Sorrow knocked on our door
December 30, 2010In plain truth, 2010 was a year that will not be remembered fondly by many in Carrickmacross Emmets GFC. On the field, it was a year that saw the senior team finish third from the bottom place in the county Senior Football League to leave the club playing in the Intermediate ranks for 2011.
Unfortunately, it was also a year when tragedy struck the club with the untimely death of Damien Crosby, a young Carrickmacross hurler who died tragically in Australia, and also saw the death of long time club member Dave Ryan after a short illness. The club mourned the loss of two of its finest members, both of whom will never be forgotten.
It was with deep regret that the members of Carrick Emmets football and hurling clubs learned of the death in April of the late Dave Ryan. Dave had been an active member of both clubs since he moved to Carrick in the late 1970's. Dave played hurling for the club for many years and he also represented Monaghan hurlers for a number of years, winning National League Division Four and Ulster Junior hurling Championship medals along the way.
When his playing days came to an end, Dave went on to manage the county hurlers for a couple of years. As an administrator, Dave served as treasurer of both the hurling and football clubs for a number of years. He held a number of other positions on the hurling committee and he was the club's Coiste Iomana delegate until December of last year. He attended a club hurling match on the Thursday prior to his death and he also helped out with the running of a quiz by the hurling club in memory of the late Damian Crosby on the Friday before his passing.
He also refereed for a number of years, which included refereeing the county senior hurling final on a couple of occasions. As a referee he was on the national panel of hurling referees and was also known to referee ladies football matches. Dave was also a regular referee at hurling matches in the neighbouring counties of Armagh and Louth. The club would like to extend their sympathy to all within the club who were bereaved during the year.
Thankfully, there were some great positives to report during the year that was 2010 for Carrickmacross. In July, Director General of the GAA, Padraic Duffy, visited the new development on the Donaghmoyne road to officially turn the first sod. In the thunderous conditions, the ceremony took place in front of a large crowd of players, members and well-wishers to the club. The grass was sown on the first pitch and, provided that the weather is favourable, the hopes within Carrickmacross GAA are that it will be in use in approximately a year's time.
On the juvenile front, the club's Under 10 community games team, under the guidance of John McMenamin, won the county final to get their first gold football medal, which the Emmets will be hoping is the first of many. It was the result of a lot of hard work that was put in and all involved are sure that this current group will continue their commitment to training as they move up to Under 12 level.
As for the current batch of Under 12s, they enjoyed a successful campaign in Division Four by winning the shield, while the U14s reached the championship and league semi-finals and Under 16s reached the championship final and. The club's minor footballers were also beaten in the championship semi-final.
To further bolster the juvenile scene in the club, Carrickmacross Emmets held both an Easter and summer camp in 2010 and in total over 240 children took part in both camps. They were very keenly priced to reflect the ongoing financial pressure on families in the current climate. Coaches were from within the club and the children thoroughly enjoyed partaking in the games and gaining the basis skills of football, hurling and handball while having lots of fun. These camps continue to draw huge numbers which is a testimony to the hard work put in by the camp co-coordinator Declan Finnegan and all the coaches and organisers.
PRO Grainne Malcolm stated: "Overall the highs of the year very much overcame the lows and we look forward to rebuilding and taking on the challenge of intermediate football and hopefully to rise again in 2011 to the senior ranks once more."
Ladies continue to make strides
While it wasn't exactly a wonderful year in terms of silverware, the Carrickmacross ladies club had a great year none the less in terms of participation. At the start of the year the decision was taken that the club would enter two teams in Under 12s competition due to large numbers. With over thirty girls at their disposal, it meant that they would all get football and they done the club proud by reaching the Division One final, which they lost out narrowly to Monaghan Harps. The Division Three team had nothing to hang their heads about either, as they were beaten at the last four stage of their competition.
At Under 14 level, the club was limited with numbers having to use some Under 12 players in their matches. Having taken some heavy defeats in the league, Carrick reached the league semi-final only to lose out. Showing their character, they bounced-back in the championship to progress all the way to the final, where they finished second best. Up a grade, the Under 16 girls enjoyed a strong run where they lost only one match during their campaign. In what was a cracking game, when Carrick traveled to Inniskeen to take on the local team and in a game that had everything, great football from both sides, and very good scores, the visitors edged victory in the end by a single point to move into the final. In the decider, Carrick came up against a very strong Emyvale outfit who claimed the title in the end. On the minor front, Emyvale would also deny Carrick in the league semi-final.
As for the seniors, entering a team in both the Senior and Reserve League proved to be worthwhile for Carrickmacross in 2010, as they got the taste of what senior football is all about. While they took some heavy knocks over the year, the reserve league proved a happy hunting ground as they reached the competition's final. Against Aughnamullen in the final, both sides served up a superb encounter which the Sarsfields edged by a single point.
With things improving throughout each grade, the hopes are to have some silverware in the cabinet this time next year for the Carrickmacross Ladies.
