A fabulous historic double of championship and league successes by the under-14 footballers was a glowing highlight of the year for Ratoath GAA Club and demonstrated that the highly talented young players are being produced who will secure a bright future. Putting together and nurturing successful under-age teams shows that all the dedicated work being done is well worthwhile and that was certainly the case in 2007 when the under-14s delighted the club's supporters with some brilliant performances which secured the big double. Ratoath were managed by that great club stalwart Dermot Rooney and his fellow selectors were Dermot Reilly, John McMahon, Tommy Wallace and Fergal Power. A successful Under-14 Football League Div. 1 campaign in the earlier part of the year culminated with a superb victory over Walterstown in an exciting and entertaining final at Pairc Tailteann in Navan which certainly provided great value for the admission money, with the teams scoring a phenomenal 6-28 between them. When the final whistle sounded at the end of a very sporting contest Ratoath were ahead by 10 points (3-19 to 3-9), but Walterstown had contributed big time to the occasion. Ratoath set about building a solid foundation for victory when they opened up a commanding 15-point cushion at the interval. Walterstown had started impressively, but once Ratoath settled into their stride they looked very good, with full-back Conor McGill turning in a magnificent performance and Wayne Doyle and Colm Nugent offering highly effective support either side of him. With such a healthy advantage at the change of ends Ratoath were in little danger and could afford the luxury of giving away a couple of goals in the latter stages as they eased up. It was a highly impressive team effort from the Ratoath boys and others to stand out included Bobby O'Brien, Paddy Flood, Brian Power, Fiacra Dolan, Brian O'Connor, Eamonn Wallace, Mark Daly, Conor Rooney and Brian McMahon. The Ratoath team in the final was - C. O'Riordan; W. Doyle, C. McGill, C. Nugent; P. Flood, C. McCullagh, B. Power; B. O'Brien, L. Bourke; B. O'Connor, M. Daly, E. Wallace; C. Rooney, F. Dolan, B. McMahon. The obvious target after that success was to complete the big double and Ratoath made a successful run to the final of the Under-14 Championship where they again came face to face with Walterstown, this time at Dunsany. Again, Ratoath demonstrated their strengths when recording a 4-11 to 3-5 victory and again they laid the foundations for the win and the title by pushing clear in the first half and leaving the opposition to play an unsuccessful game of catch-up. Ratoath were 11 points (3-6 to 1-1) to the good at the break and appeared to be well on their way to the double. But Walterstown, to their credit, never stopped battling when they fell behind and outscored Ratoath in the second period. The champions looked very well prepared in that first period and moved the ball around the pitch with tremendous efficiency as they enjoyed the wide open spaces. They kicked a succession of wides in the early stages, but once they started to find their range only one outcome looked possible. Their first goal came after approximately a quarter of an hour when Brian McMahon, who contributed a highly significant 2-5 over the hour, finished confidently and with Sean Sweeney and Eamonn Wallace also raising green flags they soon built up a substantial advantage. But Walterstown got a goal of their own as half-time approached when Stefan McDonnell slotted home a penalty and that score must have raised their spirits somewhat. Another goal from centre half-forward McMahon helped the Ratoath lads to push the lead out to 16 points (4-9 to 1-2) by the three-quarter stage. They were clearly too far ahead to be caught at that stage, but battling Walterstown never gave up and demonstrated great character as they played with passion until the end. They were awarded another penalty, but this time McDonnell's kick sailed over the crossbar, while Ratoath goalkeeper Colm O'Riordan had to be very alert when he prevented the concession of a goal by saving brilliantly from Akalaque Khan. However, Walterstown got some reward for their efforts when Khan and McDonnell scored goals late on, but Ratoath had done more than enough to secure a fully deserved victory which certainly augured well for the future of football in the club. The honour of accepting the Sinead Battersby Memorial Cup went to joint-captains Colm McCullagh and Bobby O'Brien. The Ratoath team that completed the double was - C. O'Riordan; W. Doyle, C. McGill, B. O'Connor; P. Flood, C. McCullagh, I. Fitzpatrick; B. O'Brien, L. Burke (0-2); E. Wallace (1-2), B. McMahon (2-5), C. Nugent (0-1); M. Daly, S. Sweeney (1-0), C. Rooney (0-1). Subs - K. Carey for Daly, D. Mulveney for Sweeney. Team manager Dermot Rooney was as delighted as anybody in the club with