When team manager Gerry McCarville told a press reporter, earlier this year, that his big aim was to get Emyvale out of Monaghan's junior football ranks, little could he have imagined that, not alone would he accomplish that particular feat in a truly highly impressive fashion, but that he would also take the same set of players to an historic first-ever Ulster Junior Football Club Championship success. But that is exactly what he did, and our full marks go to both Gerry and his very willing charges on achieving such a remarkable football double in the one year.

With the Monaghan County title safely tucked under their belts, following five straight wins, all achieved in impressive fashion, the big step into Ulster Football was 'new ground' for the Emyvale club. Never before had they been in this company, and what lay in store for them was nothing short of a mystery. Then, when the draws for the Ulster Championship were announced and it was realised that they would be up against the Tyrone champions, it suddenly dawned on them that this was not going to be some kind of a 'push-over', as Tyrone football standards are only too well known to most North Monaghan clubs, having previously met many of them in challenge and tournament games down through the years.
The fact that Tyrone football was rated 'away up there' in the highest grade of All-Ireland football, also added to the anxiety of the task that confronted them. Still worse, when it transpired that it would be the 'Pascal and Finbar McConnell inspired' Newtownstewart team that would provide their very first opposition, it was quite understandable that a certain degree of uneasiness crept into the Emyvale camp. This was going to be no ordinary encounter, and the fact that it would be in Omagh, practically a 'home' ground for the Tyrone champions, made it even more difficult. Healy Park was a regular stomping ground for the Newtownstewart men, and that advantage would surely prove worthy of a couple of extra points for them. But the task had to be met, and 'meet it' the Emyvale men most certainly did.
The huge Emyvale following (surely there must be no better supported club in the county at the moment) travelled to Omagh and saw their heroes pull off a magnificent victory, even if they did leave it to the very last moment.
Amazingly, it was a late substitution that proved the hero of the day as far as Emyvale was concerned. That was Patrick McCarron, also remarkably well known for his track running feats with Glaslough Harriers, who snatched the winning point as the game went into added time. Emyvale had also learned very early on that attempts at goal were going to prove practically impossible, as county and inter-provincial goalkeeper Pascal McConnell stood between them and the Newtownstewart net. The obvious alternative then was to go for points, and that is exactly what they did, especially when the superb goalkeeping abilities of the extremely tall McConnell were obvious in the very early stages when he stopped all of Emyvale's best efforts at getting a major score.
Generally, Emyvale were the superior side throughout, but despite their domination of exchanges they found it difficult to turn possession into scores and could only manage a single point lead by the half-way stage. They improved on their shooting somewhat in the second period and at one stage led by three points, but Newtownstewart pulled back to level and it was only Patrick McCarron's 'late late' point that snatched victory for Emyvale and a place in the Ulster semi-final. Following their early shaky start, Sean McMeel began to knit the Emyvale defence together and they got a better supply of ball to their very young forward line. McConnell, however, was now playing practically the entire full-back line as well as his goalkeeping duties and repeatedly broke up several Emyvale attacks.
Emyvale led by 0-4 to 0-3 at the interval but an early second half point from Robbie McHugh gave them the confidence they needed. From there on it was point for point, as the game entered the closing stages. With five minutes left, Patrick McCarron was drafted in from the substitutes' bench, and this proved a master-stroke. Newtownstewart were far from finished, however, and they put in a great late rally, but Sean McMeel proved equal to the occasion and Emyvale looked to have scored the winning point when Daniel McMahon sent over the bar, but, after consultation, the referee disallowed the score and they were back to square one. Two minutes of added time were signalled and it was at that stage that Patrick McCarron made his mark and became Emyvale's hero when he received a neat pass from McMahon and duly sent over the all important score. Final tally - Emyvale 0-9 Newtownstewart 0-8
Emyvale had lined out - Gerard McCaffrey, Ciaran Connolly, Shane McKenna, Sean McMeel, Brendan Askin, John Flannery, Jonathan Morrough, Brendan McKenna, Patrick J. McKenna, Gavin McKernan (0-1), Martin McAree (0-2), Darren McKernan, Daniel McMahon (0-4), Robbie McHugh (0-1) and Brendan O'Brien. Subs - Seamus Downey, John T. Treanor, Patrick McCarron (0-1) and Gregory Devlin.

