Club Notes for this week.. - 2022-01-08 08:00:00
Happy new year to all..
Well here it is, the New Year of 2022, a new year and a new GAA season full of hope and promise and ambition. As 2021 fades into the past and is consigned to memory let us think of all those in our community who are still undergoing hardship and illness due to covid. With the spreading of the omicron variant the virus has been spreading like wildfire right across the country. We urge everyone to obey the rules and guidelines now in place to help fight the pandemic. We say thanks and well done to all those in our midst who are on the frontline of the Health Services at this time. Despite all the bad covid news there is also much positivity and in the GAA community we look forward to better times for all as 2022 unfolds. For vulnerable members of our society please remember if you need any assistance don’t hesitate to contact any Bride Rovers member for help.
Sympathy.
We extend our deepest sympathy to the McAuliffe family of Valley View House, Balinwillin, Bartlemy on the death of young Conal. Conal died just before Christmas at his home. To his parents Tim and Anne Marie, brothers and sisters, grandparents and other relatives we send our sympathy at this very difficult time. May Conal rest in peace. We also sympathise with all those in our community who lost loved ones in the past year.
Last Lotto of The Old Year.
Our Lotto Draw for a jackpot of €16,400 took place on Tuesday night December 28th. It was the last Loot draw for 2021 and the four numbers drawn on the night were 20,29,30 and 31 and there was no winner. The Lucky Dip winners of €50 each were Jack and Abby Keating, Bill Kelleher, Nicola & Triona c/o Barry’s, Chris Quinn and Geraldine Kearney. The first Draw for 2022 was Tuesday last, Jan 4th for €16,600. The New Year is a Time for New Year Resolutions- a good one might be to get an Annual Bride Rovers GAA Club Lotto ticket for yourself, a family member or a friend. The Annual ticket costs just €90, details from Club Members.
Club 100 Bonus Draw.
The Bonus Draw for Club 100 Members was held two weeks ago. Unfortunately some of the winners names were missing from the last Notes. The First prize of €1000 went to Tom O Riordan of Caherduggan, Bartlemy, a playing member of our 1968/69 East Cork Junior Hurling winning team. €500 went to Pat Cullotty. The following ten won €100 each Pat O Connor, Paddy Croke, Padraig Murphy, Alan Fitzgerald, John Madden, Daniel Lane Deirdre & Liam Buckley, Vincent Cronin, Lisa Pyne and Barry Hazelwood. The Club 100 Scheme brings in much needed finance for ongoing Club Development work. We are at present seeking additional members for the Scheme. Basically those who join the Club 100 comit to making a Monthly Donation to the Bride Rovers Club on an ongoing basis. There are three distinct Packages Gold, Silver and Bronze and the monthly contributions are €40, €30 and €20. For this financial contribution Club 100 members can avail of Club Membership, Family Club Membership, Yearly Club Lotto Ticket(tickets) and Rebels Bounty Draw Ticket- the level of benefits varies with the type of Club 100 Membership. If you would like to join the Bride Rovers Club 100 simply contact and Club Executive member.
HURLING ALL STARS.
The GAA All Stars were initially picked back in 1971 so the Team selected in December was the 5oth. Dominated by Limerick hurlers -no surprise there really, but it was the very first Hurling All Stars team that contained no player from the All Ireland runners up. You could argue that all the Limerick Award winners were deserving of their statuettes but for season long consistency surely Pat Hotgan should have got an award?. From 1963 to 1967 the ‘Gaelic Weekly’ publication selected a team of ‘Hurlers of The Year’ and they were presented with their ‘Cu Chulainn’ awards. In 1965 Cork’s Denis O Riordan became the first rebel selected. The following year, 1966, saw Paddy Barry, Denis Murphy and our very own Seanie Barry pick up Cu Chulainn Awards. Tony Maher and Ray Cummins from Cork were on the very first All Star Hurling team in 1971. In 2004 our own Brian Murphy received national recognition when he was named as Young Hurler of the Year, a year after Setanta O h Ailpin took the trophy. In 2006 Brian Murphy was named on the All Star team, the first Bride Rovers Clubman to gain this award. Eoin Murphy Waterford and JJ Delaney of Kilkenny were named on the 2006 Full back line. Donal Og Cusack, Ronan Curran and Jerry O Connor also received All Stars in 2006. For many years RTE commentator the late Mick Dunne was synonymous with the GAA All Star Awards and the All Star Tours. His two daughters Eileen ad Moira have just brought out a very interesting book ‘All Star Gazing’ on the 50 year history of the GAA All Star Awards.
1971 ; Seanie going and Seanie coming.
