The partnership between Dublin Port Co. and the Club was formally launched by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Michael McDowell TD. The partnership arrangement will see Dublin Port Co. providing significant support to the Club in the future in the promotion of football, hurling and camogie in the areas of Dublin 4 and Dublin 2 and in promoting positive community relations.

Over several generations the Club has been home to football and hurling in this part of Dublin and has earned the loyalty and respect of local communities.

Now, with 27 teams across all age groups, upgraded playing and changing facilities, the partnership arrangement with the Dublin Port Co. is seen as providing a key platform for the further development of the Club– both on and off the playing field.

Chairman Pat Kane emphasised that Clanna Gael Fontenoy sees itself as much more than a club but as an integral part of the community and he warmly welcomed the Dublin Port’s commitment of support.

Speaking for the Dublin Port Co., Chief Executive, Enda Connellan, expressed his delight that they would be working closely with a Club so enmeshed in the local community that has both a chequered history and a vibrant future.

In formally launching the partnership arrangement, Minister Michael McDowell pointed to the arrangement as a model of how sports clubs and the private sector can successfully find common cause.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Ladies adult footballers had quite a successful season to date. They reached the championship semi-finals, where they lost out to Thomas Davis after a magnificent second half performance saw them really threaten the hosts.

This team has some great young players in Orla Bolton, Kim Flood, Siobhan Joyce and Catherine Murray. They finished half way up in their league and considering that this section is only running a few years the future looks healthy. This section is always looking for new personnel so if your daughter can’t take her eyes of MTV, why not send her down to the club where she can see some real stars.

There is a competition for this sector, which involves 16 clubs and will be held over the weekend of August 22nd and 23rd at the Club. Ford Crawfords Garage on Beach Road who will present the winners and runners-up with their trophies sponsors this competition. Meanwhile the U16 ladies team are currently lying second in the campaign and have not ruled out going all the way this season.

Juvenile section has some success to record. U16 footballers have won their league having lost just one match in all their outings. Congrats to captain Ger Griffin and all the lads. U16 hurlers have reached the knockout stages of the league and eagerly await the championship in a couple of week’s time.

U15 hurlers are in the exact same position and great credit is due to Mark Moore, Thomas Neville and Colm Reynolds in bringing superb back-up to this team. U14 hurlers are back in action and have some great wins to their credit.

Also on their winning ways are the Minor Footballers who captured league honours this season and in doing so brought home a Minor trophy for the first time in many a year. Congratulations to all concerned as they too enter the Championship fray shortly in hurling and football. U10s have had a great season and are very well placed in their league. U8s, U9s, U11s and U12s continue to compete healthily.

Inter hurlers have not had the best of seasons. Their campaign was severely handicapped with the loss of such players as Mark Campbell and Mark Moore. However, since the introduction of Joey Dalton as coach there has been a marked improvement in their recent outings. Joey, a former Dublin senior hurling star in the 90s knows the landscape very well and while it may seem doom and gloom in certain quarters Joey is optimistic for the future.

Speaking with Joey recently he told me that a good team does not become a bad team overnight and that last year there was much talk about this team in hurling circles in the capital. “A few unlucky results can dent a team’s confidence but there are some wonderfully skilled individuals in this team. We should keep chipping away at it in training until it returns to us but above all we should not drop our heads. Everybody gets a setback in life but it is a test of one’s character how one reacts to that setback and how one can bounce back. I believe that this team has plenty of character.”

Staying with hurling, a task force consisting of Nicky English, Tony Dempsey, former Wexford hurling Manager and Seamus Colleymore have met to discuss the way forward for hurling at the Club. They have many inspiring ideas and this report will be ready for the end of September. They invite anyone interested in hurling, members or non-members, to share their ideas with them. This is an opportune moment for all to bring the club back to its glory days of the past.

Anyone who may be interested please contact Shay Connolly at 087-9011716. Hurling is a special brand of sport and attracts a special brand of person. If you feel you can offer anything to this great game of ours, give Shay a ring.

Inter footballers reached the second phase of the Championship where they fell to a very strong St Brigid’s side who fielded some of their Leinster Championship winning campaign. They are still in there with a chance of reaching the play-offs in the league but cannot afford another slip-up in their 5 remaining matches. Training has been going particularly well under Albert Hannon and with a very young side there is every reason to be optimistic for the future.

