Archive for April, 2013

Sports-24/04/13

Athea United Soccer

SUPER BEES WIN LEAGUE CUP

ATHEA UTD B       (1)  1    Shane Mulvihill 26 minutes

KNOCKADERRY    (1)  1     16 minutes

(aet, Athea Utd B won 4-2 on pens)

Athea Utd B captain Pa Kiely receives the Division 3 League Cup from Bernadette Hartnett of The Limerick Desmond Football League

Athea Utd B captain Pa Kiely receives the Division 3 League Cup from Bernadette Hartnett of The Limerick Desmond Football League

Shane Mulvihill receives the man of the match award from referee Pat King

Shane Mulvihill receives the man of the match award from referee Pat King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Friday night at Clounreask the Bs under the stewardship of Bobby Barrett and Paudie Lynch secured the division three league cup when we came from behind to defeat Knockaderry on penalties after the game ended one all aet.

We carried the early threat and dominated possession with the likes of Eoghan Nash, Pa Kiely and Shane Mulvihill driving them on from midfield and putting the Knockaderry defence under pressure. Having said this the Knockaderry back four, especially the central defenders were always able to get a head or leg to the ball first. The Athea management were disappointed by how many times good build up play on the right hand side resulted in poor deliveries into the box while the opposite was the case when we used the left channels. Our first chance came when a foul on Shane Mulvihill saw  Jason Quille deliver a free kick which Mike McCarthy headed over while Mulvihill was again involved two minutes later on the right where he linked with Steven McEnery but we failed to get the ball into the danger area. While we were on  top possession wise in the opening quarter we fell behind on sixteen minutes when we conceded a free kick on the left edge of our area which the Knockaderry player curled a right footed effort over the wall and into the net via the inside of the left hand post. Knockaderry had scored with their first meaningful attack but we didn’t panic and resumed taking the game to Knockaderry and two minutes later it took a brilliant tackle to deny McEnery getting in on goal after a brilliant 40 yard pass by Tom Greaney. Sean McGrath then headed off the line after a striker chased a ball over the top and placed the ball over the advancing Athea keeper Donal Woulfe and with the ball bouncing towards the goal but McGrath reacted quickest to clear the danger. On twenty six minutes we were level terms with a great finish from Mulvihill when a cross from Quille from the left broke to Mulvihill just outside on the right edge of the area who skipped past a defender before firing a dipping effort over the keeper and just under the crossbar. From then to the interval it was pretty even with both keepers displaying great handling ability except for a piece of fine play from Brouder who played a great ball out wide to McEnery who won a corner which McGrath headed over from. Half time 1-1.

The second half saw Athea start the better and had a couple of early chances through Horgan with  a low drive  that was blocked by a defender while Nash then saw his shot blocked at the near post. We continued to press forward and Kiely slipped the ball into the path of Mulvihill whose shot was spilled by the Knockaderry keeper but he recovered to claim the ball as Mulvihill was about to pounce. We nearly went in front when a Knockaderry cross was headed clear to Mike McCarthy on half way and the striker headed for goal but great tracking back by a defender saw him dispossess the Athea player. Knockaderry then came close with a great ball into our Athea defence but luckily for us there was nobody on the end of it. At this stage the game went into a lull as chances dried up for a while with action confined to the middle third and was there for the taking by either side. Another cross by Athea, this time from the right by Nash found McEnery at the near post but he couldn’t direct the ball goal wards while a minute later McCarthy headed the ball onto Mulvihill but the keeper was alert to the danger. On seventy five minutes Nash slided the ball to McGrath who played a brilliant 50 yard diagonal ball over their defence to Horgan who was coming in from the left only for him to blaze wildly over. A similar diagonal ball saw the best chance of the game so far, skipper Kiely chipping the ball to the unmarked Morgan O’Connor who, if he had gotten any touch on the ball it would have been in the net. Would this miss haunt us? Time would tell. We were now enjoying a decent spell of possession but weren’t creating a whole pile and indeed took a great tackle by Horgan as Knockaderry threatened to catch Athea on the break. Full time 1-1.

