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A Brief History of a Proud Legacy
1970s
Sean Treacys Hurling Club was founded in 1973, and Davitt Park in Lurgan was used as the original home venue. The orginal committee consisted of :
* Noel Coughlan - Chairman (Tipperary),
* Mick Shine - Vice Chairman (Limerick),
* Brendan McKinley - Treasurer (Derry), and
* Jim Blaney - Secretary (Lurgan).
Past performances at a glance:
1975
Armagh Minor Champions
1976
Senior Finalists
1978
Senior Finalists
The bulk of the senior team were a product of the then GAA President Alf Murray's major hurling initiative throughout Ireland which produced a surge in interest in the sport, particularly in Armagh.
The senior team went on to compete in the 1976 Senior Championship Final against Cuchullains at the Armagh Athletic Grounds and in the 1978 Senior Final against Keady and came a close second on each occasion.
Major celebrities to have played for Sean Treacys include Paddy Morriarty and Jim McKerr. In 1975 however, we won the Armagh Minor Championship for the first time.
This victorious side included Jim Mc Kerr who won special All Ireland Minor Championship Hurling with Armagh.
The backbone of the senior team of the 70s were :
* Conor McGeown
* Andy McDonald
* Arthur McCarron
* Jim Greene
* Patsy Greene
* Brendan McKinley
* Neville McCann and
* Jim Burns
At committee level, Vincy Magee took up the position of club chairman in the early 80s and held it right through to 1999 when he relinquished the post. The club moved its base from Davitt Park to Taghnevan Playing Fields during this decade.
1990s
In the early part of this decade, the club became closely associated with Clann Eireann GAC by making use of some of that club's considerable facilities, and we established our home at the Hurling Field on North Circular Road.
The club had the distinction of qualifying for 4 consecutive Intermediate Championship Finals in the 1990s but without quite going the whole way.
The major players during this decade were:
* Chris Shine
* Sean Duffy
* Cathal Austin
* Lawrence Ward and
* Conor McGeown.
The club again competed at under 12, under 14 and juvenile level. Towards the end of this decade, the club began to benefit from the major coaching initiative launched by Croke Park and encouraged by the Ulster Council. The club is currently fielding teams at under 12, under 13, under 14, juvenile, minor and senior.
Undoubtedly, the most significant development in local hurling in recent years has been the active participation by members of the Sean Treacys club in the promotion of hurling in primary and secondary schools in the Lurgan area. Schools who have benefitted from the expertees of qualified Sean Treacys coaches include Saint Anthony's, Saint Peter's and Tannaghmore Primary Schools and Saint Paul's Junior High School.
The Armagh Senior Hurling league has gone from strength to strength in recent years. The participation of clubs from neighbouring counties has grown steadily. So much so that a decision was taken to divide the league into 2 divisions with teams playing each other at home and away.
The Future
Sean Treacys currently compete in Divison 2 and are optimistic as we prepare for the new season.
Armagh has always been better known for it's footballing prowess. Gaelic football is by far the dominant gaelic game in the county, particularly in our home town of Lurgan where there are six football clubs but only one hurling club - ourselves. However at Sean Treacys we have not been discouraged by this. We have a youth programe which has produced very successful underage teams and has ensured that the club will have a plentiful supply of fresh young blood to compliment the more experienced players in the years ahead.
Aside from promoting ourselves, one of our top priorities is to give the sport some badly needed active promotion in North Armagh. We believe that our county has the potential to prosper in what is, arguably, the faster, more skillful and graceful of the Gaelic games. Some of our members have actively promoted and publicised the sport at county level in the past this has had a positive impact on attendances at NHL matches in Lurgan. It is hoped that this progress can be built upon.
Whilst our track record is nothing like that of the great Ulster clubs such as Dunloy or Cushendall, the one factor which keeps us all playing has always remained the same - love of the game and the sheer enjoyment of participating in the greatest sport in the world.
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