Through the years there had been several attempts to form a club in the Ashbourne area. In the 1960’s Jimmy Feeley formed a team in the AUL but they unfortunately broke up. In the 1970’s a team was entered in the North Dublin League (senior league) but only lasted two years despite the best efforts of Andy Cromwell, Andy Carroll and Paddy Mooney. A team was also entered into the Amateur League by Mick and Tony O’Toole, but that too was short lived.
The idea of forming a club was actually muted in 1978 but it was too late to enter a league that year. It came about that in late 1978, over a few pints in Kellys, the “locals” challenged the “newly moved in” residents to a match. The game was keenly contested with the “locals” coming out on top – the real winner however was the community as Ashbourne United A.F.C. was formed and it was decided to enter a League the following September.
The club’s first season was the 1979/1980 season, which makes this season 2011/2012 our 33rd season in existence.
We played our first competitive fixture on September 1st 1979 in Division 3 Saturday Private Grounds of the Leinster Junior League (now Leinster Football League). That first fixture was against Stoneybatter and we won the game 6 v 2. We competed in the Leinster Junior League for the next six seasons before moving to the Athletic Union League in season 1986/1987. The Leinster Junior years did not yield any silverware, although the club did reach the latter stages of the Conway and Giffney Cups and almost won the league in our final year with the LJL, eventually finishing third.
We entered the AUL in Division 2 Sunday and although we had three barren years, we should have won the league in 1988/1989, when we finished third after topping the table for the whole season, this team also reached the 5th round of the FAI Junior Cup. The honour’s did come in season 1990/1991 when the club competed in Division 3A Sunday. The team went on to do the league and cup double winning Division 3A Sunday and the Frank Roe Cup, under player manager Greg McNamee and assistant Aidan Conway. In season 2003/04, after eight years of trying, our first team earned promotion from Premier C to Premier B. We still hold our Premier B status to this day and have performed well throughout the years in the AUL and have become recognised as a club who are tough to beat and are regularly in the hunt for honours across the divisions.
Our first schoolboy team was entered into the Dublin District Schoolboys League in season 1986/1987. They were entered in an Under 13 division and were managed by Kevin Walker and Des Flannagan. Having a very young team they were able to compete at Under 13 level the following season, 1987/1988, and they won the Under 13F Division with a dramatic ‘tie-breaker’ against Ayrfield .
Although we played in the DDSL for six more seasons the successes were few and far between with the highlight being Runners-up in the Under 10 Paisley/Deering Cup in 1990/1991 and winners of the 11B Division in 1991/1992. However, our schoolboy network was increasing and developing over these years and in 1990/1991 we entered our first teams into the newly formed North Eastern Counties League. We also had teams still playing in the DDSL.
In 1994 it was decided to enter all our schoolboy teams into the NEC and this was to be phased in over two years, by season 1995/1996 we no longer had any teams competing in the DDSL.
In season 1996/1997 we entered the North Dublin Schoolboys/girls League, (commonly known as the Brenfer League), for the first time. We entered an U18 team into the Premier Division, managed by Damien Jameson and Keith Warren, and three under 14s teams, all under the watchful eye/supervision of Eugene Larkin. The following season we entered our first 7-a-side teams into the NDSL, which involved players who had been playing in our kindergarten since 1995. These teams were managed by Gerry Snowe, Paul O’Leary and James Keogh.
The season after that more of our managers decided to switch into the NDSL and over the years the club gradually made the changeover from NEC to NDSL – by season 1999/2000 all our teams had switched to the NDSL, where we have been playing schoolboy/girls football since.
Since the formation of the club there have been many Committees and individuals who have given their all for Ashbourne United and the community, but no history of the club can be written without recognizing the commitment and effort that the Flannagan family has shown to the club. It’s great to see Dessy back on the touchline for the club but Jimmy must also be mentioned for his work as Club Secretary, pitch marker, grounds keeper, gear washer, lotto seller – and all that while managing schoolboy teams and the odd guest appearance for any team short a player. They provided the foundation and the foresight for Baltrasna . . . it’s now down to each and every club member to build on that!
