the club is named after saint canice, who was born in 516ad in cianachta glenn geimin, which is now the barony of keenaght, which includes dungiven. although the club, st canice's, was founded in 1943 there is firm evidence that gaelic games were played in dungiven over a century before that. the first record of gaelic football played by a dungiven team was a match on 9 april 1922 against creggan (from faughanvale parish). the dungiven team of that time played under the name of john mitchel's gfc and they clinched the north derry league that year.