Pride of place within Dunboyne Ladies GFC this year goes to the Under 12's who became our first ever team to win an All Ireland Title. The girls were crowned Community Games (All-Ireland) Champions in November and their achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider they were the first Meath team to win this competition in its forty year existence. Along the way the team also picked up the Meath and Leinster titles, that's three county and two Leinster titles in a row. Our underage structure continues to forge ahead and 2008 proved to be a very successful year all round with the club fielding teams at Under 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16 levels. Our girls also recently celebrated the winning of their two in a row Cumann na mBunscol Meath titles with Dunboyne National School. Dunboyne Ladies GFC youngest team the Under 10's were Division 1 Runners Up in the 2008 Meath Championship, our Under 11's were crowned Meath Div 1 Champions in November and the Under 12's picked up the Division 1 Shield Dunboyne's Under 13's are in the finals of the Meath Féile 2008 Competition and our Under 14's won this year's Division 2 Competition. The Under 16's girls were runners up in the Division 2 Shield Final so all in all, a marvellous year full of achievements. A special word of gratitude must go to all the existing and new mentors who have really made a difference to the progress of the club at all underage levels. Since its foundation in 1996 Dunboyne Ladies GFC remains the only stand alone Ladies Gaelic football club in the county, we have won Meath Championships several times over at all under age levels up to and including Under 21's. The clubs recent winning of All Ireland and Leinster Titles is an achievement any club would be very proud of. In 2006 Dunboyne Ladies GFC funded and built modern dressing rooms and showers on the grounds of St Peters College for use by the club's sides and all the pupils of the college. The partnership with the school has been extremely beneficial to both parties and this was confirmed when our girls won the Senior Ladies Leinster Title playing for the school in 2005. We always like to take the opportunity to publicly acknowledge the kind assistance and co-operation of St Peters College principal Mr. Eamon Gaffney. We are now one of the biggest Ladies clubs in Meath and have an abundance of youngsters joining at underage levels. Underage Football Dunboyne Crowned All-Ireland Gaelic Football Champions 2008 History was made in Mosney in November 2008, when Dunboyne Ladies GFC U12's Gaelic footballers were crowned Community Games All-Ireland champions. In what could only be described as atrocious weather conditions, Dunboyne produced two epic displays to defeat Munster Champions Kilmurray (Cork) by the narrowest of margins in the semi-final and Connaught Champions Claregalway (Galway) in a highly entertaining All-Ireland final. This was the first time in the 40 year history of the Community Games that a Meath team has won this competition. And how appropriate it was, that the very last time the Community Games National Finals are being held at the County Meath venue, (the National Finals move to Athlone from 2009) it was a Meath team who took the title. Dunboyne's run to All-Ireland glory began last April with victories over Carlanstown, Skryne and Ratoath resulting in Dunboyne retaining the Meath title they had also won in 2006 & 2007. Victories over Longford champions, Ballymahon, Rhode (Offaly) and Castle/Cross (Wexford) in the Leinster Final in July qualified Dunboyne to represent the province in Mosney. The All-Ireland final was against a 'huge' Claregalway team who had easily beaten the Ulster Champions from Cavan in their semi-final. Family, friends and neighbours all travelled to support the team. Dunboyne Ladies started brightly. Aifric O'Malley and Michelle Melia were winning the battle in midfield and Maeve O'Doherty, Ruth Glynn and Sarah Lacey were keeping the Galway backs busy. Erica Duggan, Lauren Byrne and Dunboyne's newest star, Victoria Wall were proving a formidable half back line. Aifric was unlucky to see her goal-bound shot come back off the woodwork. Points from Aifric O'Malley, Louise Grant and Michelle Melia gave Dunboyne a 0-3 to 0-2 lead at half-time. Dunboyne got a dream start to the second half when a super Alison Jones shot hit both crossbar and post before landing in the Claregalway net. Soon after, Aisling Garvey pointed to put Dunboyne 1-4 v 0-2 ahead. Claregalway fought back with two points to leave just a goal between the teams. Ailbhe Travers and Sarah Bugler were