Bun Órduithe. In order that the proceedings of the Convention be carried out without delay, the following standing orders shall apply.

Transcription

1 Bun Órduithe In order that the proceedings of the Convention be carried out without delay, the following standing orders shall apply. 1. The proposer of a Resolution or an Amendment there to may speak for five minutes but not more than five minutes. 2. A delegate speaking to a Resolution or an Amendment must not exceed three minutes 3. The proposer of a Resolution or an Amendment may speak a second time for three minutes before a vote is taken, but no other delegate can speak a second time on the same Resolution or 4. The Cathaoirleach may, at any time he considers on the proposer for a reply, and when that has been given, a vote must be taken. 5. Delegates may, with the consent of the Cathaoirleach, move: That the question or motion be now put, after which, when a proposer has spoken, a vote must be taken. 6. Standing Orders shall not be suspended for the purpose of considering any matter not on the agenda, except by the consent of a majority present and entitled to vote. 1

2 Coiste Chontae Phort Láirge Tionólfar Comhdháil Bliantuil Phort Láirge C.L.G. sa Ostáin Lawlors Dun Garbhán Dé Deardaoin 18 lá Nollag 2014, ar a 7 a chlog direach. Is dheacht do gach Cumann a ghlach pairt i gcraobh chomortaisí 2014 beith i lathair 3 theachtaí an Cumann. Clár 1. Comhdháil Bhliantúil ag tosnu ar 7 a clog i.u. direach 2. Miontuairisci An Chomhdáil dheiridh 3. Glacadh le Bun-Orduithe 4. Tráchtais Cuntas Cothromaóichta 5. Bronnadh deontaisí forbatha Comhairle na Mumhan 6. Tuarascáil An Runaí 7. Glacadh le Tuaraisci Coisti An Iarthair agus An Oithir 8. Óráid An Cathaoirleach 9. T 10. R 11. Ceapach Inniuchtoir Na Rúin 13. Aon Ghno Eile Ainmniúcháin Cathaoirleach Leas Cathaoirleach Cisteoir Oifigeach Forbatha Oifigeach Forbatha Na gcluichí Oifigeach Caidrimh Poiblí Oifigeach Gaeilge Teachta Comhairle na Mumhan Teachta Ard Comhairle Padraig Seosamh O Riain (Caislean Cuanach) Tadhg O Broin (Rogha Eireann) Sean Michael O Reagain (An Chill) Seosamh O Chleirigh (Dún Na Mainistreach/Baile Na Cúirte) Sean MacSheain (An Baile Dubh) Padraigin Breathnach (Coilleagain/Na hemmetigh) Micheal O Murchú (An Pasaiste) Eimear de Barra (Lios Mhór) Micheal O Drislean (An Baile Dubh) Breaandain O Toibin (Sliabh gcua/naomh Mhuire) Sean O Laoire (Baile Ui Dhuibh) Padraig O Floinn (An Pasaiste) Tomas O Cuinneagain (An tsraidbhaile) Tomas O haonghusa (An Chill) 2

3 Tuairisc An Runaí Secretary s Convention Report 2014 It is my great pleasure to present to Annual Convention, my sixth Secretaries report on the happenings in Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Phort Lairge for First of all, I would like to thank all of the Clubs in the county and their officers for their help throughout the year in the running of the various Hurling and Football competitions. Once again in 2014, all adult championships were completed on time with all our County Champions having the opportunity to participate in the Munster Club Championships. I would also like to thank my fellow officers and the officers of both Divisional Boards and Board Na nog for their help throughout the year. In particular I would like to thank Pat Grant for his assistance in the running of club fixtures. On the playing fields, 2014 will be remembered very much as a mixed bag. At inter county level both our Senior Hurlers and Footballers, while competitive in all their games never really made an impression. The Hurler s relegation from Division 1a of the Allianz league was a major disappointment while the Footballers failure to figure in the promotion race in Division 4 of the football league showed no progress from At underage, our Minor Hurlers were again very competitive and made it to the way to All Ireland semi final where they lost out to eventual All Ireland champions, Kilkenny after extra time. Our minor footballers showed some slight improvement on recent years, while at U21 level both teams bowed out disappointingly in their opening rounds. INTER COUNTY: HURLING Senior: Waterford s senior hurling campaign got off to a bad start with a defeat to University of Limerick (UL) in the opening round of the Waterford Crystal Cup in Carriganore on 12th January. Waterford s opening game in the Allianz league involved a trip to Thurles to take on Tipperary under lights on Saturday 15th February. Waterford started well and led for much of the game but Tipp finished stronger and won 2 13 to Next up was Galway in Walsh Park on the following week and this time the Deise boys overcame the Tribesmen 0 22 to Boosted by this win, Waterford recorded a second victory in the competition on 9th March when we overcame Dublin 1 13 to 1 10 in a hard fought game in Walsh Park. The following Sunday Waterford travelled to Ennis but came up against a Clare team that played their best Hurling of the season. Clare were a class apart in the first half and in truth the game was well over at half time. Waterford did rally in the second half but Clare ran out winners 5-18 to Somewhat shaken by the result in Ennis, the 3

4 following Sunday, Waterford made the short journey up the motorway to Nowlan Park to play Kilkenny in the final league game. Our defence was again under pressure from the off and conceded 4 goals while at the other end our forwards were not creating enough goal chances. Kilkenny winners 4 22 to With just two wins from five games Waterford were into a relegation playoff against Dublin. With the game in Walsh Park expectations were high that the dreaded drop could be avoided but the concession of four goals was again to be our downfall. Dublin netting four times to our one. So relegation from Division 1a was to be our lot. Dublin winners 4 13 to And so now all thoughts turned to the Munster Championship. Cork in Thurles on 25th May. Cork were firm favourites but Waterford came storming out of the blocks and had Cork on the back foot for long periods. Cork however clawed their way back and in the end forced a draw each. In the replay, Cork were far more focused and outscored Waterford by 28 points to 14. So it was back to the Qualifiers for Waterford. Laois were first up in Walsh Park on 28th June. Waterford made no mistake in this one. While an improving Laois were stubborn opponents, Waterford put in a very professional performance. Shane Walsh hit two goals and the Deise ran out winners on a score line of 2 22 to Next up was Wexford in Nowlan Park. Saturday 19th July. Wexford had shocked Clare the previous week in a replay after extra time and were on a roll. Still most Waterford people were quietly confident that a Deise victory was achievable. But the extra games stood to Wexford. The concession of goals was again to be Waterford s downfall. Wexford winners 3 15 to Waterford s And so the curtain came down on another senior inter county season. Since the season ended a number of the panel have called time on their inter county careers. They have served the county well and we wish them well with their clubs for a few more seasons. Under 21 With our minor teams regularly reaching Munster finals over the past few years, expectations on the shoulders of the Under 21 team has risen. The general public expect the U21 s to deliver in However for the third year in a row we bowed out disappointingly at the first hurdle. The concession of three soft goals was hard to overcome and Cork ran out winners 3 18 to While I accept that the Under 21 grade is probably the hardest age group to manage in so far as virtually the entire panel is tied up with third level exams for critical periods of the build up to championship games and up to half of the team will be on the senior panel, this is still an age group that we should be doing much better at. Minor With the 2013 minor team setting the standard with an All Ireland Final win, the 2014 season was always going to be judged by that. And they came so close to making it two in a row. A Munster championship quarter final win over Clare in Ennis on 9th April was 4

5 followed up by a semi final win over the same opposition in Fraher Field on 25th June. The Munster final in Pairc Ui Caoimh was a repeat pairing of the 2013 final as we again played Limerick. And the outcome was to be the same. A draw. Waterford 2 17 Limerick And the replay in Thurles also followed the pattern of Limerick just coming out on top. 24 points to 18. We overcame Dublin in the qualifier to set up a meeting with Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi final. The sides finished level at the end of normal time Waterford 1 13 Kilkenny 0-16 but in the extra time it was the Cats that got the vital scores to end up deserved winners on a score line of Kilkenny 1-23 Waterford Kilkenny went on to defeat Limerick in the All Ireland final in September. While our minors have been very competitive over the past number of years, we do need to ask ourselves why, having reached five Munster Finals in six years, we only won one. We need to examine what changes we need to make to ensure that we win at least one Munster Minor Final every 3 years. Development Squads Waterford has embraced the Development Squad system and it has evolved in a way that is the envy of many other counties. Young players from 14 years of age up to Minor(Under 18) receive coaching of the highest quality as part of a systematic coaching structure throughout the year. By Competing in the Tony Forristal tournament and many other inter county competitions our best young players are exposed to competition at the highest level from a young age. This can only be of major benefit to Waterford over the coming years. FOOTBALL Senior The senior football panel refused to partake in the McGrath cup in January in solidarity with Tipperary, Limerick & Clare in protest about the Munster Council s decision on a seeded draw in the Munster Championship. It was a bad start to the season for football and it did not get much better once the Allianz League got underway on 2nd February. On that day, Clare were the visitors to Fraher Field and had an impressive 3 10 to 1 9 win over the Deise in Round 1. In Round 2, Waterford drew with Tipperary in Clonmel 1 9 to In Round 3 we made the long trip to Antrim and lost 1 17 to 0 6 in Blllycastle. Worse was to follow when we were beaten at home by London 2 10 to 0 9 in Round 4 and promotion was beginning to look very difficult. The team rallied in round 5 with a good win over Leitrim in Fraher Field 1 13 to 0 11, but any hope of promotion was dashed in Round 6 when we went down 2 14 to 0 12 away to Wicklow. In our final game we recorded a 1 9 to 0 9 victory over Carlow in Fraher Field. So, in a poor Allianz League campaign we finished in 5th place in the table when all games were played. The losses to Antrim and London were particularly disappointing as we finished above both of them in the table. In the Munster Championship we played a draw with 5

6 Clare in Ennis in the opening round. 2 8 a piece. However in the replay in Fraher Field, Clare turned in a storming display to win 3 11 to In the first round of the Qualifiers, Waterford travelled to Dr. Cullen Park in Carlow with high expectations. Having beaten them in the League earlier in the year, the Deise boys were confident that they could progress to the next round. Waterford were very much on top early in the game but failure to convert scoring chances was to prove costly. Carlow rallied, gained in confidence and ran out winners by a point. Carlow 0 17, Waterford So all in all, a very disappointing season for Waterford Footballers who will have a new manager for Niall Carew s two year term as manager came to an end with that defeat to Carlow and he did not seek a further term. Tom MacGlinchy now takes over the reins. Under 21 Without much preparation our Under 21 Footballers took on Tipperary in the first round of the Munster Championship under lights in Fraher Field. Despite a spirited performance, we were well beaten 0 19 to 2-3. Minor Our minors first outing in the Munster Championship was a 2 11 to 2 7 defeat to Tipperary in Fraher Field on 16th April in the quarter final. In the playoff round, Clare were the visitors to Fraher Field and in a game of ten goals Waterford came out on top 6 9 to Clare s In the semi final, again in Fraher Field, Waterford had Cork under pressure for long periods of the game but were beaten in the end 1 14 to 1 8. Development Squads and the future of Football in the County I wrote in the last two year s reports that an alarming gap has opened up between Waterford and the other five counties in Munster at underage football level and the situation has not improved much in the past year. There is an urgent need to take stock of where Gaelic Football is at in the county at the moment. We have no second level College (Secondary School) playing in the Munster A colleges competitions and indeed we are not even competitive in the B and C grades. Added to this is the alarming number of walk over s in the club Minor and Under 16 championships here in the county. These two factors alone do not bode well for future improvement in the standard of football in the county. It is now time for the football clubs to take ownership of football in the county and come up with ways to improve standards. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS As in previous years, our club championships produced some fine games of hurling and football, with exciting contests, major upsets, and many talking points along the way. HURLING Senior The senior hurling championship got underway on Friday night 25th April with the meeting of De La Salle and Lismore in Fraher Field. In a fine contest that set the trend for the rest of the championship, De La Salle showed their intent for the season ahead, winning 2 17 to

