I used to live in Belfast when I was a kid and remember this club but have they folded or something?
Where were the based? I have a vague memory of playing them in Ardoyne/Cliftonville in about 1990 somewhere when I was around ten? They were bunch of tough nuts if I remember and our manager at the time got in an altercation while umpiring in the back of the net. Good times.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 24/03/2009 11:11:08    237924

They never actually folded as such but went weak for a while but now they are probably at their strongest in 10 years, they now feild at u12,14,16 and div2 south antrim at adult age all in football they now also feild at u12,14 and next year hopefully u16 in hurling - they are coming on brilliantly after about 5 years ago when they only had u12 and u14 teams. Great work being put in by just a few men also. Not my club but i am in north belfast and theirs plenty of room for Pearses, Ardoyne and St Endas. Maybe in years to come we could have another club but that remains to be seen. Ardoyne and St Endas do very well now days also.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 24/03/2009 12:50:24    238014

Where are abouts in the north of the City are they based, Legoneill? My family is from the Glen Road and there are loads of clubs in the west from what i undersatnd but very few in the north. You would have thought there would be another one or two as my old man says there are plenty of GAA minded people in that area. how is Antrim football coming along in general you stuffed our lot there and despite what people say I would have thought we would have done better. From the pictures seems like a very young side. What are the country sides like in Antrim.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 24/03/2009 14:28:21    238139

There is three teams in the north of the city just, soccer is very strong in this area and the council provides practically no facilities such as the west has Falls park two pitches, woodlands three pitches, boucher two pitches, cherryvale two pitches (boucher and cherryvale south belfast). In north Belfast there is the Cricky which is only allowed for training and the council dont even look after it which has only one pitch then you have mullusk a pitch unaccessable by public transport and if you want to get to it you have to walk through a loyalist village which has one pitch this is wear ardoyne and pearses now play although they both train at the cricky on the cliftonville.

Pearses are from the new lodge and cliftonville areas but have players from most parts of north belfast including Ligioniel and Old Park.

The county team are probably the best of the worst division but good young players are coming through although some need to get their attitude right. They should be capable of a couple of shocks this year in the championship although it all comes down to playing to their potential or buckling under the pressure of playing in front of 25-30k people.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 24/03/2009 15:19:11    238202

realistically though should Legoneill not have a team? And what about the Antrim Road and Whitewell/Bawnmore areas surely they have enough men in those both those areas to get 15 out on the ptich as well.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 24/03/2009 16:47:00    238316

Legioneil is served by Ardoyne kickhams as is much of the old park, and upper cliftonville, pearses serve mainly the New Lodge, Newington, Lower Cliftonville and Lower Antrim Road as far as about fortwilliam then St Endas take over from here on out although others will question this due to where they live this is pretty much the case.

As for the Whitewell and Bawnmore although there has been clubs in the area they didnt last mainly due to neglect by the local authorities when they wiped out their pitch to make a motorway without replacing it. These areas should have a team I know that and gaels within these areas know that but lack of local support for anything Irish other than Glasgow Celtic and aspiring to move to England to play soccer cripples any chance of the GAA getting in, the bussiest bar in this area is the Royal British Legion drank in week in and week out by "nationalists and gaels". This is nothing short of a joke but hopefully if i get the time or someone else does hopefully they can pursuade the local people to join the greatest amatuer sporting org in the world. The Long Lands, Whitewell, Greencastle and Bawnmore areas if anyone is reading this i am not from the area this is an observation which you should take note of. Fairness to the bawnmore ones you wouldnt see as many in the Brit Legion.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 24/03/2009 20:55:52    238601

North Side Gael pretty much has it right. Pearses are also fielding a minor football team this year. Traditionally it was a North Queen Street club when it was founded (in 1951) but as the original population expanded up and around North Belfast, similarly the club draws players pretty much from Fortwilliam across to the Cliftonville - often their families have connections to the New Lodge, Carrick Hill and Newington. There is a website for them at pearses.weebly.com.
The club's recent claim to fame is being the current Ulster GAA Quiz champions.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 25/03/2009 09:47:44    238961

