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CAVAN GAELS GAA
NEWSLETTER ISSUE 23 MAY 2017
HEALTHY CLUBS Please note that Terry Coyle Park is now a Smoke Free Environment. Cavan Gaels leads the way with this Healthy Club initiative, being the first Club in County Cavan to implement this policy. We request the co-operation of our members to ensure that our sports ground remains smoke free. Bí Folláin.
Seo chugaibh an 23ú iris, eagrán na Bealtaine. San iris seo, tá píosa deas faoi Gabriel Kelly, leathanach faoi oidhreacht áitiúil, nuacht agus imeachtaí deireanacha, agus a lán eile. Bain sult as. Ta na fáinleoga fillte arís.
BEST WISHES Best wishes and good health to Fr. Gerard Finegan of St.Mary, Star of the Sea Parish, Longboat Quay, Florida. Fr. Gerard, now Monsignor, was born and raised on Main St. and played junior football with the Gaels. He celebrates 50 years of ministry this year. Comhghairdeas dó.
Féile Preview This year’s Féile Peile na nÓg 2017 will take place in the 3 counties of Cavan, Monaghan, and Fermanagh at the end of June. This festival of U14 football has come a long way since it’s humble beginnings in Cavan 1982 when Tony Looney(Cavan Gaels) and Fintan Tierney(Butlersbridge) hatched an idea which has grown over the years to become a huge event, with some 250 boys and girls teams, 5000 players, playing for trophies across 16 divisions. Teams from all over Ireland as well as from the UK and the US will converge on the 3 counties on the weekend of Fri.23rd to Sun 25th June. This year Cavan Gaels will play and host a boy’s team from Tipperary and a girl’s team from Offaly. Preparations are already underway to arrange host families for our guests and ensure a warm welcome for all our visitors. Mol an Óige agus tiocfaidh sí.
Condolences Dr.John Sullivan, Rock Cross. Seán Young, Drumalee.
TORNADOES Every Saturday at 11am. Terry Coyle Park.
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underage report TORNADOES: The Tornadoes sessions are continuing on Saturday mornings upstairs in the clubhouse at 11. Numbers have averaged around the mid-twenties and a number of kids have progressed up to U-8’s. Sessions focus on the basic skills, the ABC’s (agility balance and coordination) and have a big emphasis on fun and involvement. New members are always very welcome. For more information don’t hesitate in contacting John Fortune on 0876196002. U-8’S Great start to the year for our U8’s with plenty of enthusiasm at training. Every week we have more than 20 at training which are well marshalled with up to 8 coaches and parents helpers present. This is very important to a high coach to player ratio for development at this age. We had our first game of the year recently against Castlerahan and showed really well. We have had 6 boys join us in the last couple of weeks from tornadoes which is great. The future looks bright for this group if we all work to keep them together. Their coaches say they are a pleasure to train and is great to see them improving every week. Thanks to all that help out on Saturdays and a big thank you to John Fortune who is always recruiting for this age group.
U-10’S The U10’s have made a great start to the year. There have good numbers at training and the whole group have been working hard. We have had 3 games so far against Mullahoran, Castlerahan and Ballyshannon with some lovely skills and team play on show. U-12’S The 12’s have had a busy start to the season and have already been in action in the spring league. The numbers have been good at training and they have successful in all their games so far. These boys are a talented group and are enthusiastic at training. U-14’S Training began in February for our 14’s and they are due to begin the league soon. Although the numbers are small at the age group the lads have responded well to their team management of Chris Rowley, Paul Leddy and Kevin Brady. U-16’s Joe O’Connor’s charges have had busy schedule of late, playing every Wednesday for the last number of weeks. The numbers at this age group are low but they are a tight bunch. They have had 4 games so far winning three and narrowly losing one.
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senior men Our Senior Men and Reserve teams have had an excellent start to the year with 5 wins from 5 games each. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for upcoming fixtures and continue to show your support at the games.
