Glenavon F.C.

Glenavon F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gary Hamilton has been player-manager of the Lurgan Blues since December 2011 following the resignation of Marty Quinn.

Glenavon's bitter rivals are Portadown. Their matches are known as the 'Mid-Ulster Derby'. and Glenavon's current player-manager Gary Hamilton played for Portadown before joining the Lurgan Blues.

In August 2008, the club appointed a new manager, Stephen McBride, a former Northern Ireland international and a popular Glenavon player during his footballing career, playing for the club during the 1990s. McBride's reign lasted seven months before he was relieved of his managerial duties with Glenavon at the bottom of the IFA Premiership. The Director of Football, Alan Fraser, was also relieved from his duties. The club chairman is Adrian Teer.

Glenavon (1881)

The Glenavon was a British iron cargo ship of the Glen Line that was wrecked off the coast of China in 1898. Four people, but not the master, lost their lives in the wreck. The master had his licence suspended for one year.

Construction

The Glenavon was built at the Middleton Yard of the London & Glasgow Engineering & Iron Shipbuilding Co. of Govan, and launched on 16 February 1881. The first owner was McGregor, Gow & Co., of Glasgow. It was the second ship of that name owned by the Glen Line, the first being an 1868 barque.

Wrecked

The Glenavon was wrecked on the Linting Rock in the Sa Mun group, off the China coast, on 29 December 1898 while on route from Japan to the United Kingdom via Hong Kong. The chief officer, quartermaster, second steward, and No. 3 fireman all lost their lives. The passengers and the remainder of the crew were saved.

A court of enquiry held in Hong Kong in January 1899 found that the master, William Pithie, did not take proper care in fixing his position and therefore embarked on a dangerous course that was the principal cause of the wrecking. It recommended that his certificate be suspended for a period of one year. The court also expressed the opinion that had the ship's boats remained alongside as they were ordered to do, rather than making for Hong Kong as they did, then the four lives lost might have been saved.