Club Notes... - 2023-12-09 19:41:00
Bonfires by Bride & Blackwater
Well it was mighty weekend for hurling clubs along the banks of the Bride and Blackwater with two Munster Titles and a County Championship win. Well done and Congratulations to St Catherines, Castlelyons and Fermoy on what was a historic hurling ‘triple crown’ for this area. For St Catherines and Castlelyons it’s onwards they go to All Ireland Semi Finals where both will meet the Connacht provincial winners. At Mallow on Saturday St Catherines overcame the attempted disruptive initial tactics by their Limerick opponents Feenagh-Kilmeedy. The Conna/Ballynoe side fashioned a famous victory by a margin of two points to bring home the Provincial Junior Hurling Championship Cup for the very first time. Well done to Denis Walsh and Co. A few hours later up the road at a foggy Gaelic Grounds in Limerick Castleyons won a marathon game of hurling when defeating Clare champions Corofin. An easy win looked likely at half time but the banner men shot some great points in the long drawn out second half. Castlelyons still won by a comfortable margin of six points. They will now face Toureen of Mayo in the national semi final. The most famous hurling club in Mayo, Toureen have produced some great hurlers down the years. Joe Henry was probably the best. Joe was often the only non-Galway hurler on Connacht railway Cup teams back when the Inte Provincial Competition was still a major fixture on the GAA calendar. St Catherines will take on Sligo side Easkey in their penultimate game. In mid January of this year Ballygiblin took the All Ireland Crown beating Easkey by 1 16 to 0 11. It’s only three years ago I remember the terrific atmosphere in Croke Park when Fr O Neills (Intermediate0 and Russell Rovers (Junior) were on the same ‘Bill’ together at headquarters. If St Catherine’s and Castlelyons reach their finals it will be a mighty occasion -as Marty Morrissey might say “There wont be a cow milked from Curraglass to Britway” The very best of luck to both Clubs. The third great win last weekend was for Fermoy when their Junior B side defeated Killeagh in the County Final in Pairc I Rinn. The County Junior B Cup stays in the Avondhu Division for the second year as Neil Ronan-inspired Ballyhea won it last year. Well done to the Fermoy Hurlers.
YOUGHAL WINNERS FOR GER.
Well done to local greyhound trainer and owner Gerard Gubbins of Hollyhill, Bartlemy. In the last week he had two nice winners in Youghal with Hollyhill Moll and Hollyhill Paudie.
UNDER 21 SEMI FINAL.
It might be nearly mid December but the season goes on. On Saturday next December 9th our young under 21 hurlers take on Midleton in the Easty Cork A semi final. The game is fixed for 12 noon on Saturday - no venue had been fixed at the time of writing. With just two players overage in the nest two years our under 21 team is indeed a very young side. The Championship in East Cork was ran off on a ‘Round Robin’ basis. We defeated Sars in our opening game. Sars then went to Killeagh and beat them. Our game v Klleagh then was a vital one. A win and we were through to the play-off stages. With scoring differences used to separate teams if level on points we could still qualify if we didn’t lose heavily. After a marathon game of hurling the Killeagh lads won by 4 points but we still went through to the semi-final. Here our opponents are the competition favourites Midleton who have been very successful at Minor in recent years. Look, it’s just great to have had good games in this competition and a semi final is a bonus. Go for it lads, give it a good shot.
PAT HEFERNAN IN DOWN.
Our former trainer Pat Heffernan was on the road early last Sunday morning. A teacher in Mallow’s Patrician Academy the former Limerick hurler has a great passion and love for our native game of hurling. Shortly after 6am las Sunday Pat set off from Mallow with the School’s under 14 hurling team. They were bound for Co Down to play a challenge game against the County Down under 15 hurling Development Squad. Ronan Sheehan, whose roots are in Banteer, is the Down Hurling Manager and like Pat is forever striving to improve and spread the hurling creed. The youngsters had a mighty day. After their own game they attended the Ulster club Senior Hurling Final in Pairc Esler in Newry. In a wonderful contest Cushendall’s Ruairi Og’s won a great game against Derry’s Slaughtneil.
Pat Heffernan will be on the road -or air, again this coming weekend as he heads to London for a major hurling game. The much delayed 2023 London County Senior Hurling is down for decision between Robert Emmets and Bros Pearse. Pat’s two sons Daithi and Fionn play with the Bros Pearse -we wish the Heffernans all the very best at the weekend.
JOHN MCKAY
Another link with Co Down was recalled last Saturday in Kensal Green cemetery in London. Back in 1884 John McKay, a native of Cargy, Downpatrick, attended the first ever meeting of the GAA on November 1st in Miss Hayes’ Hotel in Thurles. At the time he was working as a journalist with The Cork Examiner-he attended the Thurles meeting representing the Cork Athletic Club. Elected on of the 3 Hon Secretaries of the GAA McKay was a great athletics exponent. He was married to Ellen Browne from Ballyclough. After various moves the McKay family ended up in London. John McKay died on December 2nd 1923. Back in the GAA 1125 year of 2009 a headstone was erected over what had been an unmarked grave. Last Saturday the centenary of his death was marked with a fitting and moving ceremony in Kensal Green Cemetery. John Arnold was a member of Jarlath Burns’ 125 Committee in 2009 and was responsible for the erection of the headstone. It was a fitting tribute to the memory of ‘the forgotten man of the GAA’.
Cork’s All Ireland winning camogie Club from the St Vincents Club laid a wreath on behalf of Cork Gaels. Wreaths were also laid by the London County Board and the British Provincial Council. Much research on McKay has been done by Tyrone’s Donal MacAnallen who was the chief organiser of last Saturday morning’s event.
TRIPLE DELIGHT FOR MARGARET HURLEY.
