ↑ "Magnificent Hunterstown blow Barrs away in style". The Argus. 25 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "GAA.ie". Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "McCabe leads a late surge against Hunterstown as the Clans book their place in the semi-finals". Dundalk Sport. 14 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 "Still in intermediate hunt". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2006.
  7. ↑ "Paddy is still going strong". The Argus. 16 September 2005.
  8. ↑ "Malachy McKenna selects his Hunterstown Rovers and Louth all-time XVs". Dundalk Democrat. 13 July 2020.
  9. ↑ "JFC final: Hunterstown claim the honours - HoganStand".
  10. ↑ "Healy the Two Mile House hero". Irish Examiner. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Promoted Parnells ready for a stab at the big boys". Drogheda Independent. 13 October 2000.
  12. ↑ "Full Time from Dunleer, Hunterstown Rovers 3-11. Annaghminnon Rovers 3-8". Louth GAA. 13 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Congratulations @Hunterstowngfc - Junior 2B Championship Winners 2018". Louth GAA. 6 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Des Halpenny presents the Paddy Sheelan Shield to Hunterstown Rovers captain David Finn". Louth GAA. 14 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Round 12 Division 3 League Report". 12 July 2012.
  16. ↑ "Louth GAA's adult league and championship winners for 2022". The Argus. 26 December 2022.
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