Kerry GAA Online

AN UNFORGETABLE DECADE...

It’s hard to believe that ten years has gone by since I wrote my first GAA Scene column in The Kerryman. There are great memories and recollections from that period during which I was privileged to bring you, the readers, all the news of the hectic schedule of games and events in the GAA in our county.

In January 1998 my name appeared at the head of this column for the first time, daunted by the fact that I had a very difficult act to follow. My predecessor, Eamon O’Sullivan had set a standard in the previous thirteen years that was going to be a big challenge for me to equal. With the best of intentions I set about the task enthusiastically mixed with a certain amount of fear that my efforts would not meet with approval from a very discerning GAA faithful. However, with Eamon’s help and with the encouragement and advice of the Sports Editor, John Barry, my confidence grew and within a short time I felt that I could make a go of it. It is now my turn to pass on the pen or rather the laptop keyboard, as it has now become, to my successor, Maureen O’Shea.

It has been my great pleasure to chart and chronicle the progress of Kerry GAA, for the players, the club officials, the referees, the supporters and the readers of The Kerryman in all corners of the globe.

LOOKING BACK

Glancing back through my files of columns during the past few weeks, nostalgia inevitably gripped as I read through some of the columns that have appeared in these pages over the past ten years. There were the high points, the low points, the victories, the defeats, the passing to their eternal reward of great heroes of the past, the meetings, the competitions, the games, the league tables, the finals, the fixtures problems, the club socials, field openings, club development projects, ticket information, Scór, the summer camps, fund raising events, etc.

Communication, when I started was with pen and paper, the telephone and the fax machine. Ten years on it is the laptop, the mobile phone, text messaging and email that are the only accepted means of communication. It was a big challenge to take the Information Technology changes on board. I started to type and email the column in the year 2000 after two years of handwriting. In no time at all I grew accustomed to the computer keyboard and learned a lot about this modern means of communication. It is certainly more efficient and easier to manage than the handwritten copy. It was difficult at first but after a few weeks typing on the computer I could not envisage handwriting the column again.

THE SPORTS EDITORS

I am deeply indebted to the Sports Editors with whom I had a very close working relationship - John Barry, John O’Dowd and the current sports editor, Paul Brennan. For most of that time I worked very closely with John Barry. In the first two years of my term the handwritten notes were sent by fax and sometimes they were delivered by hand to the newsroom at the old headquarters of The Kerryman in Clash. John was always courteous and offered kind words of encouragement at all times. John’s service and contribution to Gaelic Games in the county, his honesty and integrity as a reporter, journalist and editor was always greatly appreciated. I can’t forget his colleague, the great Eamon Horan. He also gave many years of great service as a sports journalist with The Kerryman. All of his reports and columns were written in the best tradition of ethical journalism. Having my column in the same pages as John and Eamon was an honour and a privilege. John O’Dowd was equally helpful, courteous and approachable during his short time in the sports editor’s chair.

Paul Brennan continues the work of his illustrious predecessors. The new format of the GAA SCENE column, incorporated in the sports tabloid pull out is one of Paul’s innovations. Deadlines have tightened and now the copy is due on Monday evening, as opposed to Wednesday mornings in my earlier years, making it more difficult to have all the information that is necessary to preview events and especially the games that are being played on the following Saturday and Sunday. It is still difficult to have all the information collected on time to meet the Monday deadline.

KERRY – THE JEWEL IN THE GAA CROWN

Kerry’s GAA story is always a proud one, rich in accounts of great All-Ireland Final victories. In the GAA SCENE in The Kerryman on the week after Kerry won the 2000 All-Ireland Final Replay against Galway I take the following quote from my column on that All-Ireland Final victory to illustrate why Kerry is the Jewel of GAA Crown –

“The victory, the Dublin Celebrations and the homecoming were very emotional. The expression of sheer joy on people’s faces of all ages and generations encapsulates everything of what an All-Ireland victory means to Kerry. We have a proud tradition. It goes back an entire century and now that we have begun a new century and a new millennium in the manner in which we became renowned in the last one we have set down a firm marker to everybody what we intend to achieve in this one.”

We have since won the All-Irelands of 2004, 2006 and 2007. As I leave the SCENE I am confident the Kerry GAA success story will continue and I wish Maureen the very best in keeping us all well informed.

NEWS & INFORMATION

The fixtures information contained in the column comes from, the Chairman of the Competitions Control Committee, formerly known as the GAC. The other information is compiled with the assistance of the County Chairman and County Secretary with whom the PRO has to work very closely. I have been fortunate that the Chairman, Sean Walsh and the two county secretaries with whom I worked, Tony O’Keeffe and Eamon O’Sullivan were always helpful with those vital pieces of information that were of assistance to club officials, supporters and readers.