7 In Group One, De La Salle made most of the running and finished up top of the group on 8 points. Abbeyside and 2013 champions Passage ended up in second and third place respectively on six points, with Lismore scraping in fourth on 4 points. Fourmilewater failed to reproduce their 2013 form and finished in the relegation playoff place. Over in Group Two, Ballygunner set the pace from early on and topped the table without dropping a point. Dungarvan recaptured the form of 2012 and finished second. Mount Sion were in third place with Tallow filling the other quarter final spot. Ardmore, in their first year in the senior grade found the going tough and failed to gain any points. And so on to the Quarter Finals. De La Salle overcame Tallow 1 16 to 2 9 in a much closer game than was expected. Ballygunner were too strong for Lismore 3 20 to Mount Sion overcame Abbeyside 1 21 to 0 15 and Dungarvan overcame Passage in the game of the round 4 10 to The draw for the semi finals saw De La Salle paired with Mount Sion and Ballygunner v Dungarvan. Mount Sion produced their best performance of the season to overcome De La Salle in Walsh Park 2 17 to 0 16 while Ballygunner had to pull out all the stops to overcome Dungarvan in Fraher Field winning by two points to The County Final, played in Walsh Park on 5th October was a somewhat disappointing affair. Once Ballygunner struck for an early goal, Mount Sion were always playing catch up. In the end Ballygunner were 13 point winners 2 16 to 0 9. So Ballygunner are the 2014 champions and, having gone through the season unbeaten in all eight championship games they would have to be considered worthy champions. Unfortunately in the Munster Club Championship they came up against a very good Cratloe side from Clare and bowed out at the first attempt. In the Relegation play off, Fourmilewater overcame Ardmore to retain their senior status while Ardmore must return to the Intermediate grade in Intermediate Cappoquin have been knocking on the Western Intermediate Championship door for a number of years and finally got a result for their persistence by winning the West and qualifying for the county final. Saint Saviours were surprising Eastern Champions and the two met in Fraher Field on 12th October. On the day Cappoquin had just a bit too much craft for St. Saviours and ran our winners 2 19 to Since the County final, Cappoquin have shown just how good a team they are by becoming the first Waterford side to win the Munster Intermediate Club championship, beating Feakle (Clare) and Bruff (Limerick) along the way. Junior A very impressive Modeligo side qualified from the Western Division to contest the Junior Hurling County Final. Up against them were the Eastern champions, Bonmahon. When the two sides met in the County Final in Fraher Field on Sunday 12th October, the Western champions were to prove far too god for the lads from the East. Modeleligo ran out winners 2 25 to 0 8. Since then Modeligo have proved that they are up there with the best and 7

8 they will contest the Munster Club Final on Sunday 7th December versus Castlemartyr of Cork in Mallow Junior Attached In the attached section of the Junior Championships, Clonea showed that they are potential champions at a higher grade with a fine win over Ballyduff Upper in the Senior attached Junior Championship. Kilgobnet showed that they are ready to step back into the Junior proper ranks with a fine win over Dunhill in Fraher Field in the Intermediate attached junior championship. Under 21 Probably the strongest two underage clubs over the last few years in the County, Ballygunner and Dungarvan met in the County Under 21 A Hurling Final. There were great expectations of a classic game but on the day Ballygunner were superior in every department. The final score was Ballygunner 2 12 Dungarvan Ballygunner s domination of this grade over the past few years indicates that they will be the team / club to set the standard at adult level over the next decade. Minor Division 1 Passage, Ballygunner, Dungarvan & De la Salle qualified for the County Semi Finals after the seven league section games were played during the summer. De La Salle overcame Passage in the semi final at the first time of asking 2 17 to 0 12 but it took two games to separate Ballygunner and Dungarvan. In the replay Dungarvan had too much scoring power for Ballygunner and they proved worthy champions in the final overcoming De La Salle 1 13 to Division 2 Ballyduff Lower, Abbeyside, Clan na Gaeil & Glenshalane made up the top four in Division Two but in the final Abbeyside were to prove the strongest side overcoming Glenshalene 1 16 to 4 4. Division 3 Rural clubs, Fourmilewater and Ardmore contested the final in this one and after a titanic struggle Fourmilewater edged out the seasiders by a point to FOOTBALL Senior The senior football championship continues to be the preserve of the top three. Nire, Stradbally and Ballinacourty appear to be well ahead of the rest. An Rinn have made progress but Kilrossanty, Rathgormack, St. Saviours and Clashmore Kinsalebeg seem to have gone back quite a bit. In the county semi final An Rinn pushed The Nire all the way but the men from the Nire valley had just one point to spare at the final whistle. In the other semi final Stradbally put in their best display of the year to overcome a fancied Ballinacourty side 1 10 to 1 6. The Nire left their best performance of the year to the county final. They put in a terrific display to overcome a very good Stradbally side in the Fraher Field on a score of 11 points to 6. Nire went on to contest the Munster Club final where they were somewhat unlucky to lose out to Austin Stacks of Tralee in Pairc Ui Caoimh. In the relegation playoff Ardmore had too much craft for Ballinameela and retained their senior status for 2015 on a score line of Ardmore 3 11 Ballinameela

9 Intermediate In the Intermediate county final Brickey Rangers made it back to the Senior Grade after a hard fought win over Portlaw in Walsh Park. Brickey s made all the early running but were pegged back in the second half. They had to pull out all the stops in the final few minutes to regain senior status, finally winning on a score of 3 8 to Junior Western champions Old Parish made it to the county junior final for the first time in 38 years where they were up against a much fancied Kill team. Kill seemed to have the game won as we entered the second minute of injury time but a last attack by the Shocks really produced a shock as they scrambled the ball to the net to force a replay. Final score Kill 1 8 Old Parish 2 5. In the replay however Kill put in a very strong performance to run out convincing winners 4 10 to 0 5. Under 21 Rathgormack have been making steady progress at underage level over the past few seasons and they continued that trend by overcoming Western champions St. Olivers in the County Final 1 10 to 2 8 in the A grade. In the B grade, Ardmore showed that they too have players coming through when they overcame St. Marys 2 14 to 3 7 in Dunhill in the B county final. Minor The minor football championship continues to be devalued by too many walkovers, particularly in the second and third divisions. Division 1 Dungarvan finished top of Division 1 on 10 points from seven games and they were closely followed by Nire, Ballinacourty & Stradbally. In the semi finals, Nire had to pull out all the stops to overcome Ballinacourty 1 8 to 0 8 while Stradbally produced a super display when overcoming Dungarvan by 3 18 to 2 9. In the final Stradbally could not reproduce their semi final form and were beaten by the Nire 3 11 to 0 6. Division 2 In Division 2, despite barely making it to the semi finals, Clashmore Kinsalebeg overcame Rathgormack to make it to the final while in the other semi final Cois Bhride overcame St. Oliver s. In the county final despite a slow start Clashmore Kinsalebeg got the better of neighbours Cois Bhride in a hard fought contest 2 11 to 2 6. Division 3 This Division was plagued by walk over s but when the dust settled Naomh Declain Thior made it to the county final where they overcame Saint Pats to claim victory to 0-7 Club Fixtures into the Future As delegates will be aware there are moves a foot to conclude all club championship games in the calendar year. Under these proposals the traditional Saint Patrick Day club finals would be played in December. While I have no particular issue with when the All Ireland Club Finals are played it is very important to note the knock on effect this proposal is likely to have on Club fixtures in the county. If the proposal to play the All Ireland Club Championship finals in December goes through, the Munster Club Championship will have to commence in late 9

10 September. The current Inter County championship structure makes it virtually impossible to play any Club championship games in June, July and early August and this will mean that we will have to be at the knockout stages of our championships prior to this. In effect there will be a lot of clubs out of the championship in early June. If this is what clubs want and vote for, so be it but my own view is that no club should be out of the championship earlier than mid August. The proposal to complete the Club championship in a calendar year only affects the four provincial champions and it seems to me that we are penalising the very many clubs in every county in order to accommodate the four provincial winners. Referees, Conduct and Discipline Once again I am very glad to be able to report that, by and large the conduct of players and mentors alike was of the highest standard in We had very few red card incidents throughout the season and for this I must commend all the players in the county. It was also notable that there was not a significant number of Black Cards issued in football games. Whether this was due to a reluctance of referees to issue them or a reduction in cynical play I m not sure but the introduction of the Black Card does appear to have had an effect in reducing fouling. The pool of referees available to officiate at games is still an issue. There is an urgent need to continue to recruit new referees. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the referees, umpires and linesmen in the county that officiated at any game throughout the year. Without your dedication and commitment our games could not go ahead. Schools Once again the primary and secondary schools throughout the county continue to do wonderful work in the promotion of both hurling and football. Without their efforts, Waterford would not have the strong Gaelic Games base and tradition that it currently enjoys. The primary and post primary schools Boards continue to promote our games in the schools and the schools competitions continue to form an integral part of our games programme throughout the year. It is important that the Colleges success in the Harty Cup over the last few years is maintained. As an orginasition we need to work with the Secondary schools to ensure that they are always competitive in this competition and indeed in all colleges competitions. Waterford Institute of Technology too is a fertile breeding ground for Gaelic games in the county. Their fabulous facilities at Carriganore are a huge help in the preparation of all our county teams and the college continues to promote hurling and football to all students both male and female. Long term we need to continue to develop a close working relationship between W.I.T. s Sports Science department and Waterford GAA. We need to make best use of their expertise in physical fitness, injury prevention and modern training methods. Coaching and Games Elsewhere in this booklet there is a comprehensive report on the activities of Coaching and Games from Michael Murphy. However it is important that we all acknowledge the great work being done by all in Coaching and Games. Eoin Breathnach, Michelle Power, David Robinson, John Quinn and Ann Hogan work tirelessly in the promotion of hurling and football throughout the county under the direction of Michael Murphy. The ever improving standards, particularly in underage hurling over the past 10

11 number of years is a testament to their work and we all now expect our underage teams to do well as a result. Sponsorship Our sponsors now form an integral part of the day to day running of our association in the county. Without their financial help we would not be able to prepare our teams to the standards that we aspire to. Indeed it is noteworthy that sponsorship income now surpasses gate receipts by a considerable amount. I am delighted to report that our flagship sponsor, 3 Mobile will continue to support all our county teams with a most generous sponsorship package for the 2015 season. For that we are very grateful and we would ask all our supporters to in turn support 3 Mobile. Lucozade Sport and Azzurri also make significant contributions to our county teams, while Dungarvan Nissan provide the senior hurling team with a gear van throughout the inter county season. Elverys Sports are also coming on board for the 2015 season and we look forward to working with them. On the domestic club scene, J J Kavanagh & Sons sponsor our senior hurling and football championships and all our county finals. They are an excellent sponsor and we greatly appreciate their help. Again we would ask all the clubs in the county to use J J Kavanagh & Son when hiring coaches. Club Deise and the Dublin Supporters Club continue to raise funds for team training and their work is very much appreciated. This year the Punchastown Committee ran a race day at the Punchastown Racecourse. Not alone did they raise a considerable amount of money for the County Teams Training Fund but a wonderful day was had by all. Promotion WLRfm continues to give great coverage to our games. Kieran O Connor s commentaries bring the games into the living rooms of people who can t attend and Liz Reddy, Kevin Casey, Sean Organ, Matt Keane and others keep the public up to date with the fixtures and results. The local newspapers, The News & Star, The Munster Express, Waterford Today, The Dungarvan Leader and the Dungarvan Observer devote large sections of their sports pages to our games and for that we are very grateful. Their match reports, analysis, photos and club notes form part of supporter s enjoyment of our games. While their reports might occasionally be critical of us, it is usually deserved. We thank you for your wonderful coverage. Facebook, Twitter and Smart Phones now form part of every young person s life. It is vitally important that we full embrace these modern means of communication. Our Website urgently needs to be modernised and updated. Be it for fixtures, results, team announcements, ticket sales etc. we must ensure that we are up to speed with all modern technologies. Finance I am pleased to report that the finances of the Board are in a much healthier state in 2014 as compared to the last few years. The accounts show a surplus of 12,497 for the year as compared to a loss of 2,798 in

12 Full credit must go to the County Treasurer Joe Cleary and Liam Cheasty in ensuring that our finances are kept under control. their officers for their help and co-operation throughout the year particularly in relation to fixtures. However much more work needs to be done. Strict Cost controls must be maintained and fundraising efforts will have to be redoubled. The contribution of the clubs through the Club Levy is a vital part of paying down this debt and while I understand the difficult times that each club find themselves in at the moment, it is vital that every club contributes their share. The major expenditure heading of the Board continues to be amounts spent on County Teams. It is often not appreciated that every adult training session for both our Hurlers and Footballers costs approx 2,000. There is no extravagance in this figure. This simply covers the cost of travel (mileage expenses), food, floodlighting, physios, medical bills etc. for about 30 players and say 8 backroom staff. There probably is a perception that the Board wastes money but bulk of our expenditure goes on training county teams. To my fellow officers I would like to express my sincere thanks for all the help that they have given me and the Association throughout the year. Many members of the association both past and present went to their eternal reward throughout the course of They will all be sadly missed by their families and clubs. To every GAA family in the county who suffered bereavements in 2014, I wish to send you my condolences. Is Mise Tadhg O Caoimh To remain competitive our teams must train at least as often as our opposition and for example three training sessions per week will cost 6,000. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to take this opportunity to thank every person who helped the GAA in any way in Phort Lairge in Without the countless hours of voluntary work that goes on behind the scenes the GAA would not continue to prosper like it does. I would like to thank all the clubs in the county and 12