And so onto extra time and the first half started quietly and it wasn’t till midway through the first half of extra time that we had a great chance. Kiely played McCarthy clean through but the forward seemed in two minds as what to do, and in the end his chip only ended in the keepers hands. Greaney then headed over from a Mulvihill corner on the left and after 100 minutes the sides still remained deadlocked. Two minutes into the second half of extra time Knockaderry came very close to regaining the lead when the right back went down the right and played a pacy cross to the back post where a Knockaderry played headed the ball down to a team mate whose low shot was saved with his feet by keeper Woulfe. McCarthy then shot weekly at the Knockaderry keeper before the Knockaderry number two was again involved when he sent a half volley goalwards but the ball was always curling away from the far post. There were no more goals and so onto penalties where Athea prevailed 4-2.

In the penalty shoot out we scored out first four spot kicks while Donal Woulfe saved their second penalty and their fourth went over the bar. Atheas scorers in the shootout were Sean McGrath, Shane Mulvihill, Mike McCarthy and Mark Horgan with the decisive penalty. After the game referee Pat King presented the man of the match award to Shane Mulvihill with Bernadette Hartnett of the junior league presenting the cup to Athea Utd B captain Pa Kiely.

Best for Athea Utd B along with man of the match Shane Mulvihill were Sean McGrath, Pa Kiely, Tom Greaney and Mark Horgan.

Man of the match Shane Mulvihill (Athea Utd B)

Athea Utd B: Donal Woulfe, Raymond Brouder, Jason Quille, Tom Greaney, Sean McGrath, Pa Kiely (capt), Eoghan Nash, Shane Mulvihill, Mark Horgan, Steven McEnery,  Mike McCarthy.

Subs used Chris Hayes, Morgan O’Connor and John Geoghegan. Also Dan McMahon, Beanie and Gary Carroll.

Referee Pat King. Assistant Referee’s Jim Molyneaux, Pat O’Donnell. Fourth Official Donie Wallace.

ATHEA UTD FIXTURE

Sunday, April 28th  

Junior As home to Rockhill Rovers at 2.30pm.

FAI SUMMER SOCCER SCHOOLS 2013
Once again it’s the time of the year to start to think about the FAI Summer Soccer Schools and like previous years Athea Utd will be hosting one at The Vales from Monday, July 22nd to Friday, July 26th. All the camps are open to all boys and girls between the ages of 6 to 14. All head coaches and coaches are FAI Accredited and are also Garda Vetted as is FAI policy. Cost per participant is €65 with a €10 family discount for each additional brother/sister attending the same camp. Further details to follow very shortly so watch this space.

All participants will receive an eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools full Umbro kit, backpack and football along with a certificate of participation at the end of the week.

The camps run from 10.30am to 3pm daily from Monday to Friday and that’s five fun filled days packed with top quality coaching. The FAI are proud to have one of the highest standards of child safety and welfare maintained on all their camps with all participants constantly supervised as well as all coached Garda Vetted.

BOOKING: To book a place on any of the eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools log ontowww.summersoccerschools.ie or call 1890 653 653.

ONLINE BOOKING OFFER: Book online early to receive a free adult and child ticket to a Senior International game at The Aviva Stadium.  If you book two children at the same camp get two free child tickets with adult ticket for a Senior International game at The Aviva Stadium. Booking three children you will get three free tickets etc.

ATHEA UTD LOTTERY RESULTS FOR APRIL 22nd   

The results of our weekly lottery draw held on Monday, April 22nd at Donie’s are as follows
Jackpot was €8400. Numbers drawn 5, 8 11, 14. No jackpot winner.
Lucky dips to the following – Nellie Ahern, Garrygloss. Agatha Barrett, Athea. Catherine Madigan, Ardagh. Mike Molyneaux, Ardagh. Nora Mahony, Athea.
Sellers Declan Barrett & Liz Gould.
New jackpot will be €8500 next Monday night, April 29th at White’s Bar.

 

 Athea GAA

Club Draw:

Our Club Draw will be taking place shortly and this is a great opportunity for people to support our local club. Money collected from the draw will also benefit the Coiste na nÓg and Ladies football. Our promoters will be out and about shortly selling tickets and all support would be greatly appreciated.

Fixtures:

Thursday April 25:
The Junior Bs are at home to Gerald Griffins this Thursday evening April 25 at 6.45pm in Páirc na nGael.

Friday April 26:

The Intermediates will play Cappagh in the West Intermediate semi -final on April 26 in Rathkeale (Bog Garden).

Saturday May 4:

The Intermediates will play St. Mary’s/ Sean Finn’s in the County Intermediate Championship on Saturday May 4 in Newcastle West.

