AGM: Our Juvenile AGM will take place at 7pm on Sunday next, January 7th, at our Connolly Park HQ. Perhaps that might be a more suitable hour and day for people to be available and we might see a larger than usual attendance as our club sets off on its 101st year. Fáilte roimh gach duine idir óg is aosta. All support greatly appreciated.
FAOI 6/8/10: Our new 2018 football action will take off on Sunday week, January 14th. Parents will be informed of training times by text. Tá fonn imeartha ar na daoine óga cheana féin agus sceitimíní áthais ar gach éinne!!
AN LEABHAR AGUS AN FÉILIRE: (i) There are still a few club calendars on sale at Kevin Barry’s Shop, Rock St, and at the clubhouse – cost €5 each. (ii) ‘A Centenary History’ – ‘Stair 100 Bliain’ de stair Chumann Aibhistín de Staic is still available at Polymath, First Chapter, O’Mahonys’ Book Shop, Rock St PO, Paudie Commane’s Book Shop, Nolan’s Garage, Kevin Barry’s Shop, Garveys’ Supervalu and Easons,.
SCÓR: (i) Tá Scór na Sinsear romhainn amach! The club needs a 4-person table quiz team, a 5-person ballad group, 5 musicians for a grúpa ceoil, srl. ‘Bhfuil rinceoirí againn? (ii) Best wishes to the Kerry Scór performers who will be heading for the Munster finals and, le cúnamh Dé, the All-Ireland finals.
THE NALLY STAND: Rugadh Patrick William Nally i mBalla i gContae Mhaigh Eo sa bhliain 1857. He was theeldest son of a prosperous Mayo farmer who had strong nationalist views. Patrick was one of six brothers and was an outstanding athlete.
From an early age, he had been a Fenian (founded in 1867) and by the late 1870s was a leading organiser of the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood).
He was also present at the founding meeting (1879) of the Land League of Mayo; it later became the Land League (Michael Davitt). Nally had attempted to start a nationalist athletics association in 1877 but it never got off the ground.
In 1879, Michael Cusack met Nally. Cusack realised that Nally’s views on the influence of British landlordism on Irish athletics were the same as his. Cusack later recalled how both Nally and himself, while walking through the Phoenix Park in Dublin, noted that only a handful of people were playing sports. Chuir sin an-bhrón orthu!
They agreed that it was time to “make an effort to preserve the physical strength of our race.” Nally organised a National Athletics Sports meeting in County Mayo in September 1879 and this effort was a success. (Years later,Austin Stack was involved in a similar effort in Tralee…to re-organise the GAA in Kerry!)
Cusack then organised another similar event which was open to ‘artisans’ in Dublin. The seed of the GAA was germinating! In 1881, Nally was sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Mountjoy Jail for what became known as the “Crossmolina Conspiracy” and, while in the ‘Joy, he was subjected to harsh treatment…no love shown to Irish prisoners in those days! Unfortunately, he died in prison in November 1891.
Ní raibh sé ach 34 bliain d’aois! (Parnell died the same year). The Nally GAA Club was formed in his memory in Dublin and most of its members were closely associated with working class nationalists during the 1890s and beyond. These are thoughts that might be in our minds when we next sit in the Nally Stand in Páirc an Chrócaigh and watch Kerry playing (v Dublin?)! B’fhéidir gurb é seo Bliain na gCiarraíoch! Cá bhfios?
6ú EANÁIR: Nollaig na mBan = Féile na dTrí Rí.
AR AIS AR SCOIL: Best wishes to all our players as they face into another tough school term.