13 Tuarascáil Runaí An Iarthair 2014 Padráig Mac Gráinne Runaí Táim an-sásta tuarascáil imeachtaí na mbliana thart a chur ós bhur gcomhair arís. Bliain rathuil speisíalta a bhí again sna comórtaisí iomána agus peil. Beidh cuimhne again go deo ar cuid de na cluichí sár-iontach a chonaiceamar i rith na mbliaina. Gabhaim buíochas do na h-imreoirí go léir as ucht an taithneamh a thugadar dúinn, agus ba mhaith liom freisin buíochas a gabháil le gach éinne a chabhraigh liom i rith na mbliaina. Thugaim buíochas ó chroí do na réiteoirí, na maoir agus na daoine i mbun na páirceanna. Tá moladh speisálta tuillte ag staisuín radio WLR craoladh caighdéan árd de la cluichí. Leanann na paipeirí áitúla na gcluichí go léir agus gabhaim buíochas leo as ucht a méid atá deánta acu chun ár gcluichí a chur ós chomhair an phobail. It gives me great pleasure at the end of another years work on behalf of Cumann Luthchleas Gael Portlairge Thiar to present a report of our activities to convention. In my opinion, it was another very good year for the Western Board and I believe that this board is as strong and vibrant as ever. Convention offers an opportunity to look back at the past year and to look forward and plan for the future. Clubs through their delegates are afforded the chance to look back at the past year in order to highlight its successe and examine the defects that may have occurred. This year we ran off another successful Intermediate Hurling League competition and again it was an outstanding success. It gave the intermediates and juniors who participated an opportunity of getting high quality games and help them in preparation for their respective championships, and was testament to the clubs efforts and co-operation that it was completed by end of August. I stated in last years report that we had great co-operation from our inter county managers as regards releasing of club players for our championships, this year proved a lot more difficult as our minor hurlers, senior hurlers and senior footballers were all involved in draws in their respective championships which upset our master Fixtures Plan. However thanks to the co-operation of our clubs and the good weather, we got back on track finishing all championships in time for Munster Club Competitions. Our Senior Hurlers made a good start to the Allianz Hurling League with a narrow defeat to Tipperary, followed by victories over Galway and Dublin but heavy defeats by Clare and Kilkenny meant we were in a relegation play off versus Dublin. Following a good start, we had a player sent off and after that we struggled and were defeated and unfortunately out of Division 1. In the championship we drew against Cork in our opening game, it looked as if we were on our way to fantastic victory leading by 9 points with just over 20 minutes to go, however, Cork reeled us back in those final few minutes and it ended in stalemate. In the replay it was obvious from the throw in that we were in trouble; it was very frustrating after the fabulous efforts in the first game to be beaten so decisively in the replay. From here we entered the qualifiers with a home game against Laois, whilst we won this by 10 points, the warning signs were there. So it was on to Nowlan Park to play Wexford - despite a much 13

14 improved performance and leading for a short period in the 2nd half we were unable to see it out and were defeated by 3pts - overall a very poor season. First relegation and then beaten early in the championship. We have a very difficult task in the coming season and the priority must be to get back up to Division 1A. As a County Board it will be very difficult to sustain the loss of revenue this brings, the loss of revenue brings cutbacks and for us to compete at the highest level and be competitive we cannot afford cutbacks. Also the 2015 League Fixtures are not in our favour, with away games to Limerick, Wexford and Offaly and home games to Laois and Antrim. It would be remiss of me not to mention the recent retirements of Shane Walsh, Seamus Prendergast and Stephen Molumphy - three men who have given magnificent service to our county and I would like to take this opportunity to wish them well in their retirements. Also, when the new panel was recently announced there was a lot of disquiet and unrest with the general public, amazement was expressed at some of the names deemed surplus to requirements and I have to say the jury is still out on this and, we will only know when the league comes round if Derek and his management team have made the right call. However hope springs eternal and when the Allianz League gets under way we will all have to get behind the team and especially for the tough opening game away to Limerick on Valentine s night. To Derek, his management team and panel I wish them the very best for the coming year. Our Senior Footballers had a mixed league campaign with a defeat to Clare in the opening game followed by draw to Tipperary, defeats to Antrim and London, closely followed by a victory over Leitrim, finishing with a defeat by Wicklow and a final victory over Carlow. Overall a disappointing campaign, finishing with only 5 points from seven games. In the championship, we were away to Clare and nearly pulled off a shock coming away from Ennis with a well deserved draw. However the replay in Dungarvan was a different matter, and we were comprehensively beaten by 8 points. In the qualifiers we were drawn against Carlow, a game which we expected to win. Unfortunately we had a very disappointing performance and were defeated by 4 points - this result and the poor league campaign resulted in Niall Carew stepping down as manager and not seeking renewal of contract. I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Niall for his efforts during his tenure in Waterford and I would like to wish him well with his new position in Sligo. We have recently appointed a new Manager namely Tom McGlinchey - Tom is from Newport in Tipperary and I would like to wish him well and hopefully we can gain promotion from Division 4 in In U21 Football we were decisively beaten by Tipperary. In U21 Hurling we were drawn against Cork in Walsh Park. This was a game that we really expected to win. After Cork were reduced to fourteen players, they totally outplayed us and ran out comfortable winners by 11pts. This was a huge disappointment considering our minor successes over recent years and it is most frustrating that we can t seem to compete at u21 level. I believe that the u21 management for the coming year must get more access to the senior panelists in order to develop a style of play suitable to their vision otherwise further opportunities will be lost. In Minor Football we were drawn against a very fancied Tipperary team and after a very entertaining game Tipp ran out winners by 4pts. We then faced a play off against Clare in the Fraher Field and in what I can only describe as one of the most entertaining and enthralling games ever witnessed, we ran out winners by 3pts in a 10 goal feast of football. We then hosted Cork in the semi-final and again our minors did us proud and really put it up to our much lauded opponents and having laid siege on the Cork goal for long periods of the 2nd half we were very unlucky to be defeated by 6pts. This bunch of players and their management deserve huge credit for their gallant efforts. In Minor Hurling we started with an away game to Clare and after a very disappointing start, some late substitutions made all the difference and we ran out victors with a 4 point margin. Due to this we had a home semi-final - again against Clare, who had come through the losers group. We started that game in 14

15 whirlwind fashion and were 9pts in front after 10 minutes however from there on we struggled and only for a magnificent save from our goalkeeper in the closing seconds, tt could have been so different and we held on to win by a mere point. So it was on to Cork and the Munster Final and another meeting with Limerick. For long periods of this game, we looked as if we were going to be second best, however our players had other ideas and produced an outstanding finish and snatched a draw at the death. It was on to Thurles for the replay and after a poor start we thundered back into the game and led at half-time. With 20 minutes remaining, we were still in the clear and prospects were looking really good, however Limerick outscored us by 10pts to 1 in the final 20 minutes. Despite our disappointment, it was a return visit to Thurles 5 days later when our team produced an excellent performance in very hot weather and ran our victors by 5pts. Croke park for the semi-final versus local rivals Kilkenny was our next port of call. This was a game that ebbed and flowed one way and then the other and again ended in a draw. Extra time was played and despite a trojan effort Kilkenny pulled away and ran out victors by 9pts. Once again, sincere congratulations to our minors and despite defeat, they once again produced some outstanding performances in trying to gain back to back titles. Overall, a difficult year for our county teams and hopefully things will improve for SEASON TICKET This was the second year of the Season Ticket, with the divisional boards receiving a grant of 5% on every ticket sold, granting us some measure of compensation. This scheme was put in place so that the County Board would raise much needed funds early in the year. To date it has been a major success and is again proceeding for the coming season. Tickets may be renewed or can bought as Christmas gifts, so if you have someone you wish to buy one for, details will be publicized over the next few weeks. AN TEANGA The preservation and use of the Irish language should be a cause of concern for all our members. Along with our Games this represents one of the major traits of our National Identity. We cannot promote one and ignore the other and we must make a sustained effort to promote our language at every opportunity and that is why it is necessary to take stock and see if there is any way we can improve the situation and utilize each and every occasion to keep our language to the fore. I also believe the current Gaeltacht scholarships should be utilised more. Micheál O Drisleáin takes over as Oifigeach an Cultúir and I wish him the ver best in his new role. Best wishes are also extended to Tomás Ó Cadhla who stands down as his 5 year term has come to an end. CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE The subject of conduct and discipline of our members both on and off the field must always be a cause of concern for all. Regrettably we did have some incidents this year which have no place in our games and have to be stamped out immediately.the amount of suspensions handed out increased again over the 2014 season, particularly at the business end of the championship. This is a very worrying trend and something that cannot and will not be tolerated. Also with the advent of video evidence, it is now too common an occurrence that clubs at every opportunity are going to request hearings. This is a new and unwelcome trend and very soon the hearings committee will have to be on stand-by 7 nights a week. I hope clubs will be mindful of their responsibilities in ensuring that all their players and management behave in the manner that is expected of them. Also those on the sidelines should refrain from continued use of bad language and threatening behavior - this must be stamped out as it has no place in our games. I am pleased to record that some referees have penalized this unsavoury conduct and I commend them for this. 15

16 REFEREES To our dedicated band of referees I would like to offer a sincere thanks and appreciation. They are without doubt the most co-operative and helpful group of people we have in our association and without them we could not function. I would like to thank them for the effort and courtesy which they have shown to me during the year. Indeed the clubs of this division are very fortunate with the calibre of referees which we have to hand. I would like to congratulate those who went on to referee Divisional and County Finals and Inter County Competitions and I hope they continue to serve this division with distinction Mile Buiochas. SCÓR As the year draws to a close we must again call on all our clubs to support Scór this year. I would ask all clubs in the county to think seriously about entering the Scór Competitions for the forthcoming season. This fantastic social outlet promotes all that is good in our culture through song, dance, music and various other competitions. There are excellent competions in Scór na nóg and Scór na bpaistí, however Scó sinsear is struggling due to lack of participation. We have a very hard working Scór committee in this county and all are only a phone call away to assist clubs in setting up whatever act they wish to compete in. The efficient manner of those who work behind the scenes to continue the tradition and success of this important arm of the Association once more deserves the boards commendation. SPONSORSHIP In the current economic climate, sponsorship is a very important part of the running of our board. Here in CLG Portláirge Thiar, we are very fortunate to have such loyal and generous sponsors and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their continued support and we would ask our clubs to support our sponsors where possible. Our list of sponsors includes Radley Engineering, Comeragh Oil, Lawlors Hotel, The Local Bar, Sean Byrne Photography, Morrissey Family, Albert McGrath Newsagents, Kearney Catering and The Park Hotel. Without These sponsors we would be looking at a serious financial loss. CHAMPIONSHIPS The first Championship undertaken in 2014 was the under 21 Football. In The Kearney Catering A Championship, eight teams participated and we had victories for Naomh Oilibhéar over Dúngarbhán, Baile Na Cúirte over Rodaithe na Brice, An Ghaeltacht over Cláis Mhór/ Ceann tsaile beag and An Uidhir over Gael na Comeraigh. In the 2 semi- Finals Naomh Oilibhéar shocked Baile na Cúirte 1-10 to 0-5. An Uidhir held on by 0-13 to 0-12 agaisnt An Ghaeltacht, so it was a Naomh Oilibhéar / An Uidhir final and again it was Naomh Oilibhéar who took the spoils after a cracking game which went to extra time and were deserving winners on a scoreline of Naomh Oilibhéar 2-10 An Uidhir Congratulations to Naomh Oilibhéar. In Albert McGrath Newsagents B Championship, we had 6 teams with first round victories for Deuglán Naofa over An tstráidbhaile, Cill Rosanta over An Baile Dúbh. In the semi-finals Deuglán Naofa received a walkover from Gleann Sídheán and Cois Bríd defeated Cill Rosanta by 6-13 to In the final Deuglán Naofa defeated Cois Bríd 0-12 to Congrats to Deuglán Naofa Lawlors Hotel Junior Football Premier Seven teams participated in this championship and at the end of the league section Má Dheilge and Na h-emmetigh finished first and second respectively and so qualified for the league final. In the final Má Dheilge had a comprehensive victory over Na h- Emmetigh 3-14 to In the preliminary round Na Seamróga defeated Cill Gobnait 6-08 to 1-06 so in the ¼ finals An Sean-Phobal defeated Na Seamróga 2-09 to 0-04 and Tulach an Iarainn 16

