Abbeydorney GAA Club News

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Sean Holden, Minor Player of the Year receiving his award from Christy Killeen.

SOCIAL: Over 150 people attended our Club Social last Saturday evening in Ballyroe Heights Hotel.

The stars of the night were our victorious Minor Players who were introduced by their manager, Tony Maunsell and presented with their Co. Minor C’Ship and N.K. League medals by Co. Board Representative, Christy Killeen.

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Our Senior team also received their N.K. League medals on the night from N.K. Board Chairman – Pat Dineen. Individual awards followed with the announcement of the Player of the Year, Clubperson of the Year and Hall of Fame recipients.

Minor Player of the Year was Goalkeeper, Sean Holden. U21 Player of the Year was Ronan Donovan. Intermediate Player of the Year went to Paul McElligott. Stephen Egan was selected as the Senior Player of the Year.

The Clubperson of the Year Award went to the hard-working, Brian Murphy, who is the new Bord Na nÓg Chairman for 2019.

Brian Murphy, Clubperson of the Year receiving his award.

Special Merit Awards were also presented to Niall O’Mahoney and Ronan Donovan who were part of the Kerry U21 team that captured the All-Ireland U21 B Hurling title. Canon Moss O’Connell was awarded the Hall of Fame honour for 2018.

Our newly elected Chairperson, Tom O’Connell, was master of ceremonies on the night, fulfilling his role proficiently as always. Congratulations to all award recipients and all who helped in any way to make the event a hugely entertaining night for all in attendance.

HALL OF FAME – CANON MOSS O’CONNELL : Abbeydorney Hurling Club Hall of Fame recipient for 2018 is Canon Moss O Connell. 84 years young this year, he was born and bred in the townland of Lissereen.

Canon Moss O’Connell, receiving his Hall of Fame honour from Aidan Behan.

He played for Abbeydorney all through the 1950s winning a Junior Championship in 1951 and North Kerry Intermediate Championship in 1955. He played at right-half-forward in the 1954 County Senior Hurling Final when Abbeydorney were defeated by Lixnaw.

Fr Moss also won a National League medal with the Kerry Senior Hurlers in the mid-50s. He entered the priesthood in the early 50s, attending All Hallows College in Dublin and because of his Dublin base his availability to play with Abbeydorney was limited to a couple of weeks in the summer during his holidays.

Fr Moss also excelled on the football field winning a County Minor Football Championship with St Brendan’s District Board team in 1953, the first time St Brendans won a county title. Fr Moss played at Centre Back on that team.

He went on represent the St Brendan’s footballers at senior level powering them to 2 County Finals in 1957 v Strand Road and 1958 v South Kerry loosing narrowly on both occasions. Fr Moss was unable to play in the 1957 County final due to a family bereavement.

If he had been available, the result could have gone the other way. A tenacious left half back who took no prisoners, his performance in both county championship runs had come to the notice of Dr Eamon O Sullivan, the then Kerry Senior Football manager.

He was called into the Kerry Football team in the summer of 1958 playing at left half back in the All Ireland semi-final that year against Derry and on a day when conditions in Croke Park were Monsoon like, Derry pipped Kerry with a sucker punch goal towards the end of the game and achieved an unlikely victory.

This loss like all losses in Kerry football didn’t go down well so the pressure was on for the Kerry team to deliver an All-Ireland in 1959.

The Kerry team of 1959 was captained by the legendary Mick O Connell. Kerry beat Tipp in the first round, then Cork in the Munster final, Dublin in the semi Final and they faced a fancied Galway team in the All Ireland final in Croke Park.

This was a Kerry team with Johnny Culloty, Mick Dwyer Sean Murphy, Mick O Connell, Jerome O Shea, Tom Long to mention but a few, all household names at the time.

Fr Moss was introduced at half time in that game for Mick O’Connell and Kerry went on to win on a score-line 3:07 to 1:04 and Fr Moss had landed that much coveted Celtic Cross having played in all four games in that campaign.

1959 was the year amid all the celebrations that the Sam Maguire was left in the dressing room.

So, while Sam Maguire was in the dressing room in Croke Park, the Kerry team made their way down to Kerry for the celebrations, Fr Moss O Connell was catching a flight back to Manchester where he had commenced as a Parish Priest in the Diocese of Salford Manchester.

Because of his UK base his opportunity to play for Kerry and Abbeydorney in the following years was not possible but he did manage to play for the Kerry Senior Hurlers in the early 60s and also played for Lancashire in an All-Ireland Junior football final against his native county Kerry.

With his GAA career coming to an end he took to the golf course getting down to a single handicapper golfer and he became a season ticket holder at Manchester United.

Fr Moss is now retired after serving 56 years as a Parish priest. He keeps a close eye on the fortunes of Abbeydorney and Kerry GAA and when back in Ireland tries to attend as many matches as he can.

Also, an avid card player he frequents Mc Elligotts in Abbeydorney on a Saturday night for his game of 31. Our Hall of Fame Recipient for 2018 : Canon Moss O’Connell.

CLUB OFFICERS : Tom O’Connell and Brian Murphy were recently elected as Club Chairman and Bord Na nÓg Chairman respectively at a recent Executive Committee Meeting. We wish both Tom and Brian the very best of luck in their new roles.

SCÓR SINSEAR : On this the 50th Anniversary of the Scór competition, Abbeydorney GAA have 2 new participants in the Scór competition. Aidan Leahy will represent the Club in the Solo Singing section at the N.K. Final while Peter Hinchliffe will participate in the Recitation section. Best of luck to both Aidan and Peter and huge credit must be given to the guys for putting their names forward. We will also have a quiz team representing the Club at the County Final on Saturday, 16th February.

FOUNDATION LEVEL COACHING COURSE: The course will take place on Saturday February 2nd in Ballyheigue Gaa Club starting @ 10am. The tutor for the course will be PJ Ryan. All enquiries & names if interested to Tom O’Connell on 087-9828749.

POST-PRIMARY : Best of luck to Causeway Comprehensive School who will play St. Anne’s C.C. Killaloe in the semi-final of the Post Primary U19 C competition this Wednesday, 23rd January @ 2.00pm in Rathkeale. Club Players on the team : Jack Parker, Shane Donovan, Sean Holden.

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