A GAELIC football match will be held next month to mark 60 years since the successes of the Warrington Wolfe Tones club.

The team won a league and championship double in 1956 – bolstered by a strong Irish contingent living in Warrington as well as Irish Americans based at RAF Burtonwood.

Formed at the Irish Club Centre on Bank Street in the mid-1950s, Warrington Wolfe Tones also went on to win the Wolfe Tone Cup which is still played for today.

Warrington Irish Club, which moved to Orford Lane in 1963, is organising a charity match next month to mark the anniversary.

Padgate resident Joe Haran moved to Warrington from Ireland in the early 1950s and was one of the founder members of the Gaelic football and hurling club.

The 77-year-old, who later stewarded the Warrington Irish Club for five years, said: “The players on both teams came for all parts of the 32 counties of Ireland.

“In the 1950s and 60s when we had lots of people coming over to Britain we had no problem getting players for both codes.

“We were also very lucky as we had lots of Irish from the USA stationed at Burtonwood Airbase that could play both hurling and football.”

It is believed there is only one other member of the club, Orford resident Patrick Tighe, who is still living in the area.

Joe added: “When numbers dropped we had to disband the Wolfe Tones.

“Many of the players have either passed away or have moved back home to Ireland.

“There is still a strong community or Irish and Irish descent in Warrington as the Irish Club is doing very well and is a very well-kept premises.”

Liverpool Wolfe Tones will face off with Manchester-based St Lawrence’s in a match at Crosfields ARLFC on Hood Lane North on Sunday October 30 to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Entry is free, with collection buckets placed around the site.

Pre-match entertainment begins at 12pm, with the ‘throw in’ at 1.30pm – for more information call 07778734477.