17 defeated Áth Meadhán 3-08 to The semi-final daw paired Na h- Emmetigh against Tulach an Iarainn and Má Dheilge against An Sean Phobal. In the first semi-final we had a massive upset as An Sean-Phobal defeated Má Dheilge after coming from behind in a thriller and then holding on in the dying minutes to win on a scoreline 3-10 to The second semi final was a game that never lived up to expections. Na h-emmetigh defeated Tulach An Iarainn 2-12 to 0-08 so the scene was set for the final. After a terrific battle with the game swinging one way and then the other, both teams had to do it all over again as the scoreline read 1-09 a piece. A replay beckoned and An Sean-Phobal got off to a flyer playing against the wind, notching up the first four points setting themselves up for a tremendous victory on a scoreline of 3-07 to Comhgharideas to An Sean Phobal on a long overdue success. Lawlors Hotel Junior Football Intermediate Attached This competition disintegrated into a complete farce with five teams originally entering the competition. After the first week we had only 2 teams left, so I would appeal to clubs if they are entering this competition please make sure you have enough players to sustain a team throughout the competition. However, to the field of play in the first round Cnóc Melleraí defeated Dúngarbhán 3-08 to 2-04 which just left the final Rodaithe na Brice V Cnoc Mellearí. In a very competitive final Rodaithe na Brice ran out winners 0-11 to Congrats to Rodaithe Na Brice. Radley Engineering Intermediate Football This championship had 7 teams and again it was played on a league style with the semi final draws pairing Baile Na Cúirte V Dún Garbhán and Na Geraltaigh v Rodaithe na Brice. In the first semi-final Baile na Cúirte defeated an understrength Dún Garbhán team by 2-15 to 0-03 In the other semi-final Rodaithe Na Brice had a hard fought victory over Na Geraltaigh on a scoreline of 0-17 to 2-08 so we were set for the final, a game that was played in desperate conditions Rodaithe na Brice had a 0-09 to 0-05 win over Baile Na Cúirte Well done to Rodaithe na Brice. Sean Byrne U21 A Hurling We had 5 teams in this competition, in the preliminary round Naomh Carthách defeated Rodaithe Na Brice 0-19 to In the semifinals Naomh Carthach had a hard fought victory over Dún na Mainistreach 1-21 to 2-14 while Dún Garbhán had a 2-19 to 0-07 victory over Gael na Comeraigh. In the final Dún Garbhán had a 2-15 to 1-12 victory over Naomh Carthach in a game that never hit the heights of other fixtures between these great rivals. Well done to Dún Garbhán Morrissey Family U21 B Hurling We had 8 teams in this competition with quarter final victories for Caisleán Cuanach over Gleann Sidheán, Deuglán Naofa over Cláis Mhór/Ceann tsaile beag, An Ghaeltacht over An Baile Dúbh, and Cois Bríd over Naomh Oilibhéar. In the semi finals Caisleán Cuanach had a hard fought victory over Deuglan Naofa 1-17 to 1-12 and in the other semi final An Gaeltacht defeated Cois Brid 2-15 to 1-13 so the scene is set for An Ghaeltacht V Caisleán Cuanch Final. Best of Luck to Both teams Local Bar Junior Hurling Premier We only had four teams in this championship, so at the start of the year in consultation with the clubs, we decided to play an extra round and the first round was doubled up and they played each other again in the fourth round. After the league section Má Dheilge had qualified for the final and the semi-final was between Na Geraltaigh and An Coilleagáin. After a titanic battle An Coilleagáin held on to a one point victory to And so to the final, everybody was looking forward to another titanic struggle however in a game that never really sparkled, despite An Coilleagáin getting to within four points midway through the second half, Má Dheilge pulled away for a comprehensive victory on a scoreline 1-19 to Congrats to Má Dheilge. Local Bar Junior Hurling Senior Attached We had 6 teams in this championship and after the league section we had An Baile Dúbh v Tulach An Iarainn in a very exciting semi final contest. An Baile Dúbh had a three point victory with the final score reading 2-14 to In the second semi-final Dún Garbhán and Lios Mór served up a thriller with Dún Garbhán hanging on to a two point victory. (4-13 to 17

18 4-11). In the final An Baile Dúbh won a thriller which ebbed and flowed throughout defeating Dún Garbhán on a scoreline 1-14 to 1-12 Congrats to An Baile Dúbh Local Bar Junior Hurling Intermediate Attached Eleven teams participated in this championship, divided into 2 groups. After the league section Cill Gobnait and Fanaithe An Gleanna had qualified for semi-finals and in the quarter finals Dún na Mainistreach defeated An Rinn 1-17 to In the second quarter final Cláis Mhór/Ceann tsaile beag defeated Baile na Saggairt 3-10 to 0-10 so the semifinals draw had Cláis Mhór/Ceann tsaile Beag v Fanaithe An Gleanna which went to a replay and after extra time Cláis Mhór/Ceann tsaile beag won on a scoreline of 0-20 to These were without doubt the most entertaining two games I saw all year, the endeavor and effort was fantastic. In the other semi-final Cill Gobnait defeated Dún na Mainistreach 1-12 to Cill gobnait prevailed after a thrilling contest in the final and were victorious on a scoreline of 3-10 to After several difficult years Cill Gobnait were back in the winners circle, congratulations again to Cill Gobnait Comeragh Oil Intermediate Hurling Championship We had 10 teams in this championship, two groups of five, top team from each group qualified for semi-final, second and third in each group qualified for quarter finals. After the league section, Baile na Miolach and Ceapach Choinn had qualified for semi-finals. In the quarter finals An Rinn defeated Baile Na Saggairt 2-18 to 2-09 in a very entertaining game, in the other quarter final it took two games to separate Rodaithe na Brice and An tstraidbhaile with Rodaithe na Brice running out eventual winners with a four point victory 3-11 to In the semi-finals Baile Na Miolach had a big win over Rodaithe na mbrice 5-11 to 1-12 and An Rinn faced Ceapach Choinn, this was billed as the match of potential champions, after a tense and sometimes very ugly affair Ceapach Choinn held on to a deserved three point victory. The final consisted of neighbours Ceapach Choinn and Baile na Miolach served up a thrilling game in which Baile na Miolach had much the better of the first half but only went in at half time with a 2 point lead. In the second half Ceapach Choinn took the game by the scruff of the neck and with the clock running down where leading by 5pts however a goal for Baile na Miolach reduced the deficit to 2 and with time running out Baile na Miolach laid siege to the Ceapach Choinn goal however Ceapach Choinn held out for a deserved win on a scoreline Ceapach Choinn 2-15 Baile na Miolach Congrats to Ceapach Choinn. Intermediate Hurling League This year we had twelve teams in the Intermediate Hurling League (2 groups of 6), after the league section Rodaithe Na Brice faced Má Dheilge in the final and after a very entertaining game Má Dheilge ran out winners on a scoreline of 1-20 to Congrats To Madh Dheilge Park Hotel Minor Football A & B Competitions In the A competition we had 5 teams initially entered but only 3 teams actually participated. An tsráidbhaile defeated Dún Garbhán 3-18 to 2-09 and in the final Rodaithe Na Brice defeated An tsraidbhaile 3-12 to 1-13 Congrats to Rodaithe na Brice. In the B competition we had 6 teams, in the semi-finals Cois Brid got a walkover from Deuglán Naofa and Naomh Oilibhéar defeated Naomh Phadraig 5-08 to 0-06 and as I pen this report, the final has not yet been played but it will be over prior to convention. I wish Cois Brid and Naomh Oilibhéar the best of luck in the final. Park Hotel Minor Hurling A& B Competitions We had five teams in the A competition, in the semi-finals Cois Brid got a walkover from Dún Garbhán and Naomh Carthach had a one point victory over Gleann Sidhéan 4-10 to Cois Brid were too strong for Naomh Carthach in the final and ran out winners 3-13 to 1-07 In The B competition we had 8 Teams, in the semi-finals Naomh Brid got a walkover from An Baile Dúbh and Naomh Oilibhéar received a walkover from Caisleáin Cuanach so the final is between Naomh Brid V Naomh Oilibhéar. As I pen this report this final has not been played so I wish the best of luck to Naomh Oilibhéar and Naomh Brid in the final. 18

19 At Our Championship Structure meeting we need to re-visit these competitions to see if they have a future, clubs should only enter these competitions if they are prepared to play Championships Before I leave this part of my report I would like to congratulate all our divisional winners who went on to win county titles. Also a special word of Congratulations to Ceapach Choinn on winning the Munster Club Intermediate Hurling Title, also the best of luck to An Uidhir in the Munster Club Senior Football Final and also Má Dheilge who contest the Munster Junior Hurling Final on the 7th December. Junior Hurling Championship Structure As you are all aware, we have a motion going to County Convention to re-structure the Junior Hurling Championship. We feel that this is necessary so that our Junior Proper teams can get more games - 4 teams in this years competition is just not enough and we now need to take the necessary action to protect this championship. Clubs should have nothing to fear from this motion and I would appeal to all our clubs to support this motion as presented by the Sliabh gcua/naomh Muire club. I am sure we will have a healthy debate at this convention and hopefully we can answer any concerns you may have. We should never be afraid of change and must embrace change if the structures of our championships demand it. The Press In the area of Communications it is again pleasing to report that we are very well served in this area. I would particularly like to thank our local papers - the Dungarvan Observer and the Dungarvan Leader and their GAA correspondents for their tremendous year round coverage of our games and other events. We are very fortunate to have several pages of match reports and fixtures in our papers every week. Also to our local radio station WLR for their continued promotion and reporting on local championship games within the division. Club Grounds Our increasing programme of games could not have been completed without the continued availability of our club grounds in which to play these games. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the clubs for the use of their pitches, also to all the groundsman who had the grounds in pristine condition whatever the weather. Mile Buiochas. Officer Board The Workload associated with commitments both at club and divisional level is getting heavier with each passing year. I am delighted to record the tremendous work rate of the current board. We met on over 20 occasions between fixtures and disciplinary matters and few people realize the demands made on those serving the association and this allied to the many other calls made on their time makes one realise how fortunate we are in Portláirge thiar to have so many dedicated people at the helm. I would like to record my sincere thanks to my fellow officers to Cathaoirleach Eamonn Ó Cuinneagáin for his genuine help and assistance in all matters relating to CLG and he has presided his office with total impartiality. An Cisteoir Sean Mac Shéain is an outstanding member of this board with his work ethic, his attention to detail and his outstanding management of our accounts is there for all to see. Also his help with ticket distribution throughout the year is much appreciated. To Risteáird Ó Toibin who stepped in for me this year while I was on holidays and was a great assistance during his first year as Runai Cúnta. To Eimear de Barra who produced all our match handouts and looked after the Public Address on numerous occasions. Sincere thanks also to Padraig Ó Cathasaigh for his assistance with the presentation of our accounts. Finally to Breandáin Ó Toibin who leaves the board this year as his 5 year term is up. I would like to sincerely thank Breandáin for his work over the last 5 years and wish him well in Munster Council also he deputized for the Cathaoirleach on many occasions and also his help with fixtures was much appreciated. Mile Buiochas Conclusion In bringing this report to conclusion I would like to thank all the club officials, secretaries. chairpersons, team managers etc who I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with over the course of the year. To our loyal gatemen and women who manned our gates 19

20 in all weathers - sincere thanks to them. To county runai Tadhg Ó Caoimh and Eastern board Runaí Seamus Ó Cléir for their help and co-operation in coordinating our fixtures which helped in the conclusion of our championships on time for county finals. Finally I would sincerely like to thank my wife and family for all their help and support during the year. The Support of family and friends should never be underestimated and I have enjoyed my year as your Runaí and I look forward to serving you the clubs of CLG Portlairge Thiar for the coming year. My Wish for 2015 is that it will be a great year for everybody involved in CLG Portlairge Thiar and all our clubs players and personnel secure work at home and stop the drain of our players going abroad to seek employment MILE BUIOCHAS On a personal note, I would like to thank all the clubs and officers and friends who contacted, rang and ed their sympathies and attended my brother Willie s removal and burial - my family and I much appreciate all your support. It cannot be understated the way communities come together and support each other in their hour of need. Indeed to all other members who suffered family bereavements during the year condolences are extended to all. Go ndeanna dia trocaire ar a h-anameacha agus ar anamneacha ar ngael go léir Is mise le meas, Padraig Mac Gráinne Runaí Sympathy During the past year many prominent and dedicated members of the Association within the division have passed to their eternal reward. We mourn their passing and loss. 20

21 Oifigeach na Leanaí Children s Officer Report 2014 The appointment of a Children s Officer at both Club and County level is an essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere and in establishing a child and youth ethos at both Club and County level. The appointment of a Children s Officer while deemed essential is also a mandatory requirement. These Officers fulfil a key role at Club, Executive and County Committees. individual, individuals or a club as a result of the breach. Each Committee shall consist of a nominee of the LGFA, Camogie Association and the GAA. > [1] Most clubs have fulfilled their obligation and appointed Club Children s Officers and those officers are aware of their roles and responsibilities [2] The activities of all Underage County Development Our Games - Our Code Amendments to the Code How to deal with Breaches of the Code Breaches of the overall Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport shall now be dealt with at club level by a Code of Best Practice Hearings Committee and at County Level by a County Code of Best Practice Hearings Committee. This is undoubtedly a new process for all of us and it will be 2015 before such structures are established. It is always worth remembering that the joint Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport is for our underage players, mentors, etc. Squads and County Underage Team Activities are compliant with the relevant Gaelic Games Code, with the Respect Initiative and with the relevant playing models [3] Garda Vetting of underage coaches continues, and I thank Liam Cheasty who acted as co-ordinator in the processing of vetting applications in Waterford in [4] We have continued to advise Clubs on good practise in the recruitment and selection of persons working with young people at club and county level [5] Breaches that were found re Our Games-Our Code, and the Code of Behaviour were dealt with as per the relevant guidelines. County Code of Best Practice in Youth and Sport Hearing Committee From 2015 all Counties shall appoint a 3 person County Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport Hearing Committee. The County Code of Best Practice in Youth Sport Hearing Committee shall have the authority to determine if a complaint, allegation or reported misdemeanour is deemed to be in breach of the Code and shall determine [6] When issues arose, club personnel were advised on good practice and procedure [7] In 2014 all clubs in general have maintained the safest possible environment for all young players who participated in Our Games and activities and have taken practical steps to protect young people from various forms of abuse, from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment. what action or sanction may be passed against an 21

