Nestled among the slopes of West Cavan, a virtual oasis of Gaelic football is neatly etched out in the tranquil vista of rolling hills in one of the county's most scenic locations, as a testimony to the belief, pride and enthusiasm of the people of Corlough. With a limited population, no signs of industry, and bordering on Leitrim, Fermanagh, borders, the annual struggle to field teams is something that has helped harden the resolve to the G.A.A. followers of this locality. Indeed if trophies were to be awarded for pride, commitment and determination then surely clubs like Corlough, would be constantly on the winners rostrum. With each new season, the spirit and resolve of the Corlough club seems to be embodied with new expectations for the journey ahead. When you take into consideration the small population of this west Cavan parish and the achievements attained by this proud club, it is living testimony to the belief and sustained hope of these resilient people. One has only to look at their magnificent new grounds to realise the ability of this club to re-invent itself on a yearly basis. Much bigger and more prosperous clubs would fail to match the facilities of the West Cavan side. A magnificent pitch with state of the art facilities is what greets those fortunate enough to visit this oasis of football in West Cavan. To-date the capital investment in the infrastructure would not be short of one million euro according to the club PRO Gerry Prior. While enthusiastic about the development which is on-going at Corlough, Gerry is equally optimistic about the outlook for the football team. The pride and indeed a great deal of joy is something that is easy to assess when you speak with Corlough P.R.O. Gerry Prior when he talks about his home club. "The Corlough trophy cabinet may not be full of silverware at the end of each year but there is one thing for certain the commitment to try and win some is there at the beginning of each year. As a club, we would have seen the 2007 season as an improvement on the previous year. While many clubs in the county would see their season as good or bad depending on what they won, we are realistic enough to measure our success against the progress we have made. We finished just outside the mid-table range and while we did not do all that well in the championship, I feel that as a football club we have enough talent at our disposal to win something. It is in my belief, that with a little bit of self belief that we are presently lacking we would be a match for anyone in our division. I know we will get there and as the new season approaches our aims will be set to try and make a bigger impact on the Division 3 league. In 2007 we fielded two teams but for the coming year we will concentrate on just the one. We will be working of a panel of just twenty three players. With two teams last year, we had to call on too many players to cross over from the first team to fill the void for the second team. It was not a satisfactory arrangement for us at Corlough so we have decided to concentrate on just the one team. Unfortunately we will be without two great servants for the coming season, with Fintan McGovern going overseas on UN duties while Brendan McGovern a Garda, has been transferred to Athlone. Both these men will be big losses but we have still have a talented squad, made of a good mixture of youth and experience," stated Gerry. New Manager Corlough have opted to gain the services of an outside manager for the new season. The new man in charge is Fermanagh man Cathal Murphy. Cathal, is a native of Kinawley and managed his local club to a semi-final of Fermanagh championship. "Cathal is a highly respected figure in football circles and was much sought after by the clubs in West Cavan and Fermanagh. He brings a new and structured approach to his reign at Corlough. Having met with the players he set out realistic targets for the year. He feels that the club with the proper attitude and a bit of luck can challenge for league honours and also have ability to give the junior championship a serious challenge. He has given the players a training regime and will monitor their progress throughout the year," stated Gerry. Cathal will be assisted by two selectors, Gerry Prior and Frank Smith. Both men have vast experience of football and an intimate knowledge of Corlough having acted as selectors during 2007. "Frank Smith has a wealth of football knowledge and was rated one of Leitrim's top footballers during the early '90s," stated the Corlough PRO. Club Development When the subject of club development comes in focus, Gerry can justifiably feel proud at what has been achieved at Corlough so far. "We have a brand new football field which is a much sought after facility. We have facilitated neighbouring clubs in their hour of need and provided the use of our new grounds. The development work at the club is ongoing and while we have the pitch in place and a new complex providing four dressingrooms complete with showers, two referee rooms, toilets with access to both the public and also one for disabled access. Even with all these facilities the work is not fully complete," stated Gerry. The club have now put in place a development committee which will help to finalise the final phase of the development at the club. "We decided to streamline our actions and form a committee to oversee the the remaining work to be completed at the grounds. This committee is chaired by one of the club's longest serving members, and a former chairman, Hugh (Neddy) McGovern. Hugh's commitment to Corlough over his many years involvement is legendary and his knowledge and commitment to the club should prove very beneficial. Already the club have installed a set of new nets behind the goals, which can be remotely drawn down at the end of the season. The old system which was initially put in place was ripped apart by high winds but this new set-up should be able to withstand a great many forces and should last for years. The erection of a fence surrounding the playing field is the next part of the development. It is necessary to have this in place if we are to host any major games. The club are also set to plant trees around the exposed areas of the ground which should act as wind breaker. Without the generosity of the Feehan family, who gave the present field free of charge to the club much of what has been achieved might never have come into fruition. The Feehan family who run the local grocery and public house in the area have always been involved with Corlough. Sean, Noel and T.P. all played leading roles with the club over the years and indeed T. P. Feehan played for a number of years with Cavan senior football team," stated Gerry. Lights The club are presently erecting state of the art floodlighting and have already some of it in place. "We hope to finalise the floodlighting in early to mid April of this year. The cost of such a project would be in the region of something around ?140,000. We have been very fortunate in that we have two members of the club, both players, who have provided their services at a very reasonable cost. Ronan Kellegher, has done most of the electrical work while the engineering aspect of the job has been looked after by Kiernan Dolan. Their involvement has substantially reduced our overheads," stated the PRO. Funding With no major industry in the parish most of the financial needs for the development have been met by the club itself. An ambitious outlook and an ability to project a financial plan to their local bank has seen this club make these tremendous strides. "The Corlough club have always been able to look to the future. The commitment needed to undertake this development, both what is completed and still ongoing is testimony to that outlook. Over the years, the people of the club have never feared the prospect of development both on and off the field. The measure of the club can be seen by the fact that a great deal of finance is raised by the players themselves. The weekly grind of selling lotto tickets is carried out mainly by the players who have worked hard in selling lotto tickets around the neighbouring towns. It is my belief that with men of this calibre who have a pride and interest in their surroundings and club then surely with a bit of luck then they can also get their due reward on the playing field," stated Gerry Prior. Gerry is full of praise for the club's committee and says that the work put in by secretary Hugh McManus has been very much appreciated by all the members at Corlough G.F.C. Gerry who is now going into his third year as PRO knows only too well how difficult it is to get people involved at executive level and is full of praise for those that undertake these positions every year. "We have recently acquired a new parish priest, Fr. Tom McManus who has enthusiastically become involved with the club. A new face and fresh approach is always helpful and no doubt Fr. Tom will indeed contribute and enhance Corlough G.F.C.," stated Gerry. Gerry also said that he would like to pay tribute to a Pee Francis McGovern, who died during the year. "With the passing of Pee Francis, we have lost a true son of Corlough. Not only a life long member of the club, he also played for Corlough. His involvement did not stop when he retired from the playing field, he took on the task of managing the club and also went to be its chairman. His son, Michael is presently the current chairman of Corlough G.F.C. On behalf of all at the club we would like to convey our sympathy to his family," stated Gerry. Tweet

Most Read Stories