The Sligo Champion

GRASSROOTS

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CASTLECONN­OR

THE club normally hosts an Awards night during the Christmas break. Due to Covid-19 restrictio­ns we have been unable to do this and with the future looking uncertain we decided to release the names of the 2020 recipients on social media on Friday 15th. Our hope is to catch up with them when restrictio­ns lift to do a proper presentati­on. The winners of our awards were as follows...

Special Merit Award - Packie Kilcullen Packie, who retires from the RSS this spring, has been working on our grounds for the past 11 years. Whether he was on duty or off duty, Packie was always available to lend a hand to get pitches ready for action. Enjoy the retirement Packie and thanks from everyone in Castleconn­or GAA.

Junior Player of the Year - Rian Winters Rian was part of our Minor, Junior and Senior Panels in 2020 and is a very dedicated contributo­r to all these teams. Well done Rian and keep up the good work, lots more to come in 2021.

Young Player of the Year - Oisín Flynn Oisín broke into the Senior team in his first season in impressive style. His ability to score from play and from dead balls meant he was an important player for us. He is also part of the Sligo U20 panel and is another young player with a bright future ahead of him.

Senior Player of the Year - Sean Carrabine Sean put in a huge effort this year with club and county. His powerful display in our playoff game against Enniscrone is a highlight. Sean is also developing into one of Sligo’s most important players. A great role model to the kids of the parish. Club Person of the Year - Breege Carrabine Breege has been a tremendous club volunteer for many years and 2020 was no different. Breege’s outstandin­g work during club fundraisin­g events such as Annual lotto sales is the envy of the county. A fabulously popular lady and club woman and a very popular winner of this award. Hall of Fame - Tommy Ruane

Tommy played football for Castleconn­or for over 30 years, starting at the tender age of 14 and playing up to the age of 44! Tommy won numerous titles at underage and was part of the 1980 Junior Championsh­ip winning team. Tommy was a safe pair of hands in goals during his playing career. Tommy is currently a trustee of the club and the club are delighted to honour Tommy with this award.

New Senior Team Manager

We are delighted to announce the appointmen­t of Nigel Reape as our Senior Team Manager for the 2021 season. The Knockmore native brings a wealth of experience to the role and we are very excited to have him on board. We wish Nigel, his management team and our players all the best for 2021.

Lotto

The recent Lotto results are as follows... Jackpot €11,000

Numbers draw

13, 24, 30, 34

No winner of jackpot Consolatio­n winners

Gerry O’Regan

Noelle Savage

Sarah Ruane

Next week’s jackpot is €11,100.

ST MARY’S

Virtual AGM We held our first ever virtual AGM last week in keeping with COVID guidelines. The technology was expertly managed by Simon Buckley and the AGM was run off in a very efficient manner with detailed reports from the outgoing executive

Tributes were paid to the outgoing executive who served the club with great distinctio­n over the past four years. Under the stewardshi­p of Peadar Niland, Paul Corcoran and Gabriel Keaveny great progress was made in terms of club facilities with the new training pitch being a particular highlight of developmen­ts in recent years. Overall the outgoing committee have left St Mary’s in a strong position both on and off the field. Our new committee in place for 2021 is as follows Niall Murray, Chair, John Clifford Vice Chair, Adrian Keane Secretary, Conor Conway Treasurer, Breda Mullaney Assistant Treasurer, Dylan Kilgallon PRO, David Keane, Coaching Officer, Seamus Cronin, County Board Rep. Marcella McGarry Club Registrar, Sinead McGuiness Ast Club Registrar, Catherine McGowan Children’s Officer, Cathal O’Donnell Pitch Secretary. KENT Park - Closed

WHILE we are under level 5 restrictio­ns members are advised that St Mary’s Clubhouse and surroundin­g facilities is closed until further notice. We would like to thank you for your ongoing cooperatio­n with this important public safety initiative and for your continued support in the national battle against Covid 19. NEW Website

WE have a new club website in production and hope to have it live within the next week or two.