22 Most queries that came to the County Children s Officer in 2014 were about incidental bullying for example - - Players at underage constantly being teased or physically bullied by another player - Intimidation of underage player - Coaches win at all costs mentality - shouting at players represented on Déise Óg - Coaching and Games, Bórd na nóg, Cumann na mbunscol, Post Primary Schools, Development Squads, Handball Representative and the County Children s Officer.Sincere thanks to Eoin Breathnach who so willingly took up the position of secretary of Déise Óg. - Cyber Bullying - using mobile phones to text derogatory remarks Tim O Byrne Thankfully these complaints were few and far between Child Protection Workshops will again be held in 2015 County Children s Officer [ ] beginning in February I will liaise with clubs and the County Tutors for suitable dates. My sincere thanks to Eoin Breathnach and to the County Tutors for all their work.clubs must remember that, if you are not Garda Vetted you are not allowed work with children. The County Executive is fully committed to and wishes to see the Code of Behaviour when working with underage players developed, promoted and fully implemented as an initiative that encourages fair play, respect,equality, safety and non - discrimination in all aspects of work with children and young people. Déise Og In accordance with Waterford s Strategic Plan, Déise Og was set up, the first meeting taking place on Thursday 11th September under the Chairmanship of the County Children s Office. The Committee met on two occasions. Déise Óg is an overseeing body that formulates policies at Child and Youth Level. It is intended that Déise Óg will meet a limited number of times a year to plan an overall approach to the Development of our Children and Youth, in order to be able to bring the maximum number of players through to adult level. The following bodies to be 22

23 Eastern Board Secretary s Report A Chairde Gael Tá sé de príbhléid agam an Tuairascáil seo a chur os bhur i gcomhair anocht. Is maith liom mo bhuiochas a gabháil do gach duine a cabhraidh liom i rith na bliana. Delegates it is my privilege to present for your adoption a report on the happenings of the Adult Board of East Waterford G.A.A. for I have attended numerous Club Annual General Meetings, Eastern and County Conventions and it is my opinion that attendees of these meetings no longer have the interest in long winded reports from well meaning Secretarys. As a Board we ve had ten delegate meetings in 2014 where all aspects of Waterford GAA have been discussed. With this in mind I intend to keep this report as succinct as possible while still making one or two observations. Ar an bpáirc To a large extent our Championships were again competitive in 2014 but I along with my fellow Officers feel that we should attempt to revamp almost all League and Championships for The old adage of if it s not broke don t fix it could also be viewed as the lazy mans way out. I attach our ideas for change in Appendix 1 at the back of this report. I would ask that all Clubs discuss this idea between now and our structures meeting, we re giving you ample opportunity. There is also motion for County Convention proposing the amalgamation of Junior Hurling Premier and Junior Hurling A, again I would 100% support this motion as it will again bring a new dimension to these Championships. I would also plead with Clubs to actually discuss amongst yourselves where you stand for 2015 and not affiliate into competitions that you re not capable of completing. It s particularly infuriating for the Clubs who may actually be taking things seriously. The roll of honour of Eastern Champions is on the next page of this document and I congratulate all. I ve enjoyed some very good days this year at Championship games. Here are some of my highlights. 1.Adam Brophy of St Saviours putting two sideline balls over the bar from both sides of the field in two consecutive games in Walsh Park. 2.The raw emotion, atmosphere and excitement at Ballydurn v Fenor in Dunhill in Junior Hurling. 3. The finish of the game in normal time, Roanmore v De La Salle in u21 Hurling Championship in Carriganore. 4.Ray Hennessy proving that age is only a number in both the Eastern and County Junior Football Finals. 5.Paul Powers display in scoring 1gl 6 pts in Intermediate Football Final while being injured!! I could go on for a while but they re just some of my highlights, hopefully you have a lot more. 23

24 Eastern Champions 2014 Gerry Kennedy Crash Repairs Intermediate Hurling: Naomh Slánaitheóir Tony Kirwan Plant Hire Intermediate Football: Port Cladach Gerry Kennedy Crash Repairs Junior Hurling Premier: Bun Machan John Cullinane Plant Hire Junior Football Premier: An Chill John Cullinane Plant Hire Intermediate Football Attached: Bun Machan John J Murphy Junior Hurling A: Cluain Fhiaidh John J Murphy Junior Hurling B: Dún Áill Tony Kirwan Plant Hire U21 A Football: Rath Óg Cormac Tony Kirwan Plant Hire U21 B Football: Naomh Muire Eddie O Donnell Monumental Works U21 A Hurling: Baile Mhic Gionair Eddie O Donnell Monumental Works U21 B Hurling: Micheál McCraith Whites Bar Hurling League: Port Cladach Tony Kirwan Plant Hire Football League: At the time of writing the Football League isn t finished, it is our intention that it will never run this late again. As you may be aware we are currently running a workshop regarding Football in this Division. There seems to be lack of interest among a number of Clubs particularly at Junior Premier level. It s a worrying trend and something that we will only fix with your help. I would suggest that a similar idea to the Hurling proposal may be a possible solution. Finally regarding U21 Championships I ve addressed it at Delegate meetings that I find the cost to enter these competitions to be prohibitive to Clubs. 1,000 to insure a team on which all players are already insured as either a Minor or Adult player. These are also generally knockout competitions as there just isn t a timescale to play them on a League basis. Referees We have played somewhere in the region of 260 games in the Division this year. At present due to five new referees we have eighteen referees covering the games along with County and Juvenile fixtures. They re a very dedicated bunch and I am particularly grateful to each and every one of them. At a meeting in the Ramada Hotel in August we suggested to them that we would like to put linesmen into every game from Quarter Final on, to a man they agreed. We managed to do it because of the willingness of referees to oblige when requested. A lot of what they do goes unnoticed and unappreciated but the Officers of the Eastern Board are very thankful. Should any Club in the Division have somebody with a little inclination towards refereeing please send them our way as we could do with a few more. Sponsors Following last years convention we made a conscious effort to increase our sponsorship revenue and as can be seen from our Financial Report we have succeeded to a large degree. We offered attractive packages to potential sponsors and they responded positively. We are indebted to all our sponsors and hopefully we can build on these relationships. Fellow Officers As you are all probably aware our Chairman has decided to put his name forward for County Vice Chairman and is unopposed for the position. Whoever wins the vote for County Chairman is getting the most able Officer on the County Executive as his Vice Chairman. I have no doubt that when his time comes Seán O Regan will be an excellent County Chairman. 24

25 His only interest is in the betterment of Waterford GAA and I on your behalf wish him every success. I d like to think we ve become friends over the last twelve months and I ll certainly miss not having his unequivocal support. I d like to think I went to a lot of games this year but if I did the Treasurer of the Board was surely at more games than any other Officer. He is totally dedicated to this Board and we are lucky to have him and David Kirwan to keep us younger heads grounded!!! To Jerry, Michael and John who were always available and worked diligently to help the Board. Jerry has been a major help to me all year and is now on speed dial on my phone. We re gone to the stage where we speak most days about something to do with GAA in the County. I would also like to recognise the help I ve received from Pat Grant and Tim O Keeffe. Again they re always on the other end of the phone should I need them. I would also thank Áine Murphy in Walsh Park for all her help, to the groundsmen and gates people at all our venues particularly Pat Carroll Michael Melay and Brian Power in Walsh Park, Brendan Mooney and Emma Gallagher in Kill, Anthony Raher and Paddy Lyons in Dunhill, Billy O Neill in De La Salle, John Maher in St Mollerans and Phelim Dowling in Erins Own. We have also used Carriganore a bit this year and I would thank Michael Evans for all his help. To Phil Fanning in the News & Star, Brian Flannery in the Munster Express and Kevin Casey on WLR I would also extend our gratitude for the exposure they give our games. Sympathy At Convention time it right to remember those who have gone before us. To all members of this Division who suffered bereavement over the last twelve months we offer our heartfelt sympathies. Ar dheis Dé go raibh siad In Conclusion As I finish my first report as Eastern Secretary I would like to wish one and all a Happy Christmas and prosperous To all those who have been given the honour of managing our County teams we wish you every success and hopefully we bring home some silverware to the County. I would like to take the opportunity to mention former Chairman Johnny O Brien who is being rewarded with the first Séamus O Brien Award. He richly deserves this Award for his work at all levels in the Association. The last time I called into him for a half an hour(left four hours later) he was telling me he was a County u21 Hurling selector in 1964 and then told me who was on the team. Arís ba mhaith liom buiochas a ghabháil le gach duine a thug camhair dom i rith na bliaina. Le cúnamh Dé beimid ar ais anseo an bhliain seo chugainn. Port Láirge Abú. Is Mise le Meas Séamus De Cléir Runai 25

26 Coaching & Games Development 2014 A Chairde, It is a pleasure to present this report on behalf of the 2014 Coaching & Games Development Committee to Convention saw C&GD focusing on providing more support to Clubs through increased club visits and rolling out further initiatives at the Post Primary level age group. The formation of Deise Óg from the action items of the County Strategic Plan was an exciting and important step for the county and we look forward to working with all the stakeholders in Waterford GAA. The Club Assist Port Láirge Project was also launched in 2014, and proved to be very popular in its inaugural year. The programme enhances and rewards the commitment of so many hardworking people in our clubs without adding any burden to already intense and comprehensive activity across all age groups with Go Games and Super Touch Blitzes, Coach Education, Development Squads, Cúl Camps, Primary and Post-Primary development. Waterford Coaching and Games Development is indebted to so many dedicated Coaches, Mentors, Teachers, and Referees in our Clubs and Schools across the county that made 2014 another great year for Waterford GAA and we look forward to working with and for them all in Club Assist Port Láirge: Launched in Feb 2014, this project aims to help our Clubs to improve and maintain playing and coaching standards throughout each year and to also recognise and reward this huge amount of work undertaken by Clubs. The Club Assist Port Láirge operates by providing 3 levels of standards to achieve. 32 of the 38 Juvenile Clubs reached Level 1 with 8 of them reaching Level 2. The awards night was held recently and a number of clubs received equipment vouchers and nursery packs. Club Assist Port Láirge will run again in 2015 Development Squads: In 2014 four Football squads and six Hurling squads trained and competed in their respective tournaments from U-14 to U-17 age groups. Unfortunately, Hurling Development training for the U-12 age group was impacted by a lack of available mentors and the number of Development sessions at this age group were curtailed in Hopefully we can recruit new coaches for 2015 and run a full coaching programme for U12 & U13 in As always the tremendous progress of our players through the squad system is only made possible by the dedication of the Coaches and Mentors that work tirelessly every year. I would appeal to every Club to contribute by not only providing players but also encouraging Coaches and Mentors to get involved in the squads, C&GD provide all the necessary support and logistical assistance to the squad Coaches and Mentors, and we shall be delighted to welcome any new Coaches or Mentors in Kellogg s GAA Cúl Camps: 2014 was the third year of Kellogg s sponsorship of the GAA Cúl Camps and was again very successful. In Cúl Camps were held in Waterford, and a total of 2358 children attended the camps, an increase of 150 on Cúl Camp Coaches ensured that all children enjoyed the camps and deserve great credit for delivering this huge summertime event. The importance of the Cúl Camps cannot be overstated; the camps bring children to our club fields for a week of activities and learning, and foster an association of fun with our games which encourages our children to participate in our activities. Primary Schools GDA s have organised gala day blitzes for Primary schools in the county grounds and have provided assistance to Cumann na mbunscol in the organising and running of all their divisional and county schools finals. In 26