the successes, but felt it might well have been a big treble, rather than a big double. "Winning the double meant a lot to us," he said. "It was the first time in the club's history that we won both. We could easily have made it a treble by winning the Feile in Boyle. We beat Boyle and Sligo, but then lost to Magherafelt who went on to win it out. I think when they beat us they knew they would win it." Dermot, who remembers achieving under-14 success with Ratoath himself in the shape of a Curran Cup medal back in 1975, is delighted with the club's progress in the under-age grades. "Last year we won the Under-13 and Under-15 competitions and winning the under-13 qualified us for the Feile," he added. "Of course, the under-13s won the International Feile Peil in Birmingham last year which was a great achievement. They beat Sigersons from Tyrone in the final. "I have been working with these players for many years and it's great to see them progress. I'm very hopeful for the future. It takes a lot of hard work and it will take another couple of years for lads to come through. "Keeping them together is very important, but that can be difficult these days, especially with other sports like rugby." Another big occasion for the Ratoath under-age section came when they took part in the huge Gaelic football festival at Aston University, Birmingham, where they were joined by several other visiting Irish clubs. In excess of 500 players were involved in this event which aims to help in the promotion of Gaelic games in England, Scotland and Wales, with championship and shield titles up for grabs. The competition went well for Ratoath who topped their group, as did Castleblaney Faughs (Monaghan), St. Brendan's (Lancashire), St. Brogan's (Cork) and Eire Og (Carlow) and they continued to perform well for the remainder of the competition, with Robert Watters taking the runner-up prize in the skills event. Overall, it was a tremendous experience for the Ratoath players who also enjoyed their time off the playing fields. This is a hugely successful festival, with the Irish Fund of Britain and sportswear company O'Neill's playing an important role with regard to sponsorship. It also receives tremendous support from Croke Park. FABULOUS CAMOGIE TRIUMPH One of the most noteworthy achievements from a Meath point of view on the GAA scene in 2007 was undoubtedly the victory of the Ratoath girls in the national Feile na nGael camogie competition. This tournament is extremely difficult to win, but Ratoath were clearly determined to go all the way this year after suffering a narrow defeat to Sarsfields from Cork in the 2006 final. It takes dedication, hunger and plenty of skill to achieve success at this level of the game and Ratoath possessed it in abundance as they stormed to a magnificent triumph. It was an historic win as they became the first club from Meath to secure an All-Ireland camogie title and it was a fitting reward for the amount of work that is obviously being put into the promotion of the game in Ratoath GAA Club. This was also a success that can only be very positive for the game in the county as a whole. All concerned, both players and officials, deserve enormous credit. The Ratoath girls played at four different venues in Carlow and Kilkenny over the three days of the competition and a strong defence clearly played a huge part in the title annexation because they conceded only 2-2 throughout the tournament. That was some record. Their scoring record was brilliant too - 20-11 overall. Ratoath started the competition in ideal fashion when they easily got the better of hosts Carlow by 4-3 to 0-0 and they followed that victory with a runaway win at Urlingford when local club Emeralds were beaten by all of 30 points on a 10-0 to 0-0 score line. A third successive clean sheet followed next time out as Ratoath beat Castleblaney from Monaghan by 3-3 to 0-0, but their toughest test so far lay in store against Na Brideoga from Mayo who gave as good as they got for much of the game. However, a superb goal from the influential Adrienne McCann proved to be the turning point and Ratoath went on to win by 3-2 to 0-2 to book their ticket to the final. Now it was a case of finishing the job, but standing in their way in the decider at O'Loughlins in Kilkenny city was a combined team from Kerry which looked sure to provide stern opposition. There was five points in it at the end, with Ratoath coming out on top by 3-2 to 2-0 to be crowned All-Ireland champions. Goals from Adrienne McCann and Karen McCabe had swung the decider Ratoath's way. The honour of accepting the Lar Tire Trophy as winning captain went to Katie King and it was a moment of great joy and satisfaction for all concerned. Double junior glory While the first team may have struggled in the year past the strength in depth in the club was obvious for all to see as both the JFC 