Éire Óg Greystones
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Weekly Notes - 9th January 2008

Lotto

Dá fhaid a théann an sionnach slán beirtear air sa deire – no matter how many times the fox escapes he is eventually captured. An observation which, if applied to the lotto jackpot, would suggest that its existence is quite precarious. For many weeks now it has escaped your best efforts to lay your hands on it and , as a result, has grown to the not inconsiderable sum of €7K (or thereabouts) so there is a high probability that it will be won soon, a probability that has now been increases by one having drawn your attention to it – based on previous experience, mention of such jackpots in these notes almost guarantees their immediate demise. Are you going to be the lucky one? Not if you haven’t bought a ticket or renewed your standing order.

Dinner Dance

February 2nd may be the best part of a month away but it is not too early to be putting your name down for tickets for the Éire Óg Greystones Dinner Dance. In fact it may be advisable to do so as this is a very popular social event for which tickets are generally at a premium.

Jottings from the USA

We had heard that Laura Mitchell, a former member of our ladies football team, had had a very successful footballing season in the USA. So we got in contact with her to find out some of the details. It was surprising to discover that she has developed a huge enthusiasm for wielding the camán “I love the game (and not bad at it either) and how I wish I had discovered it years ago”. Laura captained Chicago St. Brigids to North American championship honours in football and was on the St. Marys junior and senior camogie teams. The juniors were narrowly beaten in their final while the seniors took North American championship honours. Well done, Laura!

Club History

The recently published Parish of the Holy Rosary and St. Kilian Centenary Magazine contains a short history of the GAA in Greystones which includes a passing reference to the setting up of the Éire Óg juvenile club. This prompted Seamus Whooley, now resident in Spain, (founder member of Costa Gaels GAA club) to send this first hand account of the ground-breaking foundation meeting.

“That first meeting was held in the unfinished extension to the Byrne’s family bungalow just behind Pat’s shop in Grattan Park. The attendees all sat around a makeshift table which was a piece of plywood balanced on a few blocks. They sat on 9 inch cavity blocks in a cold and drafty room. Most shared cigarettes from a pack of 10 Carroll’s but Damien McGrane had Major. Peter Byrne chaired the meeting with a seriousness worthy of Vladimir Putin. He had a Dream, a vision and a calling. The amazing thing is that none of the 3 brothers were really footballers (I don’t think they would take me to task for saying that) and from memory I don’t think participated much in playing. Self indulgence was not their motive. Their’s was a more honourable motive. They discussed the formation of the club and the setting up of a street league and entering a team in the County under 16 competitions.

I know all this because I was there! After the initial fundraising we had enough money to buy a set of jerseys and a ball. My father, whose office was in Middle Abbey Street at the time, was asked to buy 15 jerseys from Cleary’s. I can remember him bringing them into the kitchen and thinking WOW, we really have started something here!

One of the next challenges was to find goal posts as the field was just that, a field – no posts. Greystones GAA Club was effectively dormant. Under cover of darkness the other members of the committee “found” very suitable, already felled Sitka spruce trunks up in Coolagad and duly erected them in the field. The Forestry folk were none the wiser. The current-day Coillte would have contributed them, as they did the 3,000 saplings we planted a few years ago.”