Old Photographs:

The Club are still looking for any old photographs or match programmes from anyone that has them in the parish. Contact John Hunt or Lal Browne.

 

Athea Coiste na nÓg:

 

 Matches:

Thursday April 18:

U12s:

Athea U12s played their first match of the year away to St. Senans in Foynes on Thursday evening last. We had 22 togged out on the night which was great to see. Playing with the wind in the first half we started brightly with our mid-field pairing of David O’ Connor and John Sexton on top and it was John who opened the scoring with a well taken point. Shortly afterwards we were on the score board yet again when Jack O’ Connor scored a great point from out in the wing. Jack followed this up when he grabbed a long ball in and found the top corner of the net for Athea’s first goal. Our next point came from John Sexton before St. Senans rallied to score two points of their own. St. Senans continued to push but our back line of Seamus Leahy, Alex McEldowney, Ciara O’ Shea, Rhys Keily and Jamie O’ Mahony coped very well and a great save by Evan Wallace in goals kept them at bay. Just before half time John Sexton notched up another point for us. In the second half, it was always going to be tough playing into a strong wind and it was St.Senans who dominated the rest of the match, despite the teams best efforts it was St.Senans who ran out winners in the end. Team: Evan Wallace, Ciara O’ Shea, Rhys Keily, Jamie O’ Mahony, Alex McEldowney, Seamus Leahy, John Sexton, David O’ Connor, Aidan Curry, Jason Dillon, Jack O’ Connor, Claire Carmody, Sarah O’ Conor, Thomas McEnery, Nicola Scanlon, Laura Dalton, Jack Hunt, Jack McCarthy, Colin Broderick, Eoin Sheahan, Luke Gleeson & Amy Ryan.

Gum Shields:

Following the GAA’s Annual Congress in April 2012 a new rule was enacted that made it mandatory to use a mouth guard in all Football Games and Football Training sessions from January 1st 2013 for all age grades up to and including Minor. The club by ordering in bulk can buy them for €5 each. If you wish to order one please contact Jacqueline.

Coiste na nÓg on line:

You can now view all our notes ,results, fixtures and pictures of Athea Coiste na nÓg on the Athea GAA website. Just go to www.atheagaa.com and click on the ” Coiste Main Page” for all the latest news and information.

Fixtures for April/May:

Monday April 29:

U16: Athea U16’s are at home to St. Mary’s/Sean Finn’s in Páirc na nGael on Monday April 29 at 7pm. All Players to be at the field for 6.30pm.

Thursday May 2:

U12: Athea U12’s are at home to Gerald Griffins on Thursday evening May 2 at 6.45pm. Players to be at the field for 6.20pm.

Training:

Wednesday April 24:

U12: Training for U12’s will continue this Wednesday evening April 24 in Páirc na nGael from 7pm to 8pm. All players are asked to attend. For any player who has not registered they can do so on the night.

Thursday April 25:

U16: Training for U16’s will continue this Thursday evening April 25 in Páirc na nGael from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. All players are asked to attend. For any player who has not registered they can do so on the night.

Friday April 26:

U6: Training for U6’s will continue this Friday evening April 26 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in Páirc na nGael. Any player who has not registered can do so on the night. All players need to wear gum shields and can be purchased from the Club for €5. For any player who has not registered they can do so on the night.

U8: Training for U8’s will continue this Friday evening April 26 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in Páirc na nGael. Any player who has not registered can do so on the night. All players need to wear gum shields and can be purchased from the Club for €5.

U10: Training for U10’s will continue this Friday evening April 26 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in Páirc na nGael. Any player who has not registered can do so on the night. All players need to wear gum shields and can be purchased from the Club for €5.

Tuesday April 30:

U14: Training for U14’s will continue next Tuesday evening April 30 in Páirc na nGael from 6pm to 7pm. All players are asked to attend.

Croke Park:

This weekend the Club will be travelling to Croke Park with our U10 and U12 football teams to support the Limerick Senior Footballers in the League Final on Saturday April 27. An action packed day is planned including a trip to Dublin club Parnell’s where our U10s & U12s will take on the locals in their home ground in Coolock village. After lunch in Parnell’s very modern club house we will then travel to Croke Park to support Limerick in the final.