'C' and 'D' titles went to Ratoath. Two late goals from Damien Ryan and Colm Kelly secured victory for Ratoath against St. Ultan's in Junior C championship final in Seneschalstown on a 3-6 to 0-9 scoreline. Although the winners came out on top by six points, only a single point separated the pair with two minutes remaining. With Ratoath leading 1-6 to 0-8 at the time, they hit their opponents on the break and scored two quickfire goals. Damien Ryan finished to the net after a superb move involving Shay Dunne and Mick Comney to leave them four clear. Soon after Colm Kelly killed off the tie when a point attempt by Dunne rebounded to the unmarked Kelly who fisted to the net. Ratoath had their first goal of the game inside five minutes when Dunne netted for the men in blue and yellow. It took a while for St. Ultan's to find their stride and when they did they soon they drew level at 1-2 to 0-5 after two terrific scores from Kevin Rogers and Ger Brennan. Kelly hit a score before the break as Ratoath led by the minimum of margins at the interval. The second half swayed from one side to the other as neither team could grab a firm grip on proceedings. St. Ultan's had numerous opportunities to win the game and Sean Murray blazed wide after Ratoath keeper Davy Byrne gifted him a goal opportunity early after the break. Sean Killian and Ryan hit points for the winners in the second half, before Alan Rogers and Sean Quirke brought the Bohermeen side right back into it for a supposedly tense final few minutes. But that idea changed with Ratoath's Late Late Show. Ratoath - D. Byrne; M. Reilly, N. Horgan, T. Maher; A. Everard, D. Brennan, S. O`Brien; S. Donnelly, N. McGoldrick; E. McKeever (0-1), J. Kirwin, S. Killian (0-1); D. Ryan (1-3), S. Dunne (1-0), C. Kelly (1-1). Subs - M. Comney for Killian, L. Grall for McKeever. Full-Forward Eddie Walsh led the way with 1-7, as Ratoath steamrolled Drumbaragh (1-13 to 1-4) and lifted the Junior D cup in front of a sizeable crowd at Walterstown. The winners dominated the game over the 60 minutes and never looked in danger of succumbing to a late Drumbaragh fight back. The Drums failed to score in the first half as Ratoath led 1-9 to 0-0 at the interval. Darragh O'Brien opened the scoring for the men in blue and yellow after five minutes of play. The wing forward popping over a score after good work by corner-back Darragh McGill. Walsh extended their lead with three excellent scores and hit the first goal of the game with a fine effort in the 18th minute. The impressive number 14 collected a long delivery from midfield before delicately lobbing Drumbaragh goalkeeper Dermot Monaghan from 20 yards. Centre back Kevin Boyle chipped in with a fine score to give Ratoath a healthy lead at the break. Drumbaragh raised their game in the second half with Tommy Carry opening their account after 42 minutes. The full forward gave them some hope late on when he blasted to the right side of the net after a pass from Paul Carry. But with Walsh causing havoc in the full-forward line and wing forwards Darragh O'Brien and Dermot Colreavy gaining plenty of possession, Ratoath held out strong to record a comfortable nine point victory. Ratoath: A Salama, R Ennis, K Johnston, D McGill, T O'Neill, K Boyle (0-1), P Cummins, A McMahon, J Coyle, D O'Brien (0-1), G Maher, D Colreavy (0-3), S McElvaney (0-1), E Walsh (1-7), P Quinn Subs - A Smith for J Coyle, J Crehen for P. Quinn, C O'Brien for G. Maher, D Hayes for D O'Brien, M McGuane for R.Ennis International Feile Ratoath GAA Club joined a host of visiting Irish GAA clubs recently for Britain's premier Gaelic Football festival in Aston University Recreation Grounds in Birmingham. The annual event, which is now a key feature in a drive to promote Gaelic Games across England, Scotland and Wales, saw over 500 young people in 35 teams take to the Gaelic football field for the coveted championship cup and shield competitions. The boys' competition saw Ratoath (Meath), Castleblaney Faughs (Monaghan), St. Brogan's (Cork), St. Brendan's (Lancashire) and Eire Og (Carlow) top their groups on Day 1 whilst Portlaoise (Laois) and An Tochar (Wicklow) dominated the girls' competition. An Eire Og team led by player of the tournament Ronan O'Brien could not overcome a talented Castleblaney Faughs in the championship final and the Monaghan team clinched the boy's' cup. The skills competition saw two of Britain's young GAA stars take honours. Shaun Bennett from Round Towers (London) and Aoife Mannon from the Bishop Challoner Girls team (Birmingham) showed some spectacular displays of individual Gaelic football skills to clinch the boys' and girls' skills competitions respectively against tough opposition. Robert Watters from Ratoath GAA Club finished runner up in the skills competition. The event led by the GAA of Britain and Warwickshire Juvenile GAA drew support for many local