1962 Minor championship finalists Back L-R: Paddy O’Reilly RIP, Teddy O’Neill, Gerry Carroll, John Sullivan RIP, PJ Carroll, Raymond Dunne, Paddy Lyons, Raymond Carroll, Brian O’Reilly RIP, Richard Graham, Des Lambert. Front L-R: Jim Mooney RIP, Michael Walsh, Dermot Burke, Frank Sheridan, Eamon McCormack, Larry Reilly, Dickie Smith, John Cusack, Johnny Murray, John Higgins. This team was the first Gaels team to make a minor final. They were beaten by Bailieboro 3-3 to 2-5. Dr.John Sullivan, who passed away recently, played at wing half-forward. He was a lifelong supporter of Cavan Gaels and acted as team doctor for a number of years. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a Anam.
camogie training New members always welcome! For more info; contact Mary (0877532979). Find “Cavan Gaels Underage Camogie” on facebook!
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Lá na gClubanna Lá na gClubanna is this Sunday from 11am to 1pm. We would like to invite you to come along to Terry Coyle Park on Sunday the 7th of May. With lots of activities planned, (bowls/skittles/etc.) together with Irish music song and craic - it promises to be a great day out.
indoor bowls We were delighted to get our indoor bowling up and running this month, with a very enjoyable afternoon for all present. Anyone interested in or know anyone that would like to give it a go; please message our facebook and we’d be delighted to put you in contact with those involved.
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Gabriel Kelly - A Profile AN ARTICLE ON THE FOOTBALL LIFE OF GABRIEL KELLY, ONE OF CAVAN’S GREATEST EVER DEFENDERS WHO GAVE SUCH STERLING SERVICE TO CLUB AND COUNTY BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD. Gabriel Kelly played for Cavan senior football team from 1959 until 1971. He was rated as one of Ireland’s most consistent defenders during the 1960’s when he played quite frequently in Croke Park in front of large crowds either wearing the royal blue of Cavan or representing Ulster in Railway Cup finals on St Patrick’s Day. For his consistently high level of performance on the big stage over a number of years, he was awarded an All Star, then called the Cú Chulainn award, for each of the years 1963, 1964 &1967. It is hard to believe that Gabriel played no underage football in his native Bailieboro. After completing his primary education at the Vale NS where his mother was a teacher, he went to a boarding school in Dundalk, the Marist College, where rugby was the primary sport. He picked up the basic rules of the game quickly and made the full back position his own on the school team. He remembers one summer that he couldn’t make the Bailieboro under 16 team but he still had an interest in following the fortunes of the Cavan senior team. Neighbours brought him along to many of Cavan’s games. In early 1955, Gabriel ended his secondary education and headed for Kiltimagh County Mayo in order to serve his time in a drapery shop owned by his aunt. He realised fairly soon that there wasn’t much to do in Kiltimagh in the evening after work. Most young men of his own age tended to go to the local GAA field so he decided to do likewise. He joined the Kiltimagh GAA club and soon he was on the minor team. Obviously he learned the basic skills of the game quickly because he came to the attention of the Mayo minor selectors within a few months. Gabriel was selected to play on the Mayo minor team at right half back in the first round of the Connacht Championship. This team went on to win the Connacht minor final in 1955 but they were beaten by Tipperary in the All Ireland Semi Final in Limerick. So Gabriel, after his first year playing Gaelic football, was the holder of a Connacht minor championship medal. Also in 1955, Gabriel played for Kiltimagh in the Mayo Junior Championship final, but on this occasion he was on the losing side. One member of the winning Crossmolina team on that day was Dr Mick Loftus who would later become President of the GAA. In 1957 he won a Mayo Senior Football Championship medal playing for East Mayo which was an amalgamation of the three junior clubs Kiltimagh, Swinford and Ballyhaunis. Another player on that East Mayo team was the late Sean Flanagan (Mayo and Fianna Fail) who was a TD in Dail Eireann at the time. He would later hold two ministries, Lands and Health, in his political life and in the GAA’s Centenary Year 1984, he was chosen as a corner back on the Football Team of the Century. He was honoured once again by the GAA in 1999 when he was named on their Football Team of the Millennium.
