Tyholland celebrate Diamond Jubilee
August 24, 2012
In some ways the history of GAA clubs is best summed up by the Olympic Theme that "it is not all about winning but more about taking part" and that premis can be applied in both ways to Tyholland who last weekend were celebrating 60 years of contribution to the GAA at club and county level as well as to their local community. That service and the value of that service and the esteem in which the club is held was reflected in the fact that they had in excess of 300 people at a Gala Dinner in their own Community Centre on Saturday evening last August 18th which co-incidentally was 60 years to the day from the inaugural meeting that set up the Tyholland St Patrick's club. Special guest on the night was the Ard Stiurthoir, Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Paraic Duffy who described Tyholland as "the epitomising what a GAA club should be" with the provision of facilities, the work was the youth, the foreword planning and the great community spirit that pervades everything the club has done. The Tyholland club was formed at a meeting on the 18th of August 1952 and was affiliated under the name Tyholland St Patrick's. The founding members were Frank McKenna (Killyneil RIP), Genie Mullen (RIP), Pat McGrory (RIP), John Rooney and John Rice and a playing field was acquired when Frank Carville agreed to rent his "meadow" to the club for a yearly sum of some £27.10 (twenty seven pounds and 10 shillings), a considerable sum for the time. However the "meadow" as it was known has been Tyholland's home ever since. Tyholland's first official competitive action was in the 1953 junior football championship when they reach the semi-final and they enjoyed their first success on the playing fields in September 1961 when they won the Gold Flake Cup tournament, defeating Ballybay by 1-9 to 0-7. That same year they won their first official County Board silverware when they took the Dr Ward Cup, the junior football league title, defeating Toome in the final by 1-8 to 2-3. The eleven surviving members of that team were special guests on the night.
Most Read Stories