A note from the chairman
Carrickmacross chairman Thomas McMahon has done superb work for the club since the beginning of his term and he explained that 2010 saw the Emmets "on the threshold" of a new major development which is set to write a new chapter in the club's history.
He stated: "Back in the early 1950's a group of people felt that the facilities for sport in the Carrickmacross needed upgrading. Part of the remedy was the purchase of Emmet Park on the Ballybay Road and it has been our home for over 50 years and holds many fond memories in the life of the Carrickmacross community ever since.
"With the help of many people over the years in terms of time and finance the club made much headway in the intervening years and the members can be very proud of the facilities we currently have.
"In 2010, we are now once again on the threshold of a major development. As one travels through south Monaghan it is encouraging to see the amount of upgrading of sporting facilities that has taken place in recent times by GAA clubs, you only have to look at our neighbours Corduff and Inniskeen and see the excellent facilities that they have provided for their community. And it is timely that Carrickmacross Emmets should now be aiming at providing the very best for its young people.
"The idea of selling Emmet Park and acquiring new club grounds started in May 2005 when the club had our land valued. The club set-up a development committee and along with the clubs trustees set about the task of selling Emmet Park and of purchasing new lands for the Club.
"In May 2006, while many land owners were faced with the option of selling their land to developers, luckily for our club Mr Paul Callan approached the club and offered to sell the land we are using today on behalf of the club and the people of Carrickmcross I would like to thank him and his family for making that decision.
"This year we launched the first phase of our development. The first phase will consist of a full size training pitch, a juvenile training pitch, a 1500-metre walking track around the perimeter and associate parking, and you can see that the work has already begun on the lower field and is being carried out by Kearney & Slevin who are the main contractors. Weather permitting these should be ready for use next year."
In the coming years the club intends to further develop and build two more full-size pitches, a juvenile training area and a state of the art sports centre.
"The development that I have outlined is ambitious but that is the attitude that has made the GAA the great community and national organisation that it is. So as we enter into 2011, I would like to thank all the committee members who have assisted the club over the years.
"I would ask everyone to assist our club in the fundraising efforts that will be needed over the coming years to see this ambitious development come to fruition. I know the people of Carrickmacross will not be found wanting."
Planning for the future
Raymond O'Hara is one of the Emmets' longest serving and most dedicated footsoldiers. He is hopeful that the club can put a disappointing 2010 behind it.
Raymond O'Hara has been in the vanguard of Gaelic games' promotion in Carrick since the early 'eighties but has lost none of his enthusiasm for the job.
This despite the fact that the Emmets suffered the ignominy of relegation from senior football in the past year.
The Carrick native is no watery, wishey-washey clubman though. As they say, 'through thick and thin . . .' and all that.
Still, he doesn't begin to play down the pain that departing the top flight caused to the rank and file Emmets' contingent.
"It was a big blow, going down," Raymond testifies. "It was very disappointing, especially considering that with three home games left to play in the season, the seniors could have made it into the semi-finals of the league but, instead, ended up losing all three and going through the relegation trapdoor," Raymond laments.
"We had to lose to Truagh by less than three points to stay up but unfortunately that didn't happen, partly because we picked up two straight reds.
"Truagh were on the same points as us so losing out to them was the defining game for us in 2010."
Raymond, like the vast majority of gaels in Carrick, didn't see relegation on the horizon when the 2010 season kicked off.
And the fact that the senior team dropped down to intermediate despite finishing above Drumhowan and Clontibret added to the pain.
The omens weren't good though at the outset of 2010 with the twin ravages of injuries to some key players and the playing of star games draining the club's resources and ensuring that a bevy of untried and untested youngsters were asked to step into the breech.
"I suppose the silver lining in 2010 for us was the way the new, young lads came in and stepped up to the mark, filling in for the lads who were injured.
"Their performances were encouraging and were good enough to mean that they held their places on the team for the rest of the year.
"Over the years, our bench mightn't have been as strong as some of the other clubs but the end result of the good form shown by the newcomers and the way they gelled in was that things were coming into shape just nicely by the time the championship came around."
As things panned out, Carrick put together a credible blue riband championship campaign without ever looking like likely winners.
"We lost to Clontibret in the first round but then in the backdoor section we beat Ballybay and Latton but then lost out to Scotstown," Raymond recalls.
"The lads did themselves and the club proud in the championship. It was just unfortunate that they put in their worst performance of the year against Scotstown."
Of course, everyone belonging to the Emmets is determined to learn from what went wrong in 2010 and to work their way back to better times.
Those better times were manifest in the club's run to the SFL title in 2008 and to the SFC final the very same year.
Carrick Emmets' Annual General Meetings have been graced over the years by the great and the good but the club's AGM in 2008 was lit up by the presence of a unique visitor.
For the first time in the history of the club, the Owen Ward Cup was on hand to oversee proceedings with the glistening prize taking pride of place at the top table.
Carrick's special guest of honour was proudly paraded by the club faithful who rejoiced in celebrating the Emmets' historic win over Castleblayney Faughs in the Senior Football League division one final.
