Kilgarvan toasts a victorious 2018
KERRY may not be the first county one thinks of at the mention of dual GAA excellence, but Kilgarvan’s successes in both codes last year have to be chalked down as impressive.
Whether it was the big ball or sliotar in play, Kilgarvan racked up big scores and titles aplenty in 2018, and it was only right that a year of years was toasted at a victory social last Friday night at the Kenmare Bay Hotel.
On the night, last year’s ultra-successful players took the plaudits, and there was also time for a hard-earned dance or two, with musical entertainment provided by The Bansha Boys ahead of a big disco to round things off.
But it was mainly about celebrating success on the field, and Club Secretary JoAnn Murphy explained that this was done with no little style.
“Essentially, you had one team winning four competitions between football and hurling,” she explained. “Of the footballers, only two did not play hurling.
“It was a huge year of success. In football, we won the County Novice Championship and went on to win the Munster Championship at Junior B. In hurling, we won the South Kerry Championship and the Intermediate County Championship.
“It was a great night and very deserved for those involved after a very long year between matches and training sessions.”
County Board Chairman Tim Murphy was present on the night to present the medals for the four competition wins, and there were plenty of awards bestowed besides – 17 in all.
Amongst these were prizes for players involved with development squads; Donal O’Sullivan for his part with Kerry Munster Championshipunder-20s; Gearóid Fennessy for playing with Kerry’s under-21 All-Ireland B Championship winners; and club player of the year Seán Godfrey.
Off the field, the club also welcomed launching its new floodlights and a successful sponsor-a-sod initiative, while the players were never short of support on its many travels. For this and more besides, Chairman John Foley gave a warm ‘ thank you’.