All roads now led to Casement Park in Belfast where Emyvale would meet the Armagh champions, Shane O'Neills from Camlough. Tyrone football may have had a high reputation, but that of Armagh was equally high, and Emyvale knew that this was going to be yet another steep hill to climb, but climb it they did, and proved worthy finalists when they overcame the Armagh men by 0-12 to 0-9. Emyvale showed only one change from the side that had overcome Newtownstewart. The experience of the earlier game, however, certainly stood to Emyvale and they were far more dominant on this occasion. A blistering opening ten minutes failed to register the necessary numbers on the score-board, and Emyvale found themselves only on level terms at the end of the first quarter. Again they found themselves a mere one point ahead at the short whistle - Emyvale 0-7 O'Neills 0-6.
Emyvale again dominated the opening minutes of the second period and went three points ahead and stretched that to four with time running out, but the Armagh men put in a final rally and had the last points of the game.
Emyvale - Gerard McCaffrey, Ciaran Connolly, Shane McKenna, Sean McMeel, Brendan Askin, John Flannery, Jonathan Morrough, Brendan McKenna, PJ McKenna, Gavin McKernan (0-1), Martin McAree (0-4), JT Treanor, Daniel Mc Mahon (0-5), Robbie McHugh (0-1) and Brendan O'Brien. Subs - Patrick McCarron (0-1), Gregory Devlin and Killian McKenna.

Into an Ulster Football Final for the first time ever, and all Emyvale was agog. The village and parish were awash with black-and-white flags and bunting. The rains came down and the winds blew strong, but the 'chequered winners' flags fluttered proudly in the gale. Pairc Esler in Newry on the last Sunday of November, with the early start of 12.45, and curtain-raiser to the senior Final between St. Gall's of Belfast and Loop of Derry, and the Emyvale army, now accustomed to travelling all over Ulster practically, was again on the march. What a huge crowd travelled, despite the bad weather and the unusual timing, well aware that they would be faced by a 'double' Belfast support, as St. Teresa's of the Glen Road and St. Gall's of the Falls Road in the northern city were such close neighbours and friends. But Emyvale were undaunted.
The Antrim champions proved to be the sternest test yet that the Emyvale squad had encountered. Defeat at home in a Junior League semi-final the previous Sunday looked ominous, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it made Emyvale fully aware that they were not unbeatable and, as things turned out, they very nearly came unstuck.
This was Emyvale's biggest game ever in their long and proud history - in any grade, and they would not disappoint. A great start with Paddy McKenna sending to the Belfast club's net, to be followed by the great save of a penalty by goalkeeper Gerard McCaffrey, gave Emyvale plenty of confidence, and a further magnificent goal by Robbie McHugh helped them to lead by 2-2 to 0-5 at the interval. However, they must surely have been somewhat disappointed by their efforts at sending the ball over the bar as wide followed wide. The second half saw St. Teresa's come more into the game but they were helped by what can only be described a 'truly bizarre' goal, the ball trickling over the line following a mix-up in the small square. That put Teresa's level and, at the end, they were still level - Emyvale 2-6, St. Teresa's 1-9. There was relief in both camps following a game that both sides could so easily have won and which each of them could so equally have lost. A draw was probably the fairest result, but eleven wides for Emyvale was truly a warning signal.
So, it was back to Newry the following Sunday, 6th December, for the replay, but with the more civilized starting time of 2 pm. Again the Emyvale support travelled in large numbers and this time there was to be no disappointment. Emyvale had learned, and Emyvale would profit by that learning. Despite a free distribution of yellow cards that would give one the impression that this was a rough encounter, the exact opposite was the case. It turned out to be a real thriller, with plenty of free-flowing football, high catching, excellent scores, and everything that is good in Gaelic Football.
At half-time Emyvale led by 1-10 to 1-6 and it was again real ding-dong stuff in the second period, with Emyvale eventually emerging decisive and fully deserving winners by 2-14 to 1-11. It would be unfair to pick out any single Emyvale player for special praise in this amazing victory as it was truly an all-round team effort, and there was not a single weak-link to be spotted anywhere in the twenty players who had taken part - the starting fifteen and the five substitutes. Martin McAree won 'man-of-the-match' award and deservedly so, as this long serving stalwart of our attack has never played a better game in his life and really excelled on this occasion, rallying his fellow attackers as never before, while team captain John Flannery did ditto in the defence, proving that he was the ideal choice for leadership at the beginning of the long season.
The team which made history and brought such glory to the Emyvale club, had lined out - Gerard McCaffrey, Killian McKenna, Shane McKenna, Sean McMeel, Brendan Askin, John Flannery, Brendan O'Brien (0-1), Brendan McKenna, Paddy J. McKenna (0-2), Gareth McQuaid (0-2), Martin McAree (0-3), John T. Treanor (0-3), Patrick McCarron, Daniel McMahon (1-2) and Robbie McHugh (1-1). Subs - Seamus Downey, Ciaran Connolly, Gavin McKernan, Jonathan Morrough and Colm McKenna.

