St. John Bosco Gaelic Football Club, was originally founded in 1952 by members of the St. John Bosco Youth Club. The original squad was managed by the late Gerry Brown. It included such names as Paddy Lambe, P Grant, P McAleavey, F McCaul, A Ruddy, E Campbell, J Pearce and J Bannon. An enthusiastic backroom staff included Maurice Mathers and John McAleavey. The club won it's first silverware shortly afterwards, when an under 21 team entered and won the Fitzpatrick Cup, a competition run by the Dromore Diocesan Youth Council. However, in 1956, because of age restrictions at the Youth Club, it was decided to change the name to John Mitchel GFC and remove any connection to the Youth Club. The name of St. John Bosco was missing from Down football for a number of years. However, in 1963 the club was reformed under the inspiration and guidance of the then Youth Club Chairman Father Bradley. To mark its resurgence the Bosco organised a first class inter-county tournament at the Gaelic grounds (now Pairc Esler), with teams from Tyrone, Monaghan, Armagh and Down competing. The newly-formed club also enjoyed success in the Newry and District Schoolboys Gaelic Football League, capturing the League and Championship. Managed by the late Jack Mackin, after whom our present pitch is named, this squad included the likes of Frank McDonald (now a GAA inter-county and FIFA referee), Con Davey, Francie Rafferty, Sean Flanagan, Martin McConville and Kevin Woods. The new club had men like Jimmy and Eddie Heaney, Joe Fearon, Peter McParland (RIP), and Jack Mackin (RIP) at the helm. Other players included Paddy Fox, Tom Tumilty (former club Chairman), Seamus O'Hare, George McAteer and Eddie Rocks. Bosco won the Junior League in their first year of football and were promoted to the Intermediate League. Around the same time the club committee purchased land from Henry Cole (RIP) with the intention of building a Youth Club and pitch. Unfortunately, only the Youth Club was built and the football field was never developed. Jenning's Park was the Bosco's home pitch until Jack Mackin Park was developed by Newry and Mourne District Council. Success on the field eluded Bosco until the 1970s. The South Down Under 16 League was won for the first time in 1972. Three years later, 1975, St. John Bosco GFC had it's most successful year to date on the football field. Managed by the great John McCann, our minor team won the County Down Minor Championship for the first time beating a strong Burren team at Newcastle. A few weeks later they completed the double by defeating Warrenpoint to win the South Down Minor League. Interestingly, the sons and nephews of several members of this team repeated the success in 2002, but more about that later. Many of the 1975 minor team also helped the Under 16 team complete their double of County Championship and South Down League. Two members of this team, Raymond Tumilty and Francie Rooney, who both also appeared on the club's minor team, helped Down to All Ireland success at Minor level in 1977.  Unfortunately, St. John Bosco failed to build on this unprecedented success. More years in the wilderness followed until the Under 12s stepped forward in the early 1980s by claiming the South Down Championship in 1980 and 1981 and the County Championship in 1981. Many players from this team, such as the Jackson brothers (Brendan, Collie and Raymond), the Rooney brothers (Raymond, Colin and Maurice) Neil Patterson and Brian Irwin provided the backbone of the Senior team, managed by Aidan Mulvanney, that uniquely gained promotion from Division 4 to Division 1 in three consecutive years in the late 1980s. Bosco Ladies Football 
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