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Gabriel played league and championship football for Mayo seniors in 1957 and 1958. 1957 turned out to be a very busy and eventful year for Gabriel but no medals were won. He was on the Mayo Junior team which won the first round of the Connacht Championship. As a result of an excellent performance in that game, he was selected on the Mayo Senior team to play Galway in the first round of the Connacht Championship. Mayo were defeated in that game but more importantly by playing, Gabriel was now ineligible to play for the Mayo juniors. As things transpired, Mayo juniors went on to win the All Ireland in 1957, but unfortunately Gabriel did not receive a medal because he had earlier in the year lost his junior status. This was the first time in Gabriel’s illustrious football career that he missed out on an All Ireland medal but it wasn’t the last.
Gabriel in action for Mayo in Croke Park against Dublin in 1957 In late 1958 he was on the Mayo senior team that defeated Cavan in the National League The game was played in Castlebar and his direct opponent on that day was Mick Brady, usually a defender but in that game a corner forward. Mick would later play alongside Gabriel in the full back line for Cavan. Even before this game, rumours were circulating around Cavan that a young man called Gabriel Kelly, a native of Bailieboro, was playing great football in Mayo and that efforts should be made to persuade him to declare for Cavan. Definitely after that National League game, negotiations between Gabriel and the Cavan County Board, led by Mick Higgins who was Cavan’s main selector and County Chairman TP O’Reilly accelerated and soon he had transferred to his native county. While these negotiations were going on, Gabriel was contemplating a career move from Kiltimagh to Dublin, as he had just finished serving his time in the drapery business. His first place of employment in Dublin was Todd Burns and later he moved to Arnotts. He joined the CJ Kickams GAA club which originally was set up by a number of Dublin based drapery workers, most of them Tipperary natives, in 1885. Incidentally, Charles J Kickam was a Tipperary Fenian who wrote the well-known book ‘Knocknagow’ and he also composed the famous song ‘Slievenaman’, which is still the Tipperary “National Anthem”. He died in 1882. The CJ Kickams club had won a number of Dublin Senior Championships in its early years but was in a state of decline long before Gabriel joined them. Now, the main objective of the club at the start of each year was to avoid relegation and this they just about succeeded in doing. In October 1955, two hundred and one members of the CJ Kickams club transferred to a new club to be called Na Fianna. The Kickams club was finally disbanded in 1969 when it amalgamated with Ballymun Gaels to form a new club to be called Ballymun Kickams. Gabriel wasn’t long in Dublin when he was persuaded to join Railway Union rugby club. Initially he was able to play rugby on a Saturday afternoon and club football on Sunday morning. However, when he began to play competitively with Cavan, he had to reappraise things. Firstly, it would be impossible physically to continue playing club and county football as well as fitting in a game of rugby at weekends and secondly, Gabriel as a member of the GAA and soon to have a larger public profile as a Cavan county player, couldn’t be seen to be breaking Rule 27 of the GAA’s Official Guide.
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In 1905, the GAA enacted a new rule, called Rule 27 known colloquially as “the Ban”. It forbade any member of the GAA from either participating in or even going to “foreign” games (rugby, soccer, cricket, hockey). It was eventually removed from the GAA’s Official Guide in 1971, but for many years before its removal, it was honoured more in the breach than in the observance. Anyway, the then Chairman of Cavan County Board TP O’Reilly, a solicitor himself, warned Gabriel as to the implications for his football career if he was found to be playing rugby. Mr O’Reilly suggested that if he did play the odd rugby game in the future, maybe in the GAA off-season, he would play under an assumed name and under no circumstances should he appear in a team photograph. In early 1959, Gabriel got his first chance to impress the Cavan selectors when he was chosen to play in a pre-season friendly for the county in Breifne Park. Things didn’t go too well for him that day mainly because he made the fatal error of playing a rugby match the previous day which turned out to be more rough and tumble than usual and left his body very stiff and sore. He vowed that