How the club was formed and our first ever match

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 (AFL) by Mick and Tony O’Toole, but that too was short lived. The idea of forming a club was actually discussed 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.

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First Season as Ashbourne United

The club’s first season was the 1979/1980 season. We played our first competitive fixture on Sunday September 2nd 1979 in Division 3 Saturday on the 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.