introduced to strengthen the Dunboyne attack and Ashling Garvey scored her second point of the day to leave Dunboyne 1-5 v 0-4 ahead. Louise Nixon, who was destined to keep two clean sheets over the weekend, was pulling off save after save. As the clock wound down Claregalway piled on the pressure. But the heroic blocking and tackling of Dunboyne, particularly the fullback line of Cliodhna Murphy, Claire Buckley and Sarah Higgins limited the Claregalway scoring to one further point. The last few minutes were heart-stopping for both players and supporters, but Dunboyne's grit and determination ensured they ran out worthy winners on a 1-5 v 0-5 score line. Following the medal presentation and a quick visit to the Mosney amusements, Meath's newest All-Ireland Champions returned for a victorious 'tour' of Dunboyne village and a well deserved celebration. The heartiest of congratulations to our All-Ireland Champions. Panel: Ailbhe Travers, Alison Jones, Ashling Garvey, Caoimhe Curran, Victoria Wall, Sarah Higgins, Maeve Clince, Sarah Bugler, Maeve O'Doherty, Sinead Clince, Lauren Byrne, Aifric O'Malley, Erica Duggan, Claire Buckley, Louise Grant, Sarah Lacey, Cliodhna Murphy, Louise Nixon, Michelle Melia, Ruth Glynn. Under 10 Meath Championship Runner Up 2008 Training got underway in early March for this years crop of U10s in Dunboyne. The large group of enthusiastic footballers were coached by John Eager, Joe Travers & Frank O'Byrne. Despite a couple of narrow defeats in the group stages, victories over Royal Gaels & O'Mahony's qualified the girls for a Division 1 Quarter Final against Oldcastle. This proved to be a real ding-dong battle with Dunboyne coming out on top by the narrowest of margins on a 5-5 to 5-4 scoreline. Dunboyne went into the county semi-final as rank outsiders against an undefeated Ratoath site. But Dunboyne, led by a superb Victoria Wall, upset the formbook and qualified for the county final on a 2-6 v 2-2 scoreline. Three month's later Dunboyne faced Boardsmill yet again in a county final. In a very entertaining and close game, Boardsmill by converting more of their chances, finished ahead 1-4 v 1-2. All in all a fantastic first season for the young Dunboyne ladies. Under 11 Meath Champions 2008 - Division 1 Dunboyne's Ladies GFC Under11A team got off to a great start to the Division 1 campaign with a superb display of point taking from Alison Jones and Karen Geraghty in a game against Royal Gaels where the girl's teamwork was second to none. The girls then went on to beat Ratoath in a very hard fought game where Sarah Higgins, Amy Coyne, Lydia Noble and Louise Grant put in great displays. After Ratoath came Navan O'Mahony's with Leanne McLoughlin, in goal, Erica Duggan, Cliodhna Murphy at the back and Méabh O'Doherty up front putting in masterful performances. This resulted in another win for Dunboyne. Next up came Don-Ashbourne, where after a very closely contested first half Dunboyne had to rely on some super defending from Maeve Clince, Caoimhe Curran and Victoria Wall, aided by outstanding midfield play from Michelle Melia in order to pull away in the second half and win. Having won all their games to date the girls faced a visit from a very well drilled and talented Boardsmill side. They rose to the challenge and after an extremely hard fought first half, it took the introduction of Emma Byrne, Deirbhle Travers and Sarah Lacey shortly after the restart to settle the ship and ensure Dunboyne went on to win. Unbeaten at this stage Dunboyne qualified for the final, where they were to meet Boardsmill in the magnificent complex at Dunganny. This proved to be a much closer game than the team's previous meeting where after a good start Dunboyne were leading by four points halfway through the first half. However, through some superb teamwork Boardsmill drew level on the stroke of half time. The highlight of the first half was a fantastic point from Sarah Bugler which would be contender for score of the season in any county. After the restart the Dunboyne girls got down to business again with Leanne in goal, backs Sarah, Maeve, Erica, Caoimhe and Victoria putting in great displays of defending while Michelle and Amy worked tirelessly at midfield. Up front the scores started arriving where Alison, Louise, Méabh and Sarah worked tirelessly. The game was ebbing and flowing with Dunboyne going ahead then Boardsmill coming back until a brilliant piece of individual skill from the exceptional Aisling Garvey resulted in a goal enabling Dunboyne to go on and win a great game by two points. A great finish to a great year. Under 11A Panel: Leanne McLoughlin, Sarah