It had been on the cards a while . and so it came to pass in 2004 that Gaeil Colmcille finally surrendered their senior status, much to the obvious disappointment of key forward Simon Cahill. While Simon accepts that Kells deserved to be relegated on the strength of their performances over the course of the year, he is adamant that they can do much better. He believes there is still plenty of talent in the club and expects Gaeil Colmcille to give a move accurate account of themselves in '05. Gaeil Colmcille finally succumbed to the seemingly inevitable in 2004, slipping down to intermediate level after a 1-12 to 1-6 relegation play-off defeat to Summerhill in mid-October. It's a scenario that had been threatening for a few years, and '04 was the year when the resistance finally crumbled altogether. Kells were demoted at the end of a dismal SFC campaign, and there were no dissenting, argumentative voices heard from the north of the county. They didn't perform and they paid the price. While some people in the area seem almost relieved that Kells have finally bitten the bullet, others are thoroughly despondent to witness this once-proud club fall upon hard times. Simon Cahill belongs to the latter group. Simon has been playing senior football with Gaelic Colmcille for seven years. In football terms, it's all he knows. The very idea of slipping back to intermediate leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, though he does accept that perhaps it will provide the club with a more realistic platform from which to rebuild. It's not easy to come to terms with. Kells is a big town and should be senior. Simple as that. Some might say they've found their rightful level at intermediate/Division Two, but it's not quite that clear cut. Not when you're raised on a staple diet of senior fare. Not when you're moving in the wrong direction. Not. Simon questions the lack of ambition shown by the club at the start of the year: "I feel that some people in the club accepted from the start of the year that we were going to go down and believed it would be for the best. We never even put up a fight. I'm very disappointed with the way things worked out. We have good players in the club but things weren't done properly and we went into matches without any sort of game plan. Preparations were very poor and there was no ambition whatsoever." Deep down, had the club as a whole accepted its fate? If so, Simon wasn't part of the collective subconscious: "Given the difficulties we've had, I can understand why people would think that we're better off to go down, but from my point of view all I know is senior football and I most definitely did not want to go down. I played my first senior game at 16 and I enjoy senior football. It's a shame to see a club like Kells lose its senior status. "It's all about confidence. When that's lacking, it's very difficult. We were losing games by 15 points. Once we fell behind, that was it . we weren't able to get back into a game. "But we have a good young team and we'll win games at intermediate level next year, which should give the team a bit of confidence. If we could win our first two championship games, the mood in the camp would change drastically. People would suddenly start to put in a far greater effort and we could turn it around. I say this because I really believe the players are there, if the preparations and the mentality are right." Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. There were many positives to report from 2004 as well. Gaeil Colmcille made history when they won the All-Ireland U14 Division 5 Feile na nGael hurling competition, and the club also reached four other finals - the intermediate hurling championship final (against Clann na nGael), the 'B' Division 6 (losing to Moynalty by a point) and Division 2 (losing to Cortown by a point) deciders, and the all-county Division Three league final, after finishing top of the table with 20 points from a possible 22. At the time of going to press, the last-mentioned match - against Ballivor - had yet to be played, but Kells were already guaranteed promotion to Division Two for the forthcoming season regardless of the outcome. What was the overall mood in the clubhouse at the end of the season? "A lot of players, mentors and committee members seemed to think that going down was the best thing that could've happened, because we had lost a number of experienced players in the last couple of years and that weakened us considerably. "We brought a lot of young lads straight into senior from junior 'C', which is a massive step-up by any standards. We were fielding 17-year-olds in the championship and we knew we were out of our depth at times. Having said that, we have good players if they are prepared properly." Does Simon accept that, to an extent, perhaps the club is better off re-grouping at intermediate level? "To an extent, I suppose. It would have been a struggle again at senior level next year, and that's no good to young lads. I'm only 23 myself and I'm already one of the older players on the team. I find myself trying to set an example. There are a lot of the more experienced lads who don't want to play anymore. "I think we could have stayed up if the effort had been put in, because we're not bad footballers by any stretch of the imagination. It's frustrating, because