The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
An incredible year for St Mary’s GAA Club
IT goes without saying that a year in the life of a GAA club can be a bittersweet experience with members giving freely of their time - often for no reward or joy at the end of the day. But just occasionally, when the planets are aligned and all seems right in the world, a shower of success comes along and washes away years of disappointment.
Though it’s been a long and tiring journey for St Mary’s, few people in Cahersiveen and its surrounding hinterlands are unlikely to ever forget 2015-16 as the club added an All-Ireland Intermediate title to the one won at junior level back in 2011.
No mention of Cahersiveen would be complete without reference to those who wear the sash and Mary’s are the kingpins of South Kerry with 30 divisional titles and are a valuable supply line for some of the county’s greatest players. To reflect on what has so far been a memorable year for the club, I caught up with chairman Mossy Coffey for a brief chat:
“We had a great year but a long and tough one with players, selectors and mentors putting in a massive effort. We have about 200 members here at the club and like all South Kerry teams we’re struggling for numbers at underage level and we’re currently amalgamated with Renard at U14, U16 and minors so even though it’s difficult, we have to carry on. St Mary’s has a great history and was originally called the ‘O’Connell’s. St Mary’s were the backbone of South Kerry teams in the 50s, and in ’56 when South Kerry won the county championship they wore the St Mary’s jersey.
“I must also state that we had a great year from sponsorship within the town and everyone rowed in behind us and this is something we’re very thankful for. It’s getting harder and harder every year but the support we got for the All-Ireland was unreal. Devlin’s Centra, the Quirke Group, Danny Tim O’Sullivan, Quinlan’s Fish Shop and Fitzpatrick’s Sports - these were our main sponsors and thankfully our journey ended in success which was great.”