ST PATRICK’S

ST Pat’s Joker Jackpot now stands at €1100 as there was no winner in the latest draw. Next draw will be on Sunday February 7th. A new feature of Joker Jackpot is you can now enter online by purchasing your ticket via Pay Pal It’s still €2 per entry and the link is https://www.paypal. me/StPatricks­GAASligo. The Club thank you for your continued support. Tickets available from the following Aurivo Skreen, Ardabrone Stores, Beltra Po, Collery’s or any Committee Member or Senior Player. An annual Joker Jackpot ticket is available which ensure you are entered into every draw for a year priced €45. Please contact Nigel on 086-8234898 for further details. Winners in draw were Mary James, Maureen Brady, Rose Davis..

ST Pat’s club shop in associatio­n with O’Neills Sport. For all club replica jerseys,socks,shorts available in all sizes. Also Jacket,polo shirts and a lovely club bobble hat a must for all supporters. For further details check stpatricks.sligo. gaa.ie

ST FARNAN’S

THE reconvened AGM will be held online via Zoom on Monday, February 1st at 8pm. To access the meeting contact Frances 0879860314 or email secretary.stfarnans. sligo@gaa.ie for the link. It is very important that as many as possible attend the meeting to ensure the future of the club.

SHAMROCK GAELS

THE club is pleased to announce Glen McDermott will continue as Senior team manager for 2021 while Shane Quigley has been appointed Junior team manager. We wish them both well for the year ahead. The backroom teams will be confirmed at a later date.

The annual National Club draw tickets are now in circulatio­n. The tickets cost €10 each with a top prize of a car. 100% of proceeds go to the club and we would be grateful for your support. Please return the tickets as soon as possible to Mary Quinn.

Congratula­tions and best of luck to Johnny Kenny who signed a profession­al contract with Sligo Rovers last week. It is certainly a proud moment for him, his family and the community as he follows in the illustriou­s footsteps of his father, Johnny.

Members may have noticed the new ‘smoke free zone’ signage at the pitch. This is another important step forward under our Healthy Clubs initiative and we would ask for our members and supporters help in adhering to the new policy.

COOLANEY/MULLINABRE­ENA

AS a new GAA season begins, the Club would like to appeal for Volunteers & Underage Coaches to support the Club’s activities during 2021. If you would like to be involved please contact a committee member, phone details are available on our website – www.coolaneymu­llinabreen­a.com Thank you.

Our Healthy Club Initiative work continues with “Lights on our Track” at Nace O’Dowd Park from 7pm - 9pm every Tuesday & Thursday. Our track is open every day for all to use within 5km. Please remember to adhere to all guidelines. A one-way system in place. No group walking except within one’s family unit. Physical distancing is in place at all times.

Stay within your 5km. Thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who make this possible.

THE Club is delighted to be participat­ing in the “Every Step Counts’ Challenge”. We’ve had a brilliant response so far and only one week in we have completed one lap of Ireland. Well done to all and keep up the good work. Please note: We will be running our own prize draw for all who register. More details on this challenge and coverage on the Club’s Social Media Platforms.

Our Club are one of 300 clubs partaking in phase 4 of The Healthy Club Project and we had representa­tives partaking in a very worthwhile webinar conference on Saturday. Highlights included keynote speaker Dr Tony Holohan and the ever inspiring Joanne O’Riordan. The Club previously organised events such as Daniel Davey’s Nutrition talk, Teenage fitness programme, Ireland Lights Up and our current Every Step Counts challenge is proving really popular. We have lots of exciting ideas for new events and initiative­s for 2021. Our ambition is to expand our role within our community to deliver various health-related projects to improve both physical and mental health. If you would like to contribute in some way or join our new Healthy Club Committee, please contact Club Chairperso­n Ollie Lee for details.

Given the very high prevalence of Covid-19, the Achonry Farmers Market will remain closed for January. The Market Committee will review the situation at end of January and post an update.

Our Club would like to thank Chris McDonagh and CMD Group most sincerely for their continued support as our main sponsor during 2020. Their loyalty to our Club, in a difficult period for businesses everywhere, is very much appreciate­d and acknowledg­ed as a significan­t boost in helping the club survive this past year. Míle Buíochas.

Our Club’s PRO would like to thank everyone who contribute­d notes, photos, informatio­n and supported the role during 2020. A special word of thanks to all who helped with the archive section during the first lock down phase in 2020. Please continue to send in anything you wish to be included in the club’s notes to rosequinn.ire@gmail.com or contact Rose Maloney Quinn 0864658877.

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