he would never make the same mistake again. Gabriel went on to have an outstanding career with Cavan, making the right full back position his own for many years. He was utterly dependable, seldom played a bad game and was always supremely fit. He could hold his own against any of the top forwards in Ireland in the 1960’s. For all those reasons he won three All Star awards in 1963, 1964 and 1967. These All Star awards were sponsored by the Gaelic Weekly newspaper and chosen by its sportswriters. So Gabriel Kelly was the first Cavan footballer to win an All Star award. Between 1963 and 1967, the All Star team, chosen annually, were the recipients of the Cú Chulainn awards, a framed green jersey which was presented at a function in the Gresham Hotel Dublin at the end of each year. Back then, there were no foreign trips to exotic places all expenses paid for these All Stars. Gabriel played in eight Ulster Senior Championship finals, winning four- 1962, 1964, 1967 & 1969 and losing four- 1959, 1960, 1965 & 1968. The opposition in all eight finals was Down who went on to win three All Ireland titles in the 1960’s- 1960, 1961 & 1968. Cavan, on the other hand, failed to reach even one All Ireland Final. This was a huge disappointment for Gabriel and his fellow players. They knew that they were good enough to win one or more All Ireland titles but for one reason or another, some but not all self- inflicted, it didn’t happen. In 1960, Cavan played their great rivals Down in the National League final in Croke Park before an attendance of 40,000. Gabriel lined out at full back. Cavan played well and were leading by one point with about five minutes left when Jim McDonnell, who was dominating midfield fell on his shoulder and had to retire. As a result, Cavan lost their momentum and finished poorly, losing by three points. In the 1960’s, Cavan were contesting Ulster senior finals on a regular basis and when they won, there was no great excitement. Expectations then among Cavan supporters were much higher. The following story told to me by Gabriel himself illustrates clearly this very point. In July 1967, Cavan defeated Down in the Ulster Senior Football final in Clones. Later that evening the team arrived back in Cavan Town by bus. As the players made their way into the Farnham Hotel led by their captain Charlie Gallagher, there were no more than two dozen people present to meet and greet them. As Gabriel himself was entering the hotel, he clearly heard this old man saying “Kelly, we have enough of that Anglo Celt Cup, it’s Sam we want to see”. How times have changed!! Do you remember 1997? An rud is anamh is iontach!! This is an old Irish saying which translates ‘what’s seldom is wonderful’.
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In the 1950’s and 60’s, the Railway Cup competitions in both football and hurling were very as ‘popular and the finals played in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day were attracting crowds up to 40,000. All players selected were honoured to play for their provinces and so, all interprovincial games were taken very seriously. Gabriel is the proud holder of six Railway Cup medals playing for Ulster in the years 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 & 1968. He was selected to play at right full back for all six finals but he didn’t play in the 1966 final due to a serious head injury that he received in a National League game against Longford played in Carrick-on-Shannon a week before the Railway Cup final. He was stretchered off badly concussed and was taken to the local hospital where he was detained for four days. On the day of the Railway Cup final, Gabriel was togged out and ready to go but was advised not to play because of the recent concussion. The Wembley Tournament was organised by the GAA in Britain in the 1960’s as a fundraiser. Only the top teams in Ireland were invited to participate. Cavan got through to three finals, in 1963, 1966 and 1967, winning the latter two. Gabriel graced the hallowed turf of Wembley in the three finals. In the 1967 final, Cavan defeated Galway who had won the three previous All Ireland football finals, 1964, 1965 & 1966. The 1966 final saw Cavan beat Sligo but in the 1963 final, Kerry were victorious. Gabriel transferred from CJ Kickams to the Bailieboro club in 1963. He was going to a club that had lost the previous year’s senior championship final after a replay. Bailieboro again qualified for the senior final in 1963 with Gabriel lining out at midfield and the opposition was Mullahoran. This final also ended in a draw. But Gabriel missed the replay as was on honeymoon. Mullahoran went on to win the replay.
