Major developments Magic from McEvoy secures win
Celebrations in Valleymount and Glenealy
THE wonderful occasions that were the grand opening of the new Valleymont GAA Club grounds and Glenealy’s new clubhouse were reported on in the Wicklow and Bray People newspapers
The report on the special day in Valleymount was found in the sports section on July 8, 1988.
‘The sun shone brilliantly, the crowds rolled in and everything was near enough perfect for one of the biggest days of the Valleymount parish when the local GAA club opened their new playing field on Sunday,’ it read.
‘The neat little pitch, set in most picturesque surroundings between woodland and lake, has one of the best playing surfaces in the county and drew praise from visitors and locals alike.
‘The Ballymore brass and reed band and Irish dancers and musicians set the stage for the great occasion. Leinster Council Chairman Jack Boothman performed the tape-cutting ceremony, the pitch was blessed in a joint ceremony performed by a former Valleymount footballer, Fr. McCabe, assisted by Canon Richard Stokes.
‘Field Development Chairman Sean O’Sullivan was master of ceremonies and thanked all the guests present. He had a special word of praise for the ESB representative, Paddy Flynn, who helped so much in obtaining the site and for the visiting teams from Kiltegan and Tinahely. He also thanked Dublin hurling manager Jimmy Boggan for his help in bringing so many Dublin hurlers.
‘It added to the occasion that the local selections won both the hurling and football games. The hurlers beat Kiltegan by 1-8 to 1-6, with local hero Brian Sweeney the top scorer.
‘In football, the Valleymount selection beat Tinahely by 3-7 to 2-6 with again a local star in Seamus Miley plus two men of Valleymount descent, Martin Kelly and Tony Mahon, also outstanding.
‘Long-serving club secretary Tommy Tipper, who is ill, was out of hospital for the day and was seen to shed a tear or two of joy as the tape was cut,’ it read.
In the news section of that week’s paper there was also a report on the opening of Glenealy GHC’s new clubhouse. ‘Glenealy’s new clubhouse a credit to local effort’ read the headline on page seven of the paper that carried two photographs – the first being the then County Chairman Liam O’Loughlin cutting the tape alongside Glenealy’s Don O’Gorman.
The accompanying article reported that while the cost of the new development was 25,000 punts ‘this magnificent clubhouse is valued at a great deal more as it was built entirely by voluntary labour.’
‘‘We got the idea moving three years ago and without the help of everyone in Glenealy along with the support of outsiders we would not have this building now,’ said club chairman Don O’Gorman.
‘O’Gorman said that it was now up to the people of Glenealy to keep the 45-year tradition of hurling going strong.
‘A lot of people worked tirelessly on Saturdays and Sundays in their spare time to provide this building but we now have a showpiece of which we can be proud,’ he said.
Liam O’Loughlin said that he hoped that future generations would try to emulate the hard work and feats of the people who had provided this wonderful facility.
Wicklow Hurling Board Chairman Jackie Napier paid a special tribute to the lady members of the club and to the Glenealy hurlers who had shown such loyalty to Wicklow teams over the years.
‘A club with its own home can only prosper,’ said Jackie Napier.
The cost of the building was financed with the help of Bank of Ireland and through the hard work of mayoral candidates since 1986 including Sean O’Toole, Trina Snell, Michael O’Neill and Des Kinsella.
BREDA MCEVOY was the hero for Lakeside’s Reserves this week in 1988 when they toppled the visiting Boyne Rovers Reserves in Blessington.
‘A superbly taken hat-trick by 13-year-old Breda McEvoy gave the Lakeside Reserves a deserved 3-1 victory over Boyne Rovers Reserves (Drogheda) in their Division 4 ladies soccer clash at Blessington.
‘This was a crucial match for the Blessington youngsters, as both teams agreed to play for four points, due to distance problems.
‘However, the Co. Louth club gained revenge in the Premier match, when they scored a 3-1 win over the Blessington girls, as expected, being the Premier champions of last season. Laura Wall scored the goal, which was the best of the game.
‘In the under-13 schoolgirls league Lakeside defeated Leixlip United 4-1 to stay joint leaders along with St. Catherine’s YC. Lorraine Tracey (2) and Michelle Dunne (2) share the goals, while the Kilbride girls Grainne Eustace and Jean Duffy put in good efforts,’ read the report.