Éire Óg Greystones Club Notes

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Dea-ghuíonna to club members, Darren Hayden and Stephen Kelly, and to the Wicklow team for their big game on Sunday.

IOMÁINT Even though defeat posed a serious threat in two of their matches, the junior hurlers came through the first 3 games in the league without succumbing.  They won their opening game against Western Gaels by 2 points, they drew the second against Avondale with a point in injury time, and a point from the last puck of the game saw them scrape past Bray Emmets in the third.

Against Western Gaels the team’s 1^st half endeavours carried all the signs of the long winter lay-off.  They played frustratingly poorly and allowed the Gaels to take a lead into the break.  A lively and more focussed Éire Óg took the field in the 2^nd half and they gradually took a grip on the game and ran out winners 0-16 to 2-8.  A notable feature of the game was that 12 of their scores came from the camáns of minors, Anto Byrne (0-8) and James “Pooch” Cranley, who came on as a sub in the 2^nd period, (0-4).

The Avondale game was played in a downpour so it was hardly surprising that it was shot through with errors.  There was, however, compensation for our supporters in that it was closely contested and that Éire Óg showed commendable grit in fighting back from a 3 point deficit to salvage a draw, 2-5 to 1-8.  Corner forward, Matt Barden, accounted for 1-3 of our total and stand-out performances from brothers Eoin and Kevin Byrne  were hugely instrumental in rescuing the Éire Óg cause.

NA  h-ÓGÁNAIGH There was no shame in our u-12 hurlers’ defeat at home to St. Pats on Monday.  Their opponents were a formidable outfit.  Not only were they much stronger they were also athletic and more than competent wielders of the camán. It did not help the Éire Óg cause that the visitors had the aid of the strong wind in the 1^st half.  This advantage allowed them to build up what proved to be an unassailable lead by the break.  Struggle as they might and even with the wind at their backs our lads were unable to put much of a dint in the half-time margin.  Well done to Pat’s on a well merited victory. Our scorers on the night were Eoin Dorgan (1-2) and Glenn Ryder (0-1). Shane Ryan, Sam O’ Brien, Cian Hanlon & Jack Ryan put in great displays and they were ably backed up by Niall Sheehy, Drew Campbell, Oisín Ó Murchú, Denis Burke, Jack Maguire, Cian Fenelon and Aran Carlisle.

Friday last Éire Óg played host to a Go-Games hurling blitz involving teams from Kilcoole, Bray Emmets and Éire Óg.  The evening was damp and dark and offered little incentive to leave one’s fireside.  Yet 85 hurlers at u-8 and u-10 turned out and contrived to serve up an entertaining evening’s hurling.  In both age groups each team was involved in 3 games.

Our Under 8′s, under the tutelage of Diarmuid Potts, excelled on the night and while scores weren’t kept, the buachaillí agus cailiní were adamant afterwards that they were
victorious in all 3 of their games.

At u-10 the teams were very evenly matched so spectators were treated to a series of very exciting and keenly contested games. Our u-10 coaches Colm Dorgan and Shay O’Keeffe were extremely proud of the skill levels displayed by their charges and of the effort they put in. We saw some great scores from Cillian Keane, Shay O’ Keefe
and Luke Dorgan. The others in our squad on the night were Thade
Shanahan, Joseph Prendergast, Daniel Healy, Fergal Ó Súilleabháin, Neil
Browne, Glenn Halligan, Sean McCormack, Fionn Brauner and Jamie
Murlhern. A special word of thanks to Julie, Lorna and Fiona who did
sterling work in the tea rooms and to Michael & Andy Walsh, Mossie
Gaskin & Mark Barry who did our young (and not so young!) whistling.
U-16 FOOTBALL It is often said that a team learns more about itself from a defeat then from a victory.  A thesis which finds more than a little support in the fortunes of our u-16 footballers.  In their 1^st game against Avondale their football showed many signs of naivety and these were highlighted by the maturity of that of their opponents.  In the meantime much work in the team’s training had gone into ironing out these faults and it was a far better prepared squad which set out on the long journey to play Tinahely in their home patch.

