Gaelic football has always played an integral part in the Carnaross parish down through the years. Carnaross have a long and proud tradition in Meath GAA which dates back to 1888 when they competed under the name of Carnaross, St. Kieran’s. Many teams from the parish area have taken part over the years including - St. Kieran’s, Dulane, Oakley Park, Mullaghea Allies and Dervor while both Loughan and Rathendrick have competed at underage level.
The first county title was captured in 1912 when Carnaross beat a fancied Skryne side, 2-1 to 1-2 in the Junior final. The following year they beat neighbours Kells in the opening round of the Senior Championship, which was the first official 15 a-side match to be played in the county following the decision of the previous Congress to reduce the number of players from 17 to 15. They enjoyed a fantastic year in Senior and went on to reach the final against Bohermeen who had been champions since 1909. Amazingly Carnaross awarded Bohermeen a walkover and their fifth title in a row, albeit in a very unsatisfactory manner. Since then Carnaross have never come as close to capturing the top honour in Meath football.
In 1923 when 27 teams were entered for the Junior Championship the Carnaross club was conspicuous by its absence. For the fist time a team from Dulane represented the parish and what an impact they made as they clinched their one and only title at the first attempt. They defeated Walterstown, 2-4 to 1-2, in the decider following two replays.
Another team from the parish, Dervor, affiliated a Junior team in 1925 but they were never to make any significant impact. In 1927 Carnaross re-affiliated along with Dervor and Dulane. The following year however, just Carnaross represented the parish as both Dervor and Dulane departed the scene. Success was to follow in 1929 when Carnaross won the Junior Championship beating Curraha on a scoreline of 3-3 to 0-2.
1940 marked the re-emergence of Dulane and Carnaross were made to suffer with many players seeking transfers. Four players joined Dulane, two went to newly-formed Drumbaragh while three more joined up with Oldcastle. Despite this setback, Carnaross faced up to their difficulties and with many young players coming to the fore surprised all with their displays, losing just one game in the division. Dulane didn’t fare quite so well, losing all five games. However, the game that attracted everyone’s attention was the local derby – Carnaross v Dulane. Bragging rights for 1940 went to Carnaross as they recorded an easy, 1-12 to 1-1 victory.
In 1941 Carnaross continued their fine form with a fantastic run in the Junior Championship which resulted in their third Junior title when they beat Wilkinstown, 3-4 to 0-5, in the final.
Following being re-graded Carnaross had been knocking at the door of a Junior Championship victory. 1955 was to change all that. Victories over Ballinlough, Kilmainham, Millbrook, Kilskyre, Dunderry & Kilberry put them through to the final against Curraha. Carnaross marched to a comprehensive victory on a 3-5 to 0-2 scoreline. In 1957 Carnaross went one step further to win their first Intermediate title, hammering Duleek 1-20 to 0-5 in the final.
Football in the parish was to go through a barren spell with both Carnaross and Dulane failing to make an impact. In 1977 the men of Dulane decided that enough was enough, and they never affiliated to the county board again. From 1979 onwards the fortunes of Carnaross began to improve and showed signs that they were about to challenge for major honours again. Young players with potential were beginning to emerge with success at underage level giving great hope for the future.
Eventually in 1988 they made the breakthrough with a good Junior Championship campaign resulting in a final appearance against neighbours Ballinlough. However, Ballinlough were crowned champions following a dramatic finish when a point late in injury time gave them a 0-12 to 2-5 victory. In 1989, Carnaross were once again playing for the Junior title having qualified for the final against Dunboyne. The final ended in a draw 1-7 to 0-10. In the replay Carnaross lost their second title on a scoreline of 0-10 to 1-5. However, the double disappointment of 1988 & 1989 was banished in 1991 when Carnaross finally got their hands on the Junior title for the first time in 36 years. Drumree were the victims as Carnaross ran out convincing winners on a scoreline of 1-14 to 0-5. This progress continued when they consolidated their status in the Intermediate grade in 1992.
In 1993, Carnaross were to enjoy their most successful year ever. They beat a fancied Kilmainhamwood side in the Intermediate decider, 1-8 to 0-10. A fortnight later Carnaross were back in Pairc Tailteann, on this occasion beating Simonstown in the Division 2 league final, 2-6 to 2-5. Not to be outdone, the B League team also brought home the cup with a big win over Cortown, 3-15 to 1-5, in the final. With further success at Under-12 and Minor level (St. Ciarans), Carnaross were crowned ‘Meath Club of the Year’ and PJ Gillic received the ‘Meath Player of the Year’ award.
Carnaross remained in the Senior grade until 1999 when they were relegated back to the Intermediate ranks. They went on to compete in two Intermediate Finals against Navan O'Mahonys in 2003 and Nobber in 2010 but unfortunately suffered heavy defeats on both occasions. Further disappointment followed in 2014 with relegation to the Junior ranks.
In 2017 another chapter in our history was written when our Junior D team became the first second string from the club to capture a championship title when the beat Longwood in the decider.
