Early History
GAA games have been played in the two half parishes of Crossabeg and Ballymurn since 1886, but the two areas operated independently of one another for the first eighty years of Gaelic games, as each parish had its own team. The club contested the first Wexford senior football final of 1886 losing to Rosslare. The club won the senior football final of 1897.
The first hurling highlight was in 1891 when Crossabeg-Ballymurn was Wexford's representative in the All Ireland championship which was lost Ballyduff after extra time. That was Kerry's only All Ireland hurling championship success.
The first two decades of the 20th century brought the area to hurling prominence and also proved to be a golden era for the parish as far as the top hurling honours were concerned. Ballymurn recorded a first county title when winning the junior hurling championship of 1908 and this was quickly followed by senior success in 1910 and 1911. Crossabeg captured the Junior hurling title of 1914 and Ballymurn won it for the second time in 1916. Crossabeg were senior hurling champions in 1918 which was the last title they won as a separate club. Ballymurn won the minor hurling championship of 1929 which was quickly followed by an Intermediate hurling title in 1930. They played senior hurling in the early 1930s and during that time they won the Echo Shield an important competition of that era.
Ballymurn then followed Crossabeg back into the junior grade where both half parishes operated for over 30 years very much independent of each other with little if any inter change of players. There were no titles won and in some years a team might not be fielded at all, resulting in players throwing in their lot with neighbouring perishes, but never together. The names of players from the Crossabeg and Ballymurn parishes are to be found playing with other teams in the surrounding areas such as Sallybeachers, Ardcolm, New Irelands, Oylegate, Glenbrien, Shelmaliers, Glynn and the Faythe Harriers throughout this period.
Read more about this topic: Crossabeg Ballymurn GAA Club
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