Local Notes: GAA underage presentation night, London calls and school football
Ciaran and Jacinta Beatty with their son Cormac at a Castlerea St. Kevin's GAA presentation evening in the O'Rourke GAA Centre. Pic: Liam Reynolds
The Castlerea St. Kevin’s underage presentation night was held in the O’Rourke Centre on Sunday, April 13th with special guest Dara Bruen, Castlerea, St. Kevin’s senior team manager. The teams honoured on the night were the Girls U-16 Division 2 county champions 2024, Boys U-17 Roscommon county champions 2024, Boys U-18 minor team that won the 2024 County Championship for the first time since 1990. Oliver Connaughton, chairman of the Castlerea St. Kevin’s Minor Club welcomed all present. He said that it was great to have county titles coming to the club and he paid tribute to the young people and their coaches and he thanked the coaches for all the time and effort they gave to training and coaching during the year. He also thanked the parents of for bringing them to training and games. He thanked all the sponsors and the senior club and coaching officer Oliver Finneran for all their help. He thanked Dara Bruen, stating that it was great to have him to do the presentation. He also thanked the ladies committee. The senior club chairman Tommy Finneran concurred with the minor chairman’s remarks, adding that 2024 was another good year for the minor club. Niamh Manning, chairperson of the ladies’ club thanked all who helped with ladies’ football in the club during the year especially the managers of the U-16 winning team, Shane Silke and Irene Foley. Shane thanked the girls for their commitment during the year and Irene for all her help. U-17 manager Tom Vaughan thanked the boys and his fellow selectors and gave a detailed account of the team’s progress during the year. Minor team manager Noel Curran also thanked the boys and his fellow selector stating that it was great to win the minor title Division 1 for the first time since 1990. All team managers thanked the parents. Dara Bruen complimented the players on their success, noting that he had won two county minor championships with the club in 1985 and 1988. He urged them to keep involved in playing with the club. Medals were presented to the teams and mementoes to the coaches and selectors. Danny Burke was MC for the occasion.
The winning bonus ball number in Castlerea Golf Club’s lotto for April 16th was 25. Winners of this week’s lotto were Helen Farrelly, Michael Moran, Brian Stenson, Lisa O’Donnell
All roads lead to Mulvihill’s, Castlerea, on Sunday, April 27th for the monthly trad night with Terry McGowan and a host of top-class musicians . The night will also include ballad singers Danny Burke, Seamus Beatty and John Walsh starting at 8.30 p.m. Don’t miss out on a great night, come early.
The London County U-17 football team played the Castlerea St. Kevin’s minor team in a challenge game at O’Rourke Park on Thursday, April 10th and were victorious on the score of 5-14 to 3-12. This was a great work out for the London team who were in the west of Ireland for the weekend preparing for their upcoming U-17 championship. They stayed in Knock and had a great work out in the Centre of Excellence on Friday morning and on Saturday morning they played the Roscommon county U-16 team in Johnstown which they won by 1-15 to 1-14. After the game in Castlerea, Noel Curran, manager St. Kevin’s minor team thanked them for the game, stating that they had some fine footballers. He praised their officials for the great work they were doing promoting Gaelic football in London. Senior club chairman Tommy Finneran and minor club chairman Oliver Connaughton also welcomed the team and their officials and praised them for promoting the game of football. There was a special mention for Pat Winston who could not make the trip due to other commitments. Many tributes were paid to Pat who has visited Castlerea many times with the Dulwich Harps U-16 team and South London Feile teams. The Tara Club was well represented on the London team. Danny Burke introduced former Tara, London, and Castlerea player Eddie Creaton to them. While in the UK Eddie played for Tara and the London senior team and in the 1979 Connacht Championship against Galway in Salthill, he scored 3-1. Gerry Ritchie, a native of Downpatrick, County Down, Community Development Administrator with the London team thanked the Castlerea club for the welcome and for providing refreshments for them. He especially thanked senior club secretary Michael Brennan for organising the game for them. Other officials with the team were Comac Duffy, Tony Murphy and Stephen Marron. London will play Sligo or Leitrim in the (C ) All-Ireland Championship in the Centre of Excellence, Bekan, on May 9th.
The Castlerea Community School First Year boys’ team defeated Davitt College, Castlebar, in the semi-final of the Connacht Colleges Division (D) Championship at the Centre of Excellence, Bekan, on Friday, April 11th on the score of 8-10 to 6-8. This was a fine game of football with both teams putting in some fine movers together and taking some nice scores. This was a real team victory for Castlerea with all players used playing their part. It was great to see Evan Kelly who was recently bereaved by the death of his father playing, he scored 2-3, indeed he played with the Castlerea St. Kevin’s U-14 team the previous evening and scored 2-7. The Castlerea Community School and Castlerea St. Kevin’s Minor Club would like to extend sympathy to Isabel and Evan on their sad loss.
The death occurred peacefully on Tuesday, April 8th at University Hospital, Castlebar, of Mrs Margaret Moylette (nee Joyce), Willsbrook, Castlerea. She was predeceased by her parents, Patrick and Mary, brothers, Willie, Tom and Pat. She was a very kind and gentle person and a wonderful neighbour. She was a great family person and loved family gatherings especially the sing song. She loved her grandchildren and loved when they would come to visit her. Margaret was a nurse by profession. She always carried out her duties in a professional manner and was very well liked by her employers, work colleagues and the many patients under her care. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and she will be sadly missed by her sons, Tom, Mick, Gearoid and Cathal; daughter, Maura; grandchildren, Anthony, Shane, Rebecca, Jed, Bonnie, Conor, Finn, Ailbhe, Roisin and Sadbh; sisters, Anne, Mary, Celia, Bea, Kay and Eileen; brothers, John, Stephen, Vincent and Fr. Michael; son-in-law, Eamonn; daughters-in-law, Irene and Miriam; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, neighbours and friends. Her remains were removed from Gaynor’s Funeral Home on Thursday morning to St. Patrick’s Church, Castlerea, and following Mass of the Resurrection celebrated by Fr. Chris Garrett, with co-celebrants Fr. Pat Hogan, Donamon, and Fr. Pat Byrne, Dublin, burial took place in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Castlerea. Before the final blessing, her son Mick gave a eulogy on Margaret’s life and her granddaughter Rebecca read the Communion reflection. The ceremony was enhanced by the music and singing of Jacqueline Kenny. May her gentle soul rest in peace.
