AGM this weekend - lotto jackpot at €9,000
Its juvenile equivalent went ahead last month and now the parent club annual general meeting will be held online on Saturday night coming, February 27. If you want to be included please text the club phone number and the link you need will be circulated later this week. Starting time on Saturday night is 8pm.
MASS
Mass is live streamed from Conna church every Sunday at 10am until the lockdown ends.
LOTTO JACKPOT AT €9,000
St Catherines GAA weekly lotto draw now has an accumulated jackpot of €9,000. Results from Monday night last, February 22, numbers drawn 8, 11, 20 and 25 and there was no winner of the €8,000 jackpot. While the consolation winners on the night were; Vince and Michelle, Conna; Mary O’Donovan, Kilcor, Castlelyons; Maeve Horgan, Ballymonteen, Ballynoe; Lorraine O’Sullivan, Glernreigh, Ballynoe and Daniel and Caoimhe c/o PO. There will be a draw on Monday night, March 1.
REBELS’ BOUNTY DRAW
Look we called it and knew it as the Cork GAA Club’s draw but it has been rejigged and revamped and was relaunched on Friday, December 4. It commences on week ending March 27 and club treasurer Richard Hegarty tells us three draws will take place that night taking in the months of January, February and March Tickets cost €100 or €10. A month which gives you two months free. First prize is €20,000 per month in which thirty cash prizes going down to €100 can be won. This year’s draw is for all cash prizes. For the months of April and December the top prize goes up to €25,000 while also a bumper prize of €100,000 will be given away in December. Mouth-watering!
FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF ALL-STARS TEAMS
Bernard Brogan and Diarmuid Connolly hung up that famous blue jersey for a final time. Jim Gavin vacated the managers seat. Even Jack McCaffrey the finest exponent of the modern game took time out. Enough of body blows there to rattle the cage of any team. Not so Dublin! They just carry on as normal and pick up another array of awards when the football All-Stars were revealed last Friday morning. Manning the entire halfback line into the process. Brian Fenton named player of the year for the second time in three seasons. Question now on everyone’s lips - could six titles become seven? Answer - of course they could.
Like the Dubs All-Ireland champions Limerick picked up nine awards when the PWC fiftieth anniversary All-Stars hurling team was named on a live show on RTE 1 on Saturday evening last. Realistically that couldn’t be questioned. League, Munster and All-Ireland champions all rolled into one. Best team by far. Gearoid Hegarty deserving recipient of the player of the year award.
No Rebel awards this time, nor should there have been. First time since 2016 no All-Stars came to Cork. Though Patrick Hogan had been singlehandedly flying the flag in recent years.
We go back to those first teams published in 1971, Rya Cummins in at centre forward on the football team. Named all full forward on the equivalent hurling team. Thus far the only player in the fifty year history of the All-Stars picking up two awards from the same playing year. Tony Maher was named right fullback in that hurling team.
CONCLUSION ON REFLECTION TO THE JUVENILE YEAR OF 2002
This week we round off our loop back to the successful underage playing year of 2002 with an uneven number of teams involved St Catherine’s only began their group three section two U11 group hurling campaign with a resounding success in Lisgoold on Thursday evening, August 1. Further wins over Castlelyons, Carrigtwohill (2) and Bride Rovers ensued. Setting up a final against Russell Rovers fixed for Castlemartyr on the morning of Sunday, September 15.
Excellent goalkeeping from Ed Aherne allied to the strong play of Denis Lane at corner back and the scoring ability of Kevin Walsh and Stephen O’Brien helped the Saints to carry the day against a brave Rovers’ challenge. It was the second year in a row to overcome Russell Rovers in the decider of this particular age group who unfortunately for them were losing a third successive final.
Afterwards, board chairman and match referee Peter Hogan presented the victorious shield to Conor Hegarty captain of a St Catherines team ahead at 2-00 to 0-00 at the interval and eventual winners on an end scoreline of 4-01 to 1-00. Denis Walsh was guest in a medal presentation ceremony for both the U11 and 12 hurlers and held at Ballynoe community centre on new year’s night 2003.
Full list of players U11 hurling: Conor Hegarty (captain), Ed Aherne, Denis Lane, Seamus Wade, Paul England, Brian Mulcahy, Ian Heffernan, Stephen O’Brien, Colm Ahern, Conor Kearney, Kevin Walsh, Daniel Mangan, Donal McAuliffe, Richie McGrath, Stephen Mills, Sean Beecher, John Hurley, Fiona Cotter, Johnny Hurley, Finola Neville, John Cashman, Colm McCarthy, Rory O’Connor, Eoin Condon, Daniel O’Brien, Matthew Mulcahy, Jonathan Burke, Gavin Hartnett, Conor Lane, Mark Buckley, Paddy Lee, Alan O’Mahony, William Walsh and James Neville.
