Clann na nGael brings together the town of Athboy and Ráth Cairn, the neighbouring Meath Gaeltacht. It carries eight Meath senior hurling titles from the old Athboy club, and in 2026 it played in two county intermediate championships, reaching the hurling final.
The club was formed in the early 2000s by merging O’Growney Club Athboy, which played hurling and football, with An Ghaeltacht Ráth Cairn, a football club. The underage players of the two clubs were already playing together, and the merger let them stay together at adult level. In 2003 Meath great Graham Geraghty took charge of the footballers.
The Ráth Cairn connection gives the club a place at Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta, the annual football gathering of Gaeltacht clubs. In 2025 Clann na nGael won the junior final on home soil in Ráth Cairn, beating Naomh Náille 2-21 to 0-15.
Athboy won the Meath Senior Hurling Championship in 1924, 1926, 1928 and 1929, then three in a row from 1966 to 1968 and again in 1972. The club last reached a senior final in 1987. Since the merger the hurlers have moved between the top two grades, winning the Intermediate championship in 2004, 2007, 2015 and 2019.
The 2026 Intermediate campaign started with two defeats, including 0-19 to 0-13 against Rathmolyon. The team then won three in a row, over Gaeil Colmcille (0-16 to 0-13), Dunboyne (1-18 to 2-14) and Drumree (1-18 to 0-19), and beat Drumree again in the semi-final at Devenish Park, 4-13 to 0-10, with goals from Eamonn Ó Donnchadha, Joe Ennis and Conor McGovern. Rathmolyon were too strong in the final at Kiltale in October, winning 2-17 to 1-9.
The footballers have won the Meath Junior Football Championship three times, in 2007, 2019 and 2025. The 2025 final at Páirc Tailteann was tight. Niall McLoughlin’s side led 0-8 to 1-3 at half-time, St Vincent’s went ahead late on, and a Ben Corkery free near the end helped Clann home 0-17 to 1-12. Tomás Ó Dúghaill top-scored with 0-6.
That title meant intermediate football in 2026. Clann opened with a 4-25 to 2-9 win over Drumbaragh at Martry and made the quarter-finals, where Duleek-Bellewstown beat them 3-16 to 4-9 at Walterstown.
Clann na nGael play in green, white and yellow. The name means “family of the Gaels”, and it is shared by several other GAA clubs around Ireland, so look for the Meath club’s own crest when checking a jersey.
This FanFile covers Clann na nGael as a club rather than one particular jersey. Check the crest, sponsor, manufacturer label and product code on your own shirt to identify its specific season and edition.
Enjoyed discovering the story behind Clann na nGael? Explore another club, county and Gaelic games culture through an authentic mystery GAA jersey from Mystique Jerseys. Choose your size and tell us which teams you want to avoid before we select your surprise.
Facts checked: 11 November 2026.
Receive our latest updates about our products and promotions.