The Aussies depart

2006 saw continued progress on the playing front. Starting with the Adult Footballers the first team has reached the play offs. Plagued by injuries throughout the year, we still kept the momentum going and despite some very close calls have still managed to lie second in the league with one match remaining.

Tom Smyth was recruited this year as Manager and he comes with a fine pedigree. Tom played with Longford senior footballers for over a decade and as he says himself “at a time when it was harder to get off the county squad than it was to get on it.” Tom has brought two other clubs, Trinity Gaels and St Oliver Plunketts from Intermediate ranks to Senior. And that is where he intends to bring us.

Our second adult football team had a mixed season achieving some great scalps and some great reverses. Again, the club has recruited a new manager in Ray O’Brien in the last number of weeks and their two league matches since his appointment have resulted in wins over second and third place teams, Na Fianna and St Vincents. With a steady flow of Minors coming through and with the expertise of Tralee man O’Brien in the management seat the future looks as bright for this team as it has for a long time.

Inter hurlers showed a huge improvement on last year and actually finished joint top in the Championship league campaign. This got them through to the quarter finals proper but alas they fell to a very slick Round Towers side, who eventually went on to win it.

Next year a whole new ball game is in store as one of the best underage teams to come through the club for years will be contesting for places and with proper structure in place we could reach the hallowed grounds of Senior Hurling in the next couple of years.

Vying for team of the year are the Junior Hurlers. After winning the Championship last year and getting promoted they went through their campaign impressively and qualified for the quarter finals stage. In that match they impressively accounted for St Pats of Palmerstown, scoring 3-21 in the process.

In the semi-final they faced the much fancied St Olafs from Sandyford. Once again, an impressive performance and high scoring saw them reach the final for the second year in a row.
They faced the might of Craobh Chiaran in the final and were overwhelming underdogs.

Midway through the second half they led by 2 points but the guile of the Chiarans lads, many with Senior Championship medals in their back pockets, was too much on the day and the boys, who really never got going lost out by 4 points in the end. By reaching the final the lads got promoted for the second year running. With the amount of hurlers we now have on our books, the chances of having two very good adult teams are promising.

Ladies adult football team, straight from their promotion and championship success last year held their own in their new league. This is a very young side with enormous talent and the only way is up for these lassies. But they did not let the season go by without bringing a trophy back to the club and at the third time of asking were victorious in the Tracy Staunton Memorial tournament.

Ladies minors are fielding well and the under 16s are also a team vying for the club team of the year. Having already captured league honours, they have also reached the Championship Final and as we go to print they eagerly await Lucan Sarsfields in that encounter. So, too, the Under 10 team who also have won their league but unfortunately were beaten in their championship final. All other underage girls’ football teams are doing extremely well.

U 13 hurlers were involved in epic league semi final tussle with Setanta. Finding themselves 9 points down at half time they fought back to go in front with 5 minutes to go. Setanta replied to go a point in front deep in injury time but the Ringsend lads got the equaliser with the last puck of the game in what was a brilliant match in Ringsend. Alas, they lost the replay by a couple of points but this team has some fine hurlers and are ones for the future.

U14 footballers having captured the County Championship early in the year are also through to the league final. All other Juvenile teams are fielding strongly and this section is in good health. Crossing a few ‘T’s and dotting a few ‘I’s at structure level will see them even better in the years ahead.

Club coach Darren McGee is setting out his stall in style and all local schools will have felt his presence in the last number of months. Great to see so many youngsters from Haddington Road back in training and if a team could be reassembled from this it would bring back memories of the heady days when this school contested so many Croke Park finals.

Minor hurlers, after a defeat in their first game, went unbeaten for the rest of the season to capture the All-County Div 2 title. With so many teams promoted last year we have fared excellently in our new lofty positions. We contested three County Championship finals, and are about to contest a fourth before Christmas.

Three league titles and also contesting another one before the New Year. Add in a Féile title at U14 level and it shows that the rungs of the ladder are being climbed gradually. We would like to thank our sponsors Dublin Port Co for their assistance throughout the year and their commitment has helped greatly in the recent successes of our teams. They have helped us to raise the bar of expectations around here at the club and we intend to keep raising them!

More Clanna Gael members give some tips to the Aussies

Back Chat
The sniper who felled Paddy Joyce some years ago returned once again to claim another victim on a cold November night in Sean Moore Park. The hapless victim this time was James Boylan. James who had just gone on one of his customary mazy runs and lost the ball as he usually does, was trying to get back up the pitch when the sniper struck. Like Paddy Joyce, he hit the ground like a ton of bricks clutching his left thigh. After treatment brave James hobbled off the pitch holding his right thigh. Confused? Ask Ray OBrien!

