Unfortunately, 2009 will always be remembered as a terrible year for Killinkere, who lost one of their brightest prospects and most popular members with the sudden passing of 21-year-old goalkeeper Simon Delaney following a tragic accident on the evening of Wednesday August 3. The former county minor custodian was en route to a match against Laragh Utd in Stradone when he was alerted to a grave situation on Lough Dalgan, where a family had got into difficulty.
With no regard for his own safety, Simon heroically attempted a rescue operation in the lake's choppy waters but his brave mission had tragic consequences as he lost his own life. This came as a massive blow to Simon's family and friends, to Killinkere GAA club, Cavan GAA, the local community and the county as a whole. Only four years earlier, the young man had stood between the posts for his beloved Breffni County at minor level; last year he was on the county U21 panel.
Simon's team-mates formed a Guard of Honour at the removal of his remains to St Ultan's Church, Killinkere and FR Anthony Fagan described the deceased as a "gentle, generous and fun-loving young man". Helping others had always been a huge part of Simon's being and this generosity of spirit was just one of the many reasons why the Killinkere parish was left devastated by his death. A second man - Matthew Gibbons from Dublin - also died in the tragedy as he too tried to come to the assistance of the beleaguered family.
Unbelievably, sorrow came to our community again in December when 24-year-old Tommie Clarke died suddenly. Tommie was also a popular member of the local GAA club, whom he represented at full back. A UCD graduate with a Degree in Agricultural Science, he will be remembered not just as a talented footballer but also a genuinely warm and friendly individual.
When personal tragedy visits a community, it casts a pale shadow over everything else and Killinkere GAA club has been left stunned by the passings of Simon and Tommie, whose losses to their families are immeasurable. Both were brilliant clubmen, whose memories will burn forever bright in the hearts of everybody associated with Killinkere GAA.
While, on the field of play, it was a tremendous year for the ladies - and the minors also covered themselves in glory by capturing the Division Three MFC - everything paled into utter insignificance compared to the tragic events of August 3 and December 27.

Killinkere contested a JFC 'C' final in '09, while the first team lost their intermediate championship quarter-final to Bailieboro, 1-14 to 1-12, having beaten Kill and drawn with Laragh in the group stage. But pride of place went to the minors, who brilliantly captured the 2009 Cavan Division Three MFC crown, beating Shannon Gaels in the decider at Breffni Park.
James Mooney took charge of the all-conquering minor side (with Brian Clarke and Gerry Fitzsimons as selectors) and he is grateful of all the support his team received over the course of the year: "We got brilliant support from the club and also from parents with lifts to games etc. That's very important and is very much appreciated. There's a good bunch of people in the club and in the community who are prepared to put in the work, and that certainly helped us win the championship."
Every championship is important, and this is not a success to be sneezed at. "When the league structures were set out this year I was surprised at how narrow the gap was between Division One, Division Two and Division Three," James notes. "We made it to the Division Three league final but we lost to Shercock.
"We had some really big games against Gowna during the year. We had met them twice in the league and then ended up playing them twice in the minor championship as well. The first game ended in a draw and the second game also finished level, before we eventually beat them after extra time in the quarter-final."
Victories over Ballinagh and Shannon Gaels ensued and Killinkere were crowned all-county Division Three minor football champions.
James worked off a squad of 22 lads during the year and it's encouraging to see that up to 17 of these will be eligible for minor football again in 2010. There were also a number of U16s on board on the '09 team, though a few of the stronger players have been lost…
James was in his second year at the helm of the club's minors, and will take charge again in 2010. Was the aim for 2009 to win the championship? "Most definitely. We had lost a championship semi-final in '08 by two points, and that was our aim from the start of the year. The lads got to go out and play in a county final in Breffni Park and it was a great bit of experience for them. Darren Smith and Emmet Fitzsimons were also on the county minor panel, so all in all it was a good year for Killinkere at minor level."
It was a long year, too … perhaps too long if one it to be perfectly honest. James explains: "We got together around the end of January and the championship final was played on September 26. I think the league started around the second week in February and we had to try to keep it going all year, which is one of the problems with the underage set-up in Cavan. We had finished up in mind-May and there was no competitive football then until the championship started at the end of August. It's not ideal. We did most of the heavy fitness work during the league and then worked on speed and held some challenges during the summer."
In the end, everything worked out pretty well for the club's minor crew!

It was also a busy year for the club's ladies, who were involved in the shake-up for silverware on more than one occasion, despite boasting a frighteningly young side. With three U14s and two U16s on board, Killinkere ladies reached the final of the junior championship, only to be well beaten on the day by St Finbarr's. They got to the semi-final stage of the Division Four league, losing therein to Ballymachugh, and also contested a nine-a-side Division Three final against Killygarry.
The three aforementioned U14s - Chelsea Curran, Naomi Smith and Shannon Smith - all represented Cavan at U14 level in 2009, while the two U16s - Catherine Fitzsimons and Paula Clarke - were on the Cavan U16 team. Killinkere will also have players on various Cavan underage teams in 2010 and they appear to be getting close to winning some adult silverware for the first time since 2005, when they culled a Division Four league and Division Three nine-a-side double.
There are only two or three survivors from that double-winning side, but there is trickle of good young talent coming through now and hopes are high that the Killinkere ladies will get stronger in the coming years. Tweet

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