Loyal to the blue
April 01, 2008
There are many Cavan natives living in various parts of the country and indeed further a field. Apart from hailing from the same county, the majority have another thing in common and that is their love of Gaelic football.
It is a well known fact that the Breffni Blues' supporters are some of the most passionate in the country and although they have had little to shout about in the last decade or so, Cavan people yearn to see the glory days of years gone by return. One such person is Kingscourt native Adrian Carolan, who despite having resided in Meath and worked in Dublin for many years still follows the fortunes of the county's footballers with a keen interest. Adrian was an accomplished footballer in his day and helped Kingscourt Stars win the county title on three occasions with the club before hanging up his boots in 1992. Success came in abundance for Adrian when he was growing up and he revealed that there he was part of a very successful group during that era.
"When I was growing up I was fortunate to be part of a great bunch of lads that won honours at all levels from under-12 right up to minor and the majority of that side came through to win senior honours with club," said Adrian. "In the early days, Peter Connolly looked after most of the underage teams and his enthusiasm was a big part in getting us all started playing football."
Adrian revealed that emigration hit the club hard in the 1980's and that a lot more could have been won if there was more employment in the community. "As was the case in all the country, emigration hit hard during the eighties and there wasn't very many jobs around, so lads were forced to go abroad in order to seek work and this affected every club in the country, never mind just Kingscourt. However, although we didn't do too badly, I'm certain that we would have won a lot more if lads had been able to stay around ."
Adrian's performances at underage level were recognised as he was called into the Cavan U16 and minor squads and also played for the county's under-21 team for a couple of years, winning the Fr Manning Cup during that period. Despite his career ending 16 years ago, he has still maintained a keen interest in Cavan football and always keeps an eye on Kingscourt Stars results.
Having attended many of Cavan's championship and league matches in recent years, Adrian believes that the players are there to bring further glory to the county, but they are missing one vital ingredient. "The have flattered to deceive in recent years. There are certainly plenty of quality players in the squad, but they lack the belief that's needed to compete with the top teams. "They have shown great commitment and dedication in local derbies against the likes of Meath, but when it comes to the Ulster championship, they are still a bit behind the top teams in the province." Looking back, Adrian remembers 1997 with fond memories as Cavan lifted the Ulster title for the first time in three decades, which was far too long a wait for the county. "The whole county was buzzing in '97. Martin McHugh came in and did a magnificent job with the squad. He gave them the belief that they could win, but as soon as he left they slipped dramatically and have been trying to get back up ever since. "Hopefully it will not be too long more before Cavan is competing for provincial titles again. We have some of the best footballers in the country playing and with a bit of confidence, they could go far."
Adrian resides in Dunboyne, Co Meath, the home of former Royal supremo Sean Boylan. "I know Sean, as our sons play on the same U14 team . Dunboyne have already qualified for this year's all Ireland Feile Finals which will be held in Cavan, and we're all really looking forward to a great Week-end in July". Adrian told us that the St Peter's club in Dunboyne has an excellent set up, especially for it's juveniles. The club looks after its underage teams very well and although there are huge numbers playing, coaching is provided for all ages. I have three sons; Ben and Niall both play football, while Jack is a keen tennis player".
In 1994, Adrian joined B&G Ltd and has been Managing Director since 2004. B&G is an Irish Company servicing customers in the Hardware, DIY and Building trade. It has a wide portfolio of products covering Building, DIY, Bathroom and Home Improvement. In the last 10 years the Company has established itself as one of Ireland's leading Door suppliers. These are marketed under B&G's own brand "Applications" which is recognised as the Brand leader in the industry.
B&G's philosophy is to supply its customers with high quality products, backed up with top rate service and a dedication to 'Value for Money'. The Company commenced trading in February 1973 and serves the whole of Ireland - North and South. As a result of the ever increasing demands for better service and more innovative products - the Company has grown extensively and now services over 800 outlets nationwide. Much of this growth has been fuelled by B&G's active new products programme - which enables it to continuously develop and introduce new and innovative products.
Another major factor in B&G's success is it's long-term relationships with its suppliers and customers. "We are proud to claim that so many of our original suppliers and customers are still our main business partners". B&G Ltd employs 40 people and operates from a 30,000sq ft facility on the Greenhills road in Walkinstown from where they supply their vast range of products to a large customer base. All of the Company's product, Brands and services can be seen on it's web-site www.bghome.ie
The company has gained huge success over the years and Adrian would love to see his native county follow suit and lift more silverware in the very near future.
Most Read Stories