Gaelic football clubs in hosting the visiting teams from Ireland and off the field of play many of the Irish youngsters had the opportunity to take in the sights of Birmingham. Underage scene In the 1996 census, the population of Ratoath was recorded as 1,061. In the 2006 census, this showed an increase to 8,805. Two-thirds of this population is under the age of 18 years. The juvenile section of Ratoath GAA club, along with the Ladies Football section and Camogie section plays its part in catering for the young people of the parish. We field teams in hurling and football at each age level. We are grateful to all our sponsors over the year as running so many teams can be a costly business. In 2006 our boys U13 and U15 footballers won their respective leagues/championships. The U13 team therefore qualified to represent Meath in the Féile in Leitrim in June 2007. Having won their opening two games they were beaten by the eventual Feile champions O'Donovan Rossa. Our nursery in hurling and football attracts large numbers on Saturday and Sunday mornings. At these U6 to U8 age groups there is constant competition from soccer for their allegiance. We appreciate the GO Games initiative by the county board this year and hope they continue to be supported by all clubs. Junior C Ratoath's Junior 'C' team opened their championship with comfortable wins to Skryne and Moynalvey. They went on to gain a narrow win against neighbours, Dunshaughlin. Ratoath progressed to the quarter final stages where they beat Castletown. This put them thru to play Kilmainhamwood in the semi-final where Ratoath eventually came away with an impressive win. Seneschalstown was the venue for Ratoath's Junior C final they started the game with all guns blazing racing into the lead with a 1-1 to no score lead. St. Ultans fought back and the teams went in with Ratoath leading by a point. In the second half, the teams were evenly matched but with goals from Damien Ryan and Colm Kelly in the final minutes, Ratoath ran out a six point lead to secure them their first Junior 'C' Championship for the club. This was due to the efforts of Steven O'Brien, Terry Maher, Simon Donnelly, Eddie McGoldrick and captain, Damien Ryan. Camogie in Ratoath It has been an amazing year for camogie in Ratoath. At all age groups, from under 10 to adult, Ratoath has featured in the latter stages of championships. Junior The junior team came close to reaching the championship final in 2005. A decision to award a walkover against them in one of the rounds deprived them of a place in the final. In early January, the team started training with one goal in mind, to win the junior championship. An impressive start, left them with three wins from their first three games. A surprise defeat to Boardsmill followed, and a draw in the next game against Dunderry was enough to ensure qualification for the final. The cliche "a game of two halves" is often used to describe matches, but the final was quite literally just that. Dunderry led at half time by 1-3 to 0-0. Although Ratoath weren't playing that badly, Dunderry seemed to have the edge in most departments. Some strong words, and a couple of tactical changes at half time heralded a tremendous response from the Ratoath girls in the second half. The full time score of Ratoath 2-6 Dunderry 1-3 indicates the dominance Ratoath enjoyed in that second period. Ratoath looks forward to making a good impression in both the 2008 Junior and Intermediate Championships. Under 18 Only three clubs entered the under 18 championship, but this should not in any way, take from the fantastic performance put up by Ratoath against Kilmessan in the final. Having lost in the opening match of the competition to a strong Kilmessan side, nobody outside of Ratoath, would have given them much chance of upsetting the odds in the final. But this they did in front of their loyal supporters in Drumree. It would be impossible to pick any one individual performance for a player of the match award, as this was definitely a team effort. In many ways this game could prove to be more than just a championship win, as for a lot of this team, it was their first ever victory over Kilmessan. We hope it's not their last. There is so much talent in this group. All involved with camogie in Ratoath are positive, that in a very short number of years, we will be able to compete at senior level. Under 16 I suppose a lot of us in Ratoath knew that the junior team would be contenders for their championship. We knew that there were some amazingly talented players on the under 18 squad and that they could do well. In all honesty though, there was a feeling that because so many of the under 16 squad only started playing in the last 2 years, that they might not be ready yet to compete at the highest level. At the time of writing however, we await the under 16 championship final replay. This team