STRICTLY COME DANCING: Our thanks to Adrienne McLoughlin for the following Report;

In what has become an annual event on the Tralee social calendar, Austin Stacks brought the 8th annual Strictly Come Dancing to the Festival Dome on Saturday 25th August.  The 14 couples, listed below, were put through their paces over the past couple of months by Jackie O’Mahoney-Hurley, and all the practice certainly paid off.

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 Hayes 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 (Hairworks Hair&Beauty) and Amy Roche (Value Centre Killarney)

An excellent show, none of which would have been possible without the effort and hard work of a dedicated team of volunteers, too many to name individually.

This year’s team of judges were: Aidan O’Carroll, Carmel Russell, Honor Hurley, Kieran Donaghy and Michael Healy-Rae.  This year saw a new category of winner introduced – Couple as voted on by the public – which went to Marie Carroll and Tim Moynihan.  The Judges Winners were Daniel Tuohy and Amy Roche.  The Jimmy Barry Memorial and Helen Dowling Memorial Cups were presented to the Judges Winners by family representatives, Diarmuid Barry and  Caroline Dowling; Liam Lynch (Chairman) and Mairead Fernane (Vice Chairperson) presented trophies to the Public winners.  An added attraction on the night was the draw for door prizes, and the Best Dressed Man and Lady competition.  The former was sponsored by Frankie Murphy of Celcius Menswear and the Best Dressed Lady on the night was Catriona Collins.

Following much celebration on the dance floor by the winners and their supporters and families, the night continued into the small hours with Francie Breen and his disco.

Thanks to the 14 couples for making the night such a success, hope you all enjoyed the experience and made many new friends.

SENIOR FOOTBALL: The remaining four games in round 1 of this season’s Co. Championship go ahead this week-end. Our game, against Kenmare District, goes ahead in Connolly Park on Saturday (1st Sept) with a throw-in at 5.30pm. This will be the 11th Co. Championship meeting between the two sides. And both sides have a very even record against one another – winning five and losing five. Our losses have come in the very first meeting – the 1952 semi final and in our last two meetings – round 3 in 2008 and in the quarter final of 2016. Our other two losses came in R1 of 1967 and the Qr Final of 1970.

Our five victories came in 1961 (R2), 1973 (semi), 1976 (final), 1990 (R2) and 1992 (R1).

B FOOTBALL: Gneeveguilla 0-8; Austin Stacks 0-7.

In a tight, goalless, low-scoring game, in which both sets of defences excelled, we just came up short in this opening round (quarter final) of the Molyneaux Cup at a rather cold and damp Gneeveguilla on last Friday evening (24th Aug). We led by three points to one after 22 minutes, but three quick unanswered points in the closing minutes of the half left the home side ahead at the break by 0-4 to 0-3. Our three first half scores came from Brandon Patterson in the 4th minute from play and the other two from placed balls by Donagh McKivergan in the 6th minute and Wayne Guthrie in the 22nd minute.

Gneeveguilla stretched that lead even further in the opening five minutes of the second half with three more points. Then in the next three minutes we responded with three points of our own – Donagh McKivergan with one from play and a free – and the other from an Alan Duggan from play. It took another 15 minutes  before another score came – a point for the opposition – to put them two ahead. Alan Duggan was really unlucky not to have goaled a minute later but he did add a point in the 27th minute from a free to leave the minimum between the sides. But soon after referee Donal Donnelly (Kilcummin) blew the final whistle and that was that.

Team: Seamus Bastible, Shane Kelliher, Paul Galvin, James Quigley, Brandon Patterson (0-1), Ciarán O’Connell, Andrew Morrissey (Capt), Wayne Guthrie (0-1- free), Shane Walsh, Michael Linnane, Alan Duggan (0-2 – one free), David Couchman, Donagh McKivergan (0-3 – two frees), Gearóid McCann, Eoghan Galvin.

Subs used: John Dennis (ht), Paul Barrett (ht), Rory Forbes (44m).

However, it’s still not the end of the road as far as our Championship ambitions are concerned. With the new format this year the four first round losers in the Molyneaux Cup will go through to the next round of the McElligott Cup (the semi final. Those two semi finals are fixed for next Friday evening (31st Aug) at 6.45pm. We have a home game against Beaufort while Glenbeigh/Glencar travel to play Rathmore in the other semi.

MINOR FOOTBALL: Best of luck to the Kerry Minors, including our own Seán Quilter, as they seek their 5th All Ireland MF title in a row in next Sunday’s Final in Croke Park.

And congratulations to our other Minor Footballer, Michael Slattery who won a MH Co. Championship medal when Abbeydorney were crowned Co. Champions in Austin Stack Park last Sunday And not alone did Michael win a medal but he won the Man of the Match Award as well after scoring 2-6 in his team’s 3-11 to 1-16 win over a Ballyheigue/Causeway combination.

HURLING The 5th annual Trevor Barrett Tournament went ahead in Connolly Park on Saturday afternoon

(25th August) in brilliant sunshine. And for the 3rd the event was won by Causeway – defeating Crotta in the final by 5-15 to 0-7. Lixnaw were victorious in the Shield Final – defeating Austin Stacks by 2-11 to 1-7. On behalf of the Hurlers, Tadhg Meehan made the various presentations afterwards – the Cup to Causeway Captain, Eric McHale; the Shield Trophy to Lixnaw captain, Thomas Molyneaux; Man of the Match in the Cup final to Causeway’s Pádraig Harty ; Man of the Match in the Shield final to Lixnaw’s Pat Hogan and the Man of the Tournament to Causeway’s Gearóid Mahoney.Thanks to the other three Clubs – Ballyheigue, Crotta O’Neills and St. Brendans – who also took part and to all the players who provided us with some brilliant skillful hurling all through the afternoon.

And it’s always nice to have Trevor’s family and friends present for the occasion, including his parents Richard and Betty and Paul and Gillian and family.

Thanks again to all our Hurlers who organized and ran the event, including the aforementioned Tadhg Meehan, as well as Peter O’Regan, Daniel Maguire, Andrew Morrissey and Ronan Gilsenan. And a special thanks to Ger Scollard and Adrienne McLoughlin for taking the photographs all day.

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 (20th August) Jackpot, worth €9,000, was not won. The numbers drawn were 10, 14, 20, 26. The €20 winners were: Noreen McMahon, c/o Carmel O’Neill; David O’Sullivan and Joe & Cáit Looney, both c/o The Club; and Josie Stack and Veronica Costello, both c/o Rock Street Post Office.

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 – Gerard Deasy, Cork City and Tralee; Mary Collins (nee Hobbert), Graigue, Ardfert and formerly St. John’s Park: Mary McEllistrim (nee Laide), Lioscarraig Drive, Caherslee and formerly of The Kerries and The Town & Country Pub, The Mall; Mary McNeice (nee Foley), Bray and late of Tralee (sister of former Club Hurler, the late Fr. George Foley); Michael Horan, Stacks Villas and formerly Mitchels Road: James Christopher O’Gorman, New Jersey (USA) and formerly Tralee and Dublin; and Tony O’Sullivan, Shanakill and formerly Kevin Barry’s Villas..