County:

We wish Limerick Senior Footballers the best of luck when they play Offaly in this years Division four league final in Croke Park this Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

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Kathleen’s Corner-10/04/13

 ‘Great Parish Get-Together’

On Sunday evening last a great crowd gathered at the Hall around 7.30pm for the first Parochial get-together. It was organised by Fr. Bowen PP and the Parochial Committee in appreciation for the work done by the readers, altar-servers, Eucharistic ministers, basket collectors, choir, cleaners, helpers, cluster group and anyone that lends a hand in the parish. Mike Hayes and Pat and Bernie Higgins greeted everyone as they dished out hot punch on arrival to everyone – alcoholic and non-alcoholic I may add! Everyone chatted amongst themselves initially before we were seated at the lovely laid out tables. Canon John O’Shea of Abbeyfeale said a lovely few words and urged all present to keep helping out our Clergy and doing Parish work as there may come a day in the near future when our parish may not have any clergy and we may have to carry on ourselves . It was great to see Canon Kelly present and Fr. Bowen thanked him for his continued help on a daily basis. Mary Daly and Nan Hurley were presented with bouquets of flowers in appreciation for their help as was Anne Molyneaux, Canon Kelly’s housekeeper.  Colleen Reidy and Matt Tierney along with their helpers provided a most beautiful buffet – second to none I may add followed by tea and apple tart with cream.  All agreed it was a great lay-out and thankfully the hall and kitchen are now available for such get-togethers and functions. Athea Wren Boys were the first to perform and their music and song were a joy. John Joe Tierney provided the music on the night and the floor was full at all times. Ciara Hunt enthralled everyone dancing a reel. There were some great songs from Betty Murphy, Sean Barrett, Teresa O’Halloran Bernie Higgins with her rendition of’ ‘The Old Transit Van’ and Fr Bowen topped it off with “I met her in the Garden where the Praties Grow”. In all a great night was enjoyed by everyone which finished with “Auld Lang Syne”. Hopefully these get-togethers will be more frequent – indeed most enjoyable. Well done to all the organisers.

Congratulations are sent to Anne and Keith McCarthy on the Birth of their new baby girl Laoise, a little sister for Ava. Congratulations also to the proud grandparents Julie and Gerard O’Connor of Gortnagross and Margaret O’Connor, Lower Athea, the very proud great-grandmother.

Congratulations also to Anne-Marie and Maurice Horgan on the birth of their first baby Nancy Maria, the proud grandparents are also sent good wishes.

Sincere sympathy is extended to Seanie O’Connor on the death of his brother Michael in Charleville. His remains were brought to Holy Cross here in Athea for burial on Saturday last. ‘May he rest in peace’.

Best of luck to the Athea United Jnr B’s who play in Clounreask in the League Cup Final on Friday  19th April 7.30pm.

The Walking/Jogging Group (which incidentally has attracted great crowds since it began last week) will continue each Tuesday and Thursday night from the hall. A slight change however is due to the big numbers and fitness levels of some participants, Denise has decided to start at 7.30pm sharp for the beginners – 8.15 pm sharp for the intermediates (or faster legs) don’t let the weather put you off come along, enjoy the craic and get fit.

 

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Pat’s Corner-10/04/13

Commemorating Our Patriot Dead

During the recent Easter period there seemed to be far more commemoration meetings throughout the country than for a long while in previous years. Certainly there were remembrance ceremonies on this occasion in some places that we had not heard of previously to honour those brave and fearless people who fought and died for Irish freedom, unity and democracy. There was a false belief in recent years being propagated in some circles around the country by a tiny minority of revisionists that the honour of Ireland’s patriot dead was a thing of the past and was of no interest or concern of the present generations. The lies and myths and the distortion of historical facts which these misguided groups and individuals are trying to impose on the Irish people during the past number of decades have been given their answer in 2013 when their lies were contradicted by the large attendances that turned up at the commemorations to honour Ireland’s republican dead and the comrades who shared their danger, most of whom are now gone to their eternal reward as well. 

Far from being forgotten as their detractors would have us believe there is a growing revival of interest among many young people about the history of the War of Independence and the Civil War as they are anxious to be informed about that period in the country and above all to be told the truth about it.  By all accounts the Sinn Féin Annual commemoration in Athea, which was held on Easter Saturday, was well attended as always. The chief speaker was Cork City Councillor Mick Nugent and local Republicans Patrick (Doc) Dalton and John Mulvihill whose graves are in Holy Cross and Templeathea cemeteries were both commemorated.