has been fantastic all year. Their only defeat coming on an evening when they had only 13 players available to play for most of the first half of the match due to the 6 o'clock start time. They have since gone from strength to strength, and have overcome all obstacles put in their way to reach the county final. We wish them every success when this game is played. Under 14 The tremendously talented under 14 Ratoath Camogie Team made history this year bringing the first ever All Ireland Camogie title to the county, by winning Feile na nGael 2007. (see Feile article). These girls also reached the .Leinster final of the community games and remain undefeated in the under 14 County Championship. The abundance of talent and giftedness displayed by this team assures Ratoath Camogie of an abundance of silverware for years to come. These under 14 players, their families and their coaches and mentors have shown tremendous dedication, determination and decorum throughout what has, at times, been a difficult year. It is true that what does nt break us makes us stronger, and this is a team of strength and charachter that will play and win for years to come. Under 12 The under 12 squad started this year emerging victorious in the 2006 Championship final which ran over into March of this year. unfortunately, the overrun of last years competition had negative consequences for the formation of this years under 12 squad who were defeated at the quarter final stage of this years competition. Under 10 The fact that Ratoath fielded two under 10 teams in this years competition highlights the continued growth in the popularity of camogie in the club. The Ratoath Yellow team qualified for the quarter final of the Shield competition while the Blue team were narrowly defeated in the Championship final. Many fine talents emerged in this age group during the course of the year. These will continue to grow under the guidance and training of our talented and dedicated managers and trainers. Under 8 2007 saw the establishment of a Nursery section in Ratoath Camogie Club. This section is flourishing under the caring mentors who dedicate themselves to this age group. The under eights have shared many blitz mornings with nearby Dublin clubs and have enjoyed the thrill of playing in their first 'matches' almost as much as they have enjoyed the contents of the goody bag afterwards. And finally............. a word from the Chairperson; As a relative newcomer to the committee side of things, I have been amazed and highly impressed by the dedicated and caring attitude of all the mentors and trainers who give so much of their time and energy to the club and to the children. You value each child regardless of ability and you help each child to develop her potential. The club is very fortunate to have all of you on board. I thank you. Ratoath Continue to Grow The Ratoath Ladies Football section continued to grow this year. There are a greater number of girls playing this year than ever before. With proper coaching structures and numbers increasing, the future looks bright for Ratoath Ladies GAA. The most senior Ladies team fielded this year were the Juniors. They were defeated in the semi final by the eventual winners - Duleek .The U16's were managed by Brian McCann and Packie Reilly with the ever reliant assistance of Margaret O'Reilly. This squad had high expectations to reach their 3rd final in a row and perhaps go one step further by winning the county title this year. The campaign started with a defeat to Oldcastle in the first game, however, the girls lifted themselves and showed great determination to win all of their remaining qualifiers. The highlight of the season was the semi-final win over Royal Gaels in Dunshauglin, where everything seemed to click into place, resulting in a comprehensive win over their 2006 final conquerors. The final pitted the girls against Oldcastle, the only team to defeat them in 2007. Despite taking an early lead, Ratoath were behind at halftime and never fully recovered. In the end they were defeated in an enthralling and skilful game, which was a credit to the Ladies game. This Ratoath team provided six representatives to the Meath U16 county squad. Sara and Rachel Adams, Amanda Lowe, Anne Marie Copeland, Lisa McCann and Sarah Curran. The Under 14 Ladies squad began with 36 registered players. They were managed by Paddy and Eileen McCann with the assistance of Ollie Callaghan. This was a strong squad playing in a very strong division. Every game was strongly contested with very little between the teams in this division. The game that stands out in the mind was the first game of the qualifiers against Royal Gaels. This game had everything, skill, determination, passion and was a game of two halves. Ratoath had a strong first half and led at halftime but Royal Gaels came back strongly in the second half. The game