A Short History of St. Raymond's ClubThe St. Raymond's Gaelic Football Club was formed in 1970 by a group of individuals who saw the need for an organized under-age football club in the East Bronx. People such as Jim Halpin, Jack McElligott (deceased), Jim Huvane, Pat Ryan (deceased), Matty Hyland (deceased) and Bro. Brendan Myles (deceased) made the idea become a reality. It was not just these men who worked hard in making this Club come to fruition, but women such as Philomena Halpin, Nora Huvane, Lilly McElligott (deceased), Ann Ryan and Eileen Hyland (deceased) were there to assist in this endeavour.
Under-18 competition soon began, with games scheduled, home and away, versus a very strong New Haven team. The Sullivans and the O'Hanlons were the drivers of that team, ninety miles north of New York City. St. Raymond's won a number of under-age medals in the early 1970s. A memorable occasion took place in 1972, as St. Raymond's hosted the Ballyvourney College team from Cork, who were All-Ireland finalists the previous year. Before a capacity crowd in Gaelic Park, Ballyvourney defeated the local side, with only a few points between the sides. The visiting team enjoyed their stay in New York, offering to host the St. Raymond's team the following year in Ireland. Their offer was gladly accepted, and the first tour of Ireland by the Club took place in the summer of 1973, with games taking place in Castlebar, Mayo, and Killarney, Kerry, in addition to the game in Cork versus Ballyvourney. A great time was enjoyed by all. St. Raymond's continued to field Under-age teams during this period of time, reaching a number of finals, but never winning a cup. Individual successes did take place, with a number of players participating in Minor international competitions. As the team grew older, St. Raymond's began its pursuit of the Junior Championship, with some strong showings in that division in the mid-1970s. The hard work paid off, with the attainment of its goal in 1977, as St. Raymond's became the first club to graduate from the Minor Board to win a New York Championship. It was a great victory, and the Club celebrated with its second trip to Ireland in 1978. The team continued to persevere during the following years, returning to the heights of Junior football in 1987, with a Knock-Out semi-final win over Cham-pionship winners Roscommon, but then lost a tough battle to Donegal in the final. The Junior team qualified for the play-offs from the late 1980s until the early 1990s, each year losing to the ultimate winners of the competition. In the mid-1990s, the team came close but did not qualify for the play-offs. In 1998, the Club decided to relegate to the Junior "B" Division. The team reached the play-offs early in the 2000s, finally closing the gap by winning the 2004 Junior "B" Championship. Since that time, the Club has competed in Junior A, reaching the final in 2008; the Intermediate division in 2009; and Junior in 2010. In addition, the Club has visited Boston on a number of occasions; Chicago in 1988; participated in the seven-a-side tournament in Pompano Beach, Florida, on St. Patrick's weekend in 1990, and Michigan in 1999. As time progressed, it became apparent that there was again great interest in Under-age Gaelic football in the Throggs Neck area of the Bronx. Mike Sullivan, Jim McDonagh, Dave and Pat Ryan, Jim Halpin and Matty Hyland were among a number of people who brought back St. Raymond's Under-age football to the Minor Board and the local community. In 1989, the Club began by fielding U-10, U-12, U-14 and U-16 teams. Since the late 1990s, great work by the likes of Roger Slattery and Dave Kilkenny have kept the St. Raymond's Under-age teams going, winning various New York as well as CYC Championships. Numerous players have gone on to play for our recent Junior teams. The Club is hoping for future success in the upcoming years. |