Cockhill Celtic F.C.
| Full name | Cockhill Celtic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1970 | ||
| Ground | Charlie O'Donnell Sports Grounds | ||
| Capacity | Unknown | ||
| Chairman | Joe McLaughlin | ||
| Manager | Gavin Cullen | ||
| League | Ulster Senior League | ||
| 2011 | 1st | ||
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Cockhill Celtic Football Club is a football club from Ireland currently competing in the Ulster Senior League. The club are based in Buncrana. Cockhill Celtic play their home games at Charlie O'Donnell Sports Grounds.
History
The club was founded in 1970 by a group of local men who would meet up most evenings to play a game of football. The men would meet in Swan's Park, Buncrana were it fulfilled the old football cliché 'Jumpers for Goalposts'. The team, due to their location, was known as Westbrook Celtic, later to become Cockhill Celtic
The first meeting of Westbrook Celtic was held on 28 October 1970 and the first committee was elected at this meeting
In the early years, the club played their matches at the 'Coneyburrow' pitch in the 'Castle Grounds', Buncrana. The training, for around 20 members, was held in the Paris Hall, Desertegney (~5 miles away). The club initially competed in both the Inishowen Football League as well as the Derry & District League. The 1973/74 Season seen the club have its first success on the pitch, when they gained promotion to the 1st Division of the D&D League, promotion was gained by winning their section undefeated although they were beat in the final. The club competed in the D&D for four years
Westbrook Celtic encountered a problem, around this time, relating to the availability of the pitch in Buncrana. The late Mr. Hugh O'Donnell, a local Cockhill man, approached the club and offered the use of a field, in Cockhill, as a football pitch. The club accepted this offer and still use this pitch, known as 'O'Donnell's Holm', to the present day. The Club, during this period, had now become firmly rooted in Cockhill and thus the name change from Westbrook Celtic to Cockhill Celtic came about. The older club members agree that the football club grew from strength to strength after the change of name and location
In 1976 the late Mr. Jim Sheridan (a teacher at St. Mary's NS, Cockhill) formed Cockhill Youth Club. The 'Youth Club' was formed with the assistance of a group of parents from the area and operated on a Friday night in the National School building. School desks had to be removed on the Friday evening to accommodate the youth club's activities. A snooker table was set up in the hall and the partitions, which defined the classrooms, were pushed back to create larger activity rooms. Table tennis and darts were in one room, with board games and computer games in the other. Around forty children attended the 'Youth Club' at this time. Competitions took place for all activities and there was a prize giving night, with an annual disco, held at the end of each year
Meanwhile, Cockhill Celtic FC was going from strength to strength. The club was now fielding teams at U13, U15 and U17 level in the Inishowen Youth League. The club thought the new youth set-up was vital to the growing community in the Cockhill area at this time. The new youth structure would also help produce future senior players for the club. This, allied with success of the men's team, made the future bright for Cockhill Celtic on the pitch
The 'Football Club' had had success in earlier years but it didn't come easy. In the 1984/85 Season the success became impossible to ignore, one of the club's most successful season was summed up in a 'Derry Journal' headline in 1985, 'FIVE TROPHIES WON – a great season for Cockhill Celtic'. In this season, the club won an unprecedented five trophies. The team managed by founder members Michael Doherty and Joe McLaughlin, included a mixture of some older players with a blend of some products from the youth teams, went after everything and won most of it.