I know how good these players are. If you look back on some of the games, we outplayed Skryne for 40 minutes but didn't show up for the first 20, and we had Trim in trouble in the first half only they got two late goals. There were moments when we showed what we're capable of, but not enough of them. All in all, we deserved to go down, though, so there's no point complaining." Gaeil Colmcille are bringing in a new manager for the forthcoming season in the shape of PJ Buckley, who brought Erin's Isle to a county final in Dublin and Mullahoran to a Cavan SFC. Simon notes: "PJ is an outsider and I think that's exactly what Kells need. He'll come in with a clean slate and he won't know anybody." Towards the end of the year. Gaeil Colmcille qualified for the Division Three league final, securing promotion to Division Two. Says Simon: "The only game we lost in the league was to Ballinabrackey. We won the rest of our games but, in fairness, that's what a senior team should be doing. It was nothing to be getting carried away about." Will Gaeil Colmcille have a better chance of finding themselves next year, playing at a lower level in the championship and a higher division in the league? "Hopefully. We have so many good young lads coming through, but things have to be right from the start, from January. If we get it right off the field, then we can get it right on the field. A good start is vital." What should the club aspire towards in 2005? "It's a 'must' that we get out of the group in the championship, get into a quarter-final and take it from there. Hopefully we can also get into Division One because you can only better yourself as a footballer when you play against the best teams." Is there a danger that things could fall apart completely? "There's always that danger, so we have to start well. A good start is vital. Once we get going, the players are there. I think we'll be okay. We have a couple of new lads coming into the club and are hoping that some of the other lads might make themselves available again. Kells is a big town and we need a senior team. "Next year is all about consolidating. It's make or break, because it would be unthinkable for the club to slide any further. We have to get out of the group and give ourselves every chance of winning the intermediate championship." And long term? "I think that with the right mentality and approach we can recover the lost ground over the next two or three years." Historic win for Gaeil Colmcille At adult level the fortunes of Gaeil Colmcille hurlers and footballers has not been the most successful in recent years, but 2004 will be long remembered by all involved with the Kells club as they were crowned the National Feile na nGael Division 5 champions. An All-Ireland title at any level is an achievement not to be snubbed at, especially in the prestigious Feile na nGael competition where so many of the great hurlers have participated down through the years. The Gaeil Colmcille under-14 squad was managed by Conor Ferguson with Bob Tormey and Ollie Keegan acting as selectors. Bob told the Royal County Yearbook what it meant for the club to become the first team in the county to be crowned All-Ireland champions at that grade. "It's an unbelievable honour for the club to win the Division Five title and one that will forever live in the memories of the young players involved," said Bob. "The win is a great boost to the game in the area and already young players are showing a great interest in playing hurling." Each year some 25,000 boys and girls take part in this festival in all 32 counties. London and Warwickshire also participate. When the preliminary competition is completed in each county, the winning club then travels to the host county or province where they are hosted by families and engage the host club in hurling, camogie and handball games. Since 1971 over one million boys and girls have participated in this great festival. For the past two years the competition has been ran in the counties of Meath, Westmeath and Kildare and although Gaeil Colmcille did not win the competition in the county, they qualified to take part as they were a host club. Féile na nGael is a national movement with the primary objective of facilitating and enabling the personal, social and cultural development of young people. It also emphasises cultural and community activities, leadership and training through sport. It is recognised by the GAA as a major festival of great importance for the promotion of hurling, camogie and handball among the youth of our country. "We qualified for Feile na nGael by becoming a host club and although we knew that we had a good young side and that we could do well in the competition, it still came as a complete shock to win the Division," added Bob. Bob believes that were it not for the trojan work done by clubman Conor Ferguson, the historic achievement of winning a Feile na nGael title would not have been possible. "Conor was the driving force behind this team and he has done a huge amount of work with the underage teams in the club down through the years. He got the team out twice a week for training as they prepared for competition and although myself and Ollie helped out, most of the credit must go to Conor." For years the Ferguson name has been linked with Gaeil Colmcille as Dessie has