LEABHAR AN CHÉID AGUS FÉILIRE 2018: (i) The 11th edition of our club calendar with photographs of our young stars will be on sale this Friday night, December 15th, in the clubhouse. Costas: €5 an ceann; 3 cinn ar €10. (ii) Also on sale will be ‘A Centenary History’…100 bliain de stair na Carraige. Why not come along for the launch!
PEILEADÓIRÍ FAOI 6/8/10: The Under 6/8/10 award presentation ceremonies, our highlights of the season, took place on Sunday last in Na Cruaghoirt.
It was an exciting occasion for all the young Rock players and for all their many faithful fans…..moms, dads, siblings! Rousing speeches were given by William Kirby, Ger Power, Pa Laide, Morgan O’Connell and Tim McMahon.
Tim McMahon and Michael Lynch of the Austin Stack Club have everything ready for Sunday’s Juvenile Awards’ Ceremony in Connolly Park on Sunday last. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
Two happy boys, Rocco (U7) and Coby (U6) Mac Mathúna, wear their Rock medals after the Awards’ Ceremony in Connolly Park last Sunday morning. Another great day in Connolly Park. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
Four Kerry Under 17/18 players of 2017 brought the Markem Cup to their ‘alma mater’ on Sunday last. The young members of the Austin Stack Club gave them a great welcome and the ‘Kerry lads’ presented the end-of-year medals to The Rock Under 6/8/10 boys. Na Ciarraíg ó chlé: Mícheál Ó Slatara, Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh, Donagh Mac Mathúna agus Dylan Ó Cathasaigh. ‘An Charraig Abú’, were the buzz words of the day. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
The Rock representatives on Kerry teams (U17/18) were present to present the medals agus na sólaistí; and they brought along the Tommy Markem Cup. The youngsters were delighted to see their heroes….Mícheál Ó Slatara, Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh, Donagh Mac Mathúna agus Dylan Ó Cathasaigh…lovely lads….great role models….proud of their Rock roots!
PEILEADÓIRÍ FAOI 15/16: The presentations to our successful Under 15/16 footballers took place in the clubhouse last Friday. A lovely occasion and a large crowd attended! Medals were presented, speeches were made and cameras were ‘snapped’! What a season!
The Under 15s won the Super-Touch 10-a-side Tournament and the Town League. The Under 16s won the Central Region League and the County League…something that no Rock team had achieved in the last ten years. The medals for the year’s heroic efforts were presented by our Rockie Legend guest of honour, William Kirby.
William, in a rousing speech, recalled great days in the Green’n’Gold as well as lovely memories from the 269 times that he lined out as a Black’n’Amber player. Yes, 269 times….this is not a misprint!
He also gave the lads great advice on how to work hard and train well and on how to act and play on the playing pitch. These boys…young men now…look forward to the challenges of 2018.
An interesting and motivating Q&A session was conducted by Tim and William on ‘Kerry and Austin Stack Club football’….past, present and future and there were encouraging thoughts for the future! (Have we a 4-man quiz team for the upcoming Scór na nÓg – Under 17 competition as a follow up to this? See below, boys, and have a go!).
Proceedings, mar is gnách, were co-ordinated by Tim McMahon, Juvenile Chairman, and by Colm Mangan, Coaching Coordinator.
Refreshments for the players were generously provided after the presentations with compliments of one of our sponsors, Subway. ‘Well done’ to all involved on a successful season…not every GAA club can field two teams at this level…tá dhá fhoireann mhaithe faoi 16 ar an gCarraig!
What a season for the Austin Stack Club Under 15s and 16s! The U15s won the Super-Touch 10-a-side Tournament and the Town League. The Under 16s won the Central Region League and the County League…something that no Rock team had achieved in the last ten years. The club successes were recalled on Friday last in the clubhouse. Bhí ard-oíche ag na peileadóirí agus ag na bainisteoirí. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
William Kirby and Tim McMahon at the Awards’ Night in the Austin Stack Club hall last Friday. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
These Rock ladies have bought their 2018 calenders. €5 each or 3 for €10….an ideal stocking filler for Christmas! All profit will go to the Juvenile Section of the club. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
The Austin Stack Club Under 15/16 players listening intently to their managers and mentors, Tim McMahon, Colm Mangan, William Kirby and John Chester, in the clubhouse last Friday night. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
SCÓR: (i) The club needs a 4-man/woman table quiz team for the Kerry county quiz finals which will take place on Thursday January 4th at the Austin Stack Park Pavilion, Tralee, commencing at 6pm. The winning team/club willrepresent Kerry in the Scór na nÓg (Faoi 17) All-Ireland. If interested contact must be made with the County Secretary, Suzanne Ní Laoire, right now…an tseachtain seo!
(ii) Senior Scór looms ahead! The club needs a table quiz team of 4, a 5-person ballad group, 5 musicians for a grúpa ceoil, srl, srl.
(iii) Comhghairdeachas lenár gcomharsana, Na Gaeil, on their double success in Munster Scór na nÓg. Six out of seven Kerry clubs have reached the Munster finals.
(iv) The founder of Scór, Derry Gowan (Cork), has passed to his eternal reward. Resquiescat in pace.
AN RAIBH ‘FHIOS AGAT? The man credited with much of the ‘drive’ in founding the GAA was Michael Cusack. Cusack was born in famine times….in 1847 (Black ’47). He worked as a teacher at Blackrock College in Dublin. (Éamonn de Valera later taught at the same college).
In 1877, he set up his own cramming school to prepare students for examinations into the British Civil Service. (Britian ruled Ireland at the time!) “Cusack’s Academy” was in Gardiner Street, just above Barry’s Hotel on the way to Croke Park.
His pupils did extremely well, resulting in soaring attendances at the academy. Pupils at ‘Cusack’s Academy’ were encouraged to get involved in all forms of physical exercise. Cusack was troubled by falling standards in specifically Irish games.
He wanted to remedy this situation! He set out to re-establish the ancient Tailteann Games as an athletics competition with a distinctive Irish flavour and to re-establish the skilful game of hurling as the national pastime. Cusack met with several other enthusiasts on Saturday 1thNovember 1884 in Thurles.
The foundation day/date was chosen for its mythological significance as, according to legend, Samhain (1 November) was the time when the Fianna’s power died. He meant this choice of day to symbolise the rebirth of the Irish heroes and the Gaelic Athletic Association for the Cultivation and Preservation of National Pastimes was established.
Its name was subsequently shortened to Cumann Lúthchleas Gael (Gaelic Athletic Association). Imagine being called the GAACPNP!! Within a few weeks of the organisation’s foundation, Thomas Croke, the Catholic Archbishop of Cashel, gave it his approval and became its first patron. (The Archbishop of Cashel is, to this day, the patron of the GAA).
Its other patrons included both Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell. Who was the first president of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael? (Did you read last week’s notes?) Where in Tralee would you see a plaque to Dr Croke (the man, not the club!)?