Just over a month ago Gaels throughout Ireland mourned the passing of Cork and Youghal Hurler Seanie O Leary at the age of 69. A supreme goal-scorer and a brilliant opportunist Seanie scored 30 championship goals for Cork in a glittering career that saw him win 4 Senior All Irelands. 1971 was the year he made his Senior debut and ironically it was the same year that our own Seanie Barry played his last game for Cork. I suppose it was fitting that when Seanie Barry last donned the Cork hurling jersey young Seanie O Leary was on the team, a case of a Seanie going and a Seanie coming. After being inexplicably not included in the Cork Senior panel for 1969 when Cork lost the final to Kilkenny Seanie Barry was back on the Cork side the following year. He scored 2 points v Clare in the Munster semi final and came on as a sub in the Fina against Tipp. He started the All Ireland semi final against Antrim in Limerick in August and scored two points. In September when Cork defeated Wexford 6 21 to 5 10 Seanie Barry collected his second senior All Ireland medal. Back than the National League began in the Autumn and Cork played Kilkenny in early December in the Athletic Grounds. Seanie scored 10 points and helped Cork win by 2 10 to 1 14. The following May Cork lost the League semi final to Tipperary by 2 12 to 2 10. On Whit Saturday May 29th Cork played Tipp again, in the Annual Whit Tournament. Before 21,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium Cork defeated their Munster rivals in a great game by 3 17 to 2 9. Corner forward that day was Seanie O Leary, alongside Brendan Cummins and Mick Malone. At the end of June Seanie O Leary scored 1 2 when Cork Senior Hurlers defeated Clare 5 8 to 3 6 in a game to mark the official opening of Canon Peter O Leary Memorial Park in Castlelyons. Seanie Barry was ordained to the priesthood at Easter 1971 and was not on the Cork panel for the Munster Championship. It proved to be a very short campaign. All Ireland Champions Cork were beaten by Limerick in their first game at Thurles. Limerick who had won the National Hurling League defeated Cork by 2 16 to 2 14. Seanie O Leary made his championship debut in that game, coming on for Mick Waters, one of the heroes of 1966, who was home on holidays from Mission duty in Africa and played himself back on the Cork team. In September of 1971 the Buttevant GAA Club organized a Senior Hurling Tournament game as a benefit game for the wife and family of former Cork hurler Batt Thornhill. A member of the 1940’s 4 in a row team Thornhill had died in October 1970 aged 59. The Tournament game was played at 7pm on Wednesday September the 1st before a fine crowd. On The Cork Examiner the previous day the headline ran ‘Cork at Full strength’- a ‘full’ Cork team was selected but as often happens several players selected ‘cried off’ for various reasons. Fr Seanie who was waiting to leave for the Mission fields in Africa was contacted and asked to play. In all eight of the selected team had to be replaced. It was a good game of hurling with Cork winning by 4 13 to 3 7. Fr Seanie came in for great praise on the papers next day with his general play and contribution of 1 3. He played at wing forward and inside him in the corner was the ‘new’ Seanie on the Cork team, Seanie O Leary who scored 1 2. The end of one great career with Cork and the beginning of another. The Cork team on that September evening in 1971 was Paddy Barry, Tony Maher, Pat McDonnel, Paddy Crowley, Frank Norberg, John Horgan, Brendan Coleman, Simon Murphy 0 1, Donie Collins, Seanie Barry 1 3, Tomas Ryan 1 0, Sean Twomey 0 1, Seanie O Leary 1 2, Ray Cummins 1 4, Brendan Cummins 1 1 Sub M O Doherty.
TG Ceathar Documentary.
Bhi se go h-iontach are the only words to describe the TG 4 Documentary on the late great Eamonn Ryan last week. It was a superb piece of television which gave a really wonderful insight into one of the greatest Gaels this fine County has ever produced. The programme covered all aspects of Eamonn’s life and long, long sporting career. The name of Eamonn Ryan will forever be linked to the wonderful Cork Ladies Football team but his roles with Watergrasshill, Glenville, education, Cork Senior Football and so many other facets of a very full life were superbly dealt with. Go raibh mile maith agaibh TG4, Nemeton agus gach duine a bhi partach sa chlar.
GREAT TO HAVE CONLEITH BACK.
It’s fantastic news for the Club that Conleith Ryan, after a year hurling in Antrim, has transferred back to Bride Rovers. In 2021 Conleith played with Cushendun’s Robert Emmett’s Club in the native place of his mother. Conleith is a fantastic player and with so many other younger players coming up the ranks it’s great to see him back. The club in Cushendun was named after Irish Patriot Robert Emmett of Dublin who was hung drawn and quartered after his unsuccessful rising in 1803. His sweetheart was Newmarket Co. Cork born Sarah Curran and her father John Philpott Curran was MP for the Borough of Rathcormac in the 1790’s.
SENIOR HURLING.
As plans to get the 2022 hurling and football season underway we are glad to welcome Kilworth’s Will Twomey on board as our Strength and Conditioning Coach. A brilliant hurler Will comes from a family with the Tradition of Gaelic Games in it’s DNA and he will be a great asset to our ranks.
GREAT WIN FOR HARRY.
The late Bill Healy of Ballinure, Bartlemy farmed his ancestral acres. The small Healy holding was divided into two ‘takes’, one portion accessed by a long boreen. The second part of the farm was by the roadside of the Desert to Ballinure to Mellifontstown road and Bill always jokingly referred to this portion as ‘the Melling Road’ a reference to the famous road that the horses cross twice in the Aintree Grand national. Bill often started a sentence with the word ‘Lad’ – ‘lad, the Melling Road is a great bit of ground, lad’. Well when the Healy holding came up for sale a few years back the ‘Melling road’ section was purchased by former Bride Rovers hurler Harry Gettings. When Pat O Connor led our B Grade hurlers to East Cork Championship glory in 1975 Harry was on the half forward line and was an elegant hurler. Working in Scotland for many years Harry developed a great passion for owning and breeding horses. On his ‘Melling Road’ property in Bartlemy Harry has built stables for his bloodstock. He also owns the Rovers Return Bed and Breakfast business in Main St. Rathcormac. Last Sunday at the Lisgoold Point to point race meeting held in Ballindenisk Harry’s mare Desert Fortune was a great winner of the 4 year old mares maiden. Trained by Declan Queally and ridden by Chris O Donovan Desert Fortune may well head for Sales in Cheltenham. Well done on a great win Harry.
THANKS.
Thanks to our here main Club Sponsors Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print and Design and Veolia- wee deeply appreciate the financial contributions you have made to our Club. Also to the many other individuals, families, shops and firms that have helped during the year- your assistance is valued and we look forward to your continued assistance in 2022
BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS are; Rathcormac Tyres
Fermoy Print & Design
Veolia
