The Oram club is based in one of the smallest areas in County Monaghan nestling as the does between the town of Castleblayney and the South Armagh border with Mullyash Mountain a key point. However what it lacks in size from the point of view of hectares of land it more than makes up for with dedication to the cause. By JP Graham. Sometimes the smaller the group and the area the more the effort especially in the fight to retain one's identity and in that regard the Oram club has given the community a very firm foundation on which to base their present and future identity. Proof of that dedication, if proof were needed, can be seen from the official opening of their newly developed centre on Wednesday, December 5th. Oram's facilities were originally opened back in 1983 with their community centre hosting a variety of activities over the years including local concerts, dances, fund raising activities, whist drives, Bazaars, club AGM's, Scor competitions and even a county convention. A couple of years back the idea was first mooted about refurbishing the entire centre or indeed even extending it to include a Social Centre which would give the club an even greater base in the heart of their community and while it generated much debate the thrust of the effort was always going towards doing something that would enhance the image and the prospects of the Oram club. The whole project cost something in the region of ?380 thousand euro and to take on a debt like that in times when news of the demise of the Celtic Tiger is increasing is another testament to the commitment of these hardy souls. In keeping with their very proud Gaelic tradition the official opening was preceded by Mass for the deceased members of club and the community after which refreshments were served in the new meeting room on the first floor. The following night, Thursday December 6th, one of Oram's best known sons, the great Big Tom McBride, rolled back the years as he launched a final cabaret and dance tour among his own people, entertaining them with some of his greatest hits and in his own words "going out the same way he came in". The McBride family have been major contributors to the Oram club over the years and not only through their efforts on the field of play with young Steven McBride now an established member of the Oram senior team. The year at senior level overall though according to assistant secretary Tony Graham was one where they probably did not realise their full potential. "We never seemed to be able to get a consistent run of results but the team is in a state of transition and it will take another little while for things to bed in. We got to the quarter final of the junior football championship but didn't really do ourselves justice against Eire Og. We recovered from that though and finished the league strongly to book a place in the semi-final only to again under perform against Killeevan who ran out very comfortable winners which was disappointing for us because they were a team that we had beaten earlier in the championship. Team manager Jim McCormack though did a very good job and I think there is further potential there." If Oram are going to become contenders for honours in the years ahead Tony Graham like his fellow club men believes it will come out of their under age set up which is very well organised and forward thinking. "Once again we had a busy year at underage level when we fielded teams from under 8 through to minor level. The highlight of the year though was unquestionably the performances of our U16 squad who amalgamated with Toome under the Clann na Gael banner and won the Division two league and championship double. That experience will stand to those players going forward because they now know how to win and what it feels like to win. "For the first time in quite a number of years our minors fielded as a 15-a-side outfit at Division two level. This was I suppose seen as a brave and bold move which created much debate within the club but the thinking behind the move was sound. It was felt that it was a natural progression for a squad who had conquered the eleven and thirteen-a-side grades to step up a level and face sides of better quality. Early performances were encouraging as we competed well against Truagh, Cremartin and Emyvale but ultimately we lost by narrow margins on all three occasions. Injuries and absenteeism then began to take their toll as the campaign wore on and unfortunately the whole thing ended in disaster as we were forced to concede games at the latter end of the competition. It was a harsh lesson to learned but we must learn from it and plan ahead for next year and hope to end a thirteen years famine since our last minor title." "If we were disappointed at minor level then the highlight of the year was the Clann Na Gael team performances in annexing the U-16 double of league and championship. It didn't come easy though and in fact was certainly won the hard way and took a great degree of work by players and team management throughout the campaign in what was a very strong division. Very little separated the top sides as the league came to an exciting finale in Clones on a damp August evening where defeat would have meant elimination from the McCormack Cup. It was a great display of courage and refusal to give in and we bravely held on despite twelve minutes of stoppage time and we won by the narrowest of margins. The squad didn't look back after that and with new confidence the team set about a winning run in the championship and league which saw them defeat Emyvale in an epic league final which was ultimately decided by a late Cathal Crowe penalty. A week later the double was complete when we defeated Corduff in a bruising championship final. The amalgamation had its critics at the outset but few could argue with the success that was achieved. The fact too that the Clann Na Gael combination was back boned by ten starting players from our club is testament to the quality of players that Oram has coming on at this level. I don't know what the future holds for the Clann Na Gael combination but the efforts of both sets of players in 2007 will long be remembered in the annals and folklore of both clubs." All Oram's other under age activity was confined to groups of players from U12 down and the signs are there that some quality players will emerge from these groups. "We also have players involved with some of the county development squads and that can only help as well. Our U12's competed in the Magill Cup this year and although they struggled against physically stronger opposition there were signs towards the end of the campaign that progress was being made. The enthusiasm of the panel and management never dampened throughout a long campaign and we defeated Aghabog in our last game to finish on a high note. This group is very enthusiastic and we will have more people working with them next year." A lot of clubs are now getting some of their senior players to work with