The Éire Óg lads showed no ill effects after their protracted motorised confinement and they were in action at full-tilt from the throw-in.  The seasiders dominated proceedings from the outset and it soon became obvious that victory was extremely likely to be theirs.

Pierce Kelly and Seán Hughes were in the ascendant at mid-field throughout the game and continuously supplied ball to a forward division which was economical in its use.  As a result we racked up quite a formidable score.  Among the forwards Seán Lawless in the centre showed great leadership and Callum Griffin, Niall Deeney and James Delahunty had the upper hand on their opposite numbers and were afforded plenty of opportunities to showcase their scoring skills.  Callum, like the bould Thady Quill, excelled in his “point and goal scoring”.  Ian Bailey, Dara Shiels and Mikey Ryan stood out in a sextet of defenders who were scrooge-like in their concession of scoring opportunities.  Mikey, who contended with Callum Griffin for M O T M, was magnificent at full-back.  He gave a fine exhibition of defensive play winning most 50-50 balls and rendering opponents’ possession ineffectual without the concession of frees.

Victory shortened the homeward journey and those welcome bags of hunger-sauced chips received a quick dispatch.

COMHBHRÓN The club extends its sympathy to the Doyle and Culleton families on their recent bereavements.  Patricia Doyle was mother of Garrett Doyle and wife of Newtown committee member, Pat.  Brian was a well known member of Avoca CLG.  Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha.

End of notes as sent to paper

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In his column in the sporting pages of The Irish Times of Monday May14th Brian O’Connor cast what one took to be a totally unacceptable slur (quoted below) on all of us endeavouring to promote Gaelic games.  It provoked one to write the following to the editor in reply:

A chara,  Anti-GAA prejudice never dies nor, it seems, will never fade away.  It manifested itself once again in the Tipping Point column of Monday 14^th May in what amounted to a subliminal -a non-sequitur flash- insertion reinforcing that jaundiced view which sees Gaelic games as “games for thugs played by thugs” and casts all the games’ adherents in the roles of green-visioned bigots.  Brian O’Connor writes “praise the Lord we are growing up a bit.  Of course not everyone is.  Gaeldom actively doesn’t care about the Heineken Cup and Gaels in the north really don’t care. If this rugby thing catches on it might sway youngsters away from the real Irish pursuits of clattering refs and getting the hump with Laois”.  Incidentally as I write this the radio in the background is reporting that “drink is taking a heavy toll on the mental health of our young people”.

Oh! so typical enlightened middle-class speak which sees our greatest cross not being that of Lorraine as was the case for Churchill, but rather that of our Gaelic past, a scorn on the base degrees by which we did ascend.

As to our growing up, wasn’t the GAA widely described as having done so (self-serving praise) when they allowed rugby and soccer into Croke Park?

Does Brian agree that Gaelic football and hurling can hold their own as sporting spectacles and as vehicles for the promotion of athleticism, of manipulative, fielding, kicking and stick skills?  And further, that in the speed of their execution and in their 360 degree nature, they hone reaction responses and promote all-around awareness and that their efficacy in these areas is reflected in how readily the players of the games adapt to and excel in other sports.  If he does, can he explain why virtually all fee-paying schools and those in areas of social advantage have a deliberate policy of excluding Gaelic games from their curricula (if this Gaelic catches on….)?  Would any other country in the world so treat such wonderful products of its own genius?  Is sport here being used as a medium of social engineering?  Can such behaviour be classified as being of a bigoted nature?  Is there room for some growing up here?

Would Brian like to tell his readers why those of us immune to the myth-making hype of the likes of his fellow columnist, Gerry Thornley, should fall in love with the Leinster ‘brand’ or any other brand for that matter?  Give me the Corinthian ethos of Gaelic games any time.