Rebels’ Bounty, ladies football and more profiles
There is still time to get your ticket for the first Rebels’ Bounty draws which take place on March 24th. As far as I am aware tickets are selling well but we need to keep selling as every euro we receive now goes directly to the club.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who has joined so far and if there are any families out there who would like the opportunity to win big money while at the same time helping your local club please purchase a ticket. It’s great value as it’s a 12 monthly draw ticket for the price of 10 months at €100.
The maximum number of entries per person is 5, with a maximum of 2 names per ticket. Our members and supporters can obtain their tickets locally by ringing the following sellers in our club: Richard Kelliher (085-1427022), Flan Groarke (086-8318506), Tom O’Brien (086-3773799), Denis O’Brien (086-8230623), Brendan Keane (087-2421266) and Bosco Creed (085-800397). Thank you for your support.
FERMOY LADIES FOOTBALL LOOKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Lidl are raising an opportunity with all ladies GAA football clubs to raise up to €20,000 for their own clubs. Fermoy Ladies Football Club have accepted this challenge and are asking the Fermoy public for as much support as possible. We would really appreciate it if every household would download the Lidl Plus app and sign up our club by following the instructions. There are four easy steps to follow:
From Monday, February 15 open the app and follow the prompts. Select our club and continue to next couple of steps. Spend over €30 in store and scan your Lidl plus card to earn a stamp, spend €60 get 2 stamps etc. Collect six stamps and submit your completed card by Sunday, April 11 to earn prizes for the ladies club. You can submit as many completed cards as you like.
There are several prizes on offer for the club for example 50 completed stamp cards = 1 set of Lidl sponsored team jerseys, 100 completed cards = 2 sets of Lidl sponsored club jerseys. 200 completed stamp cards = €2,000 to the club going up to 500 completed stamp cards = €5,000. This is a great opportunity to help our ladies teams so please use your Lidl app to support this great investment from Lidl.
PLAYER PROFILES
We continue our past and current player profiles this week with our current senior hurling goalie Conor Quinn and two past players Ciaran Carroll and John McCarthy.
PRESENT PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Conor Quinn. Age: 32. Occupation: Claims Assessor in Laya Healthcare.
Position you played: Goals. Highlight of your career: 2014 IHC final. To win it the way we did against a good Charleville team was special. Favourite venue: Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Biggest influence growing up: My parents, Bill Frawley Snr. and Jnr., Pat O’Hanlon (RIP), Chopper Shanahan. Favourite food: Haddock, Mash, Peas and Parsley sauce. Favourite film: The Green
Mile.
When and where did you first start playing? U8 Street Leagues in the back pitch, I was 4. Gearoid Stakelum, Womble and Dan Ryan were in charge (I think). Toughest opponent you played against: Brian O’Sullivan or David Geary. Favourite GAA player: Brian Corcoran. Sportsperson you would most like to meet: Steven Gerrard and Willie Mullins.
Hardest part of your sporting life: Playing behind Eoin Clancy and Ronan O’Callaghan or still having to listen about the U21 county win in ’ 86. Laziest player you’ve played with: Ronan O’Callaghan by a mile. Woeful in training, league and challenge games but a different man comes the championship! Joker on the panel: Seanie Shanahan and Paudie Clancy. Would you change anything about either game? Heavier sliothar. Most important skill in hurling and football: Strike/ kick off left and right.
Advice for young players starting off: Yes, go to the Showgrounds or Carrig Park instead, ye might make a few quid from it later in life. One thing you may not know about me: The night before the 2014 county final, I got a phone call from Brendan Cummins (Tipp) while I was in the toilet. I presumed it was my good mate Nigel Brennock taking the p**s. It wasn’t, it was actually Cummins.
Lastly pick your own 6 aside inter county team: hurling/football. Goalkeeper: hurling: Derek Slattery / football: Liam Coleman; Fullback: hurling: Luke Mannix / football: Brian O’Callaghan; Halfback: hurling: Trevor Cooney / football: Tomas Clancy; Midfielder: hurling: Trevor Grumbridge / football: Adrian Farrell; Half forward: hurling: Conor O’Kane / football: Nigel Lardner; Full forward: hurling: Shane Killeen / football: Philip Lonergan.
PAST PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Ciarán Carroll. Age: 53. Occupation: Head of Teagasc Pig Advisory Service.
Position you played: Goals. Highlight of your career: In Thurles: winning the U12 hurling and football double in 1979, the first in Thurles for many years and the start of getting the structures right there, going on to contest (and unfortunately lose) five senior hurling finals (including four-in-arow), but still a highlight! Winning the U21 hurling final 1988 against all odds after a replay, both games bookending part of my final college exams.