We hope you enjoyed this section of looking back. A month long period of reflection as we conclude what were the highlights of the 2002 juvenile year. Rounding off with a three match segment of action entailing the U15 B hurling championship. Reserved as a divisional competition purely and as the Americans would call it played in the fall of the year. Proving too strong for Bride Rovers when the first match went ahead on Sunday morning, October 27.
You couldn’t argue that the upcoming county football final would provide the backdrop to all underage activity at that particular time. Indeed the U15 hurling championship virtually overlapped it and six of the county final winning team were on the starting line-up when overcoming the challenge of Carrig na bhFear in the semi-final (3-06 to 1-03) again at Ballynoe on the morning of Sunday, November 3.
You drive right by Redbarn with Aghavine off to your right, indeed the final played almost on a beach with the divisional decider going ahead at Pilmore on Sunday morning, December 1. Safe to say you could probably play there on a Christmas morning. It’s good too that a place like this would get some form of recognition. Some great Gaels emanated from there over the years. Like Jim Griffin, who lived into his nineties and remember being at his funeral three
winters ago, pre-covid times!
Well known entertainer Art Supple and current administrator, son Shane are from there. Though perhaps no one put the St Itas name on the map like Seamus Harnedy. Twice an All-Stars in recent years.
Graham O’Neill, Stephen McCarthy, Ed Kenneally allied to a brace of well struck Cal Aherne points all contributed to a Saints’ interval advantage on a scoreline of 0-07 to 0-02 against a Cloyne team with Alan O’Reilly, Jamie Costine and Thomas Ryan playing prominent roles.
With a strong wind at their backs Cloyne would now be a major threat but maybe Catherines realised it would be their day when Paudi O’Sullivan who struck four of their five points saw a goal bound effort cannon off the crossbar back into play on fifty four minutes. Victory for the Saints who ironically were beaten by Cloyne in the equivalent football final played earlier in the season. St Catherines reached eight finals that year, winning six. Final score in Pilmore was St Catherines 0-07 Cloyne 0-05. Afterwards John Naughton, treasurer of the juvenile board presented the winning shield to Kevin Dineen, captain of the successful St Catherines team. Match final referee was Christy Hennessy of Youghal.
We will have to take a break from ‘reeling in the years’ for now as the parent club AGM will be on this weekend and we will have to give priority to that. Soon to return one feels as the resumption of current playing activity would be a remote possibility.
U15 HURLING FINAL TEAM 2002
Mark Walsh, Kevin Mangan, Maurice Dineen, Michael McCarthy, Graham O’Neill, Ed Kenneally, John Barry, Orla Cotter, Stephen McCarthy, Shane Cotter, Kevin Dineen (captain), Stephen O’Neill, Liam O’Connor, Cal Ahern and David O’Connor. Subs used were Aileen Hogan, Thomas Power and James Spillane. Also on panel were Thomas Walsh, Orna Neville, Ronan Clancy, Kevin Walsh and Alan Mangan.
That panel of players were part of the juvenile social held at The Rathcormac Inn on Saturday night, January 18.
SYMPATHY
Maybe it’s the pandemic and again inevitable lockdown, but one seems to be more aware than ever of what are sad recent deaths. Michael Howard of Quarter Lane, Rathcormac had close relations in Ballynoe. While Tomás O’Sullivan of Glan
worth who passed way early in the new year was predeceased by wife Esther who for many years was a teacher in Ballynoe. She taught many young boys and girls who would have played camogie, hurling and gaelic football for St Catherines as well as taking part in Sciath na Scol competitions for Scoil Naomh Caitríona, Baile Nua.
Nora (Noley) Aherne of Monty’s Meadow in Conna and ex-Tallow passed away recently, Sons Gary and Seán reside in the parish, while the late Noley would be a sister of James Tobin of Shamrocks GAA whose wife also sadly passed away pre-Christmas.
Condolences also to the O’Keeffe family, Ballynattin, Ballynoe on the
death of their mother Margaret. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anamacha dílse.
CHRISTY RYAN RIP
Michael Moynihan in the Examiner was right to reflect on great Barrs battles with the Rockies and the Glen when paying a recent tribute to the sadly departed Christy Ryan. But surely there were what could only be described as ferocious tussles with Midleton in the late eighties and early nineties. They were legendary.
Christy Ryan captained Cork in defeating Kerry in the 1980 national football league final. He was also a member of the Cork panel that overcame the challenge of Limerick in a replayed national hurling league
final the same year. Unfortunately for the Rebels both Kerry and Limerick exacted revenge in the respective Munster finals later that same summer. He shared in some of the Barrs greatest wins in both codes in his time and played with Denis Walsh when lining out at full forward for Cork against Meath in the All-Ireland senior football final of 1987. He would be closely related to Jimmy Barry Murphy. Christy Ryan RIP.
SPONSORS
T&A Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, Ballynoe are sponsors of St Catherines GAA Club. Juvenile club sponsors of St Catherine GAA Club. Juvenile sponsors are Mulcahy Steel.