been involved with the club since finishing his playing career as a Dublin hurler and footballers over 30 years ago. His sons have all represented the club at some stage with Conor carrying on the tradition of being involved with the underage teams, still playing both hurling and football along with being the current chairman of the club! The nucleus of the Under-14 side have been brought up through the ranks from a very early age as the club run a successful indoor league during the winter months that cater for children aged between 7 to 14. "We have anything between 80 and 100 children taking part in the indoor leagues. They are divided into two groups with 7 to 11 year olds and 11 to 14 playing in separate competitions," pointed out Bob. "Without doubt these leagues have brought on the youngsters no end and we are now reaping the benefits of beginning work with the kids so young." In the under-14 championship earlier in the year, Gaeil Colmcille made it to the semi-final where they faced Blackhall Gaels for the right to play in the final. The Kells side were dealt a blow before the semi final with the news that they would be missing two of their stronger players. Blackhall were narrow victors by a solitary point. In the final Blackhall had 15 points to spare over a Killyon side that Kells had beaten in an earlier group game, but their disappointment of losing that final was soon forgotten about when Feile na nGael started. Gaeil Colmcille hosted two clubs for the duration of the competition with St Brigid's from Dublin playing in Division 1 and Leitrim side St Mary's competing in Division Five. The competition got underway on Thursday June 24th with one game being played that evening. In the group stages, Gaeil Colmcille were placed with St Mary's, Westmeath side, Delvin and the Coolera club from Sligo with their first match against the club they were hosting. The contest turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Kells side proved far too strong for the Leitrim opposition and ran out easy winners on a scoreline of 5-12 to 0-0. Sligo side Coolera were the next opponents on the Friday morning and once again the home side proved to be a more powerful side, clocking up an impressive 4-8 to 1-2 scoreline. A few hours later, Gaeil Colmcille faced close neighbours Delvin at the Westmeath venue but the change of scenery did not upset the Meath side's form as they cruised to victory by 3-10 to 0-4, a result that saw them comfortably through to the last four of the competition. The Downs GAA ground in Westmeath was the venue for the semi-final with Mayo side Ballyhaunis being the opposition. The lengthy preparations that Conor Ferguson and his selectors went to in getting the team ready were paying off as the club earned the right to become the first Meath side to compete in an All-Ireland Feile hurling final. The result of the semi-final mirrored their performances in the group stages as Ballyhaunis were easily disposed of by 2-6 to 1-1, although to be fair to the Mayo side, they gave Gaeil Colmcille one of their toughest matches in Feile na nGael. "There was a great atmosphere around the area when people heard that we had reached the final. To be best of my knowledge we are the first Meath side to have won an All-Ireland title and that will help us in the future," said Bob. In the final, Kildare side Coill Dubh were the opposition with the final being played in Pairc Tailteann and a large crowd turned out to support the home side. Kells had a number of stars on the day with all players and substitutes playing their part in the win over Coill Dubh with the Meath side running out winners on a scoreline of 2-6 to 0-1. Gaeil Colmcille lead the match from start to finish and with powerful performances from Paul Tormey, Stephen Flattery, Gary McGovern and Michael Newman, they ran out worthy winners. "Once again most of the credit has to go to Conor for the work he done with these lads and if they can stay together through the ranks, Gaeil Colmcille have a bright future. A lot of work has been done at underage and we are now seeing the end product and hopefully this will continue for many years to come," added Bob. The club were also honoured to have two of their under 14 stars take part in the National final of the McDonalds Lift and Strike competition that was ran throughout the country over the year. Darren Tormey and Ryan McGrath won the Meath section and went on to represent the county in Croke Park. The skills final was held during the half time of the drawn game between Kilkenny and Clare in the hurling qualifiers with 37,000 people in attendance and Bob admits that it was a very special occasion. "The lads were well looked after on the day and received a Meath jersey, togs and socks while also gracing Croke Park on front of such a big crowd was an amazing feeling for them. It was definitely a special occasion for the lads and one that they will not forget in a hurry." With the win in the Feile na nGael and two of the team representing the county in the skills final, the Gaeil Colmcille club are about to re-emerge as a strong force within the county and with men like Bob Tormey and Conor Ferguson leading the way, it will not be too long before success at adult level is achieved once again. Tweet

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