BACKCHAT
The legend’s return to the Junior hurlers has not reached the dizzy heights expected. As explained in the last edition, the news had hit the GAA world that the legend had returned and all teams put out their strongest side to counteract such an historic development. In one of the recent matches against St Olaf’s in Sandyford, St Olaf’s took such drastic action as to remove their Clubhouse signposts in an effort to thwart the arrival of the legend.

After many manoeuvres down the M50 with Pat Kane piloting they were not to be outdone and arrived one minute before the throw-in. The legend was soon in action. Receiving a pass from a lesser mortal he danced through three defenders in an amazing fleet of foot to send a powerful swivelled shot towards the net.

Sandyford stood still. Traffic came to a halt The Dublin Mountains sat up and waited. Paddy Joyce’s heart stopped. Jack Nicholson froze in time. Frank White wasn’t there but sensed it all. Neither were Mick Kerins or Brendan O’Brien but they still seethed with envy as the sliothar whizzed toward the little rope squares.

St Olaf’s goalkeeper, who was practising all week at seven in the morning in anticipation of the legend’s arrival somehow received inspiration from the legend himself and dived into the air to send the shot around the posts for a 65.

In true sporting appreciation, the legend acknowledged such a wonderful feat by giving the goalkeeper the butt of his hurley stick in the ribs (an ancient hurling tradition). The referee, who was keen to show his appreciation of the legend’s mastery and stick work, asked him for his name so that he could enter it into his little book of hurling legends. After this, he took a lemon from his top pocket and raised it to the gods.

But unfortunately the game was marred by the reappearance of a sniper. This same sniper who downed Paddy Joyce some years ago on his hurling return struck again. The victim this time was veteran Paul Kennedy, he of refereeing and Oarsman fame as he was in full flight to nowhere.

Paul pulled up in such agony and moaned in such wails that one would think he was a junior footballer. Paul was duly dispatched and flung into the nearby bushes with a large bottle of Cider as the futile search for the sniper commenced and the points were conceded.

(Would someone please tell Albert Hannon who they think the legend is. Albert has been walking the boards during the night as it has emerged that the legend is a former master of football as well.)

For the first time ever, the Club holds its own Summer Camps in football and hurling this year and to date there have been encouraging numbers applying. Dublin Port Co. has put up some lovely prizes for the participants. As we go to print the football camp is underway and the hurling starts the following week. Want to send your child down? Well just pop in any morning at 10.00 or ring the club at 6604064.

Yankee Saunders ran a very successful Golf Outing for the Club recently in Donabate. Amid screams of cheating about handicaps, The Yacht Tavern ran away with the competition with 28 handicap. Charlie Bowden collected the top prize of a five-figure sum. Yankee tells me that he is fed up running this very worthwhile function on his own and that unless someone gives him a hand next year he’s off to the San Francisco Bulls or the Chicago 49’ers. (sic)

The Tuesday Club is looking for new recruits and membership opens in September for those from Belfast or Sligo only.

Our sincere condolences too the Nicholson, Boylan, Kemple and Learmouth families on their recent sad bereavements.

Second new Prunty pitch is all set to open and by late autumn we hope to have both pitches complimented with floodlights.

Dermot Nicholson has joined the army and is posted to some far-flung barracks up the canals. Dermot was in two minds as to whether he should join the Legion of Mary or the Army. Hearing that the Legion of Mary is only starting up hurling next year he opted for the Army instead.

James Doyle has recently joined the cast at Warner Bros where he has taking up the post as Chief Stuntman.

The Club raised €1,700 for People in Need. The night kicked off with a sponsored football match where Domo Nangle and Robert Larkin stole the show (and the beer later). Jack Nicholson, used to sheep shearing himself in Wicklow, got a taste of his own medicine when he got sheared himself. However, Jack raised the most money.

Watch out for the ‘Warriors’ (U16 hurlers) new tee shirts. They are bound to walk the catwalk before the year ends.

Thursday 19 August 8.30 pm. Table Quiz at Clanna Gael Fontenoy, Sean Moore Road in aid of the Under 15 Hurlers trip to Glasgow.

Top, left to right: Shay Connolly, Enda Connellan, Michael McDowell TD, Eoin Ryan TD, Pat Kane, Frank White and Gerry Kelly (DDDA) with representatives of the juvenile section of the Club.

Left: Gerry Barry, Michael Sheery and Charlie Murphy, Dublin Port Co, with Kevin Humphries and Frank White with the recipients of the Summer Camp.

Right: Enda Connellan, Chief Executive Dublin Port Co. ratifies the Partnership Agreement with Chairman Pat Kane, witnessed by Eoin Ryan TD and Minister Michael McDowell TD.