For the past two decades now, the Stabannon Parnells GAA club and Sean and Mary Fanning's Fanfruit company in Dunleer have been side by side in loyalty towards one another. A former Parnells player himself, Sean is now a devoted business man in the fruit and veg trade, while he also finds it in his heart to spare the odd euro or two for his club whenever they're in need.

Fanfruit Ltd is a whole sale fruit and vegetable company which was set up in 1991 by the Fannings and almost immediately experienced growth. The company supplies restaurants, hotels and shops all over the north east, including counties Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Meath and North Dublin.
"I worked in wholesale from an early age and I suppose it was always the trade I was heading into," said Sean. "At present there are 12 people employed at Fanfruit Limited."
Sean and Mary first expanded into the retail sector back in 1994 when they opened their first Super Fresh store in the Longwalk Shopping Centre in Dundalk. In 1997, they opened a second store in Monaghan Shopping Centre. At present there are eight full-time workers employed by Super Fresh stores.
With supermarkets seemingly popping up all around us all over the country, the traditional family-owned fruit and veg store is something we tend to forget about now and again. But when it comes to value for product, and in particular freshness of goods, a reliable outfit like Super Fresh cannot be beaten.
Over the years, the Fannings have gained their faithful customers thanks excellent staff, customer care, the quality of their foods and their kindness down the years to organisations like Stabannon Parnells GAA club.
When Sean got the call, asking whether or not he and his wife would be willing to sponsor the club that he had served as a minor and junior midfielder for in the past, he did not have to take too much time on making a decision. From 1997 to 2000, 'Super Fresh' would nestle across the chest of every Stabannon jersey a senior player had ever worn for the club.
The 1997 year was a very significant one for Stabannon. It was the year that it took a replay to beat their old rivals and near neighbours, St Mary's, to win their third senior title of the 1990s and also the year that they went on to reach the Leinster semi-final of the senior football club championships. On a wet and windy day in Navan, they were narrowly defeated by Dublin's Erin's Isle, who went on to reach the All-Ireland final.
Incidentally, Stabannon are still sponsored by the Fannings today, wearing the Fanfruit logo, but it was during the 1990s that the club had experienced the golden era of their history.
From 1990 to 2000, Stabannon had been one of the most consistent sides in Louth club football. They had reached five finals in nine years and won four. In 1991 they defeated Clans - preventing them from back-to-back titles. In '94 it took a replay to overcome St Josephs. In '96 St Joseph's had their revenge by taking the title at a packed final in Ardee. In '97 the victory over St Mary's was only after a replay and in '99 they had a landslide victory over Kilkerly Emmets.
In 1998, St Michael's - an amalgamation of Stabannon and junior outfit O'Connells - captured the county Under 21 championship title.
The following year, Stabannon were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the club's first ever Louth senior football championship success in 1949 and, at the same time, were aiming to become the first and last club in the Wee County to capture the Joe Ward Cup in the 20th century.
It had provided the club with a fresh impetus and new training regime was brought in by coach Barney Rock. The former Dublin star, who had adopted a close working relationship with the club since 1994, put the players through their paces by having them adapt to tougher training sessions and fitness programs, which had been unheard of before within the club.
Early evidence was promising. In the quarter-finals, Stabannon dominated St Joseph's with a blistering first quarter and went on to own the rest of the game and seal their path way into the last four of the Louth SFC. The semi-final was against Newtown Blues went to a replay and in another tight affair Parnells eventually progressed into the final - just 60 minutes away from making history.
In the decider against Kilkerley, Rock's men scored 2-3 in the opening ten minutes, registering their first point within just 16 seconds of the throw-in. At half-time the score 2-6 to 0-2. Come the full-time whistle Stabannon comfortably sealed the title on a 2-9 to 0-4 score-line.
No-one was more pleased to see Nicholas Butterly lifting the Ward Cup that day than Sean Fanning, who, at this point, was able to boast that he had been a player, supporter and sponsor of the club.
"Stabannon have accomplished a lot in the last ten years or so," Fanning said at the time. "But it started back in 1989. That year the club won the intermediate championship, league and shield, and were promoted to senior grade again. That was when Paddy Clarke taught the players to believe in themselves and in what was achievable."
As for what he recalls about the manor of the final, Fanning admits the fact that the game proved to be a total mis-match on the day was a big surprise to him.
"We thought Kilkerley would put up more of a fight. Stabannon dominated from start to finish and came out clear winners," he added.
During his own playing days, Sean had not been as fortunate as the likes of David Reilly, Ken Reilly or Nicholas Butterly, to have won anything with Stabannon while he was grafting for the junior team at centre-field.
However, it's evident that he is still a truly proud clubman to this day and his love for Stabannon Parnells GAA has seen him renew his sponsorship with the club again this season.
You see, Fanning's secret is to keep things fresh. When he first began sponsoring his native club back in 1997, they went on to claim two county titles in the space of three years - a remarkable feat for a side only a few years promoted from the depths of the intermediate ranks.
Somehow, in the last ten years, Parnells have managed to slip down to the dungeon and now find themselves ranked as a junior club. But, sure enough, provided that talent is nourished and the right people are involved in the club, Stabannon will climb back up the scale as quickly as they plunged down it.
Meanwhile, the club's ladies team have been stealing the limelight after winning this year's county senior championship title and making their mark in the Leinster championship, where they were unfortunate to suffer defeat at the semi-final stage of the competition. It was a disheartening loss for all involved with the team as they look to make the breakthrough on the provincial stage, having dominated in recent county finals.
However, one thing is for certain. In Sean and Mary Fanning, and their family, Stabannon Parnells will always have a trustworthy backer, and, when it comes to success, that is half the battle.
"Business is tough at the moment like everyone else, but we're coping well and hopefully we can continue to give our support to Stabannon Parnells and that their fortunes will turn around in the coming years," Sean concluded. Tweet

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