John Moroney, of Corofin, Co. Clare, who is currently President of the Irish Limousin Cattle Society, has had a long involvement with the agricultural sector in Ireland and despite a busy lifestyle keeps in touch with GAA events and his prosperous club, Corofin, Co. Clare. Corofin GAA club is located on the gateway to the Burren. The club is believed to have started in the late 1800s when a team from Rath and Kilnaboy played in the first senior championship. The club caters for both underage and adult levels. In more recent times, the club formed a successful camogie club. A number of Corofin players have excelled in their county jerseys. Seamus Clancy, Clare's only football all-star and Gerry Quinn, a member of the Clare hurling team are the most notable. A few years ago, a process of development began at the club with the support of the local community. The expansion began with the building of a seated stand. Two years ago the stand was full when Corofin's field, P·irc Finne, hosted its first senior club hurling championship match when Tubber played St Joseph's Doora-Barefield. The second phase concerned the building of two modern dressing rooms and a state-of-the-art gym. The gym includes a steam room and sauna. It is being used by the local community and surrounding parishes. The third phase involved the building of a sports hall. P·irc Finne, the club's playing field, had been placed under much demand during the year and so the club decided to construct a new playing field. The new pitch will look after all aspects of training and underage games. The club is also in the process of putting a running track around the perimeter of the new field. A community play area is also planned. It is intended that this will be built close to both playing fields. The young members would then have a safe and well-equipped play area in the village. Chairman Willie Corbett, Jimmy Neylon and Ambrose Heagney met with a playing field developer to put plans in motion to transform the main field, P·irc Finne. The club plans to re-drain the field and lay a sand-based foundation to cater for all the games in the club. It is hoped to begin this work in August 2007. Though not directly involved in the GAA with Corofin, John Moroney maintains a keen interest in the association. Time constraints mean that it is difficult for him to attend Gaelic football or hurling matches but having played at Corofin national school from an early age, he keeps a close eye on proceedings in his local area. As a farmer, John Moroney holds the role of President of the Limousin Cattle Society of Ireland. Elected on a yearly basis, he is now in his second year. Having worked as a council member for the association over the last number of years, his role has kept him very active. Despite the long hours involved in travelling to meetings, he is content with the manner in which things have gone so far. A significant amount of his time has also been taken up with attending limousin events. "It's going pretty well really. I am getting busier with cattle meetings all the time. I go to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation Meetings (ICBF) and am also involved in inspecting cattle at the sales," he says. There is, he says, concern at the direction which farming will take in future years. Younger people moving to cities may be putting pressure on the older generation in rural Ireland but the dedication is still there from long-term breeders. "In general people are worried at the future of the industry but there is good scope there for quality cattle. It's completely different from when I started and you never know what prices you'd get. But we have a hardy breed and very good commitment from the breeders," he says. He is grateful to the breeders for taking the limousin breed this far and also to the people who support the national limousin events such as the ploughing championships. Based in a strong farming area, he has been involved in the breeding of commercial cattle and pedigrees since 1994. He has 40 purebred cattle as well as a number of sheep. Such dedication to work means that it is difficult for him to attend local GAA matches. The farming shows with which he is involved are often held on Sundays meaning that it is hard for him to be present. In his younger days, he recalls the 1970s as the most successful period for Clare hurling. Hurlers such as Jackie O'Gorman, Sean Stack and Ger Loughnane were among the players who stood out. Meanwhile footballers such as Martin Daly, Seamus Clancy and Noel Roche were the most prominent. Despite a big interest in the area, it has been difficult for the footballers to keep up with the progress the hurlers have made over the last few years. Since their Munster final victory over Kerry in 1992, the footballers have been unable to keep in touch with the progress of the hurlers' achievements in winning two All-Irelands. "It's hard to get a pool of players (for football). The young players are more interested in hurling than football. It's the way it's gone - when the hurlers are doing well they follow the hurling so maybe when the footballers do well some time they will follow the football," he says. Having played football at Corofin national school, his cousin, Munster GAA secretary Simon Moroney keeps him in touch with all the administrative news within the organisation. Having watched the game over a long period of time, John believes that players should be adequately rewarded for the time committed to playing the game. "There is more skill and more speed in the game now. There was a huge commitment in the 1970s as well as now though it was slightly rougher in those days. The players today are putting in a huge amount of work and I'd like to see players getting the compensation they deserve," he says. The numbers involved in farming may be falling but with the dedication of people such as John Moroney, a ray of light exists. Furthermore, with the commitment of those at Corofin GAA club, the club should continue to evolve. (The club owes gratitude to the local community who support the club's weekly and very successful lotto, to the sellers who sell huge numbers and to the lotto committee. The lotto committee is spearheaded by local parish priest Fr Ger Nash. Sincere thanks also to the club's treasurer and secretary, James O'Gorman and Peadar O'Brien. Compliments are also due to the club's hard-working chairman of both the club and development project, who is also manager of the senior hurling team, for his drive, enthusiasm and persistence when the going gets tough, and his ability to persevere with this huge community project). Tweet

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