Ilen Rovers 2.08

Ilen Rovers is a Gaelic football club in County Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated to Cork GAA and Carbery GAA divisional boards. The farming and fishing community of Ilen Rovers hails from the estuary of the River Ilen, the West Cork river that flows through Skibbereen before entering the sea near the fishing port of Baltimore, the gateway to the islands of Sherkin, Cape Clear and Heir. The club crest depicts this rural geographical area showing the Beacon to the south and Kilcoe castle to the west with the Ilen flowing between and the sea beyond.HistoryThe Club was founded in 1973 and so comprises players from the parish of Rath and the Islands and the parish of Aughadown, the two parishes that bound the river estuary. In the club's first year, three teams were affiliated under 14, under16 & minor. Success was instant, winning the SW minor B championship, in that first year. This prompted the club to enter under 21 and junior B teams in 1974, with the under 21's losing the SW championship final. They were runners up in the same competition in 1975, before winning this championship at the third attempt in 1976. However the promising start failed to transfer itself to the junior team. In fact the club lost the first round of the junior B championship every year from 1974 - 1982. Finally their championship jinx was broken in 1983, and the team went all the way to championship success. Four fruitless years followed in junior A, before the club re-graded for the only time in their history in 1988. The Junior B championship was won again that year and history was made when the team reached its first county final, only to lose to Abbey Rovers after a replay.