The scenes that followed had to be seen to be believed. A club so long bereft of success, suddenly found itself champions of all Ulster. The homeward journey was equally astonishing. The players' bus, followed by a cavalcade of cars, left Co. Armagh and toured the entire parish of Donagh, starting in Glaslough, then through Corracrin and Knocknagrave, and returning to a jubilant bedecked Emyvale. The celebrations that followed defy description.
The final three months of 2009 will be remembered in Emyvale for a long, long time to come.

A wonderful way to celebrate a 'Golden Jubilee'

'Tus maith, leath na h-oibre', is an old Irish proverb which means that a good beginning is half the work. However, in Emyvale's book, the exact opposite was the case in 2009. Relegated from the Intermediate grade at the end of 2008, it was expected that Emyvale would stroll through the Junior competitions with little trouble, but the players soon found out that it was a much more difficult task to get out of Junior than it was to get into it. By Seamus McCluskey

Defeated in two of their very first three games of the season, Emyvale languished on the very bottom rung of the League Table from its first publication, but the realisation then set in that something serious would have to be done if they were not to become a permanent fixtures in the bottom grade of Monaghan football. The players suddenly decided to 'pull their socks up', and, with a new-found determination, won their next twelve games in succession - ten in the League and two in the Championship. From the basement area of the Dr. Ward Cup (JFL), they suddenly shot right up to the very top of the ladder, and, with 13 games played, had won eleven and lost only those two very early reverses.
Their first outing was an away game to Clones and, despite dominating the exchanges, we managed to lose by two points. Next was a home game against Toome and recorded our first win, but by a single point and rather luckily so. Then away to old rivals and fellow demoted side, defeat by Sean McDermotts. That was to be the end of the bad luck, however, and from there on, success was attained in an amazing run of a dozen games, some of them by a big margin, but a few were lucky escapes. This topsy-turvey form so early in the year prompted one pundit to put it at that stage - 'This year is the exact opposite to last year - in 2008 we were losing games that we should have won, but this year we are winning games that we should have lost'. However, luck had little to do with the remainder of the season, as that run of successes really settled the side and they were the dominant team in Junior ranks for the rest of the year's competitions.
The Championship was the one that the Emyvale players really had their sights set upon, and, as Team Manager Gerry McCarville (who lives 'next door' to Emyvale) put it in an interview with 'Gaelic Life' in January when he said: "Over the years I've got to know a lot of people around Emyvale. It was this knowledge that probably persuaded me to take on the task of manager. This is going to be a big challenge as there are a lot of strong teams in the Monaghan Junior grade this year. The potential is definitely there for the team to make progress at Junior level."
There was an obvious determination in the Emyvale camp and there was an amazing unity of purpose in their twelve successive victories from March onwards. A league defeat away to lowly Blackhill, however, brought a stop to their gallop and brought them down to earth with a thud. This was probably the best thing that could have happened to them, however, and they realised suddenly that they were not unbeatable and the first game of the Championship was still in front of them - and Championships are invariably a much trickier road to traverse than any league competition.
But what a Championship it turned out to be - five straight wins, no 'back doors', no silly nonsense, and the Junior title was back with them for the fourth time in Emyvale's history. Remarkably, they were drawn to meet their fellow relegated warriors from Sean McDermotts in a Preliminary Round of the title race, and they were fully aware that they were up against a side that was equally determined to make their stay in Junior ranks of the shortest possible duration. The sides had met the previous year at Intermediate level when the honours were more or less shared equally between them.
That first hurdle was arranged for Scotstown on Friday evening, 29th May, and resulted in a real ding-dong battle between two sets of players who were very familiar with each other's style of play. The first half looked ominous enough, and Emyvale found themselves four points in arrears at the short whistle, 0-6 to 1-7. Emyvale, however, started the second half in blistering fashion and quickly whittled that lead down to a single point. Drawing to the close, that one point still separated the teams, but a late goal from an excellently taken penalty by Martin McAree gave Emyvale a two points lead which they doggedly held onto, through the hotly contested closing moments, to leave the final result - Emyvale 1-12, Sean McDermotts 1-10.
Emyvale had lined out: Gerard McCaffrey, Ciaran Connolly, Sean McMeel, Jonathan Morrough, Brendan Askin, Shane McKenna, Seamus Downey, Patrick J. McKenna, Brendan McKenna, Colm McKenna, Robert McHugh, Niall Mohan, Daniel McMahon, Martin McAree and Patrick McCarron. Subs: Gavan McKernan, Lorcan McGee and Gregory Devlin.

