While success on the playing fields of Cavan have not overawed the followers of Kildallan they have much to be proud of. They sport one of the finest club set-ups in the county, the result of many years commitment, dedication and hardwork. Kildallan will look back on 2006 and wonder what went wrong. Playing in Division 2 of the ACFL, the club played twelve games and only managed to win one and draw another, thus thumbling down into junior ranks for 2007. Kildallan, as many football pundits will tell you, have the players and according to club Chairman, Cathal Reilly: "We may have made an rather unauspicious return to the junior ranks but the outlook at the club is one of hope and excitement. Emmet Curry has been appointed as the new manager for the coming season. Emmet has a proven track record at the club where he had outstanding success with underage teams in the '90s. Emmet will have handled many of the present crop of players during his sojourn at juvenile level and will have the respect and commitment from all the players. We have quite a few young players at the club and while we are now going to be playing our football in Division three, we feel nonetheless that it will probably be a better learning curve for the team. Emmet, who trained Derrylin for the past few years, has always had Kildallan close to his heart and with wife, Sharon Cassidy, currently acting as secretary to Kildallan then football will be a priority in the Curry household. The other ingredient in the management team is trainer - selector, Gabriel O'Neill." The new team management are confident that they can turn around the fortunes of the 'First Ulsters'. "We have a young panel with a great deal of potential and with the enthusiasm and experience of the newly appointed team management, then we can get back to winning ways and make a serious bid for promotion and challenge for junior championship honours," stated the chairman. Injury Free Cathal went on to explain some of the misfortune which befell Kildallan in 2006: "Last season, we had an unprecedented run of injuries which left us struggling. The balance of the team was adversely affected through this injury crisis and we began to struggle. Losing some of early league games set us in a downward spiral that was magnified with the injury list piling up. With the return of Colin Reilly, who was out for most of 2006, the club will have the guiding influence of this talented player for 2007. We won the U-16 Division 3 league back in 2002 and it will be interesting to see just how much these players have progressed during that time. Many of the winning side are now coming into their prime and should be capable of repeating their success of 2002 at junior level." Local Derbies The chairman did express the view that the journey through division 3 will be a one with many dangers as the league is frequented by many West Cavan sides which makes most of the league games 'local derbies'. "We will have to contend with neighbours, Templeport, Shannon Geals, Corlough, Killeshandra, Arva and Cornafean in what we expect to be very tough games, but with players of the calibre of the Duignans, Doonans and Crowe brothers, along with the Reillys' Fee, Bannons, Martins, Conatys and O'Neills we are capable of gaining the upperhand, maybe not in all of them but surely in most. The fact that there are so many tricky 'local derbies' will give an added edge to an already competitive league and should help hone the senses of the team for a tilt at the championship. We will be looking at this season, as one that will see us return to winning and to be in a position that we are contesting the latter stages of all our competitions," stated Cathal. Underage As a club Kildallan have always prided themselves with the great work carried out at underage level. The chairman was magnanimous in his praise for all the club members who have worked so diligently over many years in promoting gaelic games in the area to the benefit of the Kildallan club. "Throughout the years we have secured many trophies at underage level which is in itself a tribute to those who worked to promote the game in the club. We cater for all the grades at underage level in football. Our greatest success in 2006 was from one of our youngest teams, our U-10s, when we won the John James Smith Memorial Cup. The team was trained and coached by Michael Donohoe, John Murray, Eddie Cooke and Dallan McPartlin. The victory was achieved over neighbours, Drumlane on a scoreline of 4-3 to 2-7. Hurling One of the bastions of hurling in Cavan is based at First Ulster's Park, Ballyconnell where Woodford Gaels are domiciled. Hurling in West Cavan has been on the increase. County Hurling Board Chairman, Peadar Neary, a member of Kildallan G.F.C. is a strong and influential supporter of hurling in the area. Over the years, the club has grown in strength so much so that in 2006, they had teams competing in all sections of hurling in the county. From national school, junvenile U-10 to U-16 and senior, the club have maintained a high profile in all competitions. The idea of promoting the game at such a young age is widely understood in the area and with the local school winning 4th, 5th and 6th class county hurling championships the future does indeed look bright. The skill factor is something that is held high at Woodford and evidence of this was the selection two of the club's U-12s to represent Cavan in Ulster skills competition. Neasan Neary finished first in the county with clubmate, Conor Crowe, finishing second in Ulster. The U-14 squad overcame 'old' rivals, Mullahoran to win the Shield final while the U-12s are also set to play in their Shield final. While the 2006 season did not provide any silverware for the senior team, they nevertheless did make it to the two premier competition finals. In both league and championship, they lost out narrowly to a strong Mullahoran combination. The club look forward to the new season where the senior club will take part in the demanding arena of the Ulster hurling league. The experience gained at this level should benefit the club and help reverse some of narrow final defeats in 2006. Gap filled The association of the club with Cavan Co. Board has over the years been one of distinction. The last member of the club to hold a position at County Board level was back in the 1980s when the late Tom Maguire, acted as vice chairman for a number of years. Since his death the club have failed to have any member act at this level until recently with the appointment of Peadar Neary to the position of Irish Officer. Peadar who is already acting as chairman of the Cavan Co. Hurling Board is a great lover of all things Gaelic. As chairman of the hurling board, his enthusiasm is infectious and his drive to expand the playing base of the game of hurling is legend in Cavan. In his opening speech when appointed Chairman of the hurling board, Peadar outlined his vision for hurling in Cavan expressing great hope and a will to foster the game in areas where it was not presently being played. 30 year celebrations While the club gear up for the 2007 season with a new vision and great hope, the glory of a former era is being recalled. The 'class' of 1977, who captured the club's first and only junior football championship title are being honoured later this year. According to the club's very helpful and curteous PRO, Thomas Cassidy: "It is the thirtieth anniversary of that historic event. A first in any club is always historical but as time ebbed away and we failed to capture a second junior title this coming celebration has an even greater significance. There are a number of connections between the 1977 and the present squad now preparing for the 2007 season. The Smith brothers, Gerard, Stephen and Ciaran's father, Peter was fullback on that winning side while Donal Fee's father lined out at corner back on that famous day. The current club chairman, Cathal Reilly who played on the forty that day has two sons Dathai and Barry who are members of the 2007 team. Hopefully, as the saying goes 'like father like son', will ring true in 2007 and maybe the names of the former greats' sons will add another piece of history to the club's annals. It is hoped to honour the winning 1977 team with a gala dinner to be held later on this year at the Slieve Russell Hotel," stated an excited Thomas. Kildallan Junior championship winners 1977: Jim Donohoe, Brian Fee, Peter Smith, Brian McManus, Seamus Murray, Frank Murray, Jim Carroll, Jim McManus, Liam Byrne, Frankie Freehil, Cathal Reilly, Noel Lunney, Brendan Murray, Jimmy Kelly, Noel Corcoran. Magnificent facilities While success has been light on the playing fields, the club have always forged ahead with a progressive outlook. The result of hard work and vision, is Kildallan's complex at Ballyconnell, The First Ulsters Park. Chairman Cathal O'Reilly is rightfully proud of the achievements of the club in this area and pays great tribute to all the people of the area who helped to make it happen. "We have two magnificent Prunty pitches and have over the past few seasons hosted many important games at club and inter-county level. We had the distinction of hosting the All Ireland semi-final and final of the Masters competition back in 2005 and more recently hosted the Division 3 National Hurling league quarter-final between Longford and Monaghan as well as hosting the All Ireland inter-firms GAA final replay". Tweet

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