Back L-R: Jim McDonnell, Mick Higgins, TP O’Reilly, Tony Morris, Frank Lynch Louth, Brian McLoughlin Mayo, Gus Danagher Tipp, John Egan Offaly. Front L-R: Peter McDermott Meath, Joe Stafford, Con smith,Rita & Gabriel, Willie Corcoran Mayo, Frank Fleming Mayo.) In 1964 Bailieboro were back once again in the county final. Their opponents this time were Cootehill. Gabriel playing at centre half back, won his first Cavan senior championship medal. Bailieboro reached the Cavan senior championship final again in 1965, their fourth consecutive final appearance. Gabriel manned the centre half back position. However, Bailieboro were defeated by Cavan Gaels who were winning their first ever senior championship title. In the following year, Gabriel and his wife Rita decided to move out of Dublin. They set up home in Cavan Town and Gabriel transferred to Cavan Gaels. A new chapter in his already illustrious football career was about to begin. In the senior championship finals of 1967 and 1970, Cavan Gaels with Gabriel on board lost out to Crosserlough, who were on the way to winning a record seven consecutive senior titles (1966-1972). 1971 saw Gabriel win his first medal with Cavan Gaels, when he was full back on the team that defeated Lacken in the Senior League Division 1 final. ISSUE 23 MAY 017 10
1975 turned to be a memorable year both for Gabriel and Cavan Gaels. This was his last year to play club football competitively. That year he combined a playing role with that of trainer of the senior team. Gabriel always had his teams fit. He was one of the old school who had studied how Mick O’Dwyer and Kevin Heffernan trained Kerry and Dublin, the two top county teams in Ireland at that time. With Gabriel there was always lots of running, sometimes up hills (ramp in St Pat’s College), constant backs and forwards and finally the inevitable sprint, the length of the pitch. There was no warm up or warm down and no stretching yet there were few muscle tears then. The senior championship final of 1975 was between Cavan Gaels and old rivals Crosserlough. It finished a drawn game and the replay was fixed for the following Sunday. During that week, the word going around the county was that “the Gaels had missed the boat”. I will always remember Gabriel’s final words to the players before that replayed final. It was motivation par excellence. It goes as follows “Everyone is saying we missed the boat. I guarantee it won’t be us. Get out there and tear into them”. Cavan Gaels won, 1-8 to 0-6.
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Gabriel was now the holder of three senior championship medals, all won with different clubs. He was team manager of the club’s senior team from 1976 until 1980. Two more senior championship titles were won under Gabriel’s command, 1977 and 1978. The club reached the final of the Ulster Club championship in 1977 but unfortunately we didn’t do ourselves justice in it. We also won the 1976 senior league division 1 title defeating Crosserlough in the final which was played just a few days before Christmas Day. Great credit must go to Gabriel for the way that he trained and managed that group of players. As I stated earlier, Gabriel in his playing days was always fit and so he made sure that the players under his watch were fit as well. Also, his man management skills were excellent and he always made his game plan clear and easy to understand. He could be firm and distant from the players when necessary, yet he could have the craic and bond with the players after games.
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As a player during these years, I would have to say that without Gabriel’s influence, firstly as a player and then as team manager and trainer, we would not have been as successful. Gabriel had three terms as team manager of the Cavan senior team. He took charge of the county team on a temporary capacity for 1971. He came out of retirement to play in the Ulster semi-final against Down. By coincidence, his direct opponent on that day was his old adversary Paddy Doherty, who was Down’s team manager and was back playing his first game for the county since he retired after the Ulster final in 1969 which Cavan won. However Down were victorious in the 1971 Ulster semi-final. That turned out to be Gabriel’s last time to play a competitive game for Cavan. He was team manager of the Cavan senior team twice during the 1980’s, 1981-1984 &1989-1990. Unfortunately, no Ulster final was won in those years but Cavan did reach the final in 1983. Gabriel’s last time in team management was in the early 1990’s, when he was persuaded to take over the senior team of the Gaels. He didn’t enjoy this period at all. He felt a disconnection between himself and some of the players. He just couldn’t get the same level of commitment as he got from the panel of players in the 1970’s. Despite that bad experience, Gabriel took on the less onerous role of selector with the club’s under 21 team that won the 2016 division 2 championship. This gave him the opportunity to acquaint himself with a younger cohort of players in the club.