The second round pitted them against Toome - the very team they would eventually meet again in the Final. This one was fixed for Ballybay on Sunday 26th July and, strangely enough, Emyvale got a much easier passage than they could ever have expected, winning comprehensively by 3-11 to 0-7.
With team captain John Flannery back in action, Emyvale really had it all their own way in this one as the opposition showed little of the form that they were to achieve later on in the season and which would bring them back into the race and reach the final hurdle. Emyvale led from the start, and a goal just before half-time, and another one in the very first minutes of the second period, put them into a commanding lead which they never looked in any danger of relinquishing. The team showed little change from the first round victory, and read: Gerard McCaffrey, Shane McKenna, Seamus Downey, Sean McMeel, Brendan Askin, John Flannery, Jonathan Morrough, Robbie McHugh, Brendan McKenna, Patrick McCarron, Martin McAree, Gareth McQuaid, Daniel McMahon, Gavin McKernan and Colm McKenna. Subs: John Thomas Treanor, Michel Flannery, Donal McAreavey and Barry Hughes.

Now into the quarter-finals stage, Emyvale faced Oram at Clontibret on Saturday 15th August. Welcomed back was the long-term injured Brendan O'Brien, or 'Bob' as he is more familiarly known, but Michael Flannery was again absent on army duty. Oram, however, proved a much tougher nut to crack than had been expected and Emyvale, though never headed except for a very short period at the end of the first half, found them a stiff hurdle to cross before advancing any further in the premier competition. Oram also did themselves no favours when they had two players red-carded, one just before half-time and the second one late on in the game, but at that stage, it was obvious where the ultimate honours were heading. This time Emyvale fielded: Gerard McCaffrey, Sean McMeel, Brendan O'Brien, Seamus Downey, Brendan Askin, Shane McKenna, Jonathan Morrough, Brendan McKenna, Robbie McHugh, Patrick J. McKenna, Martin McAree, Patrick McCarron, Daniel McMahon, Ciaran Connolly and Gavin McKernan. Subs: Gareth McQuaid and Killian McKenna.

Three straight wins in a row, Emyvale now faced the hotly tipped Clones men in the semi-final stage. Fixed for Scotstown in mid-September, the opposition had reached the previous year's Junior Final and were hell-bent on reversing that result and winning their way to promotion. The sides had already met twice in the league (Dr. Ward Cup), Clones winning at home, and Emyvale doing likewise in the return game at Emyvale. Played in ideal conditions on a Saturday evening, this proved a real thriller, and it took a late flourish from Emyvale before they eventually prevailed by a two points margin, 2-12 to 1-13. It was a game that produced some wonderful passages of football, with high fielding and counter attacking skills, and with both sides picking off some excellent scores, but it was Emyvale's superior finishing that saw them through.
The one bitter disappointment from Emyvale's point of view was the late sending off of their county player, Brendan McKenna, on a second yellow card but, unfortunately, he was also reported for saying something to the referee and would be penalised with a one month's suspension that would see him forced to take his place among the spectators at the Junior Final later on.
Emyvale had lined out: Gerard McCaffrey, Seamus Downey, Sean McMeel, Shane McKenna, Brendan Askin, John Flannery, Gareth McQuaid, Brendan O'Brien, Patrick J. McKenna, Patrick McCarron, Maetin McHugh, Robert McHugh, Daniel McMahon, Brendan McKenna and Gavin McKernan. Subs: Darren McKernan and Killian McKenna.

