Club Notes. - 24/04/2021
Like waiting for Christmas !..
It may be the end of April heading for the glorious month of May but in truth it fels more like the middle of December! It's not in terms of weather but you know that sense of anticipation and mighty build-up to the Festive Season, well this week is like that. I know that all over our parish, indeed all over the country boys and girls are literally 'champing at the bit' as they count down towards next week when all teams under 18 years of age can resume training at long last. From Monday the 26th of April there is a relaxation in the Level 5 Regulations to allow player under 18 to resume out door training in pods of 15. Lads 'tis heard to fathom really that a year ago when the covid pandemic started that a full 12 months later it would still be causing problems. At last now however with the vaccination roll out going well it wont be long until the GAA and Irish society can get back to normal.
From Monday Next..
In advance of a special meeting on tonight Thursday April 22nd our Club Covid Officer Mike Carey has issued the following blueprint.
Safe Return to Play - April 2021
From Mon April 26th, underage (u18) non-contact outdoor training in pods of 15 or fewer can restart. No games are allowed at this time. Bride Rovers GAA aim to have a strong approach to support a safe return to play for all members; to provide a consistent approach across the three clubs (adult, juvenile and ladies); and to adhere to the evolving advice from the national GAA Covid-19 Advisory Committee.
Recently, all Covid Supervisors/Team Mentors provided feedback on their experience of our previous return to play process in late June 2020. Many of the same protocols will apply this year and, to this end, an online meeting will be held on this Thursday 22nd April at 8pm to share and refine our approach. Three key messages for players and their parents/guardians as we return to play are:
-Similar to school, parents/guardians should not allow their child to attend training if they feel in any way unwell, especially if they are displaying any symptom of Covid 19. This simple principle will protect the health of all at this time.
-In general, only players and coaches of teams should attend any training session. One Parent or Guardian per child (or per family if more than one child is attending from a particular family) is permitted to attend in a safeguarding /supervisory capacity involving any team in the -- -U-18 or below age group, should they consider it necessary.
For any few parents who do attend, strict social distancing and public health guidelines should be always adhered to. It is important that parents do not congregate in groups before, during, or after sessions. Like congregating at the school gate, parents congregating at the side of the field/astro when training presents a significant public health risk factor. It is an issue which team mentors and club officials ask parents not to do. Ideally, we ask parents to remain in their car.
All club members, and particularly parents of players who are due to resume training next week are encouraged to engage in the learning programme at https://learning.gaa.ie/
Under 8's The U8’s are back training on Wednesday the 28th at 6:30 to 7:15 in the main pitch and on Saturdays at 10-11am. Any boys born in 2013 are eligible to play. We will have games starting soon but the first few weeks will be all about the kids having fun and learning to play again as a team. For any new players wishing to join, please contact Dave Burke on 087-7999413.
UNDER 9's Our Club under 9s return to the pitch on Wednesday April 28th at 6.30pm. The under 9s this year will be based on the main pitch and will train on Wednesdays from 6.30 to 7.30pm and on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11. No games are on the horizon yet so we will spend the first few weeks playing games to reintroduce the boys to each other and have a bit of fun. The boys will be reintroduced to some key movement skills in the games which can be used both with the small ball and the big ball.
Return to play protocols from the club will follow. As always, we welcome any new members to join our club.
UNDER 16 HURLING & FOOTBALL.. The under16 will commence training from Thursday 29 of April in the Main pitch at 7-30. Even if you have not been involved before now with Bride Rovers if you are in the 15 to 16 age group do come along and join us.
UNDER 11's.The under 11 boys will return to training (hurling) on Wednesday 28th April at 6:30 in the lower half of main pitch and we will also have training on Saturday mornings at 10 o clock.
UNDER 12'SWe are starting back with training in our new
UNDER 13's.The U13s will start back on Thursday week , April 29th, at 6.30pm on the main pitch followed by training in Pyne’s Field on Monday May3rd at 7pm. There are no games expected for the immediate future and with non-contact regulations in place skills work will predominate. Mondays and Thursdays will be the standard training days for 2021. Any boys born in 2008 are welcome to come along, even if they have not been involved previously the more the merrier.
UNDER 14's.It's full steam ahead for the under 14 hurlers and footballers from next Monday night April 26th. For the next few weeks the under 14's will train on Mondays and Thursdays . The lads are delighted to be back on the fild once more and look forward to a great year.