QUESTION (Q) AND ANSWER (Ans) SECTION: I asked Gabriel a few questions about football and footballers, past and present. Q. How do you rate modern day county football? Ans. Present day county players train very hard, almost every day. They are very fit. But too many county players are not good in the air or at giving long accurate kick passes. I would prefer if there was more direct football and less hand passing sideways. Q. What present day footballers impress you most? Ans. Ciaran Kilkenny (Dublin), Cillian O’Connor (Mayo) and Michael Murphy (Donegal). Q. Who was the best player you played with or against? Ans. I was privileged to play with and against many great players. I would have to say that Sean O’Neill from Down is the best that I played with (on Railway Cup teams) and against. He was a fabulous player, he could kick equally well with either foot and above all he was a true sportsman. Q. Did you get many injuries playing football? Ans. The worst injury I got was the concussion in the 1966 national league game against Longford when I was carried off in an unconscious state. I pulled a few muscles here and there and I sprained most of my fingers. Before about 1970, the laced footballs were very heavy and became much heavier if they got wet. They were very hard on fingers. If you saw my fingers now, they are crooked. Q. What was your greatest disappointment in football? Ans. I suppose losing all four All Ireland Semi Finals in the 1960’s. Winning Ulster should have boosted our confidence for the All Ireland Semi’s but it seemed to do the opposite unlike Down who always hit Croke Park bursting with confidence. In the 1962 semi- final against Roscommon, we missed at least fourteen good scorable chances and still only lost by a few points. In the 1969 semi- final against Offaly, we missed an easy free which would have put us through to the All Ireland final. Instead it went to a replay which we lost. In the 1967 semi-final against Cork, we were beaten by one point. In that game, Cork were given a penalty they didn’t deserve and scored it, while Cavan should have been given a penalty. We could have no complaints about the result in the 1964 semi-final against Kerry. But I think that I was more disappointed after the 1969 semi- final because at that stage I was coming to the end of my county career. Gabriel will go down in history as one of Cavan’s greatest ever defenders. He had great athleticism, was determined, competitive but very disciplined and he was always fit. Declan Coyle, a native of Mountnugent, who played with Gabriel on the Cavan team that won the Ulster Senior Championship in 1969, was writing in the Anglo Celt a few years ago about that team of 1969. I quote what he had to say about Gabriel. “He had an incredible jump and his timing was immaculate. A great man marker, he relied on getting to the ball first. Gabriel was always of the opinion that the best way to stop a forward was not to let him get the ball in the first place”.
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Gabriel and his Cavan team mates leave many great memories of times past. One memory would be, winning Ulster senior finals on sunny July Sundays in the 1960’s, in Belfast and Clones and then onto Croke Park, hoping Cavan would get to an All Ireland final. Another memory would be, seeing a number of Cavan footballers playing very well on various Ulster teams in Railway Cup Finals in Croke Park. Gabriel was usually one of these players. He had a stellar career at club, county and interprovincial levels. But what makes his football story so interesting and yet so unique is the fact that he was a relative newcomer to Gaelic football when he joined Kiltimagh GAA club as a minor player, having previously only played rugby competitively while in secondary school. Gabriel, a cara, what a marvellous contribution you have made to the GAA in Mayo but particularly in Cavan, at club and county levels, both as a player and a mentor. You should be proud of your many achievements. (By Paddy Reilly)
GAELS Profile darragh galligan DOB: 15/08/00
What is your outstanding memory from your GAA career to date? Winning the U16 league 2016. If you could revisit one moment and change it, which moment would you choose and why? U16 championship final in 2016 we were winning by 2 points with time up & crossalough got a penalty & scored it with the last kick of the ball. What 3 people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party? JJ Reilly, Conor Mc Gregor and Gooch Cooper . Whats the best piece of advice you ever received? Be yourself, try your best & you will succeed Whats your favourite GAA memory? Being picked to play in Croke Park for the Cumann na Bun Scoil team in 2009. Who is the best hurler and footballer you have ever seen? Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh.
