St Catherine's Notes (15th Mar)
- Mar 15,2024
Busy week with off field activity
As such no competitive match to dwell on with the possibility of the round three U21 C football championship tie with Lisgoold seeing the light of the day shortly.
That said, a number of events taking place off the pitch. Some memorable, others of the sad variety. Most notably the news of the sad death of Pa Finn, legendary Barr’s man who lead the Saints to some great wins. Taking over from ex-Limerick player, Mossie Carroll as trainer and coach, preceded a truly memorable intermediate hurling championship league double in 1994. Catherines lost out to Bishopstown in their first ever county senior hurling championship match in Midleton, twelve months later. Pa Finn still the man at the helm when that first ever senior hurling championship victory came about, against Ballyhea in Fermoy in June of 1996. He had attained some success with Kilbrittain previously, subsequently moving onto Castlelyons. He was a county selector in the term of Denis Walsh’s reign as county senior hurling manager, returning to the Saints as first team selector in the middle of the last decade. Pa Finn was an uncle of the legendary Ger Cunningham.
Sympathy also to the family of Brendan Keane, who for many years served as chairman of Fermoy GAA Club. Brendan passed away last weekend after an illness borne bravely. Testament to the popularity of the late Brendan Keane would be the large crowds descending on Ronayne’s Funeral Parlour on Friday evening last. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.
On a happier note we congratulate Catherine’s player Sean O’Donoghue who together with Alan Fenton of Castlelyons shared the 96 and 103FM January Player of the Month awards. Presentations made with roughly thirty in attendance at the Rochestown Park Hotel on Wednesday, February 14th. If you were at it and if you would like to relive that Munster final success over Feenagh, Kilmeedy at Mallow early on the afternoon of Saturday, December 2nd victory copies of the match and subsequent interviews are available to buy. DVD €15 or USB €20. Contact Willie O’Mahony at 086 840 2825 to place an order.
While camogie, ladies football and juvenile GAA clubs combine for the annual social again at the aforementioned Rochestown Park Hotel on Friday night, March 8th, doors 7.15pm. Tickets prices at €35 for adults and €25 for juveniles, are now for sale and can be had from Lisa Moore, Niamh Pyne and Margaret Fitzgerald.
At the club executive meeting on Thursday night last we learned the GAA are recommending that bank holiday Monday, April 1stbe reserved as a Lá na gClub bereft of all other games activity. Paddy Ryan, newly appointed vice chairman of St Catherine’s Juvenile GAA Club, is now chairman of the finance sub-committee. Grounds chairman is Billy Neville. Next meeting of the club executive is down for Thursday night, March 7th in the clubrooms at 9pm.
Intercounty Activity
It’s a situation clearly not getting any better, promotion talk drifting own the list of priorities. Survival now the key issue for Cork in division two of the National Football League. What we have we hold. Fermanagh won’t be any easier. While the hurlers have Waterford in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon. Slowly though a season gaining momentum.
Club Fixtures
Friday, February 23rd at Ballynoe round three East Cork U21 C football championship v Lisgoold at 8pm. Sunday, February 25th, round one division two Rebel Óg U16 football league in the Castlelyons at 2pm. According to Master Plan.
SCÓR NA BPÁISTÍ
Scór na bPáistí is on Saturday coming, February 24th both at 1pm and 6:30pm, also on Sunday 25th at 1pm. All three semi-finals will be in Lisgoold Community Hall. As will the finals on week ending March 2nd and 3rd at 2pm. East Cork Scór Sinsir finals are on Saturday, March 9th again in Lisgoold at 7.30pm. If interested please contact Irish/cultural officer Marie Clancy.
Blackwater Theatre Festival - it’s over!
They came, the saw, they invariably conquered, as they do. Another year of what now seems the annual visit from the Blood in the Alley theatre company in association with Cork County Council and the Arts Council Blackwater Valley Fit-Up Theatre Festival is at an end. We will miss it. Blessed with sheer professional talent giving of their best for what are the plain people of Ireland. Much appreciated by those who reside in Bartlemy, Inch, Fermoy, Kill and of course Ballynoe.
We had the hugely talented Seamus O’Rourke, not once, but twice, opening up week one of a four week programme with ‘The Empty Nest’, then the endearing Carrigallen man who back in the day played minor football with Leitrim quickly returned with what is probably his most loved character. Intending to save humanity from self destruction. He will always land on his feet or at least somewhere near his feet… because he is Mossy Flood… and he’s from Longford! This was a mindboggling performance. Of different taste but no less talented Cobh born Pat Kinevane was back on our shores with ‘King’. Stagecraft was described as immaculate, unsurpassed, by the Sunday Independent, a play directed by Jim Culleton, a close relation of Conna man Paul Davis. As the promo script declared that there is an understandable reluctance to talk about the period from 1918 to 1923. After a hundred years shouldn’t we be able to discuss what’s on record? ‘Sean Moylan – Irish Revolutionary’ was described in the Irish Examiner as an extraordinary story, written and performed by Micheal Patric. Geoff Gould will be doing his utmost to return to us next year. Geoff Gould delivers.
Lotto Results
Again, we congratulate Laura Hayes, Garryanne, Upper Aghern, on her magnificent recent weekly lotto draw success. Well done. Reverting to a jackpot of €3,200 and there was no winner of the draw held on Monday night, February 12th. Numbers drawn were 4, 8, 20 and 31. Consolation winners were, John Ahern, Araglin GAA; Gabriel Gregan, Clarecastle; Ann Cotter, Grentrasna, Ballynoe; Emer O’Connor online and Joanne O’Driscoll, Curraglass. Most recent draw with €3,400 jackpot scheduled for the clubrooms Ballynoe on Monday night last, February 19th at 9pm, results to come.
St Catherines GAA Club sponsors
T&A Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, Ballynoe, are sponsors of St Catherines GAA Club. Mulcahy Steel are sponsors of St Catherines Juvenile GAA Club.
