PEIL FAOI 7: (i) We’ll have football as usual next Sunday morning (20ú) i gCathair Sailí ag 11am. (ii) Yes…more brilliant football was played on Thursday last (5.30pm).

PEIL FAOI 9: (i) See you all on Sunday next (August 20th), boys, and we’d like to announce that our Sunday sessions will continue until the end of October. (ii) And we expect to see you all again in Connolly Park on Thursday at 5.30pm for our final GoGames session of the season; we host the St Senan Club U9s. Come on The Rock! And the very important news is that the Thursday session will continue until the end of October. The Bracker Regan Cup competition will be big prize! Mouthwatering games ahead! (iii) Our annual trip to the St Finbarr Club in Cork City for the Canty Cup competition will take place in October. And we might even bring home the cup!

ALL-STARS: More fun warm-up games and plenty skill and ball practice at 10am next Sunday (20thAugust) at the Austin Stack Club in Connolly Park. See you all, lads! And, of course, newcomers welcome. (Cathal O’Shea)

PEIL FAOI 11: (i) More Football-For-Fun at 10.50am next Sunday (20ú Lúnasa) in Caherslee.
(ii) The U11 Central Region GoGames (A and B):
17th August: Keel v AdeS (as baile)…..a good show by our boys in Keel!
24th August at 7pm: Na Mistéalaigh v AdeS (as baile).
There will be no semi-finals or finals in these games.

MEAS~~RESPECT FOR ALL: The Give Respect~~Get Respect campaign is a nationwide initiative by the GAA to ensure that Gaelic Games are promoted and played in a positive, fair and enjoyable manner and that players, coaches, mentors, spectators and match officials show respect to each other.

The key participants in the Give Respect~~Get Respect campaign are not just the players themselves but the coaches, mentors, match officials, parents, club officials, club workers and supporters. GAA leadership in Kerry is committed to promoting and developing the RESPECT initiative.

We all have collective responsibility to actively promote this culture of meas-ar-gach-éinnein all our club activities.

The Austin Stack Club will be part of the respect campaign during this coming weekend (19th~20th). So, we respectfully request all our members to focus on the principles of the Give Respect~~Get Respect idea. Let’s show/highlight/explain the importance of respect within our GAA community. Bíodh meas againn ar a chéile!

CAID FAOI 13: (a) Our B team was scheduled to play Milltown/Castlemaine in the Central League (Division 6) semi-final at 6pm on Wednesday (16th) in Milltown. Thanks to our faithful supporters. (b) Rose Cup: our older boys (those born in 2010) are looking forward to taking part in this year’s Rose Cup on Saturday next (19th).

We have been drawn in Group D and we’ll be based at Na Gaeil Club in Killeen. Our stalwarts will face Laune Rangers, Douglas (Cork) and Ardfert. We wish them well. (Dan Ahern)

CAMPA PEILE: ‘Well done’ to all involved in our club camp…‘twas enjoyed by all.

PEIL FAOI 13/15: 24 of our U13 lads and 30 of our U15 boys joined together and went on a wonderful trip to Eclipse Ireland Activity and Outdoor Centre in South Kerry.

They were looked after by 5 brave mentors! Bus de Paor, faoi cheannas Joe, a thug ann agus ar ais iad go slán sábháilte. All had a good time. This trip was made possible by very generous support from our club juvenile-section sponsors, Ned O’Shea & Sons and John Lane & Sons, and it took place in conjunction withJigsaw.

This project had been in the pipeline for some time and we finally achieved our goal. It was a day with a difference for the boys.

The main practical requirement for all was to wear old clothes and shoes and to ensure that a change of clothing was brought along.

On arrival at the Eclipse Centre the need for such attire became evident as we observed the lake (loch), the rivers (aibhneacha) and the mudbath (folcadh láibe) obstacle courses that awaited us. Oh, boys!

After brief introductions and housekeeping information by/from Athos and his friendly and professional staff at Eclipse the boys were broken up into 4 groups. The morning sessions and activities, set tastefully in the beautiful South Kerry countryside, were based on team building and on teamwork challenges that had many mental and physical challenges.

The staff at Eclipse quickly set the tone and they emphasised the importance of careful listening and good communication for good effective outcomes. Instructions for the various challenges were rarely repeated and, so, one had to be switched on, in tune and on the correct wavelength!

Thankfully, our boys did as requested and made the most of these interesting challenges. They performed admirably! Just before lunchtime we got a taste of what was to come in the afternoon…the first of the ‘water/mud’ obstacle courses.

Then the group was split into two teams and, following a short break, we were back at the challenges. It was all go and hell for leather in a series of tough physical teamwork challenges….getting down to the action in the mud….splish! splash!….bodies deep in muddy bog holes….glug! glug!

