Four Masters GAA Club 75th Anniversary Banquet in Abbey Hotel

Senior Ladies Champions

Four Masters G.A.A. Club celebrated another significant milestone in their history last weekend with a Special Mass for the Deceased on Friday evening in the St. John Bosco Centre and the 75th Anniversary Banquet in the Abbey Hotel on Saturday night where over 200 patrons in attendance enjoyed a night of memories from the past being rekindled.
On the night, the club honoured their three G.A.A. All Stars, Donal Monaghan in 1974, Joyce McMullin in 1990 and Karl Lacey in 2006, whilst the history making Senior Ladies team were presented with a framed team photograph to recognise their outstanding achievement during 2006.
In addition to the announcement of the Annual Club Awards for 2006, Appreciation Awards were also made to Donna Dunnion, (Donegal Senior Lady Player of the Year), Ryan O’Donnell (Member of the Donegal Minor Panel who won the Ulster Minor League and Championship) and Shane Carr to mark his contribution to Donegal County football over the past 10 years.
Minister Mary Coughlan T.D., Councillors Jonathan Kennedy and Thomas Pringle joined Chairman of Donegal G.A.A. County Board, Sean Kelly as invited guests for the evening. Music was provided by Rosehips and a fundraising raffle for spot prizes on the night raised in excess of €1,200 for the Xray Unit Fund for Donegal Town Hospital.
Club Awards: Underage Lady Player of the Year Rachel Crawford; Senior Lady Player of the Year Louise Jordan; Underage Hurler of the Year Shane Patton; Senior Hurler of the YearDanny Hayden; Underage Footballer of the Year Ryan O’ Donnell; Third Team Player of the YearDamien Dunnion; Reserve Player of the Year Enda Bonner; Senior Player of the Year Karl Lacey; Club Person of the Year Paul Timoney.

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Jonny comes to Croker By The Rucker

Regretfully this piece on the first Rugby International in Croke Park by the inimitable Rucker came in just slightly late for our last issue but is still well worth running.

The banter was good. “I hear the Queen will not be played at Croker” - “Why not?” - “She’s pulled a hamstring in the last training session!” - “Could we get Helen Mirren to deputise? -“She‘s away at The Academy Awards and that other Queen, Elton John would be out of the question: all that naked flesh on the pitch would be too much for him”.
The craic was good and thankfully the historic day went off without incident as 82,000 fans crammed into Croke Park for a day that will live long in the memory of Donegal folk. A memory to be filed along with the football glory of 1992. The Donegal contingent had travelled up in strength. Many of them now retired players who had left the physicality of the rugby pitch behind them. No more training. Now more interested in lap dancing than lap running.
The 5.30pm start made it a long tiring day with the hordes of spectators heaving with anticipation in the local hostelries. The crowd was in good humour buoyed by such symbols as Irish flags emboldened with the legend ‘BOD save our Glorious Team’. Even the small smattering of protesters was showing their humour with signs such as ‘Ireland 32 England 0’! It was not a bad prediction either being just 2 points outside the winning margin of 43-13.
One of the first people I bumped into in The Hogan Stand was the legendary Mossie Keane. How his mind must have wandered back to 1969 when he stood on that same pitch when his beloved Kerry lost a Junior All Ireland to Wicklow. A few seats away sat the great Munster second row Mick Galwey. Another man who knew what it was like to stride out on the sward of Croke Park. There is even a unique link with Donegal here as Gaillimh was a member of the Kerry team beaten by Donegal in the All Ireland under 21 final away back in 1987.
There was a frisson of tension as the stadium filled up and kick off time approached. The English team came out on the pitch to polite and generous applause. There was a long wait as Brian O’Driscoll delayed the entry of the Irish team until some 5 minutes later. Their entrance was tumultuous and it was lucky we were not back in the old stadium in Lansdowne Road as I believe the rusty auld stands would have crumbled with the applause. With the presidential salute over Mary Mc Aleese exchanged pleasantries with the two teams. She seemed to spend more time with the shaggy haired Neil Best, no doubt passing on the address of her hairdressers back in Rostrevor to the wild-haired Ulsterman.
With both teams still lined up and the combined Garda and Army Bands in position, there was an air of anticipation as a loud shush could be perceptibly heard all around the park. We seemed to wait forever before we realised that the delay was because it was taking President McAleese some time to return to her seat. When she planted a smacker on Bertie Ahern, the whole tension seemed to float out of the stadium. The English Anthem passed off without incident and we all then sang lustily Amhran Na bhFiann and Ireland’s Call. John ‘Bull’ Hayes and Jim Flannery cried their eyes out with emotion. Never had there been singing like this back in Lansdowne.
The courtesies to the English had now been made, the game kicked off and we proceeded to kick 20 different types of fertiliser out of Jonny Wilkinson and the English team. How appropriate it was that the most spectacular try of the time came from a field kick by O’Gara across the park that was taken Gaelic fashion by Shane Horgan from Bellewstown; a man who last played at Croke Park some 13/14 years ago in The Fingal League. If Shane had taken the ball rugby style I do not believe he would have scored. More curiously the last try of the game was scored by Isaac Boss a native of Tokorua in New Zealand but now a naturalised Irishman.
When Frenchman, Joel Jutge blew the final whistle for no-side the celebrations began. It may not have taken too much to fill up some the Donegal lads such as our esteemed local taxi driver who always has a fair amount of unleaded in the tank but he was still spluttering in the morning!