Naomh Mairtin celebrated an important milestone in the club's history as 2007 marked the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Monasterboice club. The club have enjoyed many successes on the field of play over the years and witnessed some very fine players wearing the blue-and-white jersey and these along with the many great developments at Pairc Naomh Mairtin were remembered during the year. Those involved with the club were hoping that the occasion would be marked by success at senior level and although the team didn't managed to collect any silverware, they did make an impression on the senior championship and overall can reflect on a relatively successful season. For many at the club, the 50th anniversary celebrations will provide the highlight of the year and Secretary, Bernadette Whelan, points out that a lot of work went into making the occasion a memorable one. "At the start of the year it was one of our priorities to celebrate the anniversary and we decided to have a dinner dance. That was held in the City North Hotel in Gormanston in August and it proved to be a very enjoyable night. "Guests of honour were the 1958 and 59 teams who won the Division 2B Championship and it was really great to honour them. At that time the players came from Tullyallen and Collon as well as Monasterboice and it was great to see so many together to reflect on the old days. "Unfortunately a few have passed away but there was a big crowd and overall it was a very good night," said Bernadette. Another significant event was held at the Parish Sports Day when a plaque was unveiled to honour the late PS Donegan at the Naomh Mairtin Clubrooms. It was Mr Donegan who donated the land to the club where the pitch and clubhouse are located. Looking back on 50 years meant it was an opportune time to compile a history of the club which proved to be a very successful project and well worth the work that went in to it. "We decided some time back to put together a history of the club and we included all the details from down through the years and as many photographs as we could get. There was a lot of effort put in by a lot of people but it was great to see it completed." Among those who were involved in the book included, Mick Fanning, club chairman, Bernadette Whelan, club secretary, Paddy Briscoe, club treasurer, Jim Mooney, Paddy Sullivan, Fergus Nealon, Ollie Smith, Tony Lynn and Noel Berrill, along with Sean Callery who edited the book. On the field of play, Naomh Mairtin were hoping celebrate the anniversary in the best possible style by making an impression on the Senior Championship. The faced a difficult task from the outset as they were drawn in a very competitive Group A which included reigning champions, St Joseph's, and 2005 champions, Mattock Rangers. Also in the group were the strongly fancied Newtown Blues along with the tough opposition of St Bride's and St Mary's. According to Bernadette the club went into the season in confident mood and although they didn't make a good start, they showed some impressive form over the summer and completed the championship with their senior status intact. "Expectations around the club were high when we started out but unfortunately things didn't start too well in the league or championship. "In the middle of the season we brought in Nicky Malone and that certainly lifted things for us. After that we had a good run in the championship and nearly made it through to the quarter-finals. Unfortunately we lost out to St Bride's in the final group game, but I suppose with the new structures, our main priority was to stay in senior and we managed to achieve it. "We certainly didn't want to be involved in a relegation battle or go down and it took a good effort from everyone to succeed in that," added Bernadette. The championship campaign didn't get off to the best start although there were some encouraging signs in the 4-10 to 2-10 defeat to Newtown Blues. They lost out in their second outing to champions, St Joseph's, on a 2-9 to 2-7 scoreline at the end of April. That meant that Naomh Mairtin faced a massive game against neighbours Mattock Rangers when the championship resumed at the end of July. A much improved display saw the Monasterboice men came out in top with an impressive 0-14 to 0-7 win. That success gave the side confidence and they followed up with a 1-16 to 1-13 victory over St Mary's. That success meant that Naomh Mairtin went into the final group game against St Bride's with a chance of making the knock-out stages. However, despite a battling display they were unable to compete with the excellent form of Aaron Hoey who led his side to a 2-11 to 1-9 victory, having led by 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval. In truth, the Mairtins can have no complaints about losing this game and having lost their opening two fixtures they were always going to be up against it to reach the latter stages. They will particularly rue losing to St Joseph's in round two as a game that got away from them but they have certainly something to build on. Their form in the latter stages of the championship shows that they can challenge the top teams and they can look forward to the 2008 year with greater confidence. The Naomh Mairtin team on that occasion was as follows: Martin Byrne; Paddy Loughran, Kenneth Lambe, Paddy Sullivan; David Delaney, Mick Fanning, Mark McCormack; Paul Berrill, Francis McCullough; Paddy Halligan, Nicky McDonnell, Paul McDonnell; JP Rooney, Ronan Gilliard, Barry Sullivan. Scorers: JP Rooney (1-2, 2f, penalty), Paddy Halligan (0-3), Francis McCullough (0-3, 2f), Paul McDonnell (0-1). On the juvenile front, Naomh Mairtin continue to put in a lot of work to ensure a successful future for the club. Thanks to the hard work of a number of dedicated coaches, the sessions have been very popular and enjoyable with teams from U-8 to U-18 learning and developing their skills and competing for honours at all levels. In recent times the club has also spent much time and energy catering for the girls in the area and are currently developing a thriving ladies section. There has been a good attendance at the coaching sessions and some success with the U-9 team winning the Quigley Memorial Cup, while the U-10 were also successful in their section. The girls U-12 team also collected some silverware for the club when they defeated St Bride's in the county final at Stabannon. Celebrations Naomh Mairtin celebrated 50 years in existence this year and to mark the occasion held a celebratory dinner dance in the City North Hotel with over 300 people in attendance to mark the clubs half century. On the night they held a presentation in honour of the founder members of the club. This included Paddy Mullen, Paddy Meade and the team of '58/59 who won the Division 2 Championship final as well as their selectors. Among them was the oldest man in the parish Mr. Patsy Maguire at the great age of 99. A great night was had by all and here's to the next 50! - Bernadette Whelan Tweet

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