College: Fitzgibbon Cup victory with UCD v UCC after extra time (1993). Fermoy: My first year involved with Fermoy GAA (2008) winning North Cork U16 hurling championship final and helping out the goalies when winning the 2014 intermediate hurling championship. Seeing my kids lining out in the black and amber a big highlight!
Favourite venue: Semple Stadium and Fitzgerald Park, Fermoy. Biggest influence growing up: My GAA-mad family (Mick, Rose, Bren and Dee) and Conn Higgins (Cork) who along with my father and some other Thurles greats got Durlas Óg club off the ground. At Thurles Sarsfields, Connie Maher, Jimmy “stick with it” Duggan, Seamie O’Shea and Brendan “keep it simple” Carroll.
Favourite food: A rare-fried steak (but should probably say anything from a Bord BIA Origin-Ireland pig!). Favourite film: Money ball.
Toughest opponent you played against: Eoin Kelly. Best GAA player you played with: Johnny Enright, Ger “Redser” O’Grady and Lar Corbett at Thurles; Michael Coleman (Galway) at NUIG and Jim Bolger (Wexford) at UCD.
Would you change anything about either game? Introduce the sin bin (and straight red for a professional foul in last 10mins). Favourite GAA player: Growing up it was Billy Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny) and Brian Mullins (Dublin) and currently Paudie Maher and James McCarthy. Most important skill in hurling and football: Your head! Speed of thought and being mentally strong/confident in your own ability.
Advice for young players starting off: If you like the game, practice hard and stick with it, get out and enjoy each game/training session and don’t worry about the mistakes, it’s how you learn. For the older ‘ young’ player, if you think you are beaten, you are! You have to keep working, identify the areas you need to improve and work on them. Take on constructive advice and ignore criticism from people who you wouldn’t ask for advice!
One thing you may not know about me: I made my Tipp senior debut (aged 33) on the same day both Lar Corbett and Eoin Kelly (aged 19) made theirs – two out of three ain’t bad I suppose!! Also, I got called for trials with Kilkenny senior hurlers after a UCD challenge v KK (confusion over my Kilkenny father/Uncle Ted, and Dermot Healy KK manager not realising I was a Tipp man!).
Lastly pick your own 6 aside inter county team: Hurling past/ present: Goalkeeper: Ger Cunning
ham / Nicky Quaid; Fullback: Brian Lohan / Conor Prunty; Halfback: Tommy Walsh / Paudie Maher; Midfielder: Frank Cummins / Tony Kelly; Half forward: DJ Carey / TJ Reid; Full forward: Lar Corbett / Pat Horgan.
Football Past/Present: Goalkeeper: Paddy Cullen / Stephen Cluxton; Fullback: Francie Bellew / Jonny Cooper; Halfback: Kevin Moran / James McCarthy; Midfielder: Brian Mullins / Brian Fenton; Half forward: Paul Galvin / Michael Quinlivan; Full forward: Jimmy Keaveney / Michael Murphy.
PAST PLAYER PROFILE
Name: John McCarthy. Age: 42. Occupation: Irish Defence Forces.
Position you played: Full forward although Con Cooney always said I was a better defender. He was right! Highlight of your career: Too few to mention. Favourite venue: Castletownroche.
Biggest influence growing
up: Mother/father, Con Cooney, Joe Kearney, Mick Kearney, Patsy Flynn. Favourite food: Corned beef and cabbage (can’t forget the spuds). Favourite film: Brewster’s Millions.
Toughest opponent you played against: Paul Purcell, Clonmel Óg. Best GAA player you played with: Hurling: Will O’Donoghue, Kilworth (speed, skill, strength) Class act! Football: Phil Lonergan Fermoy (best left foot in the game!).
Would you change anything about either game? Hurling: After short puck out no hand pass back to the keeper. Football: I know nothing about it! Favourite GAA player: Hurling: King Kelly (Eoin Kelly Tipperary) / Football: Declan Brown, Tipperary.
Most important skill in hurling and football: Striking/kicking off both sides, you should have no weak side. Advice for young players starting off: Enjoy it, don’t take it
too seriously!
One thing you may not know about me: I’ve served in Syria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Lebanon and various other countries with the army.
Lastly pick your own 6 aside inter county team: Hurling/Football. Goalkeeper: Brendan Cummins, Tipperary; Fullback: Ken McGrath, Waterford; Halfback: Tommy Walsh, Kilkenny; Midfielder: John Leahy, Tipperary; Half forward: DJ Carey, Tipperary; Full forward: John Fitzgibbon, Cork; Subs: E Kelly, Tipperary, R Hogan, Kilkenny, P Flynn, Waterford etc.
SHOP LOCAL
Fermoy GAA Club is asking everyone to support the businesses in town and please shop locally. Stay safe, stay healthy!