Castlelyons GAA Notes week ended 19^th February 2018

Intermediate Hurlers travel to Charleville.

Our intermediate hurlers travel to Charleville to play the local in the Premier IHL of the season at 11.30 am on Sunday next. This game will be tough as Charleville were table toppers in the Premier IHL last year but were defeated by Fr O Neill s in the final. They went well in the championship but suffered an eight-point defeat to Kanturk. Overall, they are had a big year going almost undefeated in the Premier league last year while championship defeat was disappointing for them. Trained by Newtown’s magic man Ben O Connor, who played for the rebels for 13 years and won a few medals too. He inspired Cork to four all- Ireland final appearances in a row and winning two and was captain in 2005 while the same year his twin brother Gerry was hurler of the year. They were the first set of twins to win all stars the same year in 2005. They say Ben and Charleville mean business this year so let’s see.

Well how do we fit in or have we any chance against the big boys this year including Charleville. We won out Division 2 last year and despite a terrible start against Kanturk in the championship we fought back gamely before going down by five points. Our lads have done a lot of gym work over the winter and have been doing some pitch work (running) as well but have done little with the camán due to the adverse weather. We are down a few due to county and college commitments and a few injuries as well. However, we had a strong junior side, good minors and mighty U21 side last year and now is the time to get game time into some of those lads and toast them in the cauldron of IHL which will stand to them in championship hurling. Back in 1998 and 1999 when we won the Junior and Intermediate championships seventeen and eighteen-year olds like Timmy McCarthy, Eoin Fitzgerald and Peter Murphy were the drivers of these great victories. The great Sir Matt Busby once said if lads are good enough they are old enough and no doubt some of our younger players of the last few years have great ability to drive on too. Best of luck to the lads, new coach Darren Tobin and his management outfit as a good start is important. Castlelyons Abú.

Defeat for Junior Footballers in Football League

Castlelyons 1-11 Dungourney 4-11

We played Dungourney in their home pitch under lights last Friday night at 8 pm in atrocious weather conditions. Credit to Dungourney for allowing the game to go ahead in pitch as it cut up a lot and to referee James Bermingham who did a great job. We started reasonable as Ronan and Alan Fenton had two points for us early on. This did not last long as Shane Casey (1) and Shane Hegarty (2) put Dungourney in the driving seat and Colm O Neill brought off a massive save for us on seven minutes. Dungourney were injecting pace and drive and commitment in their play while our tackle count could be much better. Mike Spillane did put over 0-1 from a free but they continued to pile on pressure and had a goal from Sean Hegarty and points from Brian Ahern (3) and Dan McGrath (1). Ronan Fenton had a point from play. On 20 minutes Alan Fenton pulled up with hamstring injury and was replaced by Brian O Donovan. They had another 1-1 from Sean Hegarty while Robbie Feeney and Ronan Fenton had 0-1 each for us to leave the half time score 2-8 to 0-6 in favour of a very dominant Dungourney.

We made a game of it for a while in the second half as Ronan Fenton had 0-1 for us and Brian O Donovan got a super goal 1-0 after being put through by Darragh Lawlor leaving us just four points adrift. However, we faded again, and the home side were awarded a penalty, clung it and ran out facile winners on a score 4-11 to 1-11. We were somewhat lethargic on the night and maybe this can be attributed to heavy training, but we were well off colour and not the team that almost took county finalists Erins Own in the championship in 2017. Ronan Fenton a committed player is our Captain for 2018 and no doubt Ronan, Donal O Leary, manager, and his selectors will work on this but at least we got a game on a weekend when there were few played.

Team: - Colm O Neill, Brian Carroll, Jamie O Leary, Shane Fenton, Aiden O Sullivan, Colm Barry, Eoin Maye, Darragh Lawlor, Shane Moroney, Ronan O Regan, Ciaran McGann, Michael Spillane, Robbie Feeney, Ronan Fenton (Capt) and Alan Fenton. Subs: - Conor McCarthy, David Morrison, Michael O Donovan, Jack Barry, Shane Flynn and Andrew O Neill. All subs got game time.