under age teams and it is paying dividends. "We have seen that work in other clubs and we are fortunate to have players willing to do that and put in the time and the effort. My younger brother Sean who is one of our senior player is working with our U10 squad and they were involved in a busy programme of games over the summer competing in numerous mini-tournaments around the county. The numbers at our disposal at this level are small but with continued efforts we can be back contesting for honours at Magill Cup level in the near future. We also had players featuring prominently on county development squads over the last twelve months. Turlough Fitzsimions and Stephen McBride represented Monaghan at minor level during the Ulster minor football league and Cathal Crowe was one of the stars of the county U16 panel, while Ryan Mc Guinness has being picking up great plaudits on the under fifteen development panel." "At schools level Oram players have once helped to backbone some of the teams that the second level schools have in competitions. The Castleblayney College U18 team that won the Mc Elroy Cup had Turlough Fitzsimons, Niall Bishop, Cathal Crowe, and Ryan Mc Guinness all playing staring roles and hopes are high that the club will be well represented on the county vocational schools panel in 2008. Meanwhile at Our Lady's secondary school Pauric Graham and Berat Turker were top scorers in their march to an Ulster U16 final showing that Oram players are as good as any from any other club. What we have to do is build on that and if we can do that then we will have silverware in our new Social Centre in the not too distant future." The club wishes to extend its sympathies to all club members and people in the communit who suffered a bereavement during the year. ORAM JUVENILE REPORT Oram had once again a busy year at underage level fielding teams from under 8 through to minor level. Our minor and under sixteen teams were once gain to the fore in their respective competition, and although success narrowly eluded both squads, underage squads should always be judged on improvements made rather than cups won. MINOR LEAGUE: Oram fielded a very young side comprising mainly of fifteen and sixteen years olds and we once again acquitted ourselves well reaching the semi-final stage defeating Doohamlet, Toome and drawing with Rockcorry. For the second year in a row we were paired with Rockcorry in the semi-final, in a thrilling encounter we lost out by a point, despite dominating the game for long periods. The fact that the minor team had no game for ten weeks prior to the semi-final did little to help preparations. With virtually the entire squad underage next season we can look forward with optism. UNDER SIXTEEN LEAGUE: our under16 squad produced the best displays of any of our underage teams this season on their way to a semi-place. In the early stages we recorded impressive victories over Ballybay, Drumhowan, Toome, Currin and Corduff. While in the championship we defeated the Rock- O'Neills (Rockcorry-Doohamlet). The semi-paired us with old foes Drumhowan, the build up to the game was marred by the considerable loss of star defender Gavan Fox and a serious hand injury to team captain Rory Murphy. Despite this the team dug deep and played some excellent football on the night and played out a draw with both teams satisfied leaving the pitch with the result. The replay attracted a large crowd, but our performance never rose to the same heights as the drawn game and Drumhowan ran out deserving winners. UNDER FOURTEEN LEAGUE: our under fourteen squad opened there campaign with an impressive victory over Drumhowan. However this was the only high point of a disappointing campaign were we suffered narrow defeats to Rockcorry, Eire Og and Currin. There is a lack of strength in depth and this level however all is not lost as we do possess some quality players at this grade, none more so than Ryan Mc Guinness who looks certain to make the county development squad. UNDER 10 FUN LEAGUE:A large number of young new recruits attended a serious of coaching sessions and challenges games throughout the summer. All displaying boundless enthusiasm and no little skill. However a major emphasis is needed on coaching these players over the next few months if we are to be once again competitive at under twelve level in the near future. DEVELOPMENT SQUADS: Oram players are currently featuring on the county development panels over the last twelve months. Stephen McBride looks certain to push for inclusion in the county minor panel in 2008, Niall Bishop and Cathal Crowe have being consistent performers on their respective squads, while Ryan Mc Guinness, Pauric Graham and Eoin Leonard have been key players in the EAST Monaghan under fourteen squad. A Community pulls together The community of Oram finally opened its doors on the 23rd August to its new social club and community centre. The development had been under construction for over a year under the guidance of Broomfield Construction and design team of ABC & Associates under the command of Eoin Cunningham whose innovative design and hard work have created a modern and fully functional club house that is second to none. In conjunction with Broomfield construction and ABC & Associates the project would not have been completed without the tireless efforts of people in the community who volunteered their services to assist in the development and completion of the new social centre. Oram Sarsfields were one of the first Gaelic football clubs in County Monaghan to build a community centre so it was of no surprise that they undertook such a huge development of extending the existing facilities to add a meeting room social centre and provisions for a gymnasium. Many football clubs in Monaghan have bars in their club houses or community centre's and so it makes sense for Oram to come up to date and into the 21st century alongside their on-field rivals. Clubs throughout the county of Monaghan boast fantastic facilities in their centre's and their bars are all kept busy with different functions most weekends. Even now Oram's club members and the community are working tirelessly in an effort to keep the community centre thriving with functions and events every weekend. The committee members are also working overtime trying to raise even more funds for the development with tickets currently on sale for a monster draw taking place on December 28th 2007. Young and old look in the community can now sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor with special buzz around the Oram area that is created with the new community centre and the warm and welcoming atmosphere it creates. This project shows the power of community spirit and that hard work does pay off through working together as a community. The members of Oram GFC and the community are testimony to this and a shining example to the GAA and the community spirit. Tweet

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