With four-in-a-row Championship wins under their belts, Emyvale prepared for the Junior Final, fixed for the newly laid-out Drumhowan venue on Sunday 4th October. The unbeaten run had given them plenty of confidence, and they were well prepared by their Management team. There was a niggling doubt in the back of their minds, however, for two very simple reasons. Firstly they would have to play without two of their best players, and midfield partnership, of county panellist Brendan McKenna and army-tied Michael Flannery (as well as injury problems). Obviously, if you take the midfield partnership and two of your best players out of any team, you will be forced to make all kinds of positional switches. Secondly, they were also fully aware of their opponents' vast improvement over the previous two months. Toome may have arrived at this stage by the 'back door', but their fine young side had improved by leaps and bounds with every Championship outing, and they were now determined to give Emyvale the fight of their lives. And that's exactly how it worked out.
Over a thousand spectators crowded into the compact and perfectly laid-out Drumhowan venue on Final day and they all got full value for their money as this was one of the most exciting and most entertaining Junior Finals for many a day. Emyvale got off to a great start.
Emyvale's re-jigged side came up with some real surprises, none more so than the display of Sean McMeel at centre-half back, who, although wearing number four on his back, gave an amazing display of fast attacking football that inspired his team-mates. Team captain John Flannery also led by example, while others to attract the attention were Brendan Askin, Robbie McHugh, Brendan O'Brien, Martin McAree and Daniel McMahon, but it is perhaps unfair to single out any particular player for special mention as this was a real team-work affair, and an excellent display from every single player on the field. In fact, there was not even one weak link to be seen.
Emyvale led by 1-4 to 0-4 at the interval and, at the three-quarters stage, were four points in front. The gallant Toome men, however, made a very spirited come-back, but Emyvale weathered the storm and had those two very valuable points to spare when the long whistle sounded. That was the signal for an all-out display of pent-up enthusiasm by the huge Emyvale following as they rushed onto the field to congratulate their heroes, who probably suffered more from congratulatory back-slapping than they had endured from the opposition throughout the entire course of the game. The ambition to make their stay in Junior football of the shortest possible duration had been well and truly fulfilled, and their huge following made no secret of their enthusiasm and their admiration for as fine a set of young footballers as has ever donned the Emyvale jersey.
The team that brought that fourth Co. Monaghan Junior Football Championship title back to the north Monaghan village, was: Gerard McCaffrey, Ciaran Connolly, John Flannery, Shane McKenna, Brendan Askin (1-0), Sean McMeel, Jonathan Morrough (0-1), Brendan O'Brien (0-2), Patrick J. McKenna, Patrick McCarron, Martin McAree (0-1), Robbie McHugh (0-2), Daniel McMahon (0-1), Gavin McKernan (0-1) and Adrian McGee. Subs - Gareth McQuaid, Gregory Devlin and Darren McKernan.
The other members of the panel on the day were - Seamus Downey, Stephen McAree, John T. Treanor, Colm McKenna, Killian McKenna, Lorcan McGee, Brendan Keenan, Donal McAreavey, Barry McDonald, Michael Flood, David Treanor, Barry Hughes, Colin Donnelly, Niall Mohan, Carl Murphy, Barry McGuirk and Paul McCarron.
The celebrations that followed simply knew no bounds, while the achieving of promotion and expectations of a good showing in Intermediate football again in the year ahead were well and truly justified.
Remarkably too, and rarely noticed, was the fact that this victory was actually the 'Golden Jubilee' celebration of Emyvale's victory over the same opposition, exactly fifty years earlier, when Emyvale also proved victorious by 2-4 to 1-1 on the Sunday before Christmas, 1959. What a wonderful way to celebrate a 'Golden Jubilee'.
Interesting to note the team that recorded that victory exactly half-a-century ago. It read: Peter McMeel, Sonny Treanor, Jimmy Treanor, Kevin O'Neill, Paddy Murphy, Jimmy Murray, Kevin Forde, Pat Corrigan, Packie Treanor, Phillip J. Fitzpatrick, Stephen McAree, Packie Hughes, Seamus Campbell, Patsy Forde and Seamus O'Hanlon.
Six members of that successful side have since gone to their Eternal Reward - go ndeanai Dia trocaire ar a n-anamacha uaisle. Not one sub was used on that occasion. Interesting to note too - goalkeeper on that famous 1959 occasion, Peter McMeel, was grandfather of Sean McMeel, hero of the Emyvale defence on the 2009 team. Peter wrote a poem about the successful 1959 team - hopefully he will put pen to paper again and write a similar song to celebrate the 2009 victory.
Emyvale club has now contested eight Monaghan Junior Football Championship Finals, winning four (1945, 1959, 1985, 2009) and losing four (1956, 1980, 1983, 1984). Hopefully this will be the end of it, and that we will have finally said a resounding 'Good-bye' to Junior Football once and for all.

