CROTTA OUT IN STYLE FOR BIG SOCIAL

WHEN your club manages to secure three county minor hurling titles in four years, then there is plenty of reason for celebration.

And so it was for the Crotta O’Neill’s Hurling Club as over 100 people gathered for the annual social at the Ballyroe Heights Hotel on Saturday last.

It’s an evening where stories of past glories are retold a final time before the focus switches to the season ahead, while individual and collective achievements are recognised for having contributed to the green and red.

Crotta Club Chairman Paddy Weir was MC for the evening and he kept everything flowing.

A feature of Kerry hurling socials in recent years is inviting guests and speakers from other counties. On this occasion it was the turn of 2018 All-Ireland medal winner and All-Star recipient with Limerick, Richie McCarthy,

Eamon Whelan, Kerry Gaa vice-chairman, and Tom Lawlor, North Kerry Hurling Board Development Officer, were also in attendance.

In what has now become almost a yearly ritual for Crotta, this year’s victorious minor team received their county championship medals from Richie McCarthy. And they were called to the podium by a proud team manager, J.P McElligott.

The customary club awards presentations followed with stalwarts of Crotta recognised for their various contributions in 2019.

The Matt Stack & P J Stack Memorial Hall of Fame Award went to Mike Leen; Hurler of The Year was Shane Nolan, who received The Dick Parkinson Memorial Trophy; The Sam Hilliard Memorial Trophy went to Club Person of The Year, Paul Sheehan. The Monty McElligott Memorial Award for the best minor hurler went to Cillian Trant; Intermediate Player of the Year, Jack Twomey, received The Maurice Egan Memorial Award, while The Diarmuid Galvin Memorial award went to the U-21 Player of the Year, Tomas O’Connor.

Each award recipient received a warm congratulations from the audience before a memorable night was had, thanks to the management and staff of the Ballyroe Hotel and DJ Big Jim.

The parting message was ‘Crotta Abú in 2020’.

Photos by John Cleary ABOVE: Julia Szarota, Tralee, Aoibhe McKenna, Amy Costello and Amy O’Sullivan, from Crotta, having a great night at the social. BELOW: Sarah Sheehan and Ryan O’Halloran enjoying the social at the Ballyroe Heights on Friday.

Photos by John Cleary ABOVE: Geraldine and Mike Parker with their son and minor player Gavan celebrating a great year. RIGHT: Ciara Houlihan, Deirdre Herbert and Theresa Greaney, Kilflynn, having a great night at the social.