Drogheda to twin with the town of Bezons, Paris
RAY McGuigan’s glittering career in League of Ireland football and his exploits between the posts with the local Gaelic football side has made him a popular figure around the Togher/Drumcar area.
But now the versatile ball player is back in business as coach to the newly formed Drumcar Celtic F.C. Based in the grounds of the St. John of God Order, Drumcar, the club was initiated by the new director of services at St. Marys, Bro. Edward McDonald.
A keen enthusiast, he had had plenty of experience in both senior football and hurling in Dublin and was anxious to utilise the facilities at Drumcar and form a soccer team.
So having signed up a lot of the local talent from areas such as Togher, Annagassan, Drogheda and Ardee and with a pitch to rival any in junior football, they set about finding a league to play in. It was then that they got into the Meath and District League division two with the help of Peter Shevlin.
Three years ago St. Marys had a team which played its football in the Louth and District League and in the 1985/86 season were unlucky to go down 2-1 to near neighbours Dromin United in the final of the Challenge Cup. Sadly since there has been no competitive football played in Drumcar although a team from the hospital participated in a St. John of God hospitals competition during the summer.
The club held its annual meeting last week and Paddy Caffrey was elected president.
Team captain Dermot Courtney seems pretty optimistic about the coming season although it may be too optimistic to hope for promotion in the first year.
Ray McGuigan takes the side for training every Tuesday and Thursdday and is responsible for many a “weary and sore body the following morning.”
The club was further encouraged lat week with the news that Cecil Reilly, Butterly Provisions, has come forward as team sponsor for the coming season.
The team is backbboned by McGuigan with the English born star ‘ keeper Peter McGreal, Mick Hand also in defence plus Dermot Courtney and Joe White.
Drogheda Corporation has established a French Connection.
At a meeting last week they decided to twin with the Seineside town of Bezons, just five miles north-west of Paris.
An industrial town with many amenities for its 25,000 Inhabitants the next facility being planned by the local municipal authority is a family planning centre. On the social and cultural side, Bezons offers its people, and visitors, a youth centre, municipal centres and a public library. Sportswisc Bezons boasts an Olympic-size stadium, a swimming pool where sub-aqua diving and canoeing can be practised, a sports complex and three gymnasiums.
Their students are well catered for educationally with eight nursery schools, 11 primary schools, two secondary schools and a technical school. Piece de resistance is a “Qass de Neige” where 180 children spend November to March in a ski resort with all equipment provided by the town. Bezons’ industrial life revolves around car, textile, mechanical and electrical engineering, plastics, chemical and food processing plants.
Following the Corporation’s decision to link-up with the French town, they will now be put in touch with the local authority there, through the offices of the United Towns Organisation.