Free Publication of Clontarf GAA Club Issue 2 - Volume 1, December 2007

Transcription

1 Free Publication of Clontarf GAA Club Issue 2 - Volume 1, December 2007

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3 Clontarf GAA Executive Committee 2007/2008 Back Row (L-R): Ciaran McMahon (Secretary), John Troy, Shane O Flaherty (Juvenile Hurling Officer), Tim O Mahoney, Eoin Shanahan and Mick Cronin (Adult Games). Front Row (L-R): Ollie Mangan (Juvenile Officer), Sue Lillis, Tom McCabe (Treasurer), Niall Harrington (Chairman), Patricia Reynolds and Paul Casey (Vice-Chairman). Inset (L-R): Jim McKenna, Aidan O Halloran and Donal Nolan. Fáilte ón gcathaoirleach Ar son CLG Chluain Tarbh ba mhaith liom fáilte a fhearadh romhaidh ar fad go dtí An Tarbh. On behalf of Clontarf GAA it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the latest edition of An Tarbh. Once again we hope that you will find it a lively and interesting publication. Clontarf GAA is in existence since We cater for playing and non playing members (social and full). Our membership stands at 1200, with over 800 under the age of 18. As a consequence we have the largest youth membership of any club in Clontarf. On that basis we feel that it is important to bring the full range of activities undertaken by the club to as wide an audience as possible. Many readers will already be aware of the development we have undertaken in St Anne s Park. The work is to upgrade our playing facilities by undertaking the following works: 2 natural grass all-weather pitches with irrigation. Installing floodlighting for both pitches. Building extension to pavilion to accommodate ESB sub-station to service lighting. Re-furbishing and upgrading the pavilion to cater for boys and girls and adults. The total cost of the work at Pitches 34 & 35 will amount to 1.3m. We have received very generous support from many members and friends of Clontarf GAA for which we are most grateful. We would also like to acknowledge the significant grant aid we have received from the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism under the Sports Capital Programme funded by the National Lottery. Fund-raising is still continuing and if anyone would like to help they should contact any member of the Executive Committee - details at You can be assured that all funds raised will be well spent to meet our running costs and towards the development of Gaelic games in the Clontarf area in line with our ethos of skills development and participation by all. This ethos is paying off with a lot of success on the playing field this year. You will read more about those successes in the following pages. It is great encouragement to those of us charged with managing the affairs of Clontarf GAA to see that, despite the major infrastructural projects we have undertaken over the last number of years, the focus of the club has remained firmly on the development of players and teams. Niall Harrington Chairman 3

4 Club Development - Grounds for Optimism by Donal Nolan As we head into the winter of 2007 we can sense that the Spring of 2008 will bring the dawn of a new era for the club, with work on the St Anne s development entering the final stages of completion. We are rapidly approaching the day when we will finally have high quality floodlit pitches available to our teams for year round matches and training, and will be proudly able to host any team in the country. In October 2002 the club executive appointed a development committee with the brief of assessing the club s playing and training facilities and to develop a plan to address the shortcomings. The committee chaired by Donal Nolan, included prominent club members John O Connor, Pat Kenny, Noel McCaffrey and Declan O Grady. After a number of meetings the committee presented a plan that proposed the development of a synthetic playing facility at the rear of the clubhouse (completed in November 2004) and the development of two all weather grass pitches at St Anne s Park. The plan was adopted by the executive and presented to Dublin City Council (DCC) in January DCC acknowledged the contribution of the Clontarf GAA Club in the local community over the previous forty years and was very supportive of the plan. With the first hurdle successfully conquered, Declan O Grady was appointed project manager for the project. Since then, for the next four and a half years Declan has clocked up an incredible number of hours working with DCC and the various consultants and contractors to bring the project to its current status. His dedication, knowledge and experience have ensured that the project has maintained progress and will be completed to the highest standards. It has not been all plain sailing and the project has endured extreme weather conditions, both wet and dry, at various stages which have led to unavoidable delays. 4