Because the challenges were timed…per team…the competition was fierce as the loss or the missing of a challenge by one’s team meant that it had to be repeated. These were difficult challenges….wet, cold and dirty….but the boys stuck determinedly with their given projects. Indeed, it could be said that they took to their tasks like ducks to water!

Rockmen rise to challenges! Observers noted moments of great leadership, real courage and total commitment by all the boys…Black‘n’Amber traits, gan dabht! What a day of fun and excitement, of learning and experience, of cooperation, harmony, friendship and camaraderie! These boys jelled! The magnificent and muddied 54 had a day that will live long in their memories…for the thrills, challenges and excitement.

Later, following a big and very necessary clean-up and a much needed hose down, we departed from Eclipse with some fantastic memories. They were treated to a ‘bite’ in McDonalds on their arrival back in Tralee. Lá dá saol…a day for them to savor!

Thanks again to Ned O’Shea & Sons and to John Lane & Sons, ár n-urraitheoirí flaithiúla, to Eclipse Ireland, to everyone in the club who organised and supported the trip and to the boys themselves whose good behaviour, commitment to the challenges and all-round good humour throughout the day made it a great occasion. Buíochas speisialta lenár gcathaoirleach, Shane Lynch, agus lenár rúnaí, Siobhán de Paor, for arranging the logistics.

A big ‘thank you’ to Adam and Martha Kowalczyk for their videoing and photography…dziękuję bardzo. Photos of the day’s activities may be viewed on the club website. (Ger Hobbert; Dan Ahern)

PEIL FAOI 15: (a) Training continued on Wednesday and on Friday. Watch out for the group messages for details. So, boys, we’re back to the obair mhór….ag traenáil, ag obair ar na scileanna, ag imirt cluichí agus, le cúnamh Dé, ag buachan cluichí. Ar aghaidh linn, a bhuachaillí na Carraige!

(b) We once again encourage all boys to work on their sponsorship/raffle cards and to ‘sell’ lots of lines; great prizes will be on offer….never venture, never win! We are hoping/requesting/asking that everybody will support these efforts to gather much needed revenue for the benefit of our youngsters! Our young footballers deserve our best efforts! Ní neart go cur le chéile….no strength until we put together! (c) Last Friday’s table quiz (11th) was a great success, was a great social outing and lots of spot prizes were transported to safe homes!! (Ger Hobbert)

PEIL FAOI 17: We say ‘well done’ to our boys and to their management team who were so so unlucky in their Minor County Championship semi-final v Ciarraí Thuaidh (the North Kerry DIVISIONAL team) in Abbeydorney on Monday last (14th).

They were pipped at the post….by a single 0-1 and after extra time….2-20 to 3-18. An heroic performance!

Painéal: Stephen Conway; James Fisher, Donnacha Horgan, Ciarán Kavanagh; Seán Heaslip, Fionnán Ryan, Pádraig O’Halloran; Ben Murphy, Daniel Kirby; Gavin Casey, Ronan Carroll, Thomas Dergree; Ryan O’Driscoll, Paddy Lane, Cormac Bastible; Alex Tuohy; David Lucid; Jack Barrett; Ryan Mc Mahon; Rory Lynch, Jake O’Connor, Seán Óg Ó Brosnacháin.

MAINISTIR Ó dTORNA: The 1st Cistercian Abbey in Kerry was founded in 1154 (15 years before the Normans arrived in Ireland) by the chief of the Torna ‘tribe’ and was known as Mainistir Ó dTorna….the Abbey/Monastery of The Torna. Now you know what ‘Abbeydorney’ means!

CLUB LOTTO: Please support the businesses of our lotto-sellers: (i) O’Flynn Interiors, The Rock, (ii) Hussey’s Deli and Newsagency, Prince’s Quay, (iii) The Burger Shack, Monavalley. (iv) Kirby’s Brogue Inn, The Rock, (v) Siopa de Barra, An Charraig. (vi) Commane’s Bookshop (PC Books), The Rock.

POC FADA: Good news for Kerry is that, for the 1st time ever, a Kerryman won the All-Ireland Poc Fada Final at Áth na bhFearnaí (Ford of the Alders) on the Cooley Peninsula….Fionnán Mackessy.

CLUB SHOP: For club gear go to www.oneills.com

CIARRAÍ: Mór-chomhbhrón agus sympathies to Aoife Ní Dhuilleáin, to Peileadóirí Ban Chiarraí and to Dara Ó Lúing v The Dubs. They gave of their best but it wasn’t to be….THIS YEAR!

AN CHARRAIG: ‘Well done’ to our club seniors v Baile Uí Dhonnchú in their first round Intermediate game. Go n-éirí go geal leo v Na Mistéalaigh agus Na Deasúnaigh.

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