Packy McGarty RIP. Growing up in the 1960's Kerry, Galway, Down and, of course, Cork footballers were my heroes. These were the players winning Leagues, Provincial and All Ireland titles. Of course there were other great Gaelic footballers too from less 'fashionable' counties, men who played their hearts out year after year with little or no rewards. Playing with their Province in the Railway Cup was often the highlight of those players careers. A player I had fierce admiration for always was the great Packy McGarty from Leitrim. From 1949 until 1971 he wore the green jersey of Leitrim. On 6 occasions he played in Connacht Finals but never got a winners medal. He played also for many seasons with Connacht and collected three Railway Cup medals when the Railway Cup used attract crowds of up to 50,000 to the St Patrick's Day Finals in Croke Park. Packy won three Irish ‘Caps’ when an Ireland team played the Combined Universities in an annual event where the proceeds went to the Catholic Social Services Conference. To play for Ireland was the greatest honour the GAA could bestow on a player. Packy also had the most unusual distinction of been marked by the same player in three matches in one week!. James Murphy (Kerry/ Munster) marked Packy in the Railway Cup on a Sunday, Jas marked Packy again on the Monday in an All Ireland v Combined Universities match, and again on the following Friday night in a Dublin League game between UCD & Sean McDermott’s. Having spent years playing Club Football in Dublin he finished his career where he started, back with Mohill, in 1977.Packy was honoured when selected on the Sunday Independent Team of the Century for players who never won an All-Ireland, the Connacht Team of the Millennium and, of course, the Leitrim Team of the Millennium. He passed away recently at the age of 87, ni bheidh a lethid arís ann.
MUNSTER DRAWS.
On RTE radio on Monday morning last the Draws were made for the Munster Senior Hurling and Football championships. Like 2020 the football will be a straight knock-out -no backdoor or side door while there will be 'second chance' in the hurling. In Hurling the Cork seniors got a handy draw against All Ireland champions, Limerick. This looks a huge challenge but Cork will relish the challenge. This game is a semi final. Clare play Waterford in a quarter final with winners of that game playing Tipperary in the second semi final. In the Senior Football Cork play either Waterford or Limerick, Clare play Kerry and the winners of that play Munster champions Tipperary. There is still no news on the playing of the concluding stages of the under 20 Hurling with Cork awaiting the Leinster winners in the National Final. It's all of 15 years since the Cork Senior Hurlers lifted the McCarthy Cup but hope springs eternal -remember 1966? Twelv years had passed sInce Cork's last win but the Rebels with our own Seanie Barry starring brought home the Title.
RATHCORMAC v BALLYNOE in 1926.
In October 1926 the Junior Hurlers of Ballynoe and Rathcormac met in Rathcormac in a League game. Though the game was an hour late starting the contest produced fine hurling. A newspaper report stated that 'The game proved most interesting and the enthusiasm of the spectators showed how keenly they followed it'. The home side led by a single point at half time and won the game by 3 1 to 2 0.
The teams were ;Rathcormac; Tim Cotter(Captain), Jim Murphy, Ned Daly, Tom Cutin, Mick Riordan, Dan Pyne, Jack Leahy, Tommy Condon, Dan Murphy, Ned Twomey, Tom Barry, John Cotter, Mick Dorgan, Micky Flynn and Billy Hanan.
The Ballynoe side was; T. Mahoney Captain, J.Doran, J.Leahy, J.Beecher, T.Cox, E.Brophy, T. Corcoran, D.Higgins, M. Mahoney, D. Casey, P. Buckner, P.Barrett, J.O Keeffe, and P.O Sullivan.
DICK KELLEHER, KIPPAWN, BARTLEMY.
The Midleton GAA Club are at present researching the stories of all the members of the Midleton team that won the All Ireland Football Final of 1890 for Cork. Midleton as County Champions represented Cork in the Munster and All Ireland series. Dick Kelleher was one of the players and in later years he married Mary Ahern of Kippawn , Bartlemy -their sons Johnny and Dick were well known characters. Richard(Dick ) Kelleher died in 1932 and is buried in Cloyne. His wife died in 1968 and is buried in the Ahern ground in Gortroe cemetery.
OUR CLUB SONG.
