This January the fledgling Fergal O'Hanlons club will be six years in existence. In 2008 the opening of its new clubhouse was another landmark occasion for the Monaghan town unit. The new kids on the block are growing up fast. The bedding-in period is over and a distinct sense of maturity and ambition can be detected around Mullaghdun. Fergal O'Hanlons, formed just six years ago, look as comfortable and as cosy at their increasingly furnished home as if they were about to celebrate their centenary. At Mullaghdun, a real passion play is played out on a weekly basis - practically all year round - ever since O'Hanlons' inception. Mullaghdun is a county board-owned ground and the home of Fergal O'Hanlons GFC. It has formed the backdrop to a remarkably positive GAA story. The genesis of Monaghan GAA's youngest club and its manoeuvres at Mullaghdun can be traced back to January 23rd 2003 when a public meeting was held which spawned the formation of Cumann Fheargal Ui Annluain. The club's mission statement from day one was to promote, foster and strengthen the innate interest in Gaelic football among the burgeoning youth population of the parish of Monaghan/Rackwallace. Fergal O'Hanlons is a club that has gone from strength to strength over the past five years with the construction of its brand new clubhouse during the year a landmark event. "We didn't do that well on the playing field in 2008 but behind the scenes a good bit of progress was made in the right direction," says Brendan McKenna, club chairman. "Last year we hosted our first competitive match at Mullaghdun which was a great day for the club with our under 12s (later to be crowned county champions) playing against Oram. "In 2007 we got permission to put up a prefab which we used as dressing-rooms but they were always going to be just temporary because of our plans for a new clubhouse. "Every club needs a home and we feel that with the clubhouse in place now, we have put down firm roots which hopefully will stand the club in good stead for a long number of years. "It's very important for the juveniles especially that the proper facilities are in place because they have to be looked after and treated well to encourage them to stick with it." After lying idle for some 25 years, the re-invigoration of Mullaghdun in 2007 was a significant leg-up for Gaelic games in the county town and its hinterland. Located just off the Ballinode road at the point where it rubs shoulders with the Clones road out of Monaghan town, Mullaghdun is the site of the town's old Christian Brothers School. It was at the CBS at Mullaghdun that Fergal O'Hanlon, after whom the club is named, played a great deal of his underage football in Monaghan. In May 2007 the aformentioned division four, 11 aside, game with Oram's under twelves on opening day gave the likes of McKenna a huge sense of satisfaction. Over the last couple of years, the club's premier team (juniors) have been training with the aid of lights at Mullaghdun but the staging of a long-awaited competitive tie was something else and the completion of the clubhouse only served to consolidate the ongoing feel-good factor at O'Hanlons. Like every fledgling enterprise, finance is a crucial aspect of its survival/growth and, in that respect, things are no different with the county town crew. With the aid of a weekly lotto, flag days and race nights etc, those at the coalface of affairs at Fergal O'Hanlons are hoping that the development of Mullaghdun as a GAA facility can be maintained apace with the assistance of Monaghan County Board. Teams at under 8, 10, 12, 13, and junior levels now represent the club and all of them competed valiantly against the odds during the course of the year. "We hadn't as good a year at junior as we would have hoped," Brendan admits. "We were without a manager for the early part of the season and numbers weren't always great. "There's a small enough junior panel in place and if there's a few of the lads injured, on holidays or having to work, then we can run into problems in getting a strong enough side out. "There's a core of lads there who will always be there and we'll try to build on that group, keep them together and, in time, strengthen them with young fellas from underage ranks. "The main thing about 2008 on the playing side was that all the teams finished their schedule of games which wasn't the case with every club in the county at every level. "It's a credit to the commitment and the interest of the players that they played all their games despite being out of the running for honours from a long way out. "I know most clubs can have difficulties getting youngsters out at times but it's especially difficult when wins are hard to come by and to get disheartened is only human nature." But all belonging to Fergal O'Hanlons continue to stride forward with chests out and heads held high and hopes are high that the club can consolidate its growth to date in 2009. For his part, Brendan is only too well aware of the adage that standing still is the new going backwards. "Hopefully we'll have an under 14 team in the coming year," he says. "It's not clear yet what teams in total we'll have in 2009 and we'll have to wait and see whether there's a minor team up and running but we'll be doing our best." As for the outlook for the club's flagship, junior side, Brendan says he would be optimistic that the squad can improve on its 2008 innings when the new season gets underway. "We played all our games in the junior league and championship and got a few good results which, considering we were working off a panel of just 21 or 22, wasn't bad going. "Having a bigger panel to work from would be a lot better but with the recession and the downturn in construction, you're just hoping that our numbers won't go down any further." And what does the Fergal O'Hanlons co-founder make of the club's results from 2008 at premier level? "We weren't too disappointed by the performances overall during the year although the championship wasn't good at all," the Newbridge, Co. Derry native acknowledged. "Our first game in the championship against Oram didn't go to plan and then it wasn't much better second time around against Currin but we had trouble fielding a team for that game. "Fellas who were injured and others not at home left us having to play a game of damage limitation against both Oram and Currin but the lads faced up to the challenges well. "We picked ourselves up well after the championship and went the distance in the league, fulfilling all our fixtures to the bitter end. "The club is getting stronger and we're getting great support from the community we serve," added the former Derry SFC medallist. Married to Bernie (nee Rushe) and ensconced in his adopted Monaghan since 1974, Brendan insists that the Mullaghdun-based crew will continue to stick with its trusted formula: "The priority for us is to build up a strong juvenile section and having all our teams training and playing at Mullaghdun with dressing-rooms and showers for the players will hopefully strengthen our foundations. "It was heartening to see Charlie Cawley take up the challenge of being a referee this year - that was another real plus for us. "I'd be optimistic that we can continue to make progress on and off the field in the future." Tweet

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