An Mhaigh Tír na nÓg G.A.C. Notes (week commencing 31/08/09)

Trip to Carrigaline Over 100 An Mhaigh G.A.C. underage players, parents and other adult club members made the long trip south to Carrigaline last weekend to renew acquaintances with our good friends in county . As ever, our hosts from Carrigaline pulled out all the stops to make this venture one of the most enjoyable ever for those who travelled. Several cars and a coach carrying our youth players and adult supervisors set off from the Moy clubrooms early on Friday morning. They stopped off in Dublin for a tour of Croke Park and a visit to the GAA Museum before completing the journey to Carrigaline. Our Youth Officer Marty Conroy issued the following report: “We made it back from Carrigaline safe and sound after a truly unbelievable weekend. The host club really pushed the boat out for our whole trip. We never had to ask for anything. Accommodation, food, football….it was all looked after. When we arrived in Carrigaline, the players made their way to their host houses to prepare for a long day on Saturday. “St Finbarrs of Togher, the former All-Ireland club football and champions (the only club ever to achieve this), was our destination on Saturday morning to play two games at under 10 and under 12 level. Their facilities and the welcome they gave us were a credit to their fine club, and our boys and three girls really enjoyed their time there. We also received a lovely plaque to mark our visit to the club which can count Denis Irwin (Manchester United), and Cork GAA greats such as Jimmy Barry Murphy, , Gerald McCarthy and Donal O’Grady as former players. “We then made our way to the Fota Island wildlife resort and spent an enjoyable afternoon in lovely sunshine. This was then followed by all our players and members being treated to a barbecue back at the Carrigaline club. The children were also treated to a bingo session with their fellow players from the host club. During the barbecue, our long-serving club official Frankie Duffy presented Carrigaline G.A.C. with a Moy jersey signed by our four county players and thanked them for hosting our club. “On Sunday morning, all our club members attended a beautiful Mass. Some of our players and members took part in the Offertory Procession and said readings and prayers of the faithful. The parish priest also spoke about the pride of the Carrigaline people hosting our famous club. “Sunday afternoon was the culmination of our weekend when we fielded an under 10 and two under 12 teams against our hosts at their wonderful venue. Our under 10 side fought bravely against strong opposition and were unlucky to lose out, but all the players enjoyed the team-slide into the muck at the end! “Because both clubs had so many under 12 players, we fielded A and B teams. Our U-12 ‘B’ team also lost out but put up a great fight, competing for every ball. All our players can be truly proud of their display against this fine team. Meanwhile, our under 12 ‘A’ team came up against the Cork County U-12 champions for 2009, with the Carrigaline Perpetual Cup at stake. “Moy were quickly on defensive mode as the home team tore through them. Our lads were lucky to get to half-time only eleven points adrift. The break provided Messrs Coleman and Kelly an opportunity to give one of those inspirational team talks and, lo and behold, it worked as the Moy hit the front with a minute to go. The Tír na nÓgs somehow held on to the lead as Carrigaline pounded the Moy defence. “Ryan Coleman was the proud Moy captain who lifted the cup to a rousing cheer. All of the players received medals and plaques and then it was time to bid farewell to our friends and head home tired, weary, but truly amazed at the welcome and treatment we received. We were also pleased that Carrigaline have accepted our invitation to head north next year.” Also, on Sunday afternoon, some of the Moy contingent headed for Páirc Uí Chaoimh to support the Carrigaline senior team which won the Cork Intermediate Football Championship Final. Most of the travelling party returned home again late on Sunday night, although some decided to stay on an extra day. All in all, it turned out to be a memorable trip with the bond between our two clubs strengthened even further. New friendships were formed and a great time was had by all. We thank the good people of Carrigaline G.A.C. once again for their outstanding hospitality last weekend and give credit to those members of our own Youth Committee and club who organised what was a truly wonderful and worthwhile trip.

