News

History of Na Fianna GAA

November 7, 2018

The formation of the existing Na Fianna club came about in January 2000 after discussions between the Baconstown and Enfield clubs in late 1999. Enfield had been fielding a Junior football team and a junior ‘B’ team in the league also. Baconstown were fielding a Junior football team and an Intermediate Hurling team having won the Junior Hurling Championship in 1996. Clann Na Gael was the underage football club in the parish at the time, and this catered for the underage footballers of Baconstown, Enfield and Rathmoylon. Underage hurlers in the parish played for Baconstown or Rathmoylon.

In 1999, the football teams from Baconstown and Enfield were competing in the Junior championship and that year Enfield had reached the quarter finals only to be beaten by Meath Hill. Both committees began negotiating with the intention of amalgamating the two clubs at adult level, something which already happened at underage level with Clann Na Gael. This seemed a logical move, as many of the adult players had already played on the same teams as each other at underage level with Clann Na Gael and in schools. It was agreed to call this new club ‘Na Fianna’, which was the same name the parish athletics’s club already used.

Under the historic new agreement, the two clubs joined forces at adult and underage level for football and Hurling. Clann Na Gael was disbanded and the underage teams too were now called Na Fianna. Rathmoylon also disbanded their Junior ‘C ‘football team and their footballers joined the Na Fianna ranks.

The first committee meeting of the Na Fianna club occurred on the 4th of January 2000. The following was the committee established at it:

Chairman – Jim Queeney (RIP)

Vice Chairman – Tom Curran

Secretary – John Mc Closkey

Assistant Secretary – Charlie Flattery (RIP)

Joint Treasurers – Ollie Greville, Peter Coleman

Membership officers – Mervyn Heffernan, Peter Coleman

Delegates to Co. Board – Pat Flynn, Mervyn Heffernan

Delegate to Hurling Board – Tony Healy

Delegate to Ladies Football Board – Ann Healy

Committee Members: Jim Barrett, Damien Grffin, Diarmuid Fagan, Bernard O’ Rafferty, Martin Flynn, Jim Mc Nally, Joe Murphy, Pat McMahon, Martin Hanley, Jimmy Cosgrave.

The new Na Fianna club entered a football team in the Intermediate football and Hurling championships in 2000, as well as a Junior ‘B’ and ‘C’ football team.