Green ribbon campaign See Change, the National Stigma Reduction Partnership and their 90 partner organisations are rolling out the now annual month long national Green Ribbon Campaign to get people talking openly about mental health problems in May 2017. This is the fifth annual and biggest ever Green Ribbon campaign and launches on 1 May 2017. The aim of the campaign is to make the month of May every year synonymous with promoting open conversation of mental health and challenging the stigma of mental health problems. Cavan Gaels as a GAA Healthy Club will participate in the campaign by distributing green ribbon at matches,and other club events during the month including its La na gClub events on Sunday the 7th May. We are asking all club members to wear the Green Ribbon as an indication of their support for the campaign and to family and friends who may have mental health problems as a means of encouraging them to talk about their concerns and seek help. ISSUE 23 MAY 017 14
Heritage attractions in cavan Immerse yourself in thousands of years of history in County Cavan. Take time out to explore and enjoy some or all of our heritage sites. See below for suggestions. Enjoy! 1. Dramatic landscapes, megalithic tombs and your heritage at your fingertips. Visit Cavan Burren Park outside Blacklion in West Cavan. Visit the ‘Giants’ Leap’, the ‘Lost Valley’, get up close to ancient megalithic tombs and wander along one of five marked (short and long) walking trails throughout the Park. A must-visit. Free admission. Call to the Market House Visitor Centre in Blacklion on your way to find out more! 2. Take a wander through the eons of time at Drumlane Monastic Site, located just outside the village of Milltown, and overlooking picturesque Garfinny Lough. The only remaining round tower in the diocese of Kilmore.
3. Make your way to Cavan’s most iconic heritage attraction - Clogh Oughter Castle, standing alone and defiant in the middle of the vast and uninterrupted beauty of the Lough Oughter network of waterways. Visit www.cavancanoeing.com for information on boat hire, guided trips and canoe / kayak hire 4. Bring history to life at the award-winning Cavan Musuem in Ballyjamesduff where an outdoor World War 1 Trench Experience, a life-size replica of the GPO and many other exhibitions make it very easy to while away a few hours. Kids will enjoy the on-site playground and dress-up area in the museum. Coffee shop and gift shop also available. €5 admission adults and €3 for children. Group rates available.
cavan positive age Cavan Positive Age are organising a 4 day trip to west Cork 16-17th May. Cost is €325 and includes travel, B&B and evening meals in the Bantry Bay hotel plus two day trips.To book or get further details contact Maisie at Positive Age 0863614382.
congratulations • Congrats to our fellow clubman Damien Walsh and his soon to be wife, Kathryn on their recent engagement! • Congratulations to Ed & Joanne O’Hanlon on the birth of their little boy, Johnny. • Congratulations to Mickey Graham, pictured with his wife Bernie, on graduation of the Events Controller course at Croke Park.
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TERRY COYLE PARK - SMOKE FREE Terry Coyle Park is now a smoke free environment. Cavan Gaels leads the way with this Healthy Club initiative, being the first Club in the County Cavan to implement this policy. We request the co-operation of our members to ensure that our sports ground remains smoke free.
club merchandise Our club merchandise is available to buy in The Sports Shop, Main St. Cavan.
Official club merchandise is also available for purchase online at: www.oneills.com/shop-by-team/gaa/ireland/cavan-gaels-gaeil-an-chabhain.html
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••••• CLUB BINGO ••••• EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT @ THE OZANAM CENTRE, RIVER ST. CAVAN
Childrens Officer: Michael Mooney 087-643-5901 Designated Liaison Person: Mary McCarthy 087-233-6925 --This edition marks the 2 year anniversary of our club newsletter. Thank you to everyone for contributing, and please continue to send us your news & feedback. From the Newsletter Team Rebecca, John, Ann Marie & Greg.
