| History In 1889 the William K. Redmond's Football Club became the first club from the parish to affiliate to the Wexford Gaelic Athletic Association, Secretary Martin Kenny from Campile having paid the sum of ten shillings to county Treasurer John J. Kehoe. The following year the name was changed to Campile Football Club. Only a Senior Championship was played at the time with a small number of teams taking part. Campile met Vinegar Hill in the first round of the Championship but the game ended prematurely. A goal was claimed by Campile and given by the referee, but Vinegar Hill refused to continue and Campile were awarded the game. They were betaen by Glynn in the next round. |
In 1900 the Ballinamona Young Emmets played a hurling game
against Carrigduff Heroes. The team included Lar O'Brien, Ballinamona,
John Carroll, The new road, Martin Kent, Horeswood, Michael Caulfield,
Coolerin, Mick O'Connor, Killesk, Martin and John Connolly, Great Island,
Jim Sinnott, Ballykerogue, Jim Finn, Balinamona, John Whitty, Coolerin,
James Whitty, Killesk, Tim O'Brien, Ballysop, Jim Culleton, Dunbrody,
Pat O'Brien, Ballinamona, Tom and Jimmy Fleming, Great Island, Jim Grace,
Grange. In the 1920's hurling became very popular in the northern part of the parish around the Whitechurch area. Three county Junior Hurling Finals were contested in 1928 by Shelburne, 1938 by Campile and 1940 by Sean Finns, but all three ended in defeat.A county title was finally captured in 1944 when Horeswood United won the minor title. This was followed by a Junior title in 1947 and a place in the senior ranks. This coincided with a renaissance in Wexford Hurling and Horeswood were up there with the likes of Rathnure, Cloughbawn and St. Aidans. They contested three Senior Finals, losing to Cloughbawn after a replay in 1952, and failing to St. Aidans in 1952 and 1954. However their exploits did not go unnoticed by the county selectors and Paddy Shannon, John Cummins, John Hearn, Martin Byrne, who played for many year with Geraldine O'Hanrahans) Dominic Hearn and Mick O'Hanlon all represented the county. Indeed the latter two won All Ireland Medals, Dominic Hearn in 1955 and Mick O'Hanlon,( who also represented the county at Senior Football level) , in 1955 and 1956. While football was the poor relation a County Junior Football Title was won in 1951 and the club spent five years in the Senior grade without any success. In 1955 a separate club St. Patricks was formed in Ballysop near J.F. Kennedy Park and they continued until 1960. They mainly played hurling starting at under 16 level and they captured a county title at that level in 1958. Their disbanding in 1960 resulted in a number of very promising players returning to play Intermediate with Horeswood. One of them Dick Shannon played with Wexford in the 1965 All Ireland Senior Hurling Final, (the last Horeswood man to do so), and he won a National League medal in 1967. Following the retirement of many great players they returned to the Intermediate Grade in 1956. They reached the Final in 1959 but lost to Oylegate. A return to the senior ranks was achieved in 1961, when Mick O'Hanlon at the age of 41 lined out at full back on a team that defeated Oylegate. A fourth Senior Final was contested in 1963 but success still eluded them when they lost to an Oylegate side strengthened by a number of players from Ballyhogue. In 1966 a special Junior title was won, the last adult Hurling title to come to the parish. In 1971 they returned to the Intermediate Grade and while they contested county finals in 1982 and 1986 they failed to return to the Senior Ranks. Unfortunately they dropped a step further in 2002 when they were regraded to Junior. An underage union with neighbouring St. James in the 1960's proved very fruitful especially in football and they won the under 16 and Minor double in 1969 followedr by another under 16 title in 1977. An under 16 hurling title was won in 1967 when they were joined by a few players from Fethard and Cushinstown. These underage football titles produced many fine players and they reached the County Junior Final in 1972 but lost to Buffers Alley. Two intermediate Finals were later contested. In 1977 they lost to Starlights and in 1980 they were beaten by a young Duffry Rovers Side which went on to dominate the Senior Grade for many years. They were regraded to Junior in 1986 but a first adult Football Championship since 1951 was won in 1988. Following a dominance of underage Football in the county in the 1980's and up to the mid 1990's which included the wining of Minor titles in 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996 as well as Under 21 titles in 1991, 19994 and 1995, all in the Premier Grade, success was slow to convert to adult level. Another final defeat was suffered in 1994 when they lost the Intermediate Final to St. Martins. The long awaited return to Senior Football finally arrived in 1998 when they swept all opposition aside including St. James in the Final in O'Kennedy Park. While progress was slow in the Senior Grade a first ever Senior Football Final was reached in 2003 but unfortunately without success as Kilanerin ran out easy winners.
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ROLL OF HONOUR Hurling
By Another Name. 1889: William K Redmond's Football Club. 1947: Mountain Rangers Football Club. All Ireland and Leinster Medal winners. All Ireland: Senior Hurling: Junior Hurling: Minor Hurling Masters Hurling Senior Camogie Leinster Senor Football: Senior Hurling: Junior Hurling: Junior Football Pat Cummins 1911 Under 21 Hurling Minor Hurling Eddie Breen 1970 Senior Camogie Junior Camogie Joan Usher (O'Reilly) 1968 Ladies Minor Football Ailish O'Hanlon 1994, 1995
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