Following the club's success in 1985, it was decided to apply to join the Ulster Senior League. The Ulster Senior League was formed in 1986/1987 through the work of the Inishowen football League, the Donegal League and the Ulster FA to provide a league for teams who either were dominant in their own league or wanted to provide an intermediate structure in their clubs. The first season proved difficult in the Ulster Senior League as the club lost a number of players during this period to emigration. The team subsequently rejoined the Inishowen League the following year and attempted to improve the youth structure of the club to provide players and help replace those lost to emigration. Cockhill Celtic did however have the honour of being one of the first tams in the newly formed league along with other Inishowen clubs, Carndonagh, Buncrana and Culdaff
The club's success, in the early 80's, made it evident to the club's committee that it needed its own ground to further develop. The club, including the season in the Ulster Senior League, were playing at 'O'Donnell's Holm' and felt it needed more playing facilities. A plot of land had been purchased opposite the old National School, Cockhill and despite the many setbacks of inclement weather; Packie Bonner, the Republic of Ireland goalkeeper, opened 'Celtic Park, Cockhill' on 12 July 1987. The new pitch was funded, purely by fundraising in the community with no funding available at this time. The club now had two teams participating in the Inishowen League and three underage teams, U13, U15 and U17
In 1989, 'Cockhill Celtic Football Club' and 'Cockhill Youth Club' amalgamated and collectively became known as Cockhill Celtic Youth and Football Club. The committee recognised that a firm base was essential due to the growing membership and ongoing expansion of both Clubs' activities. This was found with the help of Fr. Joseph Carolan, the local Parish Priest at the time. Fr. Joseph Carolan, now deceased, allowed the club to acquire the old National School building as the club's new headquarters. An agreement was reached with Fr. Carolan in which the club would get the old school building in exchange for a piece of land the club owned, this land is now a car park for St. Mary's Church, Cockhill. In July 1990, the club received planning permission to extend and reconstruct the old national school. The school was developed internally and now consists of an office, boardroom, games room and two dressing rooms with shower facilities, with separate changing facilities for match officials. A grant was received from the 'Programme for Peace and Reconciliation' to help with this development and to employ a facilitator to assess the needs of the area. The exterior of the building was deliberately kept unchanged, as much as was possible, to keep the tradition of the building
The number of young members within the club was growing rapidly and to maintain the youth structure and promote football activities throughout the year, a new team, Cockhill Celtic Youth was introduced to the club. The team later became known as Cockhill Reserves and was managed for a number of years by Tommy Doherty and Colm Carey
In conjunction with the Cockhill Community Association, the club began a project to build a floodlit, all-weather, training facility. The club ran a £100 draw, to fund this project, and became one of the first clubs to have a house as the prize. The club opened this facility in the early 1990s, thanks mainly to the success and imagination of this draw
Tragically the chairman, Charlie O'Donnell, did not live to see the latest development reach its completion date having died on 8 October 2007. Charlie was a founder member of the club and served as chairman from 1978 until his sudden passing, he was the driving force behind all developments that was seen to be moving the club forward. Charlie was also chairman of the Inishowen League and had overseen their development, owning their own pitches and premises. The other committee members who worked with 'Charlie' are determined not to let this tragedy be the end of the story but only let Charlie be an inspiration to all that comes after him. Charlie will always be remembered and never forgotten among everyone associated with Cockhill Celtic Youth & Football Club
Honours
Ulster Senior League Premier Division – Winners 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 – Cockhill Celtic FC
Donegal News League Cup 2010, 2013, 2014 ,2015, 2016 – Cockhill Celtic FC
Inishowen Football League (IOFL)
Charlie O'Donnell Memorial Trophy (Futsal) – Winners 2010/11 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Youths)
Club of the Year – Winners 2008/09 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Reserves)
Premier Division – Winners 2004/05, 1999/00, 1991/92, 1990/91 & 1988/89 – Cockhill Celtic FC
First Division – Winners 2006/07 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Youths)
Reserve Premier Division – Winners 2003/04 & 1994/95 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Reserves)
Reserve First Division – Winners 1997/98 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Reserves)
Reserve League Shield – Winners 2005/06 & 2001/02 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Reserves)
Ulster Junior Cup – Winners 2003/04 – Cockhill Celtic FC
West End League Cup – Winners 2004/05 & 1989/90 – Cockhill Celtic FC
Top Four Challenge Cup – Winners 2006/07 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Youths) 1990/91, 1989/90 & 1988/89 – Cockhill Celtic FC
Fr. O'Gara Cup – Winners 2006/07 & 2005/06 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Youths) 1991/92 – Cockhill Celtic FC (Reserves)
Buncrana Credit Union Cup – Winners 2004/05 & 2002/03 – Cockhill Celtic FC
Fruit of the Loom Cup – Winners 1995/96, 1992/93 & 1990/91 – Cockhill Celtic FC