Bride Rovers beat Leeside in the East Cork Junior Hurling final in 1930 -less than two years after the Club was founded. The Rovers won by 5 2 to 0 1 but despite that decisive victory leeside lodged an objection. They claimed that John Joe Burke from Carrigdownane, Kildorrery was illegal when playing with the Rovers. In fact John Joe was a legal player but the Objection dragged on into 1932 before Bride Rovers eventually got their winners medals. Sadly by that stage John Joe Burke was dead, killed in a road accident. His East Cork medal was presented to his sister by Bride Rovers Club Officers.. The Rovers lost the 1931 Final to Aghada and reached the Final again in 1932 -against Leeside once more. There was a fair bit of enmity between the Clubs after the long drawn-out Objection. In the week before the 1953 Final Billy Barry, a playing member of the team, got out a pen and wrote 'Come listen a while; I will tell you the story…' he had a few verses written about the 'the 1930 affair' but these were later 'dropped'. The Rovers had a great win in the 1932 final, 4 6 to 2 3.
Yes, we play the game as true sportsmen should play it;
To tempers or rashness not lightly we yield.
We give knocks and take them as none can gainsay it;
We're manly, straightforward, and fair on the field.
And again the bright mantle of victory is o'er us;
We are champions once more in 1932;
So now, one and all, let us join in the chorus,
The Rovers for ever, Bride Rovers abu.
Billy told me in the 1980's that he thought the 'song' might last a year or two and then be forgotten forever! Thankfully the song' Bride Rovers Abu' still rings out down the decades and down the years.
CLUB LOTTO.
The Jackpot for last Tuesday April 13th was €20,000. The four numbers drawn were 5, 20, 26 and 30 and there was no winner. The Lucky Dip winners of €30 each were Barry O Riordan, David Healy, Chloe Murphy, Sinead Buckl;ey and Irene Hogan You can join the Bride Rovers weekly lotto online at http://briderovers.ie/ or purchase tickets from any of the retail outlets locally that are open. Tickets can also be got locally from Bride Rovers GAA Club Members throughout the parish. Your support of the weekly Lotto Draw is deeply appreciated. If you're not in you can't win and each €2 is a help for our Club. Started in March 1996 our Lotto is now in it's 21st year.
APRIL 29th - A KEY DATE.
Next Thursday April the 29th is a night which we are all looking forward do with great anticipation. Normally Cork County GAA Convention in early December would conclude with the Championship Draws being made for the following season. Because of the covid situation this did not happen so these draws are now being made on Thursday 29th. It is also believed the Groupings and format of this years Senior Hurling League will be announced I know that strictly speaking the Cork Hurling League is now called the Cork League with Divisions 1, 2 , 3 and 4 but to be honest I still prefer to call the First Division the Senior Hurling League! Also on Thursday April 29th the third draw in the 2021 Rebels Bounty series will be held so 'twill be a busy night and of course will be a 'virtual' meeting on Zoom. I suppose Zoom is the way to go but I do miss the cut and thrust of a 'real' meeting!
NEW CLUB GEAR AVAILABLE.
As we gear up and hope for a return to the playing fields in the near future we must all look our best! Be smart and proudly wear the Green, White and Gold, the Club colours. Several new Product Lines in our Colours with the Club Crest are now available from O Neills at very reasonable prices. To look at the items go to the O Neills website www.oneills.com.
Bride Rovers GAA Club 100 Scheme now Open for 2021..
Our Club 100 Fundraising Scheme is now in it's 3rd year. It provides an income stream to guarantee us finances to carry out further Development work as we head towards our Centenary in 2028. There are three options for joining the Club 100,Gold, Silver and Bronze. Joining Club 100 combines paying Club Membership, supporting the weekly Club Lotto and joining the Cork GAA Monthly Draw. Payment is on a Monthly basis. Full details from any Club Officer.
MEETINGS.
Our next Zoom Club Executive meeting is on Monday May the 10th. There will probably have been an East Cork Board meeting the previous Wednesday night so start-up dates for adult training and games should be clearer then.
BEST WISHES.
Everyone in the Club extends our very best wishes for a speedy recovery to Margaret Barry of Knockadrooleen. Margaret was hospitalised recently and is now recovering at home.
BRIDE ROVERS CLUB SPONSORS are; Rathcormac Tyres, Fermoy Print & Design,