Scor Success

All GAA followers are very aware of the high and consistent level of training and the commitment and dedication that is undertaken by all gaelic players, but this is also true of the lesser publicised areas of Cumann Luthchleas Gael such as Scor which celebrated it's 40th Birthday in County Monaghan this year.

The first ever All Ireland Scor Title won by County Monaghan was by the 1983 Emyvale Ballad Group. Two members of this same group namely Gerard Mc Quaid and Mary Kirke have remained as the driving force behind all Scor activities within Emyvale ever since.
This year's successful ceili dance team dusted off their shoes shortly after Christmas in preparation for the county Scor competition. At the county final in Corcaghan in late February, the Emyvale team retained The Deirdre Rooney Cup and proceeded to the Ulster Semi Final in Clontibret.
Here they saw off the challenges of competitors from Fermanagh and Cavan and an Ulster Final place in Swatragh beckoned. It must be said that Emyvale had three acts take to the stage in Derry namely Ceili Dancing, Ballad Group and Set Dancing. The competitors and a merry band of loyal supporters were elated when both dancing teams came out on top in Ulster. This was the first time Emyvale had achieved a senior Ulster Scor title for dancing and to pick up two awards on the one night truly was fantastic.
The Kingdom of Kerry called and the NEC was the venue for the All Ireland Final on April 18. The competition was high but the Emyvale team who danced 'The Three Tunes' simply out shone the rest to take the title back to Scairbh na gCaorach, twenty six years on from the success of the 1983 Ballad Group. Credit must be given to the 'ever ready' team of volunteers who quickly organised a special homecoming celebration for the victorious troupe. A large crowd attended and they were not disappointed when Lorna, Rhiona, Mary, Vanessa, Gerard, Peader, Stephen, Donal and Ronan performed their winning piece.
More was to follow and on May 6th, Mary Kirke was awarded a coveted Ulster GAA Writers Award for her services to Scor. This was the first time ever such an award was presented to a Scor participant. Mary proudly displayed her award during the team parade at La na gClub celebrations in St. Oliver Plunkett Park.
This was closely followed by a request to perform at the Garden Party to mark the 125th Anniversary of the GAA in Aras an Uachtaran hosted by President Mary Mc Aleese.
Emyvale GAA is extremely proud of their association with Scor and the important part that it plays in preserving our heritage, culture and language. There are many dedicated club members, those young and young at heart, who each year rise to the challenge of reciting a verse, singing a song or being a drama queen for the love of club. This coupled with the determination and vision of Gerard and Mary will see Scor in Emyvale continue to thrive for many years to come.

Smaointe La na gClub i
Cumann Scairbh na gCaorach

After weeks of careful planning and a very wet first week in May, the sun shone brightly on St. Oliver Plunkett Park, Tully, Emyvale in anticipation of our La na gClub celebrations to mark 125 years of the Gaelic Athletic Association with a theme of Inne, Inniu agus Amarach - Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
The celebrations commenced with a team parade of all those who are currently active within Emyvale GAA and was led by our Chieftain of Tully winners, Gertie Mc Nally and Anthony O Brien. Teams of all age groups from under 8 boys and girls to senior ladies and men all lined out in club colours on our main playing pitch. These teams were accompanied by our growing but very successful handball squad and our junior and senior Scor troupes fresh from their recent triumph at the All Ireland Scor Finals. All paused for Amhran na bFiann and then made their way to our memorial garden, where those from our community and organisation that went before us in the past 125 years were remembered fondly in prayer.
Following this Packie Treanor, Captain of our 1959 Junior Championship winning team proudly raised the commerative 125 county flag and our current senior captains John Flannery and Nicola Fahy unveiled the County 125 plaque.
Meanwhile our juvenile teams got the games underway when both the boys and girls competed for the two Forde Cups while members of both senior ladies and men panels put the younger players through their paces with a series of fun drills and skills.
The members of the 1959 team, who celebrated their 50th jubilee, were reunited and presented with a copy of an original team photograph and a specially commissioned medallion. The chance to catch up on old faces, friends and memories added to the occasion.
The on the field festivities ended with a fun match between the Emyvale Slashers and the Glaslough Warriors. These teams both so evenly matched that the score was level when the whistle finally blue!
We were surrounded by a fantastic sense of community and enjoyment that will remain in our memories for many years. The strength of our club and organisation as a whole was reflected in the smile of each person there present, young and old, and the common ground that is shared between the ages through the love of our games and activities is testament to our association and builds a firm foundation for the following 125 years. Tweet

Most Read Stories