5 The current state of play is that all of the ground works have been completed and work on the dressing rooms has commenced. The existing pavilion is being extended to accommodate an equipment store and ESB Sub-Station to power the lights and irrigation system. The internal layout is being remodelled to provide for three independent pairs of dressing rooms with separate entrances. There will be two sets of adult dressing rooms with shower facilities and also a set of juvenile dressing rooms. This will facilitate the use of the dressing rooms for both men s and ladies teams at the same time. The full cost of the project will be in the order of 1,300,000. We are well advanced with fundraising with approximately 350,000 collected of the total of 500,000 pledged and we would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to date. We are indebted to the Department of Arts Sports and Tourism for their total contribution of 500,000 over two grant allocations and want to congratulate Niall Harrington and Don Palmer for the quality of their grant applications. It has not been easy for the club to manage without access to our two adult pitches for over eighteen months. Despite the great rivalry that exists between local GAA clubs there is a huge willingness within the GAA for clubs to help each other promote Gaelic Games and we could not have achieved our goal without the help of our neighbouring clubs. We will be forever grateful to Parnells, St Monicas, Scoil Ui Chonaill, Craobh Chiaran, O Tooles and Naomh Barrog for the generous use of their facilities during our time of need. It is also critically important for us to acknowledge the additional burden taken on by mentors and players and we congratulate them for maintaining and often surpassing previous high standards of team preparation during this tough period. We would like to acknowledge the contribution to the following for their part in the success of the project: Gerry Barry, Mick Hartford and Eoin Ward of DCC for their foresight, help and direction; Ian McClements of Sports Turf Research Institute for his invaluable advice; our main contractors, Sports Ground and Field Services, Musco Lighting and Costello Construction for the high quality of their work. All going well we hope to begin playing on the newly developed pitches around St Patrick s weekend We are very hopeful that these top class facilities will help us to continue to raise our standards of preparation and play. We feel that, if used correctly, they will be a big help in addressing the problem of player dropout between the ages of 14 and 18. We are very aware that this development will not be the answer to all of our challenges but it will be a major step in the right direction. Roll on St Patrick s weekend. 5

6 Our Club Nursery by Dennis McIntyre Easily the busiest and most intense activity in our club, takes place at 9.30am every Saturday morning! That s when our club nursery springs into action. From the four corners of the Clontarf area and beyond children escorted by their parents (or sometimes vice versa!) arrive for fun and involvement in Gaelic Games activities. There are some 300 children involved and all arrive in working uniforms - boots, socks and jersey with a gum shield as an added extra and often a refreshing flask of water. In colder weather the tracksuit appears and often a cap and even scarf for extra insulation. Two venues are used every Saturday morning - the younger children in the Nursery (those born in 2003) enjoy the all weather facilities at our clubhouse premises on Seafield Road while the seniors of the nursery (those born from 2000 to 2002) enjoy the playing facilities at St. Paul s College on Sybil Hill Road. 6 The structure is simple - experienced mentors organise their own team of mentors and form the children into small groups for coaching and practice. In this the club is on a winner in that so many parents come on board to help out (and many go onto to become team managers and get positively involved in many areas of club activities). Starting with our younger Nursery, the emphasis is always on fun through participation in the development of the child s ABC s - agility, balance and coordination. This is achieved through a series of 4 stations, each offering a different fun exercise. It is important for the entire community to realise that our policy is an open door one.

7 All children and all parents are welcome and as the years go by we learn and adapt and change when necessary. Over the years our Saturday morning Gaelic Games activities have become almost as popular with the girls as the boys. This year we have setup a special girls section, organised by Sue Lillis and her band of enthusiastic mentors, for girls born 1999 to 2002 in St. Pauls. Girls born 2003 attend at the clubhouse with the boys. Special thanks to our Juvenile Officer Ollie Mangan and our Games Promotion Officer Neil O Driscoll. Míle buíochas to all parents/mentors involved, especially all the Under 16 s who help our with our youngest nursery. And finally a unique thanks to the very special chosen one, Matt O Neill, who organises our youngest nursery at the clubhouse. 7

8 197 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3. Tel: / Betting On All Events Everyday Best Prices and Best Bonuses Offered Accounts Opened Proud Sponsor of Clontarf GAA Club Nursery

9 Remembering Gerry by Maura Devine In mid summer 2006, Clontarf GAA lost one of it's most prominent figures. Gerry O'Connor was the son of Gerry Snr, a founder member of Clontarf GAA. Gerry played with Clontarf GAA from under 10 and was part of the team which achieved Senior status for the Club. As Clontarf had no adult hurling at that time he played hurling with his father's old club Eoghan Ruadh. He played minor and under 21 for Dublin in both codes and was a member of the 1972 U21 hurling team that lost in the All Ireland v Galway. Ger was born on the 18th July, 1951 the day the Abbey Theatre burnt down, even we could not hold him responsible for this!! He was brought up with a hurley in his hand and it was always his first love. He played for Belgrove in both hurling and football As a mentor Gerry was always very animated. and was part of the team that won the Marino Cup. He then went to O Connell s CBS and again played both codes for the school. He had a finishing year in Gormanstown College and was part of the team that won the Leinster Schools Senior Cup after a very long gap. He was also a star of stage something he did not brag about. However, he was a pink fairy in Iolanthe and the Chief Policeman in Pirates of Penzance in O Connell s and Mr. Bumble in Gormanstown s Oliver. When he finished playing he managed the Senior Club team with John O Connor and up to the end was part of the management of the Junior Hurlers. It was always his hope that this team would gain promotion very soon. Shane O Flaherty persuaded him to help out with the U10 hurlers and from talking to him he got more pleasure from the children than he thought possible, he was always talking about how great they are. He was also the Club s Delegate to the Senior County Board. He was a pivotal part in the Donnacha O Dulaing walks throughout the length and breath of Ireland and could be depended upon to keep spirits up with a smart remark of some kind. Many of the people in Clontarf will remember him as the bouncer in Belgrove and The Wes. He worked in Telecom Eireann from the time he left school and met his wife Marie through work. His three children, Fiona, Daragh and Aisling were his pride and joy. Gerry in possession and faced by Barney Rock during the 1985 County Final. To sum him up he was a larger than life person, whose size belied a very soft heart, he was a great family man, brother, brother inlaw, uncle and friend. He is and will be missed by very many people. 9

