The 50’s saw great success in our Club.
The Fifties started with a relocation of our training grounds from the Old Academy playing fields to ONeill’s Park.
Brother R Sharkey was relocated to Dungannon parish.
Originally from Tipperary, he was joined by fellow Tipp man Brother E Butler.
They were quick to foresee that future success for the club was dependent on a strong hurling culture being developed within the towns youth.
Throughout the 50’s hurling flourished in Dungannon especially at underage level.
This ensured there was a constant flow of talent all the way through to senior level.
Eoghan Ruadh tasted more Benburb Cup success in 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957.
Our 1957 winning team were represented by,
J Devlin, E Devlin, M Devlin, T Devlin, N Abernerthy, B McBride, R Morgan, B Fox, P Foley, G Herron, J O’Donnell, G McIntosh, G Donaghy, D Casey, J Campbell, E Kelly.
Unbelievably, this was the year the First Grand National Draw took place and to this day it is still one of the main fundraisers in our Club.
Unfortunately whilst we went from strength to strength, other clubs in the county suffered a severe decline.
By 1957 we were the only club operating in Tyrone.
The Border Campaign started on the 12th of December 1956 and lasted until the 26th of February 1962.
The number of players available for selection was reduced due to the unrest at the time.
A hiatus of hurling took place for a few years but the candle was still burning in our Club for more success.
Did You Know?
A proud moment for the club occurred in 1952
Team captain John Devlin and John O Donnell were both selected for Ulster who played Connaught at Corrigan Park Belfast.
