The vibrant Aidan McAnespie GFC in Boston enjoyed yet another productive year in 2004. We met up with Lavey man Raymond Brady, who is club secretary and also doubles up as registrar of the Boston GAA Board. The Aidan McAnespie club is one of the true success stories of North American GAA. Currently fielding more players than any other gaelic football club in the United States, the McAnespie's continue to go from strength to strength, much to the obvious delight of club secretary and Cavan native Raymond Brady. The Lavey man looks back on the '04 season with a definite sense of satisfaction - the club fielded three strong teams at adult level and the signs are encouraging that they're not too far away from repeating their senior championship success of 1998 (they also went on to claim the North American title that year). Two-thousand-and-four was a busy year for the McAnespie's, both on and off the field of play. The social aspect of the club has always been very important and, to this end, it could be described as a bumper year. The club celebrated its tenth anniversary banquet in Florian Hall in Dorchester on Friday October 15, with almost 450 people in attendance. UTV sports presenter Adrian Logan acted as MC on the night, while Offaly legend Richie Connor was guest of honour. Representatives of the McAnespie family (who have been very supportive of the club since its genesis) were also present. The prestigious Player of the Year awards for senior, junior A and junior B football were handed out and these went to Declan Traynor, Conor Donnelly and Gary Mullen respectively. The club also hosted a Christmas Party in The Banshee in South Boston on Wednesday December 15, followed by a Santa Party for the kids on the Saturday before Christmas. The 2004 AGM took place in the Blackthorn Bar (also South Boston) on Sunday November 28. The senior team reached the final of the Boston championship before losing unluckily to Donegal after extra time, while the juniors came unstuck against Wolfe Tones at the semi-final stage. Unfortunately, despite opening promisingly with a win over Mayo, the junior B team also failed to reach the final of their competition. Meanwhile, on May 10, the senior team contested the final of the O'Brien Cup, only to once more lose to Donegal, this time by 2-9 to 0-9. Aidan McAnespie GFC was formed in 1995 and plays in the same colours as Tyrone. The club was established by a group of exiles to honour the memory of the Aughnacloy footballer of the same name who was shot dead by British soldiers on his way to a football match in the south Tyrone village in 1998, and has since become one of the most progressive GAA clubs not just in the city of Boston but in the entire United States. Without doubt, 1998 was the best year in the club's history to date. McAnespie's beat Kerry to take the Boston championship and then overcame the best in America to become North American champions However, since '98, the club has failed to win another final, despite invariably contesting the latter stages of the championship. Each year, they reach the semi-final stage at least. Clearly, they remain one of the most prominent teams in the city. Raymond Brady from Lavey has been in Boston since 1995. The club was formed that same year and the Cavan man got involved the following season. He has been club secretary for the past eight years (and also plays with the junior team). Would it be fair to say that the club took off very quickly after its inception? "Yes. We beat the Blues by four points in our first ever game and that was a huge win because they had won the championship in '94 and were one of the top teams in Boston at the time. The following year [1997], we got to the senior final and won the junior championship. We were unbeaten in Boston and North America in 1998 and have lost something like five semi-finals since then. Last year was the closest we've come to regaining the title, but Donegal beat us in the final after extra time." All in all, though, Raymond is keen to stress that '04 was a good year, even if silverware did prove ultimately elusive: "The seniors reached the final, our junior As were also very strong and were narrowly beaten in a semi-final, and the junior B team also made it to the semi-final stage. We have 71 players registered, which makes us bigger than any other club in the North America region. "We are very competitive at all three adult levels and the club has never looked stronger. We have a great deal of support and we successfully organise a lot of social activities and events. We run two or three draws each year and these keep us going." Speaking of support, Raymond himself has sponsored the senior team for three years now. He has been running his own business, Brady Carpentry, since 1999, providing a general carpentry service including hardwood floors, kitchens etc. all over the general Boston area "We provide a wide range of services and just take the work as it comes," the Lavey man quips. What are the club's plans for the future? "We really want to win another senior title. We've lost a lot of finals by narrow margins. We tend to win a lot of games early on and finish top of the table but then lose the final. "We have a very strong team of players who are all Boston-based. We've also had the likes of Peter Canavan, Gregory McCartan, Ollie Murphy, Chris Conway, Philip Loughran, Barry Malone and Dermot Heaney play for us over the years. At the height of the 2004 season, we had 22 counties represented on our three teams. "But we've won nothing since the junior championship in 2000, and that's something we'd like to put right." One senses that Aidan McAnespie GFC are ready to return to the winner's podium sooner rather than later. Tweet

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