Austin Stacks GAA Club News

Posted by

STRICTLY COME DANCING: Well after weeks of preparation by a host of brilliant volunteers our Strictly Come Dancing date has swiftly come upon us and the Festival Dome is the place to be on next Saturday night (25th Aug). Jackie O Mahoney has put the 14 couples through their paces to make sure the dancing is of the highest possible standard.  This Annual event is always hotly anticipated in Tralee.  The last of the tickets (at €20 each) may still be had from Garvey’s Super Valu, Kevin Barry’s Nolan’s Garage, Rock St. Post Office & from contestants.

This years Dancing couples are as follows: David Malone (Kerry Broadband) and Mary Kate McGuire (Kerry Bio-Fuels); Joe Looby (Wild Café)  and Amy Carmody (Celsius Menswear); Mary Lacey  (Claire’s Slimming World) and Malachy Nagle (O’Flynn Interiors);John Galvin (Abbey Hotel Nenagh) and Ruth Maher (Scotia Clinic);Marcus Nolan (Leahy’s Chemist)  and Kate McDonagh (Kerry Group); Neil ‘Flash’ O Shea (Leonard Foley Fitness)  and Nichola Galvin (Barry Print); Tim Moynihan (Sean Ógs)  and Marie Carroll (The Greyhound Bar); James Sugrue (Lee Strand Tralee)  and Sarah O Connell (Nisus Fitness); Jason Rogers (Pat Healy Racing) and Sinead Kennedy (Mc Elligott’s Garage); Shane Casey (The Green Rooster)  and Pauline Barrett (Mellon Educate); Robert Byrne (The Rose Hotel)  and Chantelle O Sullivan (Tony O’Shea Construction); Denis Sayers (The Brogue Inn)  and Lisa Conway (Terry’s Butchers); Cormac Sertutxa (Irish Red Cross) and Rachel Quirke (Sportsfield Bar) and Daniel Tuohy and Amy Roche (Value Centre Killarney).

So come along to the Festival Dome on this Saturday night (25th Aug) and see them all strut their stuff.

The 14 couples who are contestants in the eighth Austin Stacks GAA ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ with Choreographer Jackie O’Mahony and members of the organising committee. Photo by Dermot Crean . Photo by Dermot Crean

SENIOR FOOTBALL: Austin Stacks 3-21; Castleisland Desmonds 2-5.

This 11th and final round of the Co. League, played in Connolly Park on yesterday afternoon (19th August), was of no consequence to us, from a League point of view, as we had already secured the Div. 2 title and promotion to the top tier for the coming season. Despite this Wayne and his colleagues put out a strong team, using it as a good warm-up for the forthcoming Championship which, for us, begins on the week-end after next). And that starting 15 and the six subs who also participated played, understandably, as if it was the Championship. We led by 2-8 to 0-1 at half time. Our opening score came after just a minute with a Darragh O’Brien cross tapped over by Kieran Donaghy, who, along with Ronan Shanahan, was making his first Co. League start of the season. Shane Carroll then pointed from a free in the 4th minute after Shane O’Callaghan was fouled. Desmonds opened their account in the 6th minute with a good effort from play.

Then a minute later came our first goal of the game. A long diagonal ball by Darragh O’Brien was won by his brother Ferdia, who found Star and the ever-alert Greg Horan pounced on Star’s tap-down to blaze to the net. Between then and half time we were in total control adding a further 1-6 (the goal coming from Shane O’Callaghan in the 25th minute) to no further scores for the opposition, mainly due to the excellence of our defence.

We kept up the pace in the second half  and went on to score a further 1-13 to 2-4 for Desmonds. Our goal came in the 52nd minute from Kieran Donaghy. Not since the 3rd season of the competition (1973) have we had such a winning streak. This season we won ten games out of 11 – losing only our 1st round game away to Kilcummin. In 1973 we won all our 13 games (there were 14 teams in Division 1 at that time) thereby winning the Co. League (Div 1) for the first time.

After the game the Div. 2 trophy was presented to our winning Shane Guthrie by Fionán Fitzgerald, the Co. Board Official.

Team: Robbie Murphy, Denis Costello, Ronan Shanahan, Dylan Casey, Pa McCarthy (0-1), Conor Jordan, Ciarán O’Reilly, Shane Guthrie (Capt), Joseph O’Connor (0-3), Shane Carroll (0-4 – one free), Darragh O’Brien (0-64 – 2 frees), Greg Horan (1-1), Ferdia O’Brien, Kieran Donaghy (1-1), Shane O’Callaghan (1-2).

Subs used: Donagh McKivergan (ht), Fergal Ryan (44m), Ciarán O’Connell (46m), John Dennis (48m), Brandon Patterson (49m), Gearóid Fitzgerald (52m)

So now it’s full steam ahead to the first round of the Co. Championship where we have a home game against  Kenmare District on Saturday week ( 1st Sept) at 5.30 pm.