Higgins, Cliodhna Murphy, Maeve Clince, Erica Duggan, Victoria Wall, Caoimhe Curran, Karen Geraghty, Amy Coyne, Lydia Noble, Michelle Melia, Alison Jones, Aisling Garvey, Louise Grant, Méabh O'Doherty, Emma Byrne, Deirbhle Travers, Sarah Lacey, Sarah Bugler. Division 3 Under 12's A group of nineteen girls made up the panel for a competition which was essentially an eleven a side competition. This resulted in an awful lot of juggling and thankfully with the co-operation of the girls everybody got valuable game time. Having played seven games with four wins, one draw and two losses we qualified for the semi final against Duleek. In a very hard-fought game that saw great performances from Orlaith Tiernan, Alison Grant and Roisin McBrien we were narrowly defeated. However all was not lost as we still qualified for the shield final where we met St Patrick's. On a superb day in Martry the girls served up a fine display of football, particularly in the second half. Despite a hugely brave effort and an outstanding goal from Louise Grant, it was not to be Dunboyne's day. Everybody played there part in what was a great year from Leanne in goal to Sarah, Orlaith, Cliodhna, Erica, Alison, and Lydia at the back, Louise and Amy in midfield, and forwards Méabh, Sarah, Roisin, Blaithnaid, Ailbhe, Mary-Francis, Karen, Emily, Alisha and Shona. Under 12A Shield Winners 2008 Having won Meath Championship Division 1 titles at U10 & U11, this year's U12 began the season (like Kerry & Kilkenny) in search of a famous three-in-a-row. However a wake-up call in the first league game of the season against Simonstown was to prove ominous. Seven victories later and the girls were back in a county semi-final and a tricky away fixture to Senechalstown. However in a game where nothing went right for the Dunboyne girls, the Yellow Furze outfit ran out deserving winners 2-8 v 2-4. Dunboyne recovered their form to win the Shield final against Summerhill. The younger members of the squad went on to lead Dunboyne to Leinster and All-Ireland success in Mosney and more recently a Cumann na mBunscol final victory over Navan. So all in all a fantastic season for this very talented squad. Under 14's Meath Winners 2008 - Division 2 Dunboyne Ladies Under 14's started out back on 9th March. From that match the girls gave a massive commitment to the club and we had a great turn out for the training sessions. Our goal was to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for the girls to improve their skills and built up their teamwork. In doing so we also wished that the team reach its full potential. We were pitted against some very useful teams in division two of the Meath championship and we required all our resources to win our matches. The benefit of a big panel was evident over the summer as some of the girls had commitments i.e. gaeltachts, holidays or helping out at home. All girls on the panel got game time and all were a credit to the club. Having won all our games we were brought back to earth in the final league match when we were heavily defeated by Simonstown. This caused us all to have a rethink and realise that work was still to be done. On the 27th September we had a narrow four point win over Summerhill in the semi final. We then faced our earlier conquerors in the final. We played Simonstown in the final in Skryne on a wet October Saturday. At half time we trailed by six points but were still very competitive. The second half was a battle and led superbly by our captain Rachel Melia we clawed back the lead and went a point ahead. This we managed to hold until the final whistle. On its sounding the joy on the girls faces was a joy to behold. Finally we wish to thank the girls for their commitment, their parents for their support and the Dunboyne Ladies committee who gave us solid support all year. Many of them attended our matches both away and at home. The management team of Michael O Neill and Andy Smith with John Cuffe got a great satisfaction watching the team develop. Their commitment and work ethic reflected their team. Rachel Melia was an inspirational captain and Linda Connelly represented all the girls with her hard work and improvement over the season. Each and every girl on the panel made a massive contribution to our success. Panel : Sarah Fahey, Fiona Egan, Ellen Burke, Chloe Coyne, Linda Connelly, Aifric O Malley, Ruth Flood, Rachel Melia, Caroline Glynn, Aoife O Neill, Aoife Slevin, Grace Dunne, Ashling Garvey, Rachel Smith, Amy Garvey, Aine and Maria Kennedy, Fiona Cuffe, Kate Cunniffe, Tara Moran, Ashling Reid, Niamh Reynolds, Siobhan Dunne, Lauren Byrne, Zoe