1991 – 2010
It is hard to believe that in 1991 the club was trying to survive relegation back to Div 3. After much discussion it was decided that Urney should organise a huge fundraiser with £25,000 in prizes and £25,000 profit as part funding for future development – the reason for Brian Farmer’s visit.
This year also brought great sadness to the club with the death of Urney’s most consistent club member, Hugo Lafferty.  He gave outstanding service to the club in terms of time, commitment, guidance and leadership.  He was held in high esteem by all who knew him and equally held in fear by those who would have liked to put the boot into Urney especially at Board level.
The reserve team also won the league to go with the championship. Urney started well in the Intermediate grade and were League leaders at the half way stage.  The fact that they only played one game in the next 2 months lost them their momentum.
Almost everyone is aware of the “second birth “of the club during the last twenty years.  The senior’s team gained promotion to the senior league having won a playoff with Trillick. Trillick became the first team to lose a “play off” since the All County League was set up.
It was at this time that the club developed to become a fully organised unit with a mission.  They set about developing a green field site that is now St Columba’s Park with its clubrooms.  This has cost in access of £500,000 and is debt free.
Urney also won the Junior Championship in 2002 when they defeated Eskra on a score of 2-08 to 0-10.
Alongside this development a great energy has been put into getting quality coaching at all levels especially at youth levels.  This has been obvious with the improved new skills provided by the coaches leading to several underage League and Championships titles, indeed this was especially true in 2010 when the U – 14 won league and championship titles, the U – 21 were unlucky  not to reach the final and the senior’s  lost in the intermediate Championship final. The Ladies under 16 team lost both league and Championship finals.
Over the past number years much energy has been put into the Ladies football at underage, where we now field teams at U8 - U10 - U12 - U14 - U16, U18 and in 2011 we will take part in the Ladies Adult League and Championship.  An innovation in ladies football is “Gaelic for mother’s” which has snowballed since being introduced in 2010.
 

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The Club can now  look forward and plan for the future with boys teams at U8 – U10 -  U12 – U14 -  U16 – U18 -  adult teams at U21 reserve and senior grade.  This will entail substantial expenditure as we go in search for a new playing area, community centre and associated developments which are likely to cost the club £1,000,000 plus grants that may be available.

All in all it has been an adventure that has brought joy and sadness, in equal measures but it is the excitement of the future that makes us get involved.  It is the voluntary nature of the GAA that makes the club the nucleus of the community.  It is run by the community for the community and everyone is treated equal.

I have used “Urney: Portrait of an Irish Parish” written by Criostair Mac An Ultaigh - a past player and contributor to the betterment of Urney St Columba’s.