Glanworth's under 14 hurlers will look back on 2005 with great pride thanks to their victory in the Feile Na Gael competition, which was held in Cork during the summer. Juvenile chairman Lance O'Riordan reviewed the event with Hogan Stand. When Glanworth's under 14 hurlers lifted the Division Five crown in the Feile Na Gael hurling competition in Pairc Ui Rinn, it represented a remarkable achievement for the club. To receive an invitation to enter a prestigious competition such as Feile Na Gael was a fantastic compliment to this well-run and progressive club. It also bears testimony to the hard work that the club is putting in at grassroots level. That Cork is currently the European Capital of Culture, aided Glanworth's entry into the competition, according to Lance. He explained: "The fact that the competition was held in Cork meant there were a few extra teams from the county invited to play." He continued: "We won an under 12 county title two years ago and that was probably the reason we were invited to take part." Once Glanworth's participation was confirmed, players and mentors alike got down to the task of preparing for the competition. "It was a very big deal for us. Glanworth is a small rural parish with no more than 1,200 people. So for us to win an All-Ireland title is a huge achievement," Lance enthused. In line with the ethos of the competition, all the local clubs taking part were asked to host a visiting team. Glanworth hosted Kenmare from neighbouring Kerry. "They were a lovely bunch of young fellows and we were sad to see them go at the end of the weekend. All the parents hosted a couple of young lads. We also put up their mentors," Lance revealed. "The support of parents is vital at juvenile level and in Glanworth we are blessed with great parents. During the early rounds, parents provided tea, sandwiches and refreshments to all attending. A special word of thanks must also go to Cork hurler Timmy McCarthy who at an hour's notice turned up and gave his time freely on the night of the Feile final to present the medals to the under 14 panel." However, Glanworth's hospitality didn't extend to the hurling field where they beat the Kerry outfit in the opening group game. The team, which was backboned by Sean Finn, Sean O'Keefe, Dave Pyne, twins William and Martin Jackson and Johnny Magnier, also saw off the challenge of Fermanagh and Ballygiblin in the group stages, Watergrasshill in the semi-final and Castleblayney in the final. Lance added: "The Ballygiblin and Watergrasshill games were the toughest. The games against Kenmare, Fermanagh and Castleblayney were comfortable enough." He continued: "We hosted our group at our pitch. The 'semi' was held at Ballynoe and the final took place at Pairc Ui Rinn." Sean Finn featured on the Cork under 14 team this year and was recently named Cork's player of the Sean Forrestal tournament, held in Waterford. Glanworth's victory in this year's Feile Na Gael represents the biggest success in the history of the juvenile club, which was founded back in 1959. In their very first year they won an Avondhu u14 championship and lost the county final to Greenmount. The U16 North Cork championship was won in five consecutive years during the '60s. However, the club has produced its fair share of talented hurlers down through the years. "Our club president Oweny McAuliffe played with Cork. Down through the years we have produced plenty of county minors, the most prominent of which would be Donal Ahern - currently training the junior A footballers - who captained Cork to win two All-Ireland minor titles in 1967 and 1968. "Then you had the likes of the Kirby brothers,(Ned Kirby later won an All Ireland senior medal with Cork in 1973), John Courtney, John Fahey, who is coaching the current under 14 team, his brother Aidan Fahey, Liam O'Flynn, James O'Brien, David and Kevin Aherne, and Gerry Coleman, who were all prominent Cork minors in their time." Jas Cummins has won many all Ireland titles with the army. This year Glanworth's under 14 team was coached by John Fahey and Jas Cummins, while Lance, Noel O'Neill, Eddie Magnier and Mikey Brien acted as selectors for the all-conquering team. Throughout the club, Glanworth has a legion of workers who are willing to impart their considerable knowledge of the small ball game. Brian O'Sullivan, Tommy Quinlan and John Condon look after coaching for the under 8s, under 10s and under 12s, while Martin Roche, Eddie Magnier, Noel O'Neill, John Fahey and James Cummins look after the under 16 team. Similarly, Noel O Neill (secretary) Joan O'Neill (treasurer) and Kathleen Finn (PRO) put in Trojan work on behalf of the club. While the under 14s enjoyed particular success this year, all other juvenile teams have shown the same level of commitment without the same level of success. Sean O'Keeffe made the Cork U14 football panel during the year, which was another notable achievement for the club. In a small village only once in a while do you get a team where most players are the same age. In this respect, Glanworth have a huge amount of kids at under 8 and 10 and hopefully this will again bring success in the near future. At adult level the club fields teams in the Junior A hurling and football championships. "Traditionally we were a very strong football club. Since the arrival of Donal Aherne as coach we are once again back in a Junior A football semi-final. Our adult club has a great chairman in Sean Pierce, whose nephews play on the junior team and is ably assisted by secretary Sean O Connell and treasurer Fiona Cotter. The hurling has got stronger and stronger down through the years. But at the moment we would be playing in a higher grade with the juvenile footballers," Lance commented. The juvenile chairman also makes special mention of two Glanworth club members who passed away in recent times - Kevin Cappagh Quinn who died on the field during an U21 game and David Breaney who passed on to his eternal reward three years ago. Lance wasn't the least bit surprised when Cork saw off Galway to claim the 2005 All-Ireland SHC. He commented: "All you have to do is look at the Cork bench, which is every bit as strong as the starting 15. There are five or six lads that can be brought in without weakening the team." Lance O'Riordan is owner of tyre specialists, Glanworth Tyres, headquartered in Glanworth, Co Cork. The company, which employs a full-time staff of 40, is one of the country's leading tyre wholesalers and has a significant retail presence in the Munster area. Tweet

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