C.L.G. Áth an tSléibhe 

by Damien Ahern

Athea; County Junior Champions 2023

**Athea V Drom/Broadford 2003 County Senior Football Final Charity Replay**

The rumours are true, the boys are back on the training field! All roads lead to Athea on April 13th for the Charity Replay in aid of Carol Liston O Connor and family. Add the date to your diary for an event  that promises to be a memorable occasion, with a few surprises thrown in. This is an open invitation for everyone to join us on the day, and anyone willing to help out in any way, please do contact us. Join us in putting our hands around our own, to help them through a difficult situation, what we do best in Athea. Let the planning commence !

West Junior Football League Round 1
Athea 0-6  Cappagh 1-10
This was the first game of the league and both teams were understandably a bit rusty with a lot of dropped balls and passes going astray. We got a bad start with Cappagh getting a rather lucky goal in the first minute, but we knuckled down well after that, with our defence coping well despite being under a lot of pressure. We trailed at half time 1-5 to 0-3. The second half showed some good improvement with us enjoying more possession. James Broderick was unlucky not to score a goal after a good passing movement, forcing their keeper to make a smart save. Andrew O Riordan scored 4 fantastic points from play, 2 with the left and 2 with the right. Eoin O Shea and Michael Tierney worked tirelessly at midfield, with Eoin kicking a monster point in the second half. The experienced Martin Chawke, Micheal Dalton and Jack O’Connor also impressed. Three u18s made their debuts for our adult team, Tomás Ahern, Rory Cleary and Tadhg Ahern and they should be very happy with how they performed.
Team: Tomás Ahern, David O Connor, Martin Chawke, Tommy Quaid, Rory Cleary, Alan Kelly, Micheal Dalton, Michael tierney, Eoin O Shea, Tadhg Ahern, Jason Kelly, Jack O Connor, Andrew O Riordan, T.J. Hunt, James Broderick. subs, Dylan Griffin, James Lee and Ger Collins.
Our next match is away to Mountcollins.

All Ireland Final

Best of luck to James Broderick, Calum Buckley and Evan Curry in The All Ireland Senior Schools C Final next Saturday against Castlewellan of County Down. The last Athea mens Footballer to contest an All Ireland Final was Patrick Ahern in the u21 final of 2000 against a star studded Tyrone team.

2024 Membership
Membership is a vital part of ensuring our club’s continued success and development. Whether you are a player, coach, supporter, track user, parent of a player or member of the wider community, we welcome all new members.
The monies received are used towards: maintenance and development of facilities, playing equipment, affiliation fees, insurance, utility bills, team preparation and other administrative costs.
Please note – All players, coaches, mentors and committee members need to be registered before participating in training/matches for the upcoming year. Players must be covered by the Player Injury Sport fund, in the event of any injuries whilst representing the club. Guardians must ensure that all Youth players are registered.
Membership can be paid by following the link below, or by logging on to Club Force and Searching for ‘Athea GAA’. Tickets for the Club Draw & Limerick Development Draw (Mackey) are also on sale at the discounted price.
https://member.clubforce.com/memberships_cart_m.asp…

Club Limerick Draw
Tickets are now on sale for the Annual Club Limerick Draw (formally Mackey Draw). Please be aware the following applies to the sale of Limerick Club Draw Tickets –
1. 50% of the proceeds of ticket sales goes to Athea GAA
2. The more Club Limerick Draw tickets we sell, the more Limerick County Football/Hurling Championship Final tickets the Club will have access to
3. The Draw supports the development of the Limerick County Teams.
There will be one draw a month for 10 months made up of one €10,000 monthly prize, 28 Additional Cash Prizes each Month plus an exclusive STAR Prize.
Tickets are currently on sale through Club Force.

Split the Bucket
Congratulations to Tommy Quaid who was last week’s winner of Split the Bucket, going home with the grand total of €387. The next draw will take place on Monday March 11th. Envelopes can be purchased at Dick Whites, Collins Shop, O’ Riordan’s Pharmacy, Athea Credit Union, Brown Joes, Batts,Bingo at Con Colbert Hall on Friday nights, Chinese Takeaway, Gables Grill and during events at Pairc na nGael. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Athea GAA & LGFA Dinner
The style, the food, the entertainment. What a great night was had from the ages of 9 to 89.  This night was the brainchild of Roger Ryan but could not have been possible without the commitment of the organising committee . Huge thanks to the team at the Devon Inn for the beautiful meal and the wonderful setting. To The Kelts band who entertained both young and old during the night and DJ excel who kept the dancing going early into the morning.
Thanks to John Hunt who was MC at the night, to captain Rebekah Daly, Liz O’ Sullivan and Mike Reidy for the lovely words on a wonderful year.
There were a number of presentations to the management team of Mike Reidy, David O’Connor and Liz O’ Sullivan along with Dylan Griffin for his S&C during the pre season from the club and the players.
There were three special awards on the night to the Most Dedicated Molly Ahern, Young Player of the Year Grace Hunt and Most Valuable Player Carla Sheehy. We were also delighted to welcome Carol Liston and husband Liam to celebrate with us.
County Teams
Well done to Kayla Sheehy who played with Limerick at the weekend against Laois as they prepare for their up and coming Munster championship.
Minor League Round 1
Athea 3.8
Gerald Griffins 1.4
Well done to both teams who put on a great display of football in Athea last Sunday morning to start the year off.
Minor League Round 2
Keep an eye out for the minors next game at home to Ballingarry. Details will be confirmed on social media.
Clothes Collection
Our next clothes collection will be Monday 13th May. Start that spring clear early. Do not discard any clothing material in household waste. Drop them up to the field. Funds generated from this collection goes to buying new equipment for the season ahead.