Result of our Weekly Lotto of the 12.2.18. 

The numbers drawn were 16, 20, 27 and 30 There was no winner. There were eight "Lucky Dip" winners of €20 each as follows: - Nicole Barry, Helen Mackessey, Lorna Murphy, Liz Leary, Michelle Fenton, Eamon Fitzgerald, Joe Roche and Luke Moroney.

The Jackpot is now €6,000.  Our next draw is Monday 26th February at 9.30 pm in the Abbey Tavern. Thanks for your support and please remind your friends that they can play our Lotto Online or purchase from the usual sources.

Victory for the Banner over Cork in Ennis.

Well our All-Star nominee Colm Spillane returned to action for Cork on Sunday last as they played Clare in the League in Ennis. Colm had a good game holding the great Shane O Donnell scoreless, but it was not enough as Clare had a rare but facile victory over the Rebels. Hard to enough what was going on as Cork had two late withdrawals from the selected team and the Banner kept a few in the freezer for warmer days so one can only speculate the clash of the ash will be mighty in May when they meet in the championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Anyway, for now Clare move on to the quarter finals of the League and Cork have what looks like a relegation fight against Waterford on Sunday next in the Park but, of course, a second win for Cork could make the League interesting again.

Good day in Knockanard.

We enjoyed a dry and good day at the Avondhu Point to Point Races held in Knockanard last Saturday. Despite the postponement from the previous Sunday due to the terrible weather the crowd was reasonable. Thanks to all who supported Castlelyons GAA Hospitality Tent and especially to those who helped on the day. Incidentally, there was great excitement when Ms Eleanor Broderick’s "The Talty Man" ran in a convincing winner in the Glenview Stud and McCarthy Insurance Group sponsored fifth Race.

Loreto College Fermoy in All Ireland Camogie Final.

Loreto College delivered big time in the O Neills All -Ireland Post-Primary Schools Senior D Semi Final All Ireland with an outstanding victory over St Clare’s Ballyjamesduff, Cavan, last Saturday on a score 2-8 to 1-5. They now face Coláiste Naomh Cormac from the famed Kilcormac in Offaly as there was mighty hurlers up there in years gone by and they defeated St Mary’s Glasnevin in the other semifinal. The final will be on Saturday 3^rd March at a venue to be announced. Congrats to all and especially to our own Castlelyons girls on the panel; Grainne McCarthy (captain), Billie Shanahan, Lucy McNulty, Ava Hallihan, Avril Beirne and Niamh Colman. Great for the girls and great for camogie all about and all looking forward to the final.

An tAthair Peadar book launch 

Comhghairdeas le Eilís Uí Bhriain agus a mac Padraig O Briain the launch of their book, Mise an Mac San: remembering an tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire, in the Abbey Hotel, Ballyvourney, on Sunday 11 February last. The co-authors Eilís Uí Bhriain (originally from Durrus) and living in Castlelyons for many years and her son Pat O'Brien spoke as Gaeilge and English to the audience of nearly 200 people who attended the Ballyvourney launch. The book is a tale of two parishes on opposite sides of the Cloyne diocese: Clondrohid, near Macroom, where an tAthair was born and raised; and our own Castlelyons, the east Cork village where he was parish priest for almost 30 years (from 1891 to 1920). However, it also offers some intriguing insights into the other villages in which he served as priest—Kilshannig, Kilworth, Rathcormac, Charleville, and Doneraile. The book’s publication this year is timely as 2018 is Bliain na Gaeilge, 125 years since the start of the Gaelic Revival and there was no figure more central to the early twentieth-century revival of Irish than an tAthair Peadar Ó Laoghaire (b. 1839, d. 1920). Happy to have the first launch over them, Pat and Eilís now look forward to the next launch at 3 o’clock in Castlelyons Community Centre on Sunday 4 March. Having purchased a copy of the book and had a brief sconce through one cannot but admire the writing, facility of diction and story written as Gaeilge agus Bearla. So well done Eilís agus Padraig and more about the launch in Castlelyons later.

Castlelyons Main Sponsor: Zeus Packaging Group