DINNER DANCE The formal proceedings on the night began with the dramatic entrance behind piper Kilian Devlin of the various captains and the trophies garnered in 2011. They ended with the presentation to the Intermediate players, resplendent in their matching blue ties provided by captain James Leonard, of their County and Leinster medals by Mick O’Hagan and by Pat Toner, Comhairle Laighin
FOOTBALL AWARDS At year’s end individuals from each of the playing squads are accorded the accolades of Player of the Year and Clubperson of the Year. The former goes to the player deemed to have contributed most prominently to the team’s endeavours on the field of play. These team members stand out by virtue of ball skills and of their leadership qualities. It could be said of the winners in this award category that “bheadh siad molta dá mbéinn im’ thost”, that they are in no need of accolades, their deeds speak for themselves.
On the other hand the contributions of players in the latter category are more in the area of team morale. To merit this award the person has to be an exemplar in the constancy of his/her commitment and a stalwart in the promotion of team spirit. Such attributes are not immediately obvious and, in truth, are only open to the judgement of those who have contact with the players over the season. Hence they are probably more in need of public acknowledgment than their more spectacular brethren.
MINOR The players chosen for these awards – which makes them all the more meritorious – are eligible for this grade again this season.
Matt Maguire has been on the panel of this cohort right back to the glory days of the Sligo Féile but had failed to make the breakthrough. His faithfulness paid off and this year he was numbered among the 1st fifteen. Team manager Barry O’Reilly described him as having grabbed the opportunity with both hands and as having given performances over the year which make him fully worthy of this trophy.
The management designated Gavin Parsloe Clubman of the Year. Gavin was accepting of, and in no way discouraged in his commitment, by his off-the-bench role. He came on as a sub in a number of games and on each occasion contributed a point or two. His heroics earned him the epithet “Gooch”.
JUNIOR C Keith Monaghan, manager of this group, injected a welcome potion of levity into the proceedings with his resumé of this team’s activities. One gathered that it had a rather tenuous existence and that at times it required the skills of a magician to put 15 players on the field. He must be possessed of these because he claimed that the team fulfilled all its fixtures. Kristian “Buster” Flynn, also Junior Hurler of the Year, was named Player of the Year with Adam Manning being nominated Clubman.
JUNIOR B This team which was managed by Ronan Sweeney and Tomás Vickers struggled to maintain itself as a competitive entity as the season progressed. It showed early promise but its role as feeder to the intermediate team resulted in its losing of some key players and made it difficult for it in the end to maintain its status. Emmet Bollard was the recipient of the Player of the Year award. In presenting him with his trophy Ronan spoke of a player who showed a constant improvement from game to game culminating in his being key to the team’s survival at this level. The Clubman of the Year was Brian Gubbins, a player who epitomises all the attributes implied in this accolade. He has served Éire Óg with honour and dedication over the years.
INTERMEDIATE Team captain, James Leonard, was bestowed with the honour of Clubman of the Year. Philip Smullen who managed the team spoke of it as an honour well merited. James, he said, was an excellent captain who led by example and was not found wanting on or off the field. Not surprisingly Darren Hayden was chosen Player of the Year. Darren not only thrilled us with his skills throughout 2011 but he also provided those scores which played a vital role in bringing the Leinster trophy to Greystones. He had previously been selected as Co. Wicklow Footballer of the Year.
OVERALL CLUBPERSON OF THE YEAR was Philip Smullen who was commended for his work in bringing the Intermediate team to the All-Ireland semi-final.
JUVENILE activities will be resuming next Monday March 5th. Details are being circulated to the schools. Older players will be contacted by their coaches. All relevant information is to be found on www.eireoggreystones.com (click on ‘teams’)
PEIL ABÚ The GAA has, to its cost, for too long neglected the recreational potential of its games. Belatedly it is endeavouring to remedy this defect in its structure through a very exciting initiative known as Peil Abú (tag Gaelic). This game is designed for teams of mixed gender over 16 years. You are invited to an exhibition of Peil Abú in Éire Óg’s grounds to-night Wednesday from 8 to 9 pm (bring your playing gear).
See http://youtu.be/qoZ96oUmFng
INTERNSHIP JobBridge vacancy for a 9 month internship as Club Development Project Coordinator at Éire Óg Greystones. Closing date 19th March. For details go to www.jobbridge.ie