27 2014 the Primary Schools Munster Skills Competition was held once again. Bunscol Bothar na Naomh Lismore won Hurling and Rathgormack won Gaelic Football in Waterford. Both schools competed in the Munster Finals with Lismore only beaten in a play-off. The competition was run jointly by C&GD and Cumann na mbunscol. Go Games & Super Touch Blitzes (Club and School): The Go Games blitzes and tournaments took place from the end of January right through to December Indoors, Outdoors and on Astro Turf pitches across the county. Indoor blitzes took place in Jan, Feb & Mar and moved outdoors until October highlights included the Play and Stay Hurling and Football, Blitzes, Town and Country, City League, GDA divisional blitzes, Carriganore Blitzes, Roanmore Charity Blitz. Go Games blitzes took place at all age groups from U8 to U12 in Hurling and Gaelic Football while Super Touch Blitzes focussed on the U-15 age group with a very successful Munster blitz in September and local blitzes in October & November across all 3 GDA areas. Coach Education: Across the county a number of Foundation Courses took place during the year with good numbers attending however there is a noticeable fall-off in demand for courses as nearly every Coach has now completed the basic foundation course. There are more advanced courses available to every Coach that wishes to reach the next level and we shall support any Coach that wishes to do so. We had 2 Award 1 courses in February & March with almost 40 coaches attending them. Along with a number of workshops run by the GDA s in their divisions and Waterford coaches attending county, provincial and national conferences there was great knowledge gained by coaches across the county to bring back to club, county and school teams. Jobbridge We continue to avail of the Munster GAA Jobbridge Scheme and were delighted to have high calibre people working with us for their internships in Michael Kelleher & Vincent Walsh completed their internships in the last few weeks and both did some great work during their internship. Along with 2 Interns who completed their internship in 2013/2014 we were delighted to have such calibre of people with us. Inclusion and Integration Inclusion and Integration are always high on the agenda. Many of these measures happen organically through the work of the GDA s clubs and schools. Among the specific initiatives done this year were: Waterford Diverse-City Programme, WSP Older Adults Programme, Respect Initiative, Go Games Respect Signs, Go Games at Club Championship and NFL/NHL & Munster Championship Minor, U21 & Snr home games, SNA s for Cul Camps, ISU Camp Programme. We have recently started a partnership with Waterford Sports Partnership (WSP) to run a Waterford Wheelchair Hurling Academy in 2015 and we look forward to our Women in Sport Programme with WSP in March/April Conclusion Over the last few weeks C&GD have embarked upon a comprehensive planning exercise for 2015 to ensure that we continue to support all the stakeholders in our games to attain highest possible standards. In 2015 we shall again be building on our service to our Clubs through increased club visits and workshops and will also be increasing initiatives at Post Primary level age group. The formation of Deise Óg through the County Strategic Plan is an exciting and important step for the county and we look forward to working with everybody and continue to raise the bar for Waterford GAA. As Coaching Officer, I have received again tremendous support from all of the Coaching and Games Committee members in 2014 and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee members from Camogie, Bord na nóg, Cumann na mbunscol, the full time staff, Jobbridge Interns. Special thanks also to Coaching Committee Treasurer Liam Cheasty, financial management is vital to the operation of any organisation and Liam continues to expertly administer the finances of C&GD and ensure we gain value from all our various initiatives. We are also very appreciative to Club Deise for their sponsorship of our development squads leisure apparel during 2014, a particularly popular item amongst our Development Squad players. 27

28 I would also like to thank Owen Sauvage for raising the profile of C&GD through his management of our Social Media outlets. The power of Social Media was positively demonstrated during 2014 when our first display of our Go Games Respect Signs was noticed at a blitz in Carriganore by a parent attending the event. A picture of the sign was tweeted and was shared on Facebook, over the following days the picture of the sign received close to 20,000 likes and more than 250 favourable comments from all over Ireland, Europe and the USA. It is also great to have Pat Moore on board to give advice on Coach and Referee education matters. The Committee all help to ensure that projects and initiatives are run efficiently and align with the needs of the various Boards and functions of the associations. Waterford Coaching and Games would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank all the clubs of Waterford for assisting us in all our activities during Mícheál Ó Murchú Coaching Officer Michael Murphy Eoin Breathnach Michelle Power John Quinn David Robinson Ann Hogan Liam Cheasty Billy Devine Vera Cannell Coaching Officer Games Manager GDA West GDA Urban GDA Mid County Post Primary Officer Treasurer Bord na nóg Bord na nóg Waterford C&GD Go Games Respect sign received close to 20,000 likes and more than 250 favourable comments on Facebook from all over Ireland, Europe and the USA! Neil Moore Sean Fleming Pat Moore Owen Sauvage Cumannna mbunscol Camogie Coach Education PRO 28

29 Waterford Football Review Committee 2014 Waterford Football Review Committee was established in May 2013 under the Chairmanship of Tommy Hennessey (Kill). The following are the committee members: Tom Condon (Sliabh gcua), John Kiely (Kilrossanty), Jimmy O Gorman (Lismore), Ger Power (Rathgormac), Tom O Neill (Gaultier), Eoin O Brien (Stradbally), Sean Breathnach (An Rinn) and Michael Hogan (Sean Phobal) who was appointed Secretary.: Terms of Reference Clarify the role of County team selectors and Team Management - Structured approach to appointing selection committees by County Board. Dual Players Create an environment where players can play both hurling and football for the County, in particular at underage level. Liaise with Coaching and Games to improve coaching and increase the number and quality of coaches available to county trams. Liaise with Coaching and Games to improve coaching at Club level. County Board to give directive to Team Managers to ensure co-operation with dual players. Primary Schools Assist Clubs to continue with Primary School Coaching Secondary Schools Review problem of dropout rate of pupils going to Secondary Schools and make recommendations to tackle same. In 2013 we identified coaching in Secondary schools as a major concern as there was no outside coaching to complement the work being done by the schools themselves. While this is still a big problem Coaching and Games are now going into the schools and this has to be a step in the right direction. However there are not enough coaches to do the all National and Secondary in the county to the required level and we feel there is still a need to have organised outside coaches going into the Secondary Schools along the lines of what is happening at National school level. St Declans, Kilmacthomas have taken the lead in this and they are to be complemented on this and we hope other schools could do likewise. We believe clubs would contribute to this coaching if good quality coaching were available. Co-operation between under age county teams to facilitate players to play hurling and football was good in 2014 and there is no doubt this helped in having a very successful Minor Football campaign. We ran a good Cork team very close in the Munster Semi Final and every Waterford person would have been proud to witness some of the excellent performances that night. That many of the same players were to go on and help the hurlers reach the All Ireland semi-final proves with the right cooperation players can play both codes at that level. The playing of a Munster Under 20 football competition will help us get organised for the Under 21 Munster championship. Appointing selectors a month before the Championship and then wondering why they did not do well has to be a thing of the past. We have to give our players and management teams a level playing field and as much assistance as possible. All our teams in the Munster Club championships did us proud and showed with the proper preparation we can compete with the best. Nire, in particular played excellent football and proved they were an equal with any team in Munster. Brickey Rangers and Kill also proved their worth and were not out of place against quality opposition. All those teams prepared very well and at county level we have to take on board the message you get out of it what you put into it. We don t have to spend vast fortunes on football but we have to ensure that we have enough done to give us a fair chance. Tommy Hennessey (Chairman) Michael Hogan (Secretary) 29

30 2014 County Bord na nog Season A YEAR IN REVIEW Bord na nog Port Lairge played host to over 700 matches during a hectic yet hugely enjoyable season of underage GAA action. The standard across all grades in both codes was very high this year and this showed in our County Finals where we witnessed some terrific games. U-16 Co. Football Championship (Sponsored by Combined Waterford City Credit Unions) This was our first Championship of the season, which commenced on February 16th across all three divisions. The standard was very good with some great games throughout the group stages; the one disappointing aspect was the amount of games that were conceded. It doesn t look good and it affects the whole championship especially if teams pull out, and it s something that we hope won t happen too often in After a well contested group and knockout campaign the County Finals were staged in Walsh Park on Saturday May 17th. We had three well contested finals with Gaultier (Division 1), Clashmore / Kinsalebeg (Division 2), and Na Gaeil (Division 3) emerging victorious over Ballinacourty, St. Pats and Ballyduff Upper respectively. (Below are match reports on the three finals played that day). Division 1 FINAL: Gaultier 4 6 Ballinacourty 3 8 This was as dramatic a game as you are likely to witness as Gaultier avenged last year s U-16 Co. Football Final defeat to Ballinacourty by just getting the better of the Villagers in this thrilling Division 1 decider. Ballinacourty started well and a Patrick Power goal helped them into an early lead but credit Gautlier who gradually fought back into the contest and a couple of well taken goals per Conor Kilgannon, Mike Hutchinson and Dean Kearns had them right back in the contest. The game ebbed and flowed from here on in with both teams having periods of dominance in what was a well contested final. Ballinacourty were awarded a penalty some five minutes from the end which Neil Montgomery converted to put his side back in the driving seat. The Eastern champions never gave up and it was they who finished the game strongly working some well taken points and with virtually the last kick of this exhilarating contest Gaultier centre back Glen Kavanagh kicked over the winning point from a free all of 40 meters out to seal a dramatic win for his side. After the game Mary Lemay-Power of behalf of Combined Waterford City Credit Unions (Sponsors) presented the cup to the winning captain, Donal Power amid scenes of considerable excitement as Gaultier landed the Division 1 U-16 Co. Football crown. Division 2 FINAL: Clashmore / Kinsalebeg 1 12 St. Pats 2 8 This Division 2 Final got the three match programme underway and what a classic encounter this turned out to be with the pendulum swinging throughout a pulsating hour s football and in the end there was a shame to have a loser but it was Clashmore / Kinsalebeg who got their noses in front at the death to leave St. Pats pondering what might have been. Clashmore / Kinsalebeg made the early running and were full value for their 1-3 to 0-1 lead with quarter of an hour played, the goal coming from Issac O Sullivan while Dean Russell and Adam O Sullivan had points. St. Pats bossed the second quarter of the opening half as they began to play some nice football, Kieran Tobin goaled on 21 minutes and this proved a real tonic score, points from Sam Murphy Nix, Anthony Reddy and a brace from the impressive Cian Byrne had St. Pats ahead by two at the change of ends (1-5 to 1-3). Clashmore / Kinsalebeg came back into proceedings upon the resumption and went back in front through points from Adam O Sullivan, Kyle Roche and Cian Ryan only for St. Pats to fight back, Cian Byrne, Gavin Dalton and Jack Skehan all kicked fine points as the sides were level heading into a frantic last 10 minutes (1-8 apiece). St. Pats 30

31 looked to have struck a killer blow with Jack Skehan knifed through the Clashmore defence before cracking the ball to the net to put his side three clear. Clashmore / Kinsalebeg never stopped working all through the game and they reeled off a couple of frees through the inspirational Paddy Prendergast to reduce the deficit. St. Pats had chances to close out the game and this ultimately came back to haunt them. Paddy Prendergast kicked the equaliser from a close range free a minute into injury time before the same player stepped up again two minutes later deep into injury team to kick a dramatic winning point from a 30 yard free to seal a nail biting victory for Clashmore / Kinsalebeg after a titanic tussle between two evenly matched sides, this was certainly a great advertisement for football and it just goes to show that there s plenty of footballing talent out there, anyone who was in Walsh Park last Saturday will agree with me on that front. After this epic encounter Mary O Mahoney representing the Combined Waterford City Credit Unions (sponsors) presented the trophy to Paddy Prendergast (Clashmore / Kinsalebeg captain) following scenes of great excitement. Division 3 FINAL: Na Gaeil 2 6 Ballyduff Upper 2 4 The action concluded with a well contested Division 3 decider where Na Gaeil were hanging on in the end but were full value for their hard fought win over a gallant Ballyduff Upper side who fought right til the end. The Dunhill / Fenor combination held a comfortable lead at half time with the goal coming from the hard working Eoghan Casey. Ballyduff held a lot of possession who failed to show this on the scoreboard. Na Gaeil struck for another green flag a minute into the second period, Killian O Connell on hand to net from close range to propel them into a 2-5 to 0-1. Credit must go to Ballyduff Upper who really upped their game from here til the end of the game with Eoin O Brien, Bill Keane and Oisin Hickey getting on top and setting up numerous attacks which yielded two excellent goals per Micheal Hannigan and Sean Kenny along with points from Eoin O Brien and Sean Kenny. This brought the Westerners right back into the game but Na Gaeil added another point to push it out to two points. Ballyduff had chances to win it but coughed up too many scoreable chances and it was Na Gaeil who held on for a hard earned win in an exciting encounter in which both teams battled with great endeavour. After the game Conor Quinn, the Na Gaeil captain lifted the trophy following the presentation by Billy Devine (Chairman County Bord na nog) and Linda O Keane (Combined Waterford City Credit Unions sponsors). FEILE HURLING CO. FINALS Following the divisional Feile competitions, the County Finals were held in glorious sunshine at Fraher Field on Wednesday May 21st. Abbeyside were crowned A Champions for the second year running following victory over a brave Mount Sion, it ended Abbeyside 4-9 Mount Sion 1-1. Sacred Heart overcame Ardmore in the B Final by 3-5 to 0-5. U-14 Co. Football Championship FINALS (Sponsored by Combined Waterford City Credit Unions) The group stages are played at divisional level and the divisional winners go forward to the Co. Finals which took place on Saturday May 24th in Walsh Park. Ballinacourty annexed the Division 1 title with a hard fought win over a battling De La Salle (3-2 to 3-2). Gaultier landed the Division 2 crown with a comfortable 5-12 to 0-4 win over Brickey Rangers while Stradbally overcame Ferrybank by 3-8 to 1-1 to lift the Division 3 title. We witnessed a very high standard of football here, and many players in action went on to play for the county in the Jim Power tournament which was held in July. U-13 Co. Football Championship FINALS (Sponsored by County Bord na nog) Similar to the U-14 Football Championship, this is played at divisional level before the County Final, these were our final football Finals of the year and they were held in Walsh Park on Saturday May 31st. Gaultier completed a good few weeks for their club (a third county title in as many weeks) as they gave an excellent team performance in overcoming a gallant Ballinacourty in Division 1 (4-12 to 1-6). Rathgormack were 2-10 to 1-5 winners over Clashmore / Kinsalebeg in a well contested Division 2 decider. Meanwhile Ferrybank won the Division 3 title, getting the better of Kilrossanty by 2-4 to 1-4 in an exciting contest that went right down to the wire. 31

