Defenders of tradition
December 30, 2009It has taken a lot of hard work from a number of dedicated members to get this club this far and while they still face many challenges ahead, the Omeath outfit can be very proud of their efforts to date.
When they look back on the 2009 season they can do so with a great sense of satisfaction as the club finds itself in a very good position at all levels.
Since their foundation in 2005, the emphasis has always been on the juvenile structures in an attempt to create a steady flow of players to bring through to adult football. For those involved in the club there has been great encouragement from that the fact that they have been successful at a number of different age groups.
Added to that is that fact that the club's main adult team exceeded expectations on the field of play with their most successful year to date, which has provided a great boost for all involved.
In reflecting on the past season, team manager, Damien Lynch, felt that it was very successful with the Division 4C team competing on a more consistent basis than in any other season.
"At the beginning of this year we had a very simple goal of improving on our performances last year and in the end we won a total of nine league games which was a great achievement for us.
"Added to that was the fact that we had a great run in the Junior 2B Championship and reached the semi-final which was something that surprised a few people."
Damien pointed out that he was reasonably optimistic at the beginning of the season given the fact that Ivan McQuaid was acting as coach and that they had been able to bring in a few new players to the team.
"It is always a challenge for us to compete at adult football because we have a limited number of players. I suppose we would love to add about five or six players to our panel and would welcome anyone who is looking for a game to come down to us.
"Nonetheless, the squad we had this year put in a great effort and we got our reward with some good wins.
"One of the highlights was undoubtedly the Junior 2B Championship as we went into it not having won a game in the competition before, and ended up reaching the last four.
"Out first game was away to St Fechins and we felt we were going to be up against it as they have a big selection of players and had reached the final last year. I thought it was a great achievement to beat them but we deserved it as we really played well in that match.
"It was brilliant to see the likes of our young players, James Walker and Raymond Phillips, who are both just 17, really emerging as strong players this year and they played a really important part for us. We also had David Heaney in fine form throughout the season," added Damien.
Although that result surprised many, Cuchulainn Gaels proved that it was no flash in the pan as they followed up with another impressive victory in the quarter-final, this time against St Nicholas.
"We were delighted to reach the semi-final but unfortunately we were put out at that stage by a very strong O Raghallaighs side, but overall we were very proud of our efforts."
While it is great for the adult team to make progress, the manager points out that the real emphasis on the club in on developing a youth structure to ensure that in years to come, they have a team that can compete for the top honours.
"We know that it is really all about the under-age players at the moment for us. We have put in a great effort at that level and it is brilliant to see that we have enjoyed success with a number of teams this season.
"I suppose the highlight was the U-14s, who were combined with Dowdallshill, winning the U-14 C League and Championship. There are some great players on that team including the likes of Aaron Rogers, Dylan Lynch and Paul O'Hanlon so we hope to see them continue to make progress.
"Winning a competition like that was absolutely brilliant for us and it will really help to inspire other young players to do their best.
"The challenge for us is to ensure that we continue to develop the younger players and then ensure that we can bring them through from the underage to represent the club at adult level.
"Apart from that we enjoyed success in the U-13 Championship while the U-10s have a very good set up and with some good players there, we played very well in the various blitz competitions over the year."
Damien continued to reveal that the ladies section of the club, which is run by John Bruen is thriving and they also got their reward by winning the Division 3 7-a-side tournament, and competed in the Junior Championship.
"There are some very promising young players on that team such as Michelle O'Hagan, Sarah Keenan and Sinead Woods among others and they got great encouragement from the championship where they lost out to eventual champions, Dowdallshill in the semi-final."
According to Damien, the club have also made progress off the field of play as they now have temporary changing rooms in place at their field, thanks in particular to the efforts of Roddy McQuaid.
He puts a lot of the success down to the hard work of the dedicated committee but insists that there is always more room for people who wish to help out.
"We have a great committee this year under Garrett Mallon and the likes of Secretary, Susan Kelly, and PRO, Roddy McQuaid, are just brilliant workers. I suppose like any other club we are always looking for volunteers and I would urge anyone in the area with an interest in the club to become involved and give us a helping hand," he added.
Cuchulainn Gaels
The Cuchulainn Gaels men's team have Damien Lynch at the helm and he has a strong history of Gaelic sport under his belt and has been appointed three years running with Ivan McQuaid as team coach. Ivan has experience in training at Inter county level with both Down and Antrim. The men's team competed in Division 4C league and Junior 2 of the Championship. They made it to the semi-final of the Division 3 Championship and defeated last year's winners and runners up on the road to there, but were unfortunately beaten by O Raghallaighs on the day.
2009 Men's panel - D. Lynch, M. McDonnell, A. Forde, F. Elmore, R. Phillips, M. Hamill, T. Connolly, C. Kearney, P. O'Hanlon, T. Keenan, T. McKevitt, R. Hughes, C. McGeown, R. McQuaid., I. McQuaid, E. McGuigan, O. Sheelan, J. Walker, P. Bruen, P. Malone, C. O'Reilly, B. McKeown, D. Heaney, B. Elmore, F. O'Hagan, R. O'Neill, P. O'Neill, J. O'Hagan, M. Jones, G. Mallon, A. Hughes.
The Cuchulainn Gaels Ladies Team managed by John Bruen, and Coach David Heaney in their third year in competitive football competed in the Louth Division 3 League and the Junior Championship, and Sevens competition commenced in May/June. Initially played on a League basis, the Cúchulainn girls finished top of the group by virtue of 3 wins and a draw. But it was to be in the knockout stages that the team really excelled with a convincing victory at home to St Brides in the semi final. The final, played in Dowdallshill on the 19th June, resulted in another great performance and a comfortable win for the Gaels against a valiant Na Piarsaigh side. The Omeath team were delighted at winning their first competition at Adult level.
2009 Ladies Panel was Francine O'Hagan, Sarah McKeown, Rosaleen Carroll, Mags Connolly, Mary Louise O'Hagan, Sinead Woods, Clodagh Elmore, Sarah Keenan, Samantha Heaney, Chelsea Byler, Michelle O'Hagan, Charlene O'Hagan, Karen Kieran, Marion Morgan, Bríd McDonald, Deirdre Ruane McAteer, Melissa Keenan, Caitlín McCann, Valerie Mulligan, Antoinette Mullaney, Emma Hynes, Siobhan Phillips, Anna Marie Elmore, June Loughran,Rachel Mulligan.
This year our club hosted a fundraiser and raised funds to purchase a defibrillator for use within our club and wider community. We had Sam Maguire, Benny Tierney as MC, Paddy Oliver and a variety of sporting personalities. It was an emotional evening and donations were made to two charities to assist them in continuing their work to raise the awareness of sudden cardiac deaths in young people. Our club has now purchased a defibrillator and our coaches will be adequately trained in its use, to ensure the young people within our care are afforded the best possible care. Tweet
