Many are of the opinion that rural GAA clubs are a dying breed and it will not be too long before some go out of existence. However, the Kilmainham club in North Meath is proving that point to be untrue both on and off the field. Kilmainham P.R.O Enda Lydon spoke to the Royal County GAA Yearbook about how a small club with a little over 100 members can be making such strides in all departments. Situated on the N3 between Navan and Kells, the Junior 'A' outfit is bordered by a number of clubs in the area, which makes their task of obtaining players extremely difficult. Nonetheless, they can still provide two adult teams, while their underage set up is amalgamated with neighbours Gael Colmcille and Drumbaragh, which has proven very successful in recent years. Like all rural clubs, families are a very important factor in lining out teams and Kilmainham are no different as they have no fewer than six sets of brothers on their junior 'A' side. "We are in the unique position of having six sets of brothers in the squad. The Mahons', Lynchs', Newmans', Morgans', Butlers and the Blacks' are all part of the squad, while we also have Patsy Walsh and his son Ian on the panel," revealed Enda. "Families are an important part in the make up of the rural club and we are no different. Some of those lads' fathers set up the club during the sixties and they are now just carrying on the tradition. They are the backbone of this club. "It is not easy for a club like ours and we rely on a small squad to keep fielding for every match. Our form in the league this year has been very mixed as if we are missing even a couple of players, we will suffer." The club's main project this year is to complete the building of new dressingrooms and Enda admitted that a lot of work has been done to get this far, even before a foundation has been laid. Four years ago, the club finally found a place called home when they bought six acres of land, which followed a successful fundraising campaign that included a car draw. A weekly lotto draw and funding from the Leinster Council enabled the club to develop the ground into one of the finest playing surfaces in the county. The pitch is now in use for the past two years after a long process that saw the fundraising an ongoing situation and one that is very time consuming for the dedicated members involved. "There is a lot of red tape to go through before work could start on the dressingrooms. First planning permission had to be sought and then raising the funds, which is a mammoth task in itself. "The National Lottery has been a great boost to the fundraising, but there are criteria that a club has to meet before they release the grant," he said. "We have to raise Eu150,000 ourselves and that is no easy task, especially as our membership is just above 100. For a small club like ours, it really is terrific to see how much hard work people are willing to put in. "There are a number of procedures to follow, but thankfully we are past all that now and looking forward to seeing the dressingrooms complete in the near future." When the development is complete, Kilmainham will have a building that will comprise of four dressingrooms, meeting room and kitchens. The club will then be able to host any match in the county and that is something Enda would dearly love to see. "We would definitely love to host some big matches in the future and we are confident that will happen. There is loads of space for parking and our location is also a plus." Men like chairman Declan Black, secretary Sean Newman and many others deserve great credit for the work that they have done in developing the pitch and dressingrooms, while on the playing side of things manager Paddy O'Rourke and his selectors Joe Mahon and Gerry Morgan have helped produce one of the finest young teams in the county. This year saw another historic landmark in the club's history as Barry Lynch became the first Kilmainham player to line out for the Meath footballers in the Leinster championship. "Barry is a very talented footballer and deserves his chance with the Meath team. He has worked hard to get where he is, but was very unfortunate with injuries this year. Hopefully, we will see him fully fit in the Meath jersey next year," stressed Enda. "Barry is not the only player from the club that played for Meath this year as Gavin Butler was part of the minor squad, while Michael Newman was on the under-16 panel." The Kilmainham club can be proud of producing such players and with the future looking very bright indeed, it will be no surprise to see the red and blacks make more waves on the pitch. "There are a lot of talented young footballers in this club and if we can keep them together for a few years, there is no doubt in mind that this club will be very successful and prove that the rural club still has a major part to play in the future of the GAA." This article was sponsored by Kilmainham clubman Martin Lydon, who despite leaving the area a few years ago, still follows the fortunes of the club very closely. Martin works for L Lynch & Co. who are a mechanical engineering firm servicing clients throughout the country. Tweet

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