About

Our History

1911

On the 5th October 1911, an advert was published in the Newry Reporter asking anyone interested in forming a hockey club in the area to attend a meeting the next evening in the Victoria Hotel at 8.00pm. It took place with twelve in attendance, and RC McGrath was appointed as Captain. The membership was open to both ladies and gentlemen and an opening practice was held at Newry Showgrounds.

1913

In February 1913 Newry Olympic Hockey Club was established properly by the Newry Methodist Guild for those belonging to the church, but the membership was widened to include any young people interested in playing the game. The first AGM of the club took place in the Methodist Church Lecture Hall.

1914

In 1914 just before war broke out challenge matches between Newry HC and Newry Olympic HC took place at the Show Grounds, the town ladies winning by 5 – 0 and the Men by 12 – 0.

1919

In 1919 Hockey in Newry was revived from a state of abeyance during the war, with men’s and ladies’ sections playing non-competitive matches as well as mixed hockey for several years. 

1921

At the AGM in 1921 it was agreed that a new ground should be sought and this was established at the St. Colmans College gatehouse.

1923

At the start of the 1923-24 season, a second XI was formed and was entered in the McMeekin Cup, with the First XI competing in the Braddell Shield. Club colours at this stage were white and green halves!!

1928

In 1928 the Newry Olympic name was revived and used for the mixed team. In November 1931 the Men’s XI became South Down HC and made competitive debut in the Athletic Stores Cup. The Newry Olympic name was used by the Men’s XI when playing friendly matches across the border in Dundalk.

1934-35

The 1934-35 season, was a memorable one for the club. The 1st XI won the Braddell Shield, the Irish Junior Cup and were undefeated in junior league Division “A”. Their Victory over Corinthians Second XI by 2-0 in the Junior Cup at Londonbridge Road made them the only team to bring the trophy north in 41 years. The second XI in their 1st season reached the Final of the Minor Charity Cup.

1935-36

In 1935-36 the First XI played in the Intermediate League, and in March 1936 made the journey to Dublin again for the Irish Junior Cup Final, this time beating Athinkard of Limerick 2-0, to become the only Ulster Club at that time to have won successive titles!

1939

With the outbreak of the Second World War, the Ulster Branch suspended all hockey, but a number of clubs (including Newry) played friendly games. In December 1939 the first competitive match between Newry Olympic and Banbridge First XI took place in the ‘A’ Division of this wartime league programme.

1948

In 1948 – 49 T. Whitten brought honour to the club in being selected to Captain the Ulster Senior Squad against Leinster at Bladon Drive. 

1957

In April 1957 Bob Poots became the first Newry Olympic player to be capped by Ireland for the full senior team. This was when he was still a schoolboy, aged 18. By now the club had moved its base to Carnbane but the construction of a new Tandragee Road meant the pitch had to be re-sited.

1963

In 1963 due to lack of numbers the 2nd XI was disbanded and if this wasn’t bad enough the lease on the Tandragee Road ground had expired, but fortunately another pitch was found nearby.

1966-68

The next few years saw the club struggle to field even one team, but fresh talent began to emerge from Newry High School in the shape of Ulster and Ireland schoolboys Freddie Martin and Noel Mears. In 1966 the club was granted permission to use the new all-weather pitch at Newry High School and a year later with players having returned from other clubs the Second XI was again reformed. The second XI in 1967-68 won the Braddell Shield, the first Olympic side to reach a knock-out final since 1936.

1977

In 1977 a decision was taken to start fund-raising to purchase the Club’s own premises which would contain a clubhouse and a playing surface. By 1978 the Men’s and Ladies’ clubs had joined forces, and a 3rd XI and 4th XI men’s teams were started.

1981-82

The early eighties saw the club with the Irish Junior Cup, Intermediate League and Intermediate Cup, all in 1981-1982. The Junior Cup win was the first in 46 years, with Brian Lockhart scoring all 4 goals in a 4-2 victory over Monkstown Second XI at Banbridge.

The Second XI made it to Junior League 1 for the first time in 1982 and after 5 years of fund-raising the land on the Belfast Road was eventually purchased.