Forthcoming Fixtures Ladies Senior League Div 2: An Mhaigh v Ardboe on Tuesday 1st September at 7.00pm. Venue – Moy. Girls Under 16 League: An Mhaigh v Stewartstown on Wednesday 2nd September at 6.45pm. Venue – Moy. Under 13 League: Killeeshil v An Mhaigh on Thursday 3rd September at 6.45pm. Venue – Killeeshil. Under 10 Go Games Blitz in Moy on Saturday 5th September at 10.30am. An Mhaigh will be one of six teams taking part in section H. Under 16 League Quarter-Final: An Mhaigh v Castlederg on Saturday 5th September at 1.00pm. Venue – Moy. All-County League Division One: An Mhaigh v Aghyaran on Saturday 5th September. Reserve game - 4.30pm. Senior game - 6.00pm. May be subject to change. Girls Under 16 Championship Quarter-Final: An Mhaigh v Badoney on Saturday 5th September at 6.00pm. Venue – Moy. Ladies Senior League Div 2: An Mhaigh v Sperrin Og on Sunday 6th September at 12.00pm. Venue – Moy. Under 13 League: An Mhaigh v Beragh on Monday 7th September at 6.45pm. Venue – Moy. Under 13 League: Clogher v An Mhaigh on Thursday 10th September at 6.45pm. Venue – Clogher.

Sympathy It was with deep regret that the committee, players and members of An Mhaigh Tír na nÓg G.A.C. learned of the death last week of Jane McGrath from Armagh, mother of our esteemed club member Kelly Grimley. To Kelly and the entire family circle, we extend our heartfelt sympathy.

Club Tír na nÓg Club Tír na nÓg continues to attract a lot of interest and is still open to any individual, family or business who wish to join. Benefits include a complimentary club jacket, free membership of An Mhaigh G.A.C., free admission to Moy’s senior home games, and a quarterly club newsletter. Business subscribers will also have their own pitch-side advertising hoarding at Páirc Thír na nÓg. Some of the main objectives of Club Tír na nÓg are: the raising of sufficient funds for day-to-day running costs; the continued development of our training pitch, lighting and all- weather surface; the purchase of new club equipment; more investment in youth development; and the acquisition of land. If you are interested in becoming a member of Club Tír na nÓg and/or would like to receive further information about this exciting new project, please contact any member of An Mhaigh G.A.C.’s executive or development committee. “Nil tobar ar bith gan chosen”.

Local Production Members of the new Moy Drama Society, in conjunction with An Mhaigh G.A.C., have been continuing rehearsals for their forthcoming production of a well known Irish play to be held in the Moy Parochial Hall from October 8th to October 11th. Seanie Donaghy is the man entrusted with directing this play and, if you want to see some of our finest local talent perform on stage, be sure to keep the aforementioned dates free in your diary. Keep watching this space for further details.

Reading by Paul Muldoon A Reading by Paul Muldoon will take place in the Community Hall, Dungannon Street, Moy on Tuesday 1st September from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. The generosity of local Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon will enable the night’s nett proceeds (£500) to be equally divided between Dungannon Youth Football and the Moy GAA Underage teams. Capacity is limited to 70 persons and to buy tickets at £8 please e-mail [email protected] or ring/text 079-0283-8635.

Charity Night Good luck to our playing member Talal Jomar, aka D.J. Shaggy, who will be appearing in the Final of the Country’s Got Talent in Loughrans, Moy this Friday night (4th September). Talal will once again be performing his impressive dance version of Stavros Flatley. Club members are encouraged to come along on the night and give him full support. Admission is £5, with proceeds going towards the Niamh Louise Foundation – a very worthy cause.

Unsung Hero Nominations If you would like to nominate anyone for our club’s Unsung Hero of the Month, please contact myself or any member of the club committee. Please state the name of the person who you wish to nominate and the reason for your choice. Previous winners are: Donal Jordan, Therese McKearney, Geraldine Fox, Peter Loughran, Mary Daly, Enda Lavery, Aiveen McCormack, Adrian Jordan, John McGurk, Simon Brady, Gerry Fearon, Marty Kernan and Raymond McKeown.

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Colin Mackle (P.R.O.) Ceann Ban, Kilmore, Moy, Co. Tyrone Tel: 077 52478618

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