The Henry Joy McCracken club dates back only as far as 1945, but far from being the babes of South Derry, Moneymore shares the honour with Lissan of having the oldest club in South Derry.

O'CAHANS carried the gaslight for Gaelic football and GAA Cultural heritage in the predominantly Unionist South Derry town from the early 1900's.

In 1911, O'Cahans, Moneymore played in the Cookstown and district football league.

The next appearance of O'Cahans was in 1934 in the South Derry football league but they lasted only one season. They were back again in 1938 and 1939.

1n 1945 they returned as Henry Joy McCracken's. They had no official club grounds and football was played on a field owned by Owen Devlin, otherwise know as "The Hill".

About the time of Derry's push for All-Ireland success in the late-50s, and Down's breakthrough during the early-60s, the original flame lost its energy. O'Cahan's at the time became defunct and disappeared. Gaelic football fell on hard times between brick and mortar for approximately a decade.

It was reignited and reformed, in the amber and black colours of Henry Joy McCracken's Moneymore, in 1976. A conversation between Patrick O'Brien and the headmaster at St Patrick's Primary School, Patsy Breen, was instrumental in Gaelic football's reformation in the town.

An Mhuine Mor appointed a famous old O'Cahan's clubman, Charlie Teague, as President, a position he retained until his death.

Among the mainstays of Moneymore's revival were Louis McIvor RIP, Jim Brown RIP, Frank O'Connor and Brendan O'Neill. Mr O'Brien Club Secretary for 19 years, passed away during Millennium year after several years of ill health.

Brendan O'Neill and Patsy Breen managed the club to the 1984 Intermediate title, a win which remains their biggest domestic championship and achievement.

That included at midfield ex Derry star Eugene Young who was recently appointed as Ulster's first football development supreme.

In its various guises, the GAA club in Moneymore has experienced something of a chequered history.

Keeping the home fires burning has every so often, proved a struggle.This is as true today as during many of their yesterdays, despite what on the face of it appears a time of marvellous progress.

Today our club is going from strength to strength. We have a Senior team, a Reserve team and an underage team. The underage team is named Ogra Mor and is amalgamated with Ogre Colmcille.