ISSUE 23 MAY 017 18
recipes for success - fueling for gaelic games With so many mixed messages out there about what we should eat and drink, it’s hard to know what’s best. In recent months members of Cavan Gaels Club Na nOg attended a nutritional workshop and a practical ‘hands on’ Cookery class held in conjunction with the GAA Healthy Club Initiative. Each attendee received a Recipes for Success Booklet, which is filled with tasty, healthy, performance enhancing recipes that are easy to make and aims to support GAA players and members in making the right choices. Any athlete who is serious about their sport should care about what they put into their bodies. The age adage ‘you are what you eat’ rings even truer on the sporting field than it does in everyday life. Great nutrition is easy to achieve if you take the time to focus on making positive improvements to your eating habits. By following a few simply steps you should be able to achieve a solid foundation which will underpin a strong nutritional plan for Gaelic games. Step one – choose real foods – eat a well-balanced diet made up of all food groups. The majority of food that players eat should be in the form of unprocessed ‘real foods’, such as fresh meat, fish, nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables Step two – Be carbohydrate smart – focus on eating carbohydrates around training. Carbohydrate is the most important fuel source for a GAA player. It provides energy to perform activities such as sprinting, jumping, tackling, kicking and scoring. However they are stored in limited reserves and becoming depleted after a training session, therefore consuming carbohydrates before and after exercise is important. Complex carbohydrates are found in wholegrain cereal, breads pasta and rice, lentils, beans and vegetables. They provide the body with energy as well as a large amount of key vitamins, minerals and fibre. Step three - Protein Rich – Ensure protein is included as part of every meal and snack Protein is found in a wide variety of both animal and plant foods. By consuming dietary protein we obtain the building blocks to make a range of body proteins with structural and functional roles. While meat, fish, dairy products and eggs are especially good sources of protein many plant sources such as legumes, nuts and grains also contain protein and can contribute to total daily protein intake. Step four – A dollop of healthy fat. Fat has a bad repution as it is often falsely believed that it solely causes obesity. However without fat in our diets and in the body a number of key processes would not occur. Fat is an important fuel source at rest and during exercise and it also surrounds and protects many organs in our bodies. However while fats have a number of important roles they remain energy dense. Diets very high in fat, combined with little or no exercise, will lead to weight gain. Attention should not just be paid to the type of fat consumed but the amount as well. Step 5 – Fruit and Vegetable Loaded - Don’t forget the fruit and vegetable ! Both of these nutritious food sources provide nutrients that enhance training adaptations. Different coloured vegetable provide the body with different performance boosting nutrients eg: green vegetables contain vitamin K to strengthen bones and the mineral magnesium which reduces tiredness and fatigue. Aim to eat 5-8 portions of fruit and/or vegetables daily. Step 6 – Be adequately hydrated - Whether training or during competition, staying well hydrated is important to bothe the mental and physical aspects of performance. Drinking water little and often is the standard recommendation. Your urine should be pale/ clear in colour, if it is yellow/dark then it is likely you will gegin exercise whilst dehydrated and this will adversely affect performance. CHICKEN & VEGETABLE STIR – FRY WITH WHOLEGRAIN NOODLES INGREDIENTS; 4 Chicken fillets (sliced) 1 Red or Yellow pepper (de-seeded and sliced) 2 teaspoon sesame seeds 1 onion (sliced) 6-8 button mushrooms 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 garlic cloves (crushed) 1 chopped red chilli (optional) 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 inch ginger (peeled & grated) 25g cashew nuts 1 teaspoon sesame oil 100g mange tout 1 teaspoon honey 300g wholegrain Noodles METHOD: Cook the noodles in hot water for 8-10 minutes. When the noodles are cooked, drain them in a colander. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan Fry chicken strips for 6 minutes, add garlic onion and ginger, stir fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the vegetables and stir fry for a further 3 minutes. Meanwhild, mix together the corn flour, honey, soysauce and sesame oil in a cup with 1 spoon of cold water Add the soy souce mixture to the pan and combine well. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Next add the Noodles, cook through to reheat noodles. Serve and enjoy. 19 MAY 2017 ISSUE 23
my gaels xv karen simpson
It’s just a mix of when I was there for my lovely 7 years, and I would honestly say if I could, I would name all the lads I was working with down the years. They were all great to work with, and to be the first woman to be in the club executive was a honour. And I miss that. I can say I have come away and made good friends (probably a few enemies lol). But as the great man JJ Reilly told to me one day; “Karen, you’re one of the lads”, and I’ll never forget that…
Sean Johnston
Paul O Connor
Conor McClarey
Kevin Meehen
Mickey Lyng
Niall Murray
Cormac Neligan
Declan Meehen
Gavin Duffy
Eamonn Reilly
Maloney Derham
Robert
Darren Rabbitt
Cathal Collins
Karol Crotty
Martin Cassidy ISSUE 23 MAY 017 20