The good people of Ballymachugh GAA are renowned for their foresight. Club chairman Tony Tierney is rightly proud of what the local gaels have achieved When over 280 people come together to celebrate their common heritage, achievements and their common sense of belonging then it has just got to be an occasion to remember. And that's how things turned out last November when a who's who of Ballymachugh gaels attended a grand re-union at the Crover House Hotel. The evening was to acknowledge the triumphs of two Ballymachugh club teams from yesteryear plus the extraordinary contribution of three stalwart club officials. The occasion drew arguably the biggest attendance ever at a Ballymachugh GAA dinner dance and truly reflected the bonhomie, spirit and camaraderie which is inherent in the Longford-border club. Club supporters from near and far - including the US - joined the party to honour Ballymachugh's Junior Football League winning side of 1968 and the all-conquering side of 1981 that came good in the Intermediate Football Championship that year. "We couldn't have wished things to have gone any better than they did on the night," says co-organiser and outgoing club chairman Tony Tierney. Fulsome in his praise for the roles played by fellow clubmen Eugene Kiernan and Peter Brady in organising the unprecedented gathering of local gaels, Tony doesn't begin to understate the significance of the event. "It was a fierce boost to the parish and a great pick-me-up for the club at the end of the year," he enthuses. "It brought a lot of people together and it was good to see so many people there from the 1968 era especially. "It was sad that a couple of players from that year have since died but they were remembered on the night by everyone who knew them as great players and great clubmen." Along with the club's present-day players, the stars from nearly 40 years ago and from all of a quarter of a century ago mingled with supporters and officials over the course of what was a great night for Ballymachugh GAA. Each member of the title winning teams from '68 and '81 was presented with a memento of the occasion while Cavan Crystal replicas of the Sam Maguire Cup were afforded to particularly legendary club figures. Long-serving club stalwarts, Paddy Gill, Packie Smith and Peter Brady were each honoured for services rendered by them to the club over the course of many years in a variety of administrative and managerial roles. "We might not have won anything in 2006 but that didn't take away from the night we had at the Crover," explains Tony, a former tigerish wing-half back for the club. "It was good of the Drumalee club to lend us the intermediate trophy for the night and I'd like to thank Fr. Frank Gray for saying a lovely mass in the hotel before the function. "Things couldn't have went any better in any respect. "When you receive thank-you notes from different people following the function, you know that things must have went okay," the hard-working chairman adds. Reflecting on matters which concentrated minds and hearts at the club over the course of the year, Tony's thoughts are focussed on what might have been for the various Ballymachugh teams who tried their damndest to hit the high notes but who, for various reasons, fell short of making sweet music. "It wasn't a bad year for the seniors but it could have been a whole lot better but for all the injuries we had," the Clonolohan, Kilcogy native claims. He recalls the fact that at varying stages during high summer, the club's premier squad were devoid of eleven players due to a raft of reasons, most notably because of injuries but also because of suspension and holidays. Defeat to Ballinagh in the first round of the intermediate championship was the major by-product of such absences. "In fairness we were just very poor in our next game against Laragh. If we had at least drawn with them, we would have got through to the quarter-finals because we beat Drumlane in our last game in the group." Interestingly, Tony says expectations among the Ballymachugh faithful at the outset of 2006 was that the intermediate team would have at least made it through to the quarter-finals and "maybe even go on from there and win out the championship." Fortune didn't favour Ballymachugh though over the course of year with one injury following another as the team sought to beat a path to either championship or league glory. Various injuries to key players served to undermine Ballymachugh's twin track challenge. The club chairman is convinced that sufficient talent was on board (or on paper at least) to fire Ballymachugh into either the senior championship for 2007 or the top flight in the all county football league. However Finbar Sheridan's cruciate ligament trouble; Brian Kiernan (disclocated shoulder) and Brian Donohoe (broken wrist) were just some of the spanners that crippled Ballymachugh's works last year. The run of bad luck for the team was enough to have team-manager Gerry Brady plus selectors Eugene Kiernan, Dan O'Reilly and Eamonn Flood tearing their hair out. "All the players put in a fierce effort as did the management team. "You had the likes of Gavin Smith coming home from Dublin and it was just a pity that we drew too many matches in the league and didn't find our best form in the championship. " Division two is probably the toughest of all three leagues. "Then the injuries hit hard especially during the championship because numbers aren't great at the best of times and when we lose a few fellas through injury, things get even harder for the team. "We've got it hard to replace the two Plunketts and Brian Fitzsimons hasn't played since 2000. "With one injury on top of another, you have to start asking certain players to play even more games. "That's why we had to pull out of the senior reserve competition midway through the year. "We'd be hoping to revive our second team in '07 though." And yet there's no question but that Ballymachugh's hard core workers are working hard to make the very best of their playing resources. In fact things are looking up on the numbers game down Ballymachugh way. In September 2005, the local national school saw a greater intake of children than their neighbours in Mullahoran for the very first time. And there's a very good underage structure in Ballymachugh to capitalise on the burgeoning young population. There are good mentors in place too with the likes of Johnny Coyle doing trojan work with the club's starlets. It was noticeable that the club's under 12 and under 14 teams made the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively in 2006. "There's some very good young players coming up from juvenile level. "They were unlucky not to make it through to the finals and they don't like losing. "But they won't lose heart and they'll be training just as hard in 2007." Whatever else about filling up the trophy cabinet in the coming year, it's a certainty that the club will be embellishing it's already enviable facilities in 2007. Tony - entering his third year as club chairman - tells us that the development of an all-weather area is in the pipeline. Further down the line, an extension to the community centre and the installation of an astroturf pitch is envisaged. "We don't intend to rest on our laurels," says Tony. "There's a good working committee in place and even though we're no different from any other clubs in that we could do with more help, we're not doing too badly in terms of raising money with the lotto and other draws. "It's important that we match our progress off the field with success for our teams, both football and hurling. "The lads over the hurling are doing great work and we have to make sure that we get all the lads in the parish out playing football or hurling. "You have to try and keep everyone happy although you can't beat having competition for places either." You can't beat a busy man to do a demanding job and despite having three young sons and (in tandem with wife Pauline) being self-employed, Tony is prepared to remain in the driving seat at the club for at least another year. If there's any justice, Ballymachugh and Tony will have another title success to celebrate and commemorate in 2007 other than those acknowledged in such grand style last November. Tweet

Most Read Stories