1983-84

In 1983 the foundations of the club house were laid with a tremendous effort from a number of members the clubhouse was opened in June the following year. An official opening was held in September 1984 when a Ulster President XI played Newry Olympic and the ceremony was performed by the club President Mr Stanley Graham who travelled from New Zealand for the occasion. Stanley was the captain of the Olympic side which first won the Junior Cup in 1935.

G. Auterson (Chairman NOHC); D. Watt (President UBIHU); S Graham (President NOHC); R McCullough (Hon Sec NOHC)

Back Row: G Auterson, B Lockhart, G Hanna, A Dowd, G McIlroy, N McNellis, T Williamson

Front Row: A McGaffin, T McVicker, A. Auterson, J McVicker, R Taylor, L McCaigue

Back Row: N Crawford, F Greene, S Martin, R Carson, D Lewers, N Allister, K Morris

Front Row: C Allister, P Cooke, J McKee, W McConnell, R Parker

1985-86

By the end of 1985-86 season all the teams were enjoying some measure of success and the Club had 5 representatives on the Ulster U-21 team, with 2 making the Irish U-21’s, 4 representatives on the Ulster Indoor U-21 and one on the Senior Ulster and Irish Squad.

Through the later part of the 80’s hockey continued to flourish in the Newry area with a Fifth XI team being formed, and a timely venture was the construction of another all-weather pitch by the local council at Derrylecka.

1989-90

The next few years saw the lower teams bring home various pieces of silverware, but in a concentrated effort in the 1989-90 Season, the First XI obtained Senior League 1 status for the first time in the Club’s History and managed to make the Semi Final of the Irish Senior Cup in the same Year

1992

In June 1992 work commenced on the New Synthetic Playing Surface with the first match taking place in October of the year.

1993

An official opening match between a Newry Olympic Squad and the full Irish Squad was arranged for May 1993 with the Olympic team being boosted by Dutch Internationals Bovelander and Van Den Hornet and GB Internationals Stephen Martin, John Shaw and Sean Kerly. The match ended in 5-5 draw, and the large crowd of spectators enjoyed a thrilling game.

N McCullough (President UBIHU), G Endecott (Foundation for Sports & Arts), J McCloy (President ILHU), W McCague (Chairman Pitch Dev Committee), D Preston (President NOHC), N Gray (Chairman NOHC), C Tipping (President IHU)

Back Row: G Crooks, S Kerly (England & GB), S Martin (Ireland & GB), T Van Den Honert (Netherlands), H McGuffin, B Blythe, J Gregg, C Burns, I Steen, S Jackson

Middle Row: I Lutton, B Evans, R Moffett, FJ Bovelander (Netherlands), J Whitten (Capt), E Lutton, M McCaigue, J McVicker, G Morrow

Front Row: C McCullough, W Nummy, S Cooper, J Shaw (England & GB)

Back Row: R Geddis, P Darley, D Clarke, P Richardson, D McAnulty, C Hade, G Burns, I Bateman, J Stevenson, C Koppelaar, G Compston, L Cummings

Front Row: A Dowd, R Taylor, R Johnson, M Sloan (Capt), J Kirkwood, A Van De Kastella, R Madeley, P Holloway, G Sterritt

1995

In 1995 the First XI reached the Semi Final of the Irish Senior Cup, and the Second XI the Semi Final of the Junior Cup.

1995

In 1995-96 season the First XI made further headlines by reaching the Final of the Kirk Cup, which they lost 2-0 to Lisnagarvey.

1997

By the turn of the Century Newry Olympic were still competing in Senior 1 hockey and the team was boosted by local players Errol Lutton and Ivan Steen who were representing Ulster and Ireland on a regular basis. Newry were also boosted even further when Olympic Gold Medallist Stephen Martin agreed to coach and play for Newry.

1999

In 1999 Newry Olympic were proud to open a new Changing Room facility at the Belfast Road ground which complimented the Synthetic Pitch.

2009

In 2009 Newry Olympic replaced the Synthetic Pitch with a brand new state of the art Sand Based Pitch that to this day is providing the club with one off the finest pitches to play on in Ulster Hockey.

2014

Newry Olympic firsts had the most successful season for 32 years by going undefeated for the whole of 2013-14 and winning the Irish Junior Trophy for the first time, Senior League 1 and the Linden cup.