32 U-14 Co. hurling Championship (Sponsored by Waterford GAA Supporters Club Dublin Branch) This was one of our best and most entertaining Championships during A new structure was put the place (which the clubs wanted) where everyone qualified after the group stages with Division 2 being the exception due to the high number of teams. This proved to be very popular and this turned out to be a highly competitive Championship right across all four divisions. After plenty of twists and turns along the way, the Finals were played as a four match programme in Dungarvan s Fraher Field on Saturday September 27th. Abbeyside completed a clean sweep of U-14 titles as a strong second half performance saw them power past a gallant Roanmore by 8-9 to 1-6 in the Division 1 decider. The Division 2 Final was an all-eastern affair as Passage and Tramore had two mighty battles before we eventually found a winner. The sides couldn t be separated after extra-time the first day as it ended Tramore 3-5 Passage 2-8. It was back to Fraher Field under floodlights for the replay on Wednesday October 1st and again another fiercely contested battle unfolded as Tramore came out victorious on a 1-11 to 0-8 score line. The division 3 Final was described by many as one of the games of the season (across all levels!) as Naomh Deaglán Thoir and Ballyduff Upper produced a real humdinger where extra time was again required. It looked as if the Western team had done enough to win but a dramatic late goal right on the stroke of full-time swung the pendulum in favour of Naomh Deaglán as they emerged winners after an epic battle, final score: Nh. Deaglán Thoir 4 11 Ballyduff Upper 5 7 (AET). Clashmore / Kinsalebeg were crowned the Division 4 champions following a hard fought win over a game St. Saviour s side (3-6 to 0-5). U-16 Co. hurling Championship (Sponsored by: Waterford GAA Supporters Club Dublin Branch) This was another hugely exciting Championship with some great games, great skill level and wonderful endeavour across all divisions. The Championship commenced on June 26th with the County Finals taking place in Fraher Field on Saturday October 18th, these were our last County finals of the 2014 season, here s a brief report on each of the four finals played 32 that day as all four titles went East with De La Salle (Division 1), Clonea (Division 2), Tramore (Division 3) and St. Mary s (Division 4) overcoming St. Carthage s, Naomh Brid, Ballyduff Upper and Ardmore respectively in four very exciting and well contested games. U-16 DIVISION 1 CO. HURLING FINAL De La Salle 2 14 St. Carthage s 1 13 De La Salle were crowned Division 1 U-16 Hurling Co. champions following a hard fought win in a tough battle with a gallant St. Carthage s side who just seemed to run out of steam in the closing few minutes. The game got off to an explosive start as St. Carthage s netted a goal after 25 seconds, a great run by Daniel O Keeffe before laying it off to Jack Prendergast who finished from close range. Jack Prendergast (free) and Finbarr Reaney added further points to stretch the Western sides lead (1-2 to 0-0 after nine minutes of play). De La Salle openen their account on 10 minutes as their most influential player Thomas Douglas pointed. Jack Prendergast responded for St. Carthage s with a brace of points (one from play and one from a free) as they held a 1-4 to 0-1 lead midway through the opening half. St. Carthage s were doing all the pressing and were playing the better hurling. Thomas Douglas who was a real thorn in the St. Carthage s rear guard throughout pointed twice in quick succession to reduce the lead to four points (1-4 to 0-3) as the city side started to get the grips with the pace of the game. Jack Prendergast who worked extremely hard for St. Carthage s and James Stone exchanged points as the Lismore / Ballysaggart side held a 1-5 to 0-4 lead at the change of ends. De La Salle emerged a different team after the restart as they took the game to their opponents. A Cormac McCann goal ten minutes into the second period proved to be a crucial score as De La Salle began the throw the ball around and create some fine team scores. Conor Giles Doran and Conor Dunphy Dalton added further points for the Eastern side to propel them into the lead (one they wouldn t relinquish) for the first time (1-8 to 1-5 at this stage). Jack Prendergast converted a brace of pointed frees to leave the minimum between the sides in the 45th minute. Two minutes later Thomas Douglas rattled the net for De La Salle to push them four points clear, Jack Prendergast and Mickey Costigan (who was very impressive at

33 centre back) traded points to leave it 2-9 to 1-8 with some ten minutes remaining. St. Carthage s never gave up and were rewarded with three points on the trot through Jack Prendergast (twice) and the hard working Daniel O Keeffe to make a one point game in the 53rd minute (2-9 to 1-11). Mickey Costigan pointed a long range free to ease De La Salle s nerves only for Jack Prendergast to respond with another free in the 55th minutes to leave the one point between the teams. De La Salle seemed to have that little bit more up front and Adam Hayes along with another inspirational score from a Mickey Costigan long range free, this pushed them two points clear on 58 minutes. Jack Prendergast who carried St. Carthage s for the majority of this game had his sides final point in the 60th minute before De La Salle hit the last two scores in injury time, Cormac McCann and Mickey Costigan on target as the city side claimed a hard fought yet fully deserved victory in what was an entertaining encounter between two fine hurling sides. U-16 DIVISION 2 CO. HURLING FINAL Clonea 3 14 Naomh Brid 1 7 Clonea who ve been the form team right throughout the Division 2 Championship continued their impressive form as they eased to victory over a Naomh Brid team who simply didn t perform to their capabilities on the day. The Western side gave a great display while overcoming a much fancied Fourmilewater in the semi-final but they had to give second best here to a far superior Clonea outfit who gave a great team display. The opening exchanges were tight and it took nine minutes for the first score to arrive from Clonea s Ciaran Power, Cian O Byrne who was arguably Naomh Brid s best player on the day equalised a minute later before Power and Sam Murphy Nix exchanged points to leave it 0-2 apiece after 12 minutes. The influential Mairtin Power put Clonea back in front with two points before Gavin Dalton responded for Naomh Brid. The game s opening goal arrived on 21 minutes as Mairtin Power finished to the net; the same player who gave a man of the match display pointed a minute after as the Eastern side went into a 1-4 to 0-4 lead. Eoin Bray and Ciaran Power added further points for Clonea. Cian O Byrne pulled a point back for Noamh Brid whose defence was coming under a lot of pressure. Eoin Bray netted Clonea s second goal five minutes before half time as Clonea held an unassailable lead at the break (2-8 to 0-5). The second half turned out to be all one way traffic as Clonea picked off scores at ease, credit to Naomh Brid who kept on battling away and they were rewarded with a goal late on. Clonea were the better team on the day as their direct style of hurling yielded some fine scores which Naomh Brid had no answer to, having said that Naomh Brid were short the services of Jack Skehan (one of their key players) but take nothing away from Clonea who deserved the win following an impressive team display. U-16 DIVISION 3 HURLING CO. FINAL Tramore 0 13 Ballyduff Upper 0 12 Tramore added the U-16 Division 3 hurling Co. title to their U-13 and U-14 (both Division 2) following this nail biting one point win over a battling Ballyduff Upper in an edge of the set encounter that hung in the balance right up to the final whistle which was testament to both teams for treating us to an enthralling contest. Ballyduff Upper opened the scoring inside the opening minute but Tramore responded with two quick fire points to go in front, with Charlie Kelly and Tom Kavanagh (free) on target. Ballyduff hit the next three points through Sean Kenny, Oisin Hickey (from a long range free) and Sean Casey to see them leading 0-4 to 0-2 in the 10th minute. Tom Kavanagh cut the deficit to the minimum with a point in the 12th minute. It was a real hard fought game with an immense work rate from both sides as both sets of backs were dealing with everything that came they re way. A point from the hard working Charlie Kelly who was immense for Tramore tied up proceedings at 0-6 each on 24 minutes. A Matthew Garvey point put the Eastern outfit ahead four minutes before the break only for Oisin Hickey to equalise from a long distance free as the sides went in on level terms at the interval (0-7 apiece). There was only a point between the sides when they met in the group stages and these two evenly matched sides were giving it everything in this one. A Tom Kavanagh (free) in the 39th minute saw the team s level again (0-9 each). Fionan Hickey (free) restored the lead for Ballyduff Upper. We had to wait some eight minutes for the next score, Tramore equalising through Charlie Kelly who was outstanding throughout, a minute later they were in front as a Matthew 33

34 Garvey point made it 0-11 to 0-10 in favour of the seasiders. Fionan Hickey tied up proceedings yet again with a 53rd minute point as both sides went in search of a winner. The same player who caused the Tramore defence all sorts of problems popped over another score a minute later to put the men from the far West in front as we headed down the home stretch. Tramore showed tremendous character and fought back to get the last two points through Jordan Power in the 55th minute and Tom Kavanagh popped over the winning point in the 60th minute. Ballyduff Upper went in search of an equaliser which would have forced extra time but Tramore (who had a man sent off late on) held out for a hard fought win in an epic game. U-16 DIVISION 4 HURLING CO. FINAL St. Mary s 1 14 Ardmore 2 10 An injury time pointed free by Ciaran Kirwan secured the Division 4 title for St. Mary s who overcame a game Ardmore side who were in control for the majority of the second half in what was a very entertaining and open game of direct hurling. The Eastern side (a combination of Kill, Newtown/Ballydurn and Bunmahon) made the brighter start and lead by 0-3 to 0-0 after eight minutes with Ciaran Kirwan (twice) and Jeff Halley on target. Ardmore s James Falvin (their best player on the day) opened his sides account on 12 minutes before Kirwan responded with a pointed free a minute later. Seamus Cronin and Flavin added points for the Western side to leave it a one point game (0-4 to 0-3), before Ardmore took the lead for the first time as Micheal O Neill s first time ground stoke rattled the net. James Flavin hit over a hat trick of points towards the close of the half as Ardmore lead by five at the interval (1-7 to 0-5) as they weathered the early storm. A John O Brien goal soon after the restart propelled Ardmore into a 2-7 to 0-7 lead and when Dylan Reed added another point it looked as if it was going to be all one way traffic. St. Mary s showed tremendous character as they hauled themselves back into contention, TJ Veale and the hard working Jeff Halley stroked over a couple of points between them as the Eastern side begn to assert their authority on the game. Ardmore were still a goal to the good (2-10 to 0-13) with ten minutes remaining, mainly thanks to scores from James Flavin, but the St. Mary s defence failed to concede another score for the remainder of the game with Cory Kennedy blocking and dealing with everything that came his way. A Ciaran Kirwan free in the 51st minute made it 2-10 to 0-14 before Jeff Halley got on the end of a fine move to finish to the net to tie up proceedings as extra time beckoned. There was still one or two more twists to come in this humdinger, Ciaran Kirwan struck over what proved to be the winning score in the 60th minute as three minutes of added time were signalled. James Flavin had a late chance from a free to force extra-time but his long range effort drifted wide as St. Mary s held on for a hard fought yet deserved win in an excellent encounter between two evenly matched sides. Bord na nog Contae would like to sincerely thank the Dublin Branch of the Waterford GAA Supporters Club for their kind sponsorship of both the U-14 and U-16 County hurling Championships. We thank them for their continued support in the current economic climate and for the promotion of underage GAA in the county; we ask that patrons support them where possible. This year Bord na nog Port Lairge have hosted over 700 matches in what has been another hectic season of juvenile GAA in the Deise county, we ve had plenty of thrills and spills along the way. Our thanks to Ollie Drummey and the Fraher Field committee for the use of their facilities for all of the hurling County finals this season and likewise to Pat Carroll and all in Walsh Park who played host to the 2014 Football County finals. The board would like to express thanks to all our loyal band of referees without whom our games simply wouldn t be able to take place, they are they unsung heroes in many ways and we thank them for their continued work and support officiating at Bord na nog level. A special word of thanks to our photographers Rory Wyley and Noel Browne for all their hard work and promotion of our games, thanks as well to all the local newspapers and WLR FM for their coverage of Juvenile GAA. I would like to thank all my fellow officers for their continued dedication and hard work, this has been another hugely successful season at Bord na nog level and our hard working committee as well as our divisional board deserve huge credit for that. Thanks to the clubs for their continued support and we encourage all our players to keep playing GAA into the future. We express our thanks as well to Coaching & Games for their help and support throughout the year. 34

35 John O Regan U-14 Football The annual John O Regan U-14 Football divisional tournament Final between East and West Waterford was held in Kill GAA Grounds on Saturday June 28th. After a well contested game it was the Western lads who came out on top by 4-10 to 0-6. After the game Sean O Regan presented the John O Regan perpetual trophy to West Waterford captain James Walsh. Jim Power Tournament, U-14 Inter-County Football The annual Jim Power U-14 Inter County took place on July 5th. In Bushy Park, Dungarvan GAA and Fraher Field. Teams from Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare,Limerick and Waterford participated. The Competition displayed a very high standard of football skills and indeed was greatly appreciated by the hundreds of supporters who attended. Cork East won the Jim Power and Kerry South won the Plate. Gleeson Cup U-16 Hurling This annual and prestigious tournament as similar to the John O Regan is an important date in the Bord na nog calendar each year. This annual final between a selection of hurlers from the East and West was played in Fraher Field on Friday 25th. The old adage goals win games was in evidence as West Waterford scored a 3-10 to 0-17 win over their Eastern counterparts. After the game Brian Gleeson, on behalf of the Gleeson family along with Billy Devine (Chairman Co. Bord na nog) presented the cup to the winning captain Darragh McGrath from Abbeyside. Is Mise, Vera Ni Channell, Runai, Bord na Nog Contae 35

