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Carrickmacross Emmets is a Gaelic football club from Carrickmacross in County Monaghan in Ireland. The club was founded in 1887. The club participates in Monaghan competitions. The club has won the Monaghan Senior Football Championship eight times and have come runner-up seven times. The Club colours are Green and Yellow. The first club grounds played on were Athletic Grounds, then the Gaelic Grounds. In 1938 the club moved to its present grounds at Emmet Park, which was developed into one of the best venues in the county. It was officially opened in 1953 when Monaghan played Meath. In recent years the club secured property on the Donaghmoyne Road and have developed a full size playing pitch and a training area along with modern changing facilities that can cater for four teams. At present the site is chiefly used for training purposes for adult and juvenile teams as well as ladies and hurling teams but games can be played there when necessary. The early years Carrickmacross Emmets have been in existence since the 1880s and are reckoned to be the oldest club in County Monaghan. In 1884 a great revival in Gaelic games was underway with clubs springing up all over the county but they had no real organisation or supervision and the many tournaments that were being run ended in disorder and chaos! By 1887 all counties were instructed by the GAA to affiliate to the governing body under the rules of the Association. The first ever GAA meeting in Monaghan was held in O’Neills Hotel in Carrickmacross on 27 December to elect a County Committee, it was attended by the Carrickmacross Sextons and the Carrickmacross O’Briens; both remnants of the original Emmets team; this split arose out of a complete disunion within the GAA which had taken place in November 1887. The first official meeting of the new County Board was also held in O’Neills Hotel in February 1888; when the following officers were elected; (President) Rev William McKenna CC (Vice President) Rev J McCarney, who was later Monaghan's first delegate to Central Council; (Secretary) Owen Cahill, Carrickmacross; (Treasurer) Patrick Lee, Carrickmacross. It was decided to hold a Football Championship at Capragh on 27 May 1887. The Carrickmacross Sextons reached the final of the competition but were well beaten by the Inniskeen Grattans who went on to represent Monaghan in the All-Ireland championship. Later that year the Carrickmacross Emmets made their reappearance as a team; with a challenge match against the Baileborough Raparees which was played at Shercock on 29 July with the return game being staged in a field close to Carrickmacross town on 5 August; both games proved to be a great success for both the players and supporters. The following year the Sextons and the O’Briens and a team called the Farney Wanderers represented the town in the County Football Championship; however with the GAA in disarray in Monaghan; the competition was never concluded. Next mention of the Emmets came to notice in April 1896 when they played the Aghalile Grattan’s in a challenge match and again in August when they played Virginia Sarsfields in the Killanny Tournament. In October of the same year the Emmets ran a fine football tournament in close proximity to the town and the vast crowd of spectators were thoroughly satisfied with the day’s proceedings. In the subsequent years games were practically non-existent in relation to Gaelic activity and it was 1901 before we read about a football game near Carrickmacross "The pitch wasn’t properly marked and so ended the tournament under the auspices of the Carrickmacross Gaelic club whose existence is a myth" Official Founding and early 1900s On September 26, 1903, a meeting of those interested in Gaelic games was held in the Foresters Hall, Carrickmacross to elect officers and to establish the club to the County Board. By coincidence it was also the Centenary of the death of Robert Emmet; the identity formerly associated with the original Carrickmacross team; it was unanimously agreed to again adopt the name of the young Irish patriot! The following officers were elected at that meeting; (Captain) Owen Sherry (Vice Captain) J Jones; (Treasurer) Joseph Connolly; (Secretary) Thomas Markey. The following month the new Emmets travelled to Kingscourt to play the local Sinn Féin team in a challenge match. By January 1904, the Emmets were in full swing when they played Inniskeen to a draw match; they also participated in tournaments at Killanny, Killark and Magheracloone as well as running their own tournament competition. Also in 1904 the first inter-county match to be played in many years was organised by the Cavan Foresters; it was played at the Cavan Agricultural grounds between Cavan and Monaghan; with the Emmets representing Monaghan and the Slashers representing Cavan! On 12 May a meeting of the established clubs met in the Foresters Hall to put in place foundations for a new and vibrant Association in Monaghan in which the Carrickmacross Emmets would ultimately play a huge part as one of the foremost teams in Gaelic football at both underage and adult levels! In 1908 the club won its first senior championship against Inniskeen at Athletic Grounds Carrickmacross. Man of the match was Jemmy Downey. There were great celebrations in Carrickmacross that night as the club captured their first County Championship the match was widely reported for the high standard of play from both teams. Carrickmacross; James Costello, James Downey, John Slevin, John Gartland Jess Connolly, Ignatius McCaffery, Jemmy Duffy, James Devine, P Finnegan, Pat McKeown, Mick Keelan, J Flood, Willie Flood, A Murray, T McCaffery, J Finnegan and William O’Brien. The final score in this match was Carrickmacross 1.03 0.01 Inniskeen. Having represented Monaghan in the 1908 Ulster senior championship it looked as if Carrickmacross Emmets might not take part in the County Championship series in 1909 as they had incurred a suspension but on appeal the penalty was rescinded. The final of the County Championship between Currin and Carrickmacross Emmets was played at Foy’s Green, Cootehill on Sunday 11 April 1909. A large crowd witnessed the final. The final outcome of this one-sided final was Carrickmacross 2.12 Currin 1.01. Carrickmacross panel James Costello, James Downey, John Slevin, John Gartland Jess Connolly, Ignatius McCaffery, James Duffy, James Devine, P Finnegan, Pat McKeown, Mick Keelan, J Flood, Willie Flood, A Murray, Tom McCaffery, J Finnegan, Willie O’Brien, N Murray, Jim Farrelly, Owen Sherry, T Finnegan, Jim O’Brien, Larry Jones. 1910s Carrick won the championship for the third year in a row on Sunday 9 October 1910 at Derrygooney, Bawn. Carrickmacross Emmets and Monaghan Harps met in the final of the football championship of the county! Both teams were at full strength and Monaghan Harps fielded the strongest team that has represented the North for some time; to try conclusions with the County Champ.... Discover the Jess Connolly popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jess Connolly books.