Apart from the Emmets' success in scooping the Owen Ward Cup, the senior football team surprised many in the county by storming their way to the senior championship final only to lose out to match favourites Latton.
"There's no doubt we should have built on what was achieved in 2008 but it didn't happen over the last couple of years but we have to get on with the job now of trying to reach those heights again."
However, Raymond believes that looking ahead rather than back would be the club's best tactic at this juncture.
"I think everyone has to look at themselves and see what went wrong and then to move on and look towards getting back on track.
"Intermediate football is going to be tough and it won't be as simple as maybe some people might feel to rebound back to senior.
"We have to knuckle down and make sure that we all get it as right as possible in 2011 but you can take nothing for granted.
"The average age of the senior team is only around 24 so you'd be hoping that there's a lot more to come from the current squad."
Raymond insists that gaels in Carrick are entitled to look to the future with a glass half-full construction but he worries as much about what challenges the economy will pose to the club as much as the challenges destined to come from the finest intermediate talent in the county.
The spectre of losing players due to emmigration looms over the Emmets in the same way it does all other clubs in Ireland.
Carrick is a relatively small town with limited job opportunities and Raymond is not one for putting his head in the sand.
But like the rest of the die-hards involved with the club, it'll be a case of head down for the long-time stalwart in the coming year with the highest objectives in mind.
That said, above all, he hopes that 2011 will bring health and happiness to all club members as the past year was an annus horribilus for more reasons than on-field action.
In that respect, Raymond says the untimely deaths of long-time club mentor Dave Ryan and senior player Damien Crosby (19) put everything about relegation and so forth into perspective.
That who have followed Raymond's innings with the Emmets will know that he has been one of the hardest working club members at underage level.
In that regard, his passion for the club's hurling wing brooks no debate.
Son of a Galway-born father and Inniskeen-born mother, Raymond's track record on either side of the hurling field speaks for itself.
Garnering the best of talent from the local Gaelscoil and St. Josephs' primary schools is what Raymond has been concentrating on for a long number of years now
"Things are going well for us at underage level in the hurling," he tells us.
"You'd have between 40-50 youngsters from under 8 upwards training on Sunday mornings at our training pitch on the Shercock road at Reilly's Cross which is great."
Training at their Reilly's Cross base and playing their matches at the Emmets' HQ has proven to be a winning formula for hurling in Carrick, it seems.
With the race to use the club's primary ground hotting up, year on year, the relocation some three seasons ago for training out the Shercock Road made sense.
But what of the final itself? What impressed Carrick's Youth Officer most of all?
"The lads took their scores very well and their striking was really very good, some of it from their weak side.
"They did most of their best work in the first half when they held the Harps scoreless.
"I wasn't really surprised by their performance and would have been really disappointed had they not won the title.
"The club won the under twelve title in 2007 but lost it last year so it was good to get back on top."
Carrick have won a bevy of underage hurling titles in recent years but it's no surprise that O'Hara has the long-term in mind though for all the joy generated by the club's latest underage success.
The end-game is success at the top level and the 1996 SHL medallist says the objective of all belonging to the small ball game in Carrick is to win titles at adult level down the line.
"The idea obviously is to encourage as many of these underage players to progress and help the club achieve things at senior level.
"We know some of the current juveniles will eventually drift away from the game, maybe to football, but I would be hopeful that the majority of the current juveniles will stick with it.
"I've been very encouraged by the progress of our underage teams but it's important too that every club in Monaghan improves at every level because, ultimately, it's the development of the game in the county that's the important thing.
"Having said that, your first priority is the well-being of your own players and you can't beat winning to keep their enthusiasm going.
"It's 1975 since we last won the senior hurling championship and we won't win it again unless we keep concentrating on bringing the youngsters up through the ranks."
Carrick hurlers' ambitions will be helped by the fact that the youngsters around the Carrick football and hurling clubs have a lot to inspire them with the club's administrators demonstrating ambition, hard work and pride in their association.
The go-ahead Emmets has set its sights on the construction of a state-of-the-art €4.25 million football stadium which is earmarked for completion in the near future.
The multi million euro complex will consist of four playing pitches, a three storey clubhouse, handball alley, gymnasium, treatment rooms, as well as reception, changing facilities, GAA museum and meeting/function room.
The club is determined to provide recreational facilities for the present and future needs of Carrickmacross.
The project was conceived as a means of providing a high quality sports and activity centre for the people of Carrickmacross and Monaghan.
At the heart of the bid is the creation of a new sporting campus which will begin with the construction of four pitches and clubhouse on a phased basis.
In addition, it is hoped that floodlighting will be provided at all four pitches.
The plans for expansion were fuelled after thirty acres of land on the Donaghmoyne road became available to the club and it was purchased at a cost of €3million.
Meanwhile the club sold Emmet park for €7.25 million. Good business in anyone's lanquage.
"The completion of the whole development on the Donaghmoyne road is something to look forward to and should inspire all the current underage players just in the same way our success in 2008 inspired a lot of club members, young and old," Raymond concludes.
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