Chapter 4: The 1970's

At a committee meeting on 3rd January, 1974, a motion, that the club colours be changed from blue and white to the original red and white, was carried.

During the 70's the team was having an uneventful time on the field but slowly facilites at Longstone were set to improve.

In September 1976, the committee first talked about re-seeding and draining the pitch; building a new hall, dressing rooms and showers and the purchase of a minibus.

In November 1976, floodlights were erected on the left-hand side of the pitch, allowing training to continue on winter evenings.

In 1977, the club purchased its first minibus and the senior team gained promotion to Division 2 and senior football after a 20 year absence.

Also in 1977, the President of the G.A.A., Con Murphy from Cork, visited Longstone as part of his tour of Down clubs.

In 1977, Longstone saw the rise of a new star, namely Ambrose, when he represented Longstone on the winning Down Minor All-Ireland team.

In 1978, Hugh Trainor represented the club when he captained Down in the All-Ireland U-21 Final at Croke Park, another proud moment for Longstone.

In June 1978, floodlights were erected on the right-hand side of the field. This enabled the team to have practice matches on dark evenings.

1979 saw the old hall get a face-lift. A new wall was built and the interior modernised.

The highlight of 1979 was the senior team reaching the Junior Championship Final against Attical, with Attical winning 2-7 to 1-6.