B FOOTBALL: This year’s B Co. Championship is somewhat different to previous years. Our concern is  with Pool A which contains eight teams. Winners of the first four R1 games go through to the semi finals of the Molyneaux Cup with the four losers going through to the semi finals of the Barrett Cup. The following is the draw for the first round – Beaufort .v. Kerins O’Rahillys; Glenbeigh/Glencar .v. Dr. Crokes; Gneeveguilla .v. Austin Stacks and John Mitchels .v. Rathmore. All games are scheduled for next Friday evening (24th Aug) at 6.45pm. So off we go to Gneeveguilla for our first round game.

MINOR FOOTBALL: Austin Stacks 7-15; Shannon Rangers 0-5.

Our Minors qualified for their first Co. Championship semi final for the first time since 2007 with too easy a victory over Shannon Rangers in Connolly Park on last Tuesday evening (14th Aug). At half time we led by 3-8 to 0-4 and we went on to score a further 4-7 during the second half to just one point for the opposition. Darragh Long and his fellow selectors would, we are sure, have preferred a more stern test to prepare for their semi final encounter. All our twenty one lads gave a super performance all through but one man who continues to create  records did so again on this occasion. Last year Gearóid Fizgerald ended up chief scorer with a whopping 14 goals and 17 points to his credit. Now it’s unlikely that Gearóid was reading the current edition of Ireland’s Own during the course of the afternoon but if he was he would have seen an article on page 86 of the magazine devoted to another man who wore the number fourteen jersey away back in May 1960.  That was Dublin’s famous full forward of the time, Johnny Joyce. On that May Sunday Dublin defeated Longford in the Leinster quarter final by 10-13 to 3-8 with Johnny contributing 5-3 to the victory. Now our Gearóid went one better in Connolly Park in his quarter final game, scoring 5-4,  and he could have put away another goal or two but the decency of the player prevented him from  adding anymore agony to his opposing colleagues. Well done Gearóid.

Team: Ben Quilter, James Quigley, Donagh McMahon, Eoghan Carroll. Dara Barry Walsh, Dylan Casey, Adam Curran, Michael O’Gara (0-1), Seán Quilter (0-2), David Couchman (0-1), Daniel O’Rourke (0-1), Conor Myers (1-2), Seán Carmody, Gearóid Fitzgerald (5-4), Michael Slattery (1-4 – one free).

Subs used: Gearóid Sheehan (37m), Niall Fitzmaurice (43m), Luke Chester (44m), Joe Looby (46m), Pádraic Linnane (50m), David Burke (50m).

HURLING The 5th annual Trevor Barrett Tournament goes ahead in Connolly Park on next Saturday (25th August) afternoon, commencing at 1.30pm and concluding at 6pm approx. Like last year  it will be run-off  as a7t – a side competition with games ten minutes a half. Eight teams will be competing on a knock-out basis. Times have yet to be confirmed as we write but the following are the four round 1 games: Austin Stacks .v. St. Brendans (holders); Ballyheigue .v. Dr. Crokes; Causeway .v. Crotta O’Neills; and Duagh .v. Lixnaw.

CLUBHOUSE: As always the Clubhouse is available for all types of Parties and Functions. Enquiries about Club Bookings should be made by contacting Harry Hynes at 087 2467286.

CARDS: The 45 Card Sessions continue in the Clubhouse on every Monday and Thursday nights, commencing at 9.30pm each night.

LOTTO: Last week’s (13th August) Jackpot, worth €8,950, was not won. The numbers drawn were 3, 5, 19, 31. The €20 winners were: Maurice McNamara and Mary Shanahan, both c/o The Club; Seamus Mogs O’Mahony and Teresa Trant, both c/o Rock Street Post Office; and Damien McLoughlin, c/o Club Rockies.

Tickets are on regular sale at the Rock Street Post Office and at the Stacks Clubhouse, as well as from our other regular sellers.

 

SYMPATHY:  Sincere sympathy is offered to the families of the following who died recently – Eileen (Eily) Flaherty (nee Stack), Coolruane, Lixnaw (mother of former Club Hurler, Christy and grandmother of former Club Footballer, Christy Jnr); Seán Patrick Moran, Ballyrickard Close (Seán was a great supporter of our victorious C teams back in late nineties/early noughties – teams that were managed by his good friends, Aidan O’Connor and the late Charlie Healy); John Brendan Stack, Doon and formerly Dublin and Spain (Brendan was a great Club supporter, especially our Hurling teams, until he moved away from Tralee); John Cronin, Basin View and formerly Liscullane, Lixnaw; Margaret (Peggy) Quirke (nee Murphy), Stack’s Villas and formerly Cahill’s Park and Blennerville (mother of former Club Footballer, Michael); and Peter Turner, Tobar Naofa, Dean’s Lane and formerly Los Angles.

Comments are closed.

image