Sligo club Calry/St Josephs enjoyed a magnificent 2004 season, winning the county IFC to take their place in senior fare for the forthcoming campaign before blazing a trail to the Connacht intermediate club final. With sponsor Bundoran Motors on board for another season, 2005 promises to be another eventful year in the life of this progressive Yeats County outfit. Alas, the Connacht club final proved a bridge too far for the gallant Calry/St Josephs men. The 2004 Sligo intermediate football champions achieved their primary objective for the year by clinching promotion to senior football in tremendous fashion and their considerable momentum carried them all the way to the provincial club decider on Sunday January 30. Herein, the recently-crowned Sligo county kingpins came up against a powerful Western Gaels side from Roscommon, capitulating to a six-point defeat. While it was disappointing, it certainly wasn't the end of the world. Calry had already done more than was expected of them by ruling their county at intermediate grade and they still have the prospect of senior championship football to look forward to. Calry/St Josephs are in with the big boys now. They've been drawn in Group A of the 2005 Sligo senior football championship, where they'll pit their wits against 2000 champions Bunninadden, St Molaise Gaels and Tubbercurry. Exciting times. And what a year it's been for Kevin Keown of Bundoran Motors! The East End company became official sponsor of Calry at the start of the '04 campaign and certainly proved a very lucky charm. He got a mighty run for his money and is hoping for a similar return this year. Calry/St Josephs is clearly a club on the up and Kevin is delighted to have brought Bundoran Motors along for the ride. The Fermanagh native's decision to sponsor the nearby club has proven an inspired move, as the Joes have gone from strength to strength since that deal was inked. They proved themselves the second-best intermediate team in all of Connacht last year and are more than capable of making their mark at senior grade in the months ahead. It promises to be a busy period for all concerned. The partnership between Calry/St Josephs and Bundoran Motors is a perfect match between two entities currently riding the crest of a wave. Both had a good year in 2004 and both parties are looking forward to the remainder of '05 with justified confidence. A native of Devenish in County Fermanagh, proprietor Kevin Keown established Bundoran Motors a decade ago. The business is located on Bundoran's East End and offers a comprehensive array of services to motorists from the general Donegal/Sligo catchment area. Services provided include vehicle maintenance and repairs, servicing, pre-NCT testing, sale of new and second-hand vehicles, light commercials, and parts (including tyres and exhausts). The pre-NCT test is at once extremely popular and highly effective in helping people pass their NCT tests at the first time of asking. For this fully-computerised test, which is virtually identical to the National Car Test itself, Bundoran Motors runs vehicles through an expansive series of checks which cover every possible defect a car could have. Customers who visit Bundoran Motors first are virtually guaranteed to pass the NCT with flying colours! Kevin has a team of four mechanics working alongside him and runs a large twelve-bay workshop. Bundoran Motors boasts not one but two showrooms, one of which is only newly constructed. Both are particularly pleasing on the eye, in keeping with the appearance of the town of Bundoran itself, and indeed the entire north-west of the country. Kevin is pleased to report that business is brisk at present, with plenty of activity in the workshop and a steady stream of sales to boot. This is a traditionally busy time of year, with plenty of new sales in the first few months of the calendar year and, consequently, a higher number of NCT tests than at any other time in the year. The business proprietor played gaelic football at home in his native Devenish but left the Erne County for Sligo, where he is now involved with the Calry/St Josephs club. He agreed to sponsor the club last year and took great delight from their fantastic voyage which took them all the way to a Connacht final at Frenchpark. Kevin enthuses: "The club is going extremely well and it's great to see them up to senior level. They have some fantastic players and a strong committee, so we're hoping they can keep it up. A lot of work goes into keeping players involved and preparing teams, so they deserve all the success in the world. The success they enjoyed last season was certainly no more than they deserved." Kevin's own family are all affiliated to the local club. He has three sons and a daughter who are members, and he is optimistic that his own involvement as club sponsor will continue for quite some time. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting them to do so well in 2004. It was a great run and a team sponsor couldn't ask for any more. I'm delighted to be associated with such a talented and committed team." On the intercounty front, Kevin is proof positive that though you may be able to take the man out of Fermanagh you'll never take Fermanagh out of the man. He's still a keen follower of the Ernesiders and followed their stunning run to the semi-final stage of the 2004 All-Ireland SFC with a sense of pride. Kevin took a personal interest in the fortunes of the team as he used to play alongside selector Sylvester Mulrone in the colours of Devenish. It'll be a hard act to follow, but how does the public face of Bundoran Motors expect Fermanagh to fare in the '05 championship? "I'm hoping they'll do very well again. The Gallaghers are back and they have great ability and should be a big asset to any team. The surprise element is gone but Fermanagh have good footballers and can put it up to any team on their day." And what of Calry/St Jospehs? "I'd love to see them do well at senior level. They're up against it, but they might fancy a place in the knockout stages. They've a good panel of strong, young lads and there's no reason why they can't compete with the top teams in the county. It's good to see a side from the northern end of the county giving such a good account of themselves and I believe Calry/St Josephs are here to stay." We could be seeing a lot more of those jerseys with 'Bundoran Motors' inscribed across the front! Tweet

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