36 Tuairisc ón Oifigeach Gaelainne agus Cultúrtha A chairde, Sé seo an tuairisc deireanach a bheidh agam mar Oifigeach Gaelainne agus Cultúrtha ar Bhord CLG Phort Láirge. Ag féachaint siar ar an mbliain seo, tosnóidh mé le Lá Gaeilge a d eagraíomar, taobh le Coiste Cultúrtha na Mumhan, i gcoláiste na Rinne i mí na Márta. Bhí slua deas i láthair agus cainteoirí aitheanta, ar nós Míchéal Ó Muircheartaigh, Seosamh Mac Donncha, Liadh Ní Riada agus Eoin Breathnach. Oifigeach Gaelainne agus Cultúrtha sa Chlub Tá sé ríthábhachtach go mbeadh an Ghaelainn agus an cultúr curtha chun cinn i ngach aon chlub sa chontae seo agus iarraim go láidir ar aon chlub nár cheap Oifigeach Gaelainne agus Cultúrtha go dtí seo chun a chinntiú go ndéanfar é go luath. Tuigim go mbaineann deachrachtaí áirithe le daoine a fháil chun a leithéid a dhéanamh go deonach ach ceapaim go bhfuil daoine sna clubanna a bheadh sásta cabhrú sa ghné seo den Chumann, ach amháin ceist a chur orthu é a dhéanamh. Scór D éirigh go hiontach le Scór na bpáistí arís i mbliana, sé sin an comórtas do pháistí bunscoile. Bhí 15 club páirteach ón Iarthar agus club amháin páirteach ón oirthear. Ghlac breis agus 150 páiste páirt i gcraobh an Chontae a bhí i gceapach Choinn, le breis agus 500 duine i láthair ar an oíche. Má tá ag éirí go maith le Scór faoi aois, níl ag éirí in aon chor ag léibhéal Scór na nóg agus Scór Sinsear. Tá traidisiún láidir againn sa chontae ag dul siar na blianta ach tá fíor bheagán suim ag daoine anois sa dá chomórtas seo. Tá ceisteanna le cur an fiú leanúint leo, nó céard is féidir a dhéanamh chun níos mó daoine a mhealladh chun páirt a ghlacadh. Tá dúshlán ann ach tá go leor tallainne sa chontae gur féidir an scéal a leigheas, ach an toil ó na clubann a bheith ann. an chéad chúrsa in Éirinn do scoláirí a dhéanann freastal ar Choláiste Gaeilge ina bhfuil dlúthbhaint ag cluichí CLG leis an gcúrsa. Bhí traenáil den scoth curtha ar fáil do na scoláirí sna cluichí a leanas: iománaíocht/camógaíocht, peil, corr agus liathróid láimhe. Bhí scileanna na gcluichí múinte dóibh, cluichí eagraithe agus gach rud déanta ag traenálaithe cumasacha tré mheán na Gaelainne. Bhí an t-ádh linn imroeir an chontae, Dónal Breathnach, a bheith mar dhuine de na traenálaithe. D fhreastail scoláirí ón gcontae seo agus ó chuid mhaith áiteanna eile in Éirinn ar an gcúrsa agus bhí an-éileamh air arís i mbliana. Scoláireachtaí Cuireann Bord an Chontae, taobh le Comhairle na Mumhan, scoláireachtaí ar fáil do bhuachaillí agus do chailíní ó chlubanna i bport Láirge chun freastal ar chúrsa samhraidh i gcoláiste na Rinne i ngaeltacht na ndéise. Deis iontach é seo dos na scoláirí bheith i dtimpeallacht ina bhfuil an Ghaelainn á labhairt go nádúrtha agus tugann sé deis dóibh saol na Gaeltachta a bhlaiseadh. Is cabhair iontach do na scoláirí a fhaigheann na scoláireachtaí seo mar go bhfaigheann siad ísliú ar na táillí chun freastal ar an gcúrsa. Tugann Coiste Chultúrtha Comhairle na Mumhan ana-chabhair dúinn chun an scéim seo a reachtáil agus iad ana-mholtach as Coláiste na Rinne agus an méid a dhéanann siad ar son na scoláirí agus ar son cur chun cinn na Gaelainne. Táim go mór fé chomaoin ag na daoine ar fad a chabhraigh liom le cúig bliana anuas, na hoifigigh ar an mbord, sna clubanna agus baill chlubanna ar fud an chontae. Guím gach rath ar an Oifigeach nua a bheidh le togadh níos déanaí sa mhí. Is mise le meas, Cúrsa CLG le Coláiste na Rinne Leam an chúrsa CLG i gcoláiste na Rinne an samhradh seo i dtaobh leis an gcoiste Oiliúna agus Forbartha na gcluichí i bport Láirge. Seo 36

37 Development Officer Is mór an onóir dom mo thuairsc ar son Choiste Forbartha a chur fail Cómhdhail Bhliantúil Coiste Chontae Portláirge In this my first year as County Development Officer, it gives me great pleasure and privilege to present to the 2014 County Convention my report as Development Officer of Waterford County Board. Club Officer Training Our Annual Club Officer training night was held on Monday 10th February in Lawlors Hotel, Dungarvan. Kieran Leddy and Éibhear O Dea (Munster Council) hosted the training. Presentations included Club Development, Insurance, Finance, Communications and Planning. Training was provided to Club Chairpersons, Secretaries, Treasurer s and PRO s. The feedback on the event was very positive. Insurance Seminar Sinead Quinn (Croke Park Insurance Officer) was the host for a seminar on all aspects of Player, Insurance Claims, Risks & Procedures which took place on 18th February 2014 in The Park Hotel. Insurance issues are increasingly important and it was great to see a large attendance from the clubs on the night. Pitch Maintenance Seminar A Seminar on Pitch Maintenance took place on Saturday 30th August 2014 in Carriganore. The seminar was run under the guidance of: Michael Evans -Carriganore/WIT Sport and Recreation Garry Flood - Pitch Maintenance Contractor Pat Cantwell - Golf Technology Ireland Club Development Grants In 2014, twelve Clubs received Munster Council grant funding under its Club Development Grant Scheme. This resulted in 93,068 in development funding being secured. All clubs, applying for funding under this scheme, were visited. The type of work carried out was examined and the relevant forms were checked and compliance was very high. The main type of works completed related to the enhancement of the actual pitches and their surrounds. I would like to thank the clubs for their courteous welcome for Pat Flynn and I and I wish them the best of luck in their developments. All the clubs were very happy with the amounts allocated to them under the 2014 Grants Scheme. The following clubs received funding: Abbeyside, Kilrossanty, Tourin, Brickey Rangers, Bonmahon, Rathgormack, Tramore, Passage, Erins Own, De La Salle, St Mollerans and Ballygunner. Club Strategic Planning Roanmore and De La Salle now complete the final phase of the club plans within the county. Both clubs launched their plans in December County Strategic Plan The County plan was launched on the 10th December 2013 and the plan has been put in place to set out away ahead for Waterford over the next five years. In 2014 a number of the plan projects and initiatives are already well advanced within the county. In Conclusion, I would like to thank our Committee, Kay Barry, Claire Walsh, Tommy Hennessy, John O Leary, Pat Flynn, Michael Murphy and Colin Kearney. Special thanks to all the County Board Officers for all their co operation in Finally may I wish all our clubs and their members health, happiness and good luck in Is mise, Pádraigín Breathnach Oifigeach Forbartha 37

38 WATERFORD REFEREES ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE 2014 can be described as a very successful year for referees. All Referees performed well. At the beginning of the year an-service course was held on the changes brought about by the introduction of the Black Card, this was followed in February by in-service for all Referees, it was poorly attended and a second course had to be provided. Sincere thanks to Pat Moore for proving this in-service. Due to Insurance issues it is now compulsory for all referees to attend a yearly in-service course. All referees of the Eastern and Western Boards attended and this will be extended in 2015 to all other Referees [Bord na nog, Sraith na Cathrach, and all referees active at underage and tournament level etc]. From 2015 all referees must attend in-service, a list will be published of those who attend. Thanks to all referees, especially those who recently qualified. Well done to the referees who refereed at senior level. In the Senior Hurling and Football Championships 17 referees were given the opportunity to referee and I can say they carried out their duties with distinction. Thanks to both Divisional Secretary s for all their help especially Pat Grant fixtures secretary, whom it was a pleasure to work with in appointing referees. To those newly qualified referees it was a pleasure to work with you and the future of refereeing is safe in your hands. In February 2015 our Foundation and In-Service Courses will take place and I welcome all new recruits and encourage all clubs to have at least one participant. To our new referees, be committed to improving your performances. Attend your courses in order to enhance your knowledge of the rules and good practice in refereeing. To our inter-county referees Pat Casey, Thomas Walsh, Michael Wadding Paul Foley and Alan Kissane my thanks for your leadership within the county. Thanks to all clubs for your co-operation and I call upon all clubs to promote a strong ethos of respect for our referees and the rules. Referees are there to protect players and apply the rules consistently and uniformly in order to create the proper conditions for our games to be played. Congratulations to Martin Curran [Hurling] and Dessie O Leary [Football] who refereed the Senior County Finals. I acknowledge their task was made easier by the commitment and sportsmanship of the players The target of the County Referees Administrator is to provide properly trained referees throughout the county. Attitudes must change to give our referees the respect and support they deserve and need. 38 Clubs must be serious about this if we wish our games to flourish in the years ahead. Properly controlled games mean more enjoyment for both players and supporters and surely that is the goal we all wish to achieve Some Meetings and Functions attended by the Referees Co-ordinator during ] January 2014 Referees Course --- Changes to football rules --- Black Card [2] Meetings with all existing referees on Thursday 23rd January and Wednesday the 5th February [3] Referees courses for beginners held on Monday 10th, Wednesday12th, Monday 17th and Thursday 20th February new referees attended and a set of new gear was provided by the County Board [4] National Referees Registration Course Monday 3rd March Tutors Pat Moore/ John Motherway referees attended [5] National Referees Registration Course Friday 21st March Tutor Pat Moore 13 referees attended [6] National Referees Meetings in Croke Park Tuesday 18th March and 26th April [7] Meeting with Eastern Board Referees Tuesday 25th March to familiarise referees with new reporting procedures [New Referee form] [8] Munster Referees meetings in Limerick 25th March, 14th May, 24th June, 17th September [9] Met with clubs Monday 7th April re Black Cards [10] Met with Referees Tuesday 8th April who were Refereeing first two rounds of Senior Hurling and Football Tutor Pat Moore [11] Wednesday 23rd April Presentation of medals to referees who had refereed county finals in 2012 and 2013 [Sincere thanks to County Board and Tom Cunningham] [12] As Referees Co-ordinator, ---- attended all home National Hurling and Football Leagues games as well as Minor under 21 and College games etc. Thanks to The Executive of the Waterford County Board for their help throughout the year. My thanks to the Divisional Boards who gave so generously towards referees gear. Finally to the referees themselves my sincere thanks for all your help Ar aghaidh leis an obair Tim O Byrne Referees Co-ordinator Waterford. 18/

39 RUIN / MOTION Junior Hurling Championship The Junior Hurling Championship will be run in two (2) championships: - Junior A and Junior B with the following provisions: 1. Junior A to be made up from the strongest junior proper teams and the strongest attached (second string) teams. 2. Junior B to be made up from the weakest junior proper teams and the weakest attached (second string) teams 3. The Championship will be run on an East / West basis with the Divisional Boards having the power to grade teams. If they feel a team is too strong for Junior A, The Divisional officers have the power to recommend that a team be affiliated to Intermediate grade. 4. A club with an attached team must have two rounds of their first team s championship played prior to them playing a Junior Proper team. 5. Junior Championship to commence with the second round of the Senior Championship 6. Championship format to be decided at the Divisional Board s Championship Structure Meeting. 7. Relegation & promotion between Junior A to Junior B to be decided by the Divisional Boards on the field of play with one exception: If a Junior Proper team wins the County Final in Junior B, they are automatically promoted to Junior A. 8. This will be run on a two (2) year trial period. Relevant Bye Laws to be amended Sliabh gcua / St Mary s 39

40 GAA Museum With the centenary of the 1916 Rising approaching, the GAA has decided that one of the key projects the Association will undertake to commemorate this milestone in Irish history is the creation of an online GAA digital archive for the period This archive will contain digital copies of GAA material relevant to the revolutionary period including photographs, match reports, meeting minutes / convention reports, correspondence files and film footage. This archive will be available online and will appeal to all those with an interest in the rich history of our Association. The GAA is actively seeking material for inclusion in this digital archive if people have in their possession material that they think might be of relevance to the project, they can contact Mark Reynolds (GAA Museum Archivist) at either mreynolds@crokepark.ie or (01)