In early March memorial meetings were held in various areas throughout Kerry to commemorate republicans from the county who were killed while in custody by the Free State Forces towards the end of the Civil War.  By far the worst atrocity in Ireland during the 20th century was the massacre at Ballyseedy Cross where eight republican prisoners of war were brought from Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee by Free State forces tied together over a land mine which had been planted there already by the Free Staters and ruthlessly killed when the mine was detonated in the early morning of March 6th 1923. Of all the tragedies that happened in Ireland during the last century including the Black and Tans, the British and republican forces during the War of Independence and all the atrocities by the British, Loyalist and Republican Paramilitaries during the more recent war in the North nothing could compare in sheer brutality and deliberate cold blooded War crimes carried out by the Free State forces in Kerry in the spring of 1923.  Only for the remarkable escape of Stephen Fuller when he was thrown clear by the force of the explosion that killed his eight comrades the truth of what happened at Ballyseedy Cross would never have been known as those who carried out the massacre tried to hide this savage crime and told a pack of lies about how it happened. The record of the official explanation is still one that conceals the truth and during all the years that De Valera and the Fianna Fáil Government were in office since then it would appear that no attempt of a serious nature was made to record the truth of what happened throughout Kerry during that dreadful week of the Civil War, not alone in Ballyseedy but also in Countess Bridge near Killarney and in Caherciveen where blowing up prisoners in mines had become a routine practice.

Tadgh Coffey was another republican who survived the Countess Bridge massacre and lived to tell the truth about it. Whether the Free State Government of the time officially ordered, approved, sanctioned or just ignored the war crimes that were carried out in their name during that awful time is something that we are never likely to find out seeing that the truth has been concealed for so long. It is very unlikely that many of these young men who joined the Free State Army at the time in the belief that they were serving their country and doing the right thing would have approved of such an outrageous act like Ballyseedy which was not an act of war but cold blooded murder which if such an outrage happened now the perpetrators would be brought before and International Tribunal and charged with war crimes.

What the Black and Tans did, what the republicans did from 1916 to 1923, what the Loyalist and Republican paramilitaries did during the Northern troubles, all deplorable acts in themselves no doubt, but different from Ballyseedy by the fact that these were impersonal acts of war in spite of the sadness and grief which they caused and of how they would be condemned with justification by ordinary peaceful people on all sides. In a personal context neither myself nor my family have ever borne any bitterness or grudge against people who took the Free State side during the Civil War in fact some of their families have been some of our closest friends both in Kerry and Limerick even though we ourselves grew up in a home with a strong Republican tradition.

Two people who lived with us in the house while we were resident in Somerset on the other hand had close Free State connections. Bridie, who had a brother in the Free State Army during the Civil War, was married to my late wife’s uncle Frank Normoyle and both Bridie and himself looked after Mary while she was growing up after her parents died when she was young, and my near cousin Paddy, whose father was married to my first cousin, also stayed four years with us while he was still a teenager. Later he went to New York and served with the American forces in the rank of Sergeant during the Vietnam War. He now lives with his wife and family in Castleisland Parish. Paddy’s Uncle (his father’s brother Mike) joined the Free State Army and was shot and killed by the IRA while serving on Sentry duty at Collins Barracks, Cork during the Civil War. Both the above named people Bridie and Paddy with Free State Connections were the godparents of one of our own children.

But getting back to the recent Republican Commemorations, these seem to be able to attract the big attendances even after 90 years. Apart from the Michael Collins Gathering at Beal na mBláth each year we seldom hear of any Free State Remembrance Ceremonies to honour their dead.  Why one wonders is such the case, after all the British legion who are a tiny minority in this State remember their dead and hold their annual Poppy Day each year something of course they are freely entitled to do if they want to do so without any interference.

Late Michael O’Connor

The death occurred during the week of Michael O’Connor of Charlevlle, Co. Cork and formerly of Upper Athea. He had lived in Charleville for several years and had been in failing health for some time. After Requiem Mass in Charleville on Saturday he was brought back to his native Athea to be buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. Sympathy is extended to his family members in Charleville and also to his brother Seanie O’Connor and other relatives in Athea Parish. ‘May his soul rest in peace’.

Postal Charges Increase

Another recent imposition on the hard pressed citizens of this State is the increased cost of postage stamps, 60cents now for letters within the State, 90 cents for those being sent abroad and no doubt a similar increase in parcel posting. Where will it all end?

 

 

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