In good and bad times, the loyal servants of Cremartin Shamrocks have remained true to the spirit and ideals of the founding fathers of the GAA. Club Secretary Majella Boyd is no exception. The Shamrocks may not have been overly lucky in 2006 in terms of bagging silverware but the faith is nonetheless as strong as ever among the gaels ensconced there. A Division Four title success in the past year provided some sustenance of course. But it's not solely the hunt for the glittering prizes that drives the Cremartin folk to all sorts of heights in their endeavours to propel the club onto the highest stages. For people like current Secretary Majella Boyd, keeping the faith, through good and bad times, is what fires her engine. Majella is one among equals though when it comes to promoting and developing Gaelic games to the best of her ability. She insists she is a small cog in the Cremartin GAA wheel and is at pains to deflect the kudos Cremartin gaels deserve to receive from her door. There's no doubt but that Majella is well respected for her GAA work both on her doorstep and further afield in Monaghan GAA circles. Following in the grand tradition of such model club secretaries as Cremartin's inaugural secretary, Patsy Duffy. Even though the club sped to a Dr. Ward Cup success four years after its re-establishment in 1934, the club hasn't exactly been smothered by silverware in the years hence. In such circumstances, a sleeves-rolled-up policy has invariably the modus operandi of all belonging to the proud Shamrocks. But what stokes Majella's personal enthusiasm? "Just the buzz you get from knowing that you're helping your club," Majella responds. "I just see myself as a supporter doing my best for the club. "There's a very positive buzz about the club right now and I'm doing my bit to keep it that way." Certainly from an objective viewpoint, the mid-Monaghan crew seem to boast all the right credentials to compete, on and off the field, with the best of the rest in county Monaghan, from underage level upwards. "We've won cups probably every year at underage level and while none of the juveniles were successful this year, all teams still did very well. "There was a lot of work done with the under 12s, under 14s, under 16s and Minors and the fact that all of them got to the county semi-finals shows that there are a lot of more good young footballers coming through. "We also got to the semi-final of the minor championship and were unlucky to lose out to Scotstown," Majella enthuses. With splendid off-field facilities to boot, the club's infrastructure is top class and very much conducive to nurturing the best of young talent in Cremartin. Not that Cremartin's power-brokers are happy with what they have and without giving the game away, Majella suggests that more plans for ground development could well be teased out in the coming year(s). "I don't think anyone in the club is prepared to rest on our laurels because there's always some idea or other put forward to improve our facilities," Majella explains in diplomatic fashion. And with a stream of income from the club's lotto draw, juvenile pitch fundraising draw plus revenue from the complex bar on tap, it appears that Cremartin gaels are all geared up to invest in the young people's future, literally. Win, lose or draw, the club's complex, replete with bar, function room, hall and meeting room is always alive with the spirit of Cremartin Shamrocks GAA. While the heartbeat of the club can be seen week in, week out at Shamrock Park, the complex portrays the pulse of not just the club but the local community as a whole. "I see the complex more as a social centre than anything else," explains who does her stint behind the bar in the complex as part of a rota system in operation. "It's a social amenity where people can meet and have a chat, whether it's about GAA matters or not." And in 2006 the GAA folk of Cremartin had quite an abundance of positive things to discuss about the Shamrocks' fortunes over the past 12 months. "It was a very fruitful year for the club. Apart from the division four success and progress at underage level, we did very well in the senior Scor and Scor na nOg competitions. "Winning the award for the best overall club in Monaghan was a great achievement and everyone involved deserve a lot of credit. (Scor Na Og) "Being the best in the novelty section and at Irish dancing is something the whole club can be proud about especially because we're such a small rural club that's working off fairly small resources." Fulsome in her praise of all the management teams and committees at every level in the club, Majella says that watching the youngsters compete for the in-house Patrick McGuigan Cup gives Majella great heart and inspiration. "It's a cliche but you don't find the youngsters growing up and going from under 12 to minor level and then the next thing they're competing for places on the senior team. "It's great for the club that seven players are involved in the under 14 county development squad in 2006 and the fact that the development of the juvenile pitch is well ahead of schedule is another boost for the club." Reflecting on the season just completed at adult level, Majella says Cremartin's retention of its intermediate status is something to be celebrated. It was a significant goal achieved by the club's premier team, the Belfast-based IT officer says. The Junior B's title triumph was an added bonus and "they deserved their success for all the work they put in." And as far as 2007 goes? "Who know's but I'd be hopeful because there's quite a bit of potential among the senior players. "The team gave as good as it got during 2006 even though it was up against clubs with much bigger catchment areas such as Carrick." It is obvious that Majella cares deeply for her club, one she believes is "thriving" and one that is very much reflective of all that is good in the parish of Clontibret. She maintains that a gra for Gaelic games is in her blood and that her own involvement in the affairs of the Shamrocks is just but an extension of the Boyd association with the club via Micheal's on-field participation and from her father Mack and mother Eileen are avid supporter. Secretary of the club since 2002, Majella began life as a Cremartin Shamrocks devotee at a young age supporting the various local teams in the company of her family. For her, the 'pull' of the club has grown stronger and stronger over the years. However she admits that she's happiest beavering away in the background although such is her hands-on role at the club that scarcely anyone could identify with her self-proclaimed role as a back-bencher. For Majella, Cremartin Shamrocks is all about the collective rather than the individual. There have been great players, administrators and coaches involved in the club down the years, she acknowledges, but no-one is bigger than the club and it's the well-being of the club that should concentrate the energies of local gaels all the time. But does she still feel as fired-up in her role as she must surely have been when a rookie in the secretary's job back in '02? "Yes. I still get as much enjoyment out of the work as I did four years ago," Majella enthuses. "I was a little bit overwhelmed in my first year as Secretary but my own club and county board officers were a big help in helping me find my feet. "I feel a lot more comfortable in the job and confident in doing the work than I used to but I suppose that all comes with experience. "There's a lot more paperwork now than there used to be but with the advent of the computer, it's not as tiresome or as time-consuming." Convinced that Cremartin Shamrocks are much better positioned now, both on and off the field of play, to mix it with the best around than the club has ever been over the last four years or thereabouts, Majella says everyone at the club is committed to winning things rather than just competing. And she believes Cremartin hasn't a lot of ground to make up in the bid to annexe a prized intermediate league or championship crown in the coming twelve months. "There's only a kick of the ball between the teams at intermediate level and I'd see the lads' displays in 2006 as developing towards bigger and better things in the near future. "The team didn't quite play as well in the championship matches as they did in the league. "But I don't think any of them should be too disappointed because it's still a team that developing and isn't at its best just yet. "The fact that they managed to stay intermediate was a good achievement in itself." A keen supporter of the Monaghan county team, Majella is no less optimistic for the chances of Seamus McEnaney's men doing the needful and leaping into the champions' pantheon sooner rather than later. Cremartin and Monaghan football fans will be hoping that Majella's optimism is well-founded as a new season looms large on the horizon. U-14 CREMARTIN 2006 Our U-14 team moved up to Division 2 and did well in the league. They eventually ended up in second in the Division. Unfortunately they came up against a very strong physical Donaghmoyne team in the semi-final, who eventually won the division outright. But a very good year with 11 members of the team involved with the u-14 County Development Squad - So bring on 2007! Majella Boyd Tweet

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