10 Adult Games Review 2007 by Mick Cronin The Adult Games section has grown over the past 12 months from 6 to 8 Teams competing across a range of activities: Ladies Football, Men s Football and Hurling and Minor Hurling and Football. In excess of 180 players have represented the club at various stages during 2007 in Adult Games Competitions. Without the support of the Club Executive and the many generous Sponsors the progress and development of our teams and playing facilities would not be possible. Senior Football - The Senior s league campaign began with two defeats, before spirits were raised as they reeled off four consecutive wins. The absence of several first team players through injury and holidays, against Raheny and St. Maurs put a stop to Clontarf s gallop. Great wins against St. Olafs, Templeogue Synge Street and O Tooles set the season up for a tight finish. Needing to win their final two league games to make the playoffs, they defeated St. Brigids by 1 pt but lost to Fingal Ravens by 3pts. The 6th place finish this season will hopefully act as a stepping stone to playoff achievement and promotion in Clontarf s poor championship form over recent years continued with a defeat against Ballinteer St. Johns in the first round and then versus Division 1 outfit Trinity Gaels in the back door match. Injuries to key players Aidan Morrissey and Shane Dunlea during the match contributed to Clontarf losing a commanding half time lead. At the time of writing Clontarf are still involved in a Championship relegation playoff. Management: Ronan Dodd, James O Keefe, Ray Hanley and Eoghan O Grady Sponsor: West & Gardiner Junior Hurling - Having reached the Championship quarter-final in 2006, our Junior hurlers set out to reach higher this year. Several welcome additions were made from the hurling strongholds of Cork and Tipp, while Alan Costello joined Joe Holden on the management team. Steady progress was made through the group stages and both the quarter and semi finals were won by single point margins before great home support in St. Annes. The Championship final took place in late November and a well fancied Craobh Ciaran ran out winners in the end, despite Clontarf commanding a 3pt lead at the interval. Most importantly promotion was gained this year and the higher standard in 2008 is a challenge our Adult hurlers will relish. Management: Joe Holden and Alan Costello Sponsor: Parlour Bar & Restaurant Junior A Football - Competing in Division 6 of the Adult leagues, and under new management the season concluded with a mid table position, a welcome improvement on A win in their opening league game against Peregrines was followed by a run of losses. Cup competition form continued to be excellent and the A s narrowly lost out in on a semi final slot. Following a first round Championship defeat to a strong Paul Curran led Thomas Davis side the A s regrouped and posted a string of fine league wins. On a lighter note both Junior squads enjoyed a long overdue trip to Galway in early summer. This year showed how hard the panel will have to work to achieve promotion in Optimism is high, knowing that they finished the season comfortable in mid table without being at full commitment and certainly not at full pace. Management: Robbie Lillis, Ben Kelly, Alan Lynch and Conor Keane Sponsor: Costello Crash Repairs Junior B Football - Our third Adult Football team competed in Division 9 of the League, finishing in a mid table position. A span of ages ranging from 17 to 42 represented the club at this grade in As the season progressed the new Management Team expanded the depth of the squad with a number of judicious signings. Some old faces made a welcome return and a number of minor players took their first steps into Adult games, with results showing a strong upturn and a number of league wins followed. The B s made a big impact in the Championship, marching to the quarter final where they lost to Ballinteer by the narrowest of margins. The level of commitment and standard of football at AFL 9 is improving every year and the management team look to 2008 with renewed confidence and the desire to build on the success of this year. Management: Willie O Connor and Matt Whelan Sponsor: Costello Crash Repairs Under 21 Football - Clontarf have entered a strong side in the B Championship, with high hopes for silverware. Appearances at the final stage in 2005 and semi final in 2006 bode well for a winning run this season. The team have already progressed to the quarter final, having overcome a fancied St. Marys of Saggart in Round 1. Management: Eoghan O Grady, Al O Donoghue and Eoin Shanahan Sponsor: West and Gardiner Minor Hurling & Football - (see page 17). 10