Kelly, Shelly Melia, Sinead Clince and Elaine Doyle. The help given by Phelim Glynn was appreciated and welcome. Under 16's Shield Runner Up 2008 - Division 2 Paddy O'Malley and Pauline Buffini took charge of Dunboyne Ladies GFC Under 16 team for 2008. The girls got through to the Division 2 Shield Final on 5th October -v- Na Fianna - the furthest we got this year. The girls were very unlucky not to have won the match - not our day! The team had some great performances this year, including a huge comeback against Moynalvey (away) on a rain-soaked Sunday, 14th September, and then, three days later a thrilling semi-final match at home against Duleek/Bellewstown which ended in a draw. There was a lot of talent and commitment within the team, and a large number of the team also had their Junior Certificate examinations to contend with, between training and matches. Pauline and Paddy can safely say that the 2008 Under 16 team were first and foremost ladies and that they enjoyed a good laugh with them at the games and training sessions, even though it was sometimes hard to get a word in edgeways !!! Cumann na mBunscol - Meath Champions 2007 & 2008 Dunboyne Ladies own Pauline Buffini, supported by the principal of Dunboyne National School, Willie Lyons, managed the incredible double of winning the Cumann na mBunscol A Finals at Pairc Tailteann in November 2007 and retaining the cup again on the 15th November 2008 against St Oliver Plunkett's. Congratulations to all the mentors and girls involved. This is a very important part of the development of Dunboyne Ladies GFC as the school introduces a large number of young girls to Gaelic football and acts as a feeder system to our underage teams. Adult football Our 2008 Senior panel managed by Leo Hurson have being actively involved in four competitions this year, Senior Championship, Senior League, Junior League and the Feis Cup. Dunboyne Ladies got as far as the semi finals of the Senior Championship going down to the eventual winners Seneschalstown. The timing of the competition did not suit the girls as we had most of the senior panel abroad for several months during the summer months. Mention of travel abroad, the club organized trips away for the Senior panelists for "training camps" to Rimini in Itlay last year and the Algarve in Portugal the previous year, these trips were fund raised and financed by the girls themselves and proved to be very successful indeed. Dunboyne Ladies ave played and remained unbeaten in the 2008 Senior League, we are due to play in the final against Donaghmore Ashbourne on Sunday 30th November. We are the defending Champions in this competition having also previously won it in 2005. Our Senior girls Feis Cup team defending the 2007 trophy are also through to the final of that competition, Seneschalstown providing the opposition and down for the following week Sunday the 7th of December. Our Junior panel is also going well and remains unbeaten in the competition. A special word of thanks must go to Pat Bourke who has taken on the task of training the Senior girls for the past two seasons assisted by Leo, Colm, Bridge and Oisin. his time and effort is really appreciated by all involved in the various teams. Under 19's Meath Championship Runner Up 2007 This team have a proud tradition of having got through to the Division 1 County finals every year at every age since they started out together as Under 14's in 2001. The panel of players got through to the final of this newly formed competition, (it replaces the previous Minor (U 18) and Under 21Championships) last year and were runners up. These girls have previously been crowned Meath Champions in their respective Under 14, Under 16 and Minor (U18) Championships over the years and are presently through to the semi finals of this years competition. Congratulations to - Senior Player of the year Deidre Blaney - Junior Plarer of the year Eimear Brady - Fiona O'Neill on her "double" this year, she was awarded the coveted Greenstar award in both Gaelic Football and Camogie. - Julie Kavanagh, Laura Dunne, Deirdre Blaney and Paula Doherty who earlier this year were part of the D.I.T team that won the Leinster Title. - Dunboyne's legend Sean Boylan, manager of the Ireland team that recently won the International Rules Series in Australia. And finally Dunboyne Ladies GFC would like to take this opportunity to express a special word of thanks and appreciation to all the businesses and local supporters of the club during the year, we look forward to your continued support on a continuing basis. Tweet

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