They say that ‘when your luck is in, your luck is in’ well for Club member Margaret Hurley last week was certainly a lucky one! She was a triple winner, firstly she won 5 Pantomime Tickets in the ladies Club Draw, next came €30 in the Weekly Club Lotto and then €150 in the Cork GAA’s Rebels Bounty Draw for November -well done Margaret.
CHRISTMAS DRAW.
Our annual Christmas Draw will be held in conjunction with the weekly Lotto on the Tuesday before Christmas, December 19th. There will be an array of prizes and refreshments available. On that night also will be held the special Draw confined to Club 100 Members. First prize in this draw will be two Season Stand Tickets for Pairc Ui Chaoimh for 2024. There will be refreshments served on the night so all are welcome.
LOTTO.
The Lotto Results for Tuesday 28th of November 2023 -The four numbers drawn last week were 4, 9, 18 & 29 and there was No Winner. Congrats also to our lucky dip €30 cash winners: Pat Cotter, Bartlemy, Aoibhin & Brendan O’Driscoll, Monanig, Margreat Hurley, Rathcormac, Michael Mahony, Killawillen,, Sarah Barry, Deerpark, This week's jackpot on Tuesday December 5th was an incredible €13,600.If your ticket has expired we would appreciate if you would enter again via https://bit.ly/
COUNTY CONVENTION
Time was when the Annual Convention of the Cork GAA Board took two days -a Saturday evening and all day Sunday. How times have changed -now it doesn’t even merit a weekend slot anymore -just a Tuesday evening now. So next Tuesday night the great and good of Cork GAA will gather in Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Main interest long ago would have been an extensive list of strongly-contested Motions. Everything is now centralised so the grass roots have little or no say. The Championship Draws for 2024 will create the most interest.
CAR BOOT SALE. Thanks to all those who helped out with the running of the Monthly car Boot Sale on Sunday last December 3rd.
PYNES FIELD DEVELOPMENT REPORT FOR 2023
(From the AGM Report)
Early in 2022, following negotiations with Pat Pyne and family, Ballybrowney, our former club chairman Gerard Lane reported that we had the opportunity to acquire 13 acres of land close to our existing playing fields. Following significant work with the Credit Union, our solicitors, Croke Park and the Pyne family, the acquisition of the land was finalised in January 2023. This was a historic milestone for the club, in our efforts to meet the need of a growing playing population in a meaningful and strategic way. The gifting of 50% of the land from the Pyne family was a very noble gesture to the club also. Ownership of title of the land is progressing through the Land Registry Office. A Planning Permission Application for particular aspects, including floodlights, has been submitted. A club sub-committee have been tasked with presenting key decisions to the executive each month in order to keep the development of the land progressing. The club executive has appointed agronomist James Healy to oversee the planning, tendering process, and initial development of the site across 2023- 2025, starting with the laying of two new fields. Our club sought and were awarded financial support via the Sports Capital Grants as well as from the Tomar Fund, which will help with this initial development. Further funding will be sought via the GAA’s Munster Council Grant scheme and other opportunities. The Night at the Oskars fundraising initiative was of immeasurable benefit in our club efforts to achieve quality playing fields on the site as soon as possible. In total, Key actions across 2023 • Following a tendering process, it was agreed to appoint the firm Hourihans as the contractor to lay the sports fields. Across August 2023, they laid a high-quality sand-based pitch with significant drainage. This is now in growth, and it is envisaged that it will be available to play on in Autumn 2024. • The internal boundary ditch was removed, and existing electricity line diverted (March 2023). • A well was dug to bring water to the site, primarily to irrigate the new fields (April 2023) • Hedging will be planted across part of the western boundary (Jan/Feb 2024) • Options regarding the below were explored and are/will be finalised. o the irrigation of the sand-based pitch and water storage, o the erection of goal posts and ball stops, o the acquisition and positioning of toilets and temporary dressing rooms, o the laying of a walkway o the bringing of electricity to the site and preparation for floodlighting o the position of entrance and car parking. In total €190k was spent on the development in 2023, and it is envisaged that a further €150k will be spent in 2024.
2024 MEETING.
The first Bride Rovers Club Executive meeting for 2024 will be held on Monday January the 8th at 8pm.
GAA GO FOR 2024.
Back in May and June of this year when a huge protest arose against the GAA only broadcasting several top games ‘behind a pay-wall’ a major review was promised for years end. GAA officials, politicians, Government Ministers and ordinary Club members all demanded change. Well the 2024 schedule was announced last Monday. If the GAA have a new policy of trying to keep hurling off our screens as much as possible then they are really making a great job of it! Could anyone imagine that Cork v Clare, Cork v Waterford or Cork v Limerick in Senior Hurling will not be available to view freely on RTE? Sounds like a joke but that’s what the Croke Park mandarins have decreed and it seems we must all bend the knee, keep our mouths shut and pay up.
TEDDY MCCARTHY GAMES.
Hard to still come to grips with the fact that Teddy is gone. Next Saturday the great dual star will be well remembered in the park. Cork will take on Meath in Football at 3pm and Galway in Hurling at 5 0 clock -the two teams Teddy help beat when winning the 1990 Double, dowcha Teddy boy, we’ll never see the likes of you again.
SYMPATHY
Sympathy is extended to the Barry family formerly of Fermoy on the death of Josephine Barry. In her 102nd year Josephine, nee Coughlan, was widow of well-known veterinary Surgeon, John T Barry of Fermoy -a man whose roots were in Hightown, Bartlemy. John T was full-back on the Bride Rovers Minor Hurling team that lost heavily to Glen Rovers in the 1933 Cork County Final. We also extend our sympathy to the Whelan family of Lisgoold on the death of John Joe.
BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS are; Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print & Design, Gerard Gubbins Construction and Veolia
