The players, management and committee of Enniskillen Rangers Football Club were hosted at the Townhall in Enniskillen recently at a reception held in their honour by the Chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council after the team won the Irish Junior Cup title for a second time.  
Welcoming the team Council Chairman Councillor Stephen McCann said: “This year has provided yet another historic page in the history of this proud club when you secured the Irish Junior Cup title for the second time. This was the club’s fifth appearance in the final of Irish football’s premier competition for Junior clubs.
“The club’s previous success in the competition came back in 1999 when the team beat Lisburn Rangers in the final. Enniskillen Rangers completed an unprecedented treble that year, securing the Mercer League title and the Mulhern Cup, the two principal competitions for clubs in the Fermanagh and Western region,” he said.
Emphasising a family link between the two winning teams, he added: “The 2017 final, played at Windsor Park, saw the club secure the trophy with a superb performance resulting in an emphatic 5-1 victory over Hill Street from Lurgan. There is of course an interesting link between the two Irish Cup winning teams despite the 18 year gap between the victories. The captain of the 1999 winning team, Dessie Kerr, is the father of the current team manager, Michael.”
He went on : “Enniskillen Rangers have the longest continuous membership of the Fermanagh and Western F. A. having joined when the club was formed in 1953. Since then it has secured 16 Mercer League titles and 15 Mulhern Cup wins. Winning 31 major trophies in 64 years is a remarkable total. The league titles included 5 in a row from 1962-1966.
“Having enjoyed a fairly nomadic existence, the club has a wonderful new home out at Woaghternerry on the outskirts of Enniskillen which includes two pitches, changing rooms and a car park for 200 cars.
“Three Fermanagh born footballers, Kyle Lafferty, Michael McGovern and Roy Carroll are currently making a name for themselves in international football, however it was Enniskillen Rangers old boy, Jimmy Cleary who made arguably the biggest impact when he was part of the Northern Ireland squad who played in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
“Nigel Birney, a member of the 1999 winning side also was accorded Inter-league honours while current manager Michael Kerr won schoolboy international caps.
“However it is not just on the field where the club has made an impact. Five members of the club have represented the interests of the Fermanagh and Western Football Association at the Irish Football Association with both Willie McIlroy and Roy Cathcart serving terms as Chair of the IFA Junior Committee. Neil Jardine has also spent a significant amount of time at IFA headquarters and has served a period as the association’s treasurer.
“Enniskillen Rangers Football Club has been a key member of the Fermanagh and Western leagues for 64 years. They have always been a progressive club and now with a newly development ‘home’ at the Ball Range, they are ideally suited to developing their already extensive youth programme.
“On behalf of the Council, can I offer my sincere congratulations to you on your Irish Junior Cup success and wish you every success for the future,” he said.