The Australians came to Clanna Gael Fontenoy on the eve of their 2nd test against Ireland in Croke Park. (See main picture) A measure of their apprehension of the hosts was the arrival of two special branch cars an hour before they landed.

When the Aussies arrived The Legend greeted them in his usual fashion and led them into the dressing rooms where a bout of jostling began. Some of the Warriors arrived and the Aussies hastily departed to the pitch for a training session.

It didn’t last long as the Sean Moore breeze that has frozen many an opposition in the past had them shivering for their Bovril. They quickly got the hell out of there up to the comfort of their Berkley Court suites. Therefore, it came as quite a shock to hear Sean Boylan whinging the following day about the roughness of the Aussie lads. There is a definite need for a Raytowner on the Management team next year.

John Dodd who hones his skills at management level with the under 11s has just started up his own business from his home in Lansdowne Park. John, along with his darling belle Geraldine, who never saw a car until she came to Dublin from Westmeath, have named their new enterprise ‘The Boxty Box’. For all you illiterate Jackeens, boxty is made from spuds and milk. John has perfected his own style with some expert skills that he learned from his time making poteen in the hills of Sligo. The Legend recently made a visit and was treated to a plateful. Since then he has had severe draught problems.

The Cranky Yankee (remember him) a.k.a. Gareth Saunders is on a literature course at present. Gareth was found out recently when, despite a sign saying ‘No Dogs Allowed in the Clubhouse’ just kept bringing his in. He was quickly dispatched to a Night School Institution.

Stephen’s Night and New Year’s disco in the hall. Tickets €20. Orders must be given before Xmas week.

€10,000 is on its way to the National Children’s Hospital from the club. This was raised lately in our Annual All-Ireland forecast Competition. Well done to all concerned.

Moan of the year award is with us again. It’s amazing but this award started out some years back with only a couple of entrants. Such has been the practising going on that there are now multitudes of possible winners. Methinks I know who is favourite but all will be revealed on the 9th December. (Hint hint– Intermediate footballer)

9th December is of course, our Annual Bash. Moving upmarket to the Tara Towers hotel this year is living proof of how up our noses we have become lately. Some members are actually staying overnight in the salubrious surroundings. These members are so excited as it will be their first time in a hotel. It’s a long way from togging out in the Park and St Brendan’s Cottages.

Jacqui McDonald, she of multi tasking expertise, is organising the above event again this year. For this year’s event, Jacqui has organised a Mr Clans Man competition.

For the last 3 months she could be seen hovering around outside the dressing rooms on Tuesday and Thursday nights, measuring thighs, biceps etc and entering them onto her clip board. Niall Maher on hearing such exciting undertakings quickly returned to training and is short odds to capture the inaugural trophy.

A close eye will have to be kept on Stephen Cox this year. Stephen, who had never been through a revolving door before last year’s event, was so enthralled at the experience that he fainted on his 89th time around. Such is the esteem that we hold Stephen in that we searched high and low for a hotel with straight doors for this year’s event.

Veteran Damien ‘Biscuits’ Redmond, of Junior Hurling fame has embarked on a new career of professional singing. Known to his professional friends as the ‘Mike Chewer’ there wasn’t a dry eye at the recent Junior hurling presentation in the Clubhouse. Damien gave a rendering of that wonderful reggae song Boolavogue and got so carried away with his deliverance that he had to be removed from the stage after the 51st verse with his eyes still closed.

Ronan ‘Bulldog’ Murphy, another of Junior Hurling fame, is laid low at the moment. So low in fact that he is crawling around the place on his shins. Bulldog was so incensed at a late challenge in a match recently that when he saw the opponent’s legs he laid a severe blow at them. Forgetting that he had changed socks for the match Bulldog soon realised that it was in fact his own legs that suffered the vengeful stroke. He has since been diagnosed with Self Harm Syndrome!

Congrats to Kim Flood who has been drafted in to the Dublin Senior Football team. Seen as one of the great prospects of Dublin Ladies football, Kim at 17 years of age, we are sure will represent this club with distinction well into the future.

Also congrats to Paul and Elaine McDonald on the birth of their new arrival.

Please spare a moment over the Christmas period to reflect on all the dear friends the Club has lost over this past year and unfortunately there have been many. Ar dheis De go raibh a n-anameacha dilise.

Club lotto is heading for €5000. Tickets available from usual outlets.

Traditional music session every Thursday night in the Bar at 9.00.

Is that 21st, 40th, 90th occasion coming up in 2007? Ring Shay to book your special day at 087-9011716.

All that’s left to say is that the club would like to wish all its members, supporters and friends a joyous Christmas and a wonderful New Year.