ebbed and flowed, point for point. In the end Royal Gaels snatched a deserved equalising point with the last kick of the game. This squad battled through to the semi final, where they duelled once more with Royal Gaels. This time, however, it was not to be Ratoaths' day, as Royal Gaels triumphed by the narrowest of margins. Katie Callaghan and Sinead Ryan represented Ratoaths' the County U14 A Squad. While the twin daughters of the mentors, Lauren and Adrienne McCann were representatives on the B squad. Under 12 Ladies - After last years high of winning the County Championship at this level, the remainder of this squad entered into the transition year joined by the recruits from the under 10 level. Expectation was naturally reserved; however, despite punching well above their weight by playing in the top division against the cream of the royal county, they acquitted themselves well with a break even season (a few wins a few loses and a draw). The squad was mentored by Sean Whelan, Deirdre Power, Stewart Griffith & Vincent Nolan. In the final analysis, this is a squad who are progressing well and will compete next year. Ellen O'Hare and Emma McGill represented the U12 County team for Ratoath. The U10 Ladies, is huge squad of 30+ players were mentored by Dermot Gowran and Seamus McNerney assisted by various parents. The squad had a great core of strong players and were expected to compete for a county title. These ladies didn't disappoint, they lost one of their thirteen qualifiers, to Boardsmill. They comfortably reached the county final where they again met Boardsmill. Despite leading for a long period in the final, they conceded some late scores that allowed Boardsmill to draw level. The chance to avenge their only defeat was gone and the replayed final was a more clear-cut victory for Boardsmill. Even though the u8 girls do not have championship or league games, every Saturday 30+ girls come to skill training under the tutelage of Vinny Donnelly assisted by Janice Roche, Brian Talbot, Pat Thornton and trainers of the future: Emily Clarke, Roisin Murray, Bronagh Donnelly & Clara Donnelly In summary, the future is definitely bright for Ratoath Ladies. They have strong numbers in every age group. They are currently competing in the U11 Championship and U13 Feile tournaments and are hoping to put together a Minor team for the very first time. Sport is a results game, but results aren't always measured by County titles. Results can be measured by the strength of our game and strength of our club, by this measurement Ratoath Ladies Football is in a healthy state. So, to all the administrators, mentors, parents and even refs, thank you for an enjoyable year. Ratoath's Historic Win in the All Ireland Féile na nGael at Carlow and Kilkenny Few remember all the facts or the results of sporting competitions. The atmosphere of the events is rarely forgotten, however. So it was with this year's brilliant Ratoath Féile team. Ratoath Camogie Club under 14 girls went to Carlow and Kilkenny with high hopes after their narrow defeat last year at the hands of Sarsfields of Cork. This year, the team's hunger and desire to succeed was all too evident. The first match began brilliantly with a clear win over their hosts Carlow, 0-0 to 4-3. Already it was evident that Ratoath would shine even if the sun didn't. The next match at Urlingford on the Kilkenny/Tipperary border proved that their first match was no fluke, Ratoath easily defeated the local club Emeralds, 0-0 to 10-0. Their next match was against a lively Castleblayney side, who they also defeated and again not a single score was conceded 0-0 to 3-3. All seemed well for their semi-final against a fancied Na Brideoga team from Mayo. Heading to D.J. Carey county in the pretty village of Gowran, the girls got their first real test as tight marking kept the forwards on their toes, Ratoath broke the spirits of their opponents with a, Henry Shefflin like goal, by Adrienne McCann, which test the strength of the Gowran nets. Ratoath won again 0-2 to 3-2. They would face in the final a combined Kerry team at the O'Loughlin Gaels' pitch in Kilkenny city on Sunday 17th. The morning of the final dawned gloriously sunny. The weather matched the mood. With focus and determination, as well as the crucial confidence, the team scored first and never looked back. The final score was 3-2 to 2-0. Kerry never relented and the Ratoath players, not to mention their vocal mentors and supporters, were delighted when the final whistle ensured their name was immortalised amongst the Féile ns nGael pantheon of winners, Ratoath played in four locations in Carlow and Kilkenny in 3 days scoring 20-11 in total and only conceding 2-2. This is a first for the club and a first for Meath as they are the first Meath team to win an All Ireland Camogie title. Tweet

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