Brilliant mate hope it all goes well i am sure there is enough talent in the area to make a great club never mind a club that just competes. Someone should get onto the case of making a club in the Whitwell top of the Antrim Road. Base it round a church or something it has been done elsewhere in recent times.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 25/03/2009 11:55:13    239042

CheFinnny; Wolf Tones (folded) out of mainly Greencastle Whitewell area up until early 70's . St Columbas also drew players form this area up until the mid 70's but folded around this time after the death of Jimmy Kelly (I remeber seeing an article by Liam Murphy in North Belfast News some years ago). St Columba's amalgamated with Pearses in the mid 70's . With all the troubles in the 70's and 80's and no fixed base to play home matches on Pearse endeavoured to field Juvenile teams in South Antrim, such is the wisdom of Sth Antrim Board many of our home matches at U16 and minor were fixed for Budore in Hannahstown. The Crickey came on board in the early 80's and sparked a revival in fortunes for the club and they did acquire premises on the Antrim Road in mid 80's playing Div 1 football for a number of years. Green field sites are at a premium in North Belfast and the price of land prohibits pitch development much to the annoyance of Ardoyne and Pearse's. Maybe the regeneration of Girdwood and Crum Jail could incorporate a suitable Playing surface to accomodate all Nrth Belfast Gaels Food for thought

KevHill (Antrim) - Posts: 271 - 25/03/2009 13:28:41    239126

Kevhill Totally agree about girdwood barracks, but also the waterworks is a waste of a park with very little usage. You couldnt go into the place at night and although the welcome development of the alweather 5 a-side pitch this was not enough in my eyes. I personally would wipe out the bottom man made pond in the waterworks put in a GAA and Soccer pitch and also a building with a swimming pool and fitness suite the area could do with all this but it is up to the council. The other park that should have a GAA pitch is the Bone playing feilds it use to when i was underage but has since disappeared to be taken by an unused soccer pitch maybe this too could be used. Plenty of potential if we could get the councilors and mla's to get of their backsides and actually take note, rather than holding up the development of the cricky due to the irish language school (which is also needed in the area) but at least let the gaa build mobile changing rooms and sort the pitch.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 25/03/2009 14:29:55    239203

Lads - agree about the lack of facilities in North Belfast, but there is green space - there just hasn't been enough pressure put on to get it developed. Speeding up the Crickey development or creating a pitch or pitches at Girdwood apart, there are other possibilities, such as Alexandra Park or adding a pitch to the facilities in Kilcoole Park (off North Circular) that are hardly used and could easily accomodate one GAA pitch or converting one of the pitches in Grove to a GAA pitch. There are well over 20 grass soccer pitches in North Belfast, about 2-3 of the public, and another few on school grounds etc.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 27/03/2009 10:43:13    240956

Pearses abu No disrespect but i wouldnt play at the grove, they put a gaa pitch in the valley park a few years ago now this could not be used on a regular basis due to the political situation. They only put the pitch in the park for government funding. The alexandra park could facilitate a gaa pitch up and down with two soccer pitches running accross it, the should also move the kids park over to the small green area potentially giving the space for another 3g training area. This stuff needs sorted. I really would build a small leisure centre and gaa/soccer/rugby pitches on the bottom pond of the water works.

North Side Gael (None) - Posts: 1076 - 27/03/2009 13:00:08    241152

Problem is - the lower waterworks pond (Queen Mary Gardens) is probably listed as a historic park and the planners wouldn't allow it to be removed. The only reason why I figured the Grove playing fields is that it is the largest open green space in North Belfast. I remember the Valley pitch - no lines and grass you could lose U-12s in.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 29/03/2009 09:58:20    242437