The club PROs are always central to the information contained in the column. It provides a means by which they can promote club events and information. The support I received from club officials, the letters of thanks, the words of encouragement were always greatly appreciated.

THE GAMES

The most important topic in the SCENE was to chronicle the games - football and hurling. That is the mission of the GAA – players playing the games - the leagues and the championships, from the high profile intercounty games, the County Leagues and the Championships to the Junior leagues played every Friday night during the summer months and the minor leagues played in the spring evenings. Fixtures and results, the league tables, the semi-finals and finals at all grades and ages are central to the Kerry GAA Scene. That is what the GAA is all about. It was my pleasant duty as County PRO to chronicle the games and the weekly happenings in the GAA in Kerry for the past ten wonderful years.

EXCITING DECADE FOR KERRY GAA

The past ten years has been an exciting and successful period for Kerry GAA, the senior football team have been tremendously successful. Working with the National media as well as the local media in the weeks before All-Ireland Finals was naturally very enjoyable. I was always conscious of how fortunate I was to be involved in the press briefings, the press days, team announcements and all that goes into the pre All-Ireland Final build-up. It would be remiss of me not to mention the professionalism of the local and national media during those busy and hectic times. Many of them are good friends and lest I omit anybody I will not mention their names but I thank them for their courtesy and understanding during the build up to the six All-Ireland Senior Finals with which I was privileged to be involved during my ten years as County PRO.

Those researching their club history and people seeking information on the GAA in Kerry often use the archive editions of The Kerryman as a reference. I was always very aware when writing this column that it is used as an important reference source when histories are written and updated.

OUR EXILES

Being conscious of providing up to date information for the clubs and the people of Kerry it was also necessary to bear in mind that The Kerryman is read throughout the world. There are Kerry people scattered in all corners of the globe and this fact is borne out by a conversation I had with a priest home on holiday from the US at a game in Nenagh some years ago. He told me that as soon as he has read The Kerryman in the US he sends it by post to his brother who is on missionary work in Africa. Just one little anecdote of how our Kerry exiles throughout the world are kept informed of the happenings in their native county.

END OF AN ERA

As I type these notes for the last time I cannot help feeling a degree of sadness. It has been so much part of my life and routine for the past ten years that I will miss those hours at the laptop every Sunday night and Monday for the time being at least. It was always reassuring to be told that this column and my efforts were appreciated and I am grateful for those kind words of reassurance.

The friends I have made and the messages of thanks I have received in recent weeks when it became known that my term as PRO and writer of this column was drawing to a close is most heart warming. It is most reassuring and indeed humbling that my contribution to the GAA in Kerry is so widely appreciated. I will miss, for a while at any rate, the discipline of sitting down at the laptop and meeting the Monday evening deadline. From now on I can look forward to reading the Kerry GAA Scene from Maureen’s perspective.

BEST WISHES

Maureen will very likely have a different style to mine but the mission of the column should remain the same - the players and the games are always central to the GAA SCENE.

Míle buíochas do ghach duine a chabhraigh liom le deich mbliain anuas.

Slán agus Beannacht.

SUPPORTERS CLUB SOCIAL

The Annual Social of the Kerry Supporters Club is on Saturday January 12th at Ballygarry House Hotel Tralee. Music is by Uí Bhriain. Tickets at €35 each are available from any member of the committee, Martin Leane at (068) 48116, John King at (066) 7124229, John O’Connell at (066) 7181412, Naimh Dempsey at (087) 2065474, Kit Ryan at (066) 7124966 or Donie O’Leary at (064) 58099.

Guests of Honour will be Sean Walsh, Vice-Chairman Munster Council, Senior Football Manager, Pat O’Shea, All-Ireland Captain, Declan O’Sullivan and of course the Sam Maguire Cup.

SCÓR NA nÓG

The County Final of Scór na nÓg took place last Sunday before a capacity crowd at The Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney.

The following clubs have qualified for the Munster semi-finals: - Figure Dancing: Kilgarvan, Instrumental Music: Ballydonoghue, Solo Singing: Lorraine Doyle, Glenflesk, Recitation: Brian Murphy, Causeway, Ballad Group: Kilcummin, Novelty Act: Derrynane, Set Dancing: Kilcummin, Quiz: Glenflesk.

Scór Sinsear will be held in late January and every club in the county is asked to make the effort to compete in at least two of the eight categories. The categories are: Figure Dancing, Solo Singing, Instrumental Music, Novelty Act, Question Time, Recitation, Ballad Group and Set Dancing. Clubs should contact the Scór Officer of their District Board for details of the District Board competitions.

: : Back to Top : : : Full list of Articles : :