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Weekly Notes - 4th/11th January 2006As we cross the threshold of 05/06 we question ourselves as to where we are at. Dispirited by " the stings and arrows of the outrageous fortune" of 05, or lán de dóchas tinged with trepidation for ’06 – "a year of hope, year of tears / year of challenge, year of fears / as there’s no future in the past / our dreams are for the year to come / and resolve is the password when the old year disappears" (with apologies to Annie Moore of Ellis Island fame)?Go raibh bliain nua faoi mhaise ag an gclub and all associated with it and go mbeirimid go léir beo at this juncture next year. There may be "no future in the past" but a future can only be built on the past and, to be fair to 2005, it has presented the club with a solid foundation ‘going forward’ – how that cliché bugs! As if time offered options in the direction in which it moves. There were, of course, hitches and problems in the departed year but overall it was not terribly unkind to us and can be looked back on as a year of heartening progress for Éire Óg both on and off the field. See the website www.greystonesgaa.com (contributions to the site are welcome) and the Wicklow G.A.A. Yearbook for details. Have you been down to our grounds to ‘gaze in deep amaze’ at the clubhouse? One cannot but marvel at the turnabout in the fortunes of the club from when one first came to know Éire Óg – it was, metaphorically, on its uppers with holes in the seat of its pants. Now, with the shell nearing the finished state, one is in a position to assess the aesthetic merit of the structure; we in Éire Óg consider that it will make a hugely positive contribution to the built environment in Greystones. An army marches on its stomach and so its effectiveness is severely limited by its access to food. Such is the case for a club and its finances. At the beginning of each year, when the coffers are in a depleted state, many of the club’s annual bills (insurance, registration etc.) fall due so the income from the Christmas Draw is a Godsend to our harassed cisteoir, Eoin O’Neill. This year’s draw under co-ordinator, Colm Gaskin, must be rated a great success and this was due in no small way to the generosity of those who sponsored the prizes. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir. On first consideration, one might be inclined to look on fund-raising activities such as the Christmas draw as purely necessary evils and a drag on all concerned. Strange as it may seem, the undoubted associated drudgery does have its social and other positive spin-offs. The night of the draw was a very enjoyable club and community bonding occasion and the week of selling in Tesco did much to raise the club's profile in the community. That we were able to man our selling outlet for the whole week without willing horses being overloaded has much to say about the newfound and multi-faceted resources within the club – sellers came from all sections: footballing, ladies, hurling and juvenile. Finally we thank you, ticket purchasers, for your flaithiúlacht and promise you that your contributions will be used to good effect. |
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