DINNER DANCE: The successful structuring of a club's Dinner Dance is not an easy matter. It requires that due deference be given to the formal proceedings of the evening, speeches and allocutions to the persons being honoured, while at the same time ensuring that the party spirit is not unduly impaired.
That the Éire Óg Annual Dinner Dance in the Greystones Golf Club on Friday night turned out to be such an enjoyable occasion – the universal opinion of the attendees – has to be attributed in large part to the very capable organisers, Daniel 'Doc' O'Connor and Mark Barry (assisted by Anto Byrne and Shane Mulford) having found a delicate balance between these demands. Cathaoirleach Carmel Deeney, in her role as Máistreas na h-Oíche, also played her part with her strict control of any tendency towards verbosity which meant that matters progressed apace.
The Golf Club was very welcoming with guests being greeted at the champagne reception by Club Captain Michael Joyce (son Alan at present studying in Bejing University played minor football for Éire Óg).
The excellent meal served up by the Golf Club kitchen added greatly to the pleasure of the occasion.
On the night the honours bestowed were divided between those which recognised long-term service to the club and those relating to on-field heroics and team morale.
Ray Barry, an Uachtarán of the club, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and who could gainsay his receiving such an accolade considering he has served the cause of Greystones G.A.A. both as player and administrator for 50 years?
Fergus O'Brien in his citation informed us that Ray first donned the Greystones colours (then red and white) in 1965 – the club had no juvenile section in those days. In his time Ray has filled all executive positions on the coiste – Cathaoirleach, Rúnaí and Cisteoir – and has served for long periods as a mentor at senior and juvenile level. Added to that Ray has always been willing to pull up his sleeves and do the work of preparing pitches and the maintenance of the clubhouse. Fergus also told us that there were times in Ray's years with the club that its fortunes were at a low ebb but that Ray had never despaired and with his father John, his uncle Tom Swann and Des Mitchell they had managed to guide it through these crises.
In his reply Ray said he was extremely honoured to receive such a recognition but that the joy and pleasure his association with the club had brought had been sufficient reward in itself. He spoke of the wonderful friends he had made and of the satisfaction he got from seeing the juveniles passing through the ranks to become players that the club could be proud of. The club's successes in hurling and football, including the ladies, over the years had brought him great happiness. He referred to the Intermediates winning of the Leinster Championship against Confrey in Aughrim in 2011 as being the high point of the club's history to date and as the event from which he had derived probably his greatest delight.
He thanked his wife, Ann who was presented with a bouquet of flowers, for her tolerance and support and said he hoped now that he had grandchildren that the connection of his family with the Greystones club which began with its foundation in 1930 will extend long into the future.
Details of the other awards in next week's notes.
PEIL Éire Óg defeated Newtown on Tuesday night at home in the 3rd round of the Division 1A of the league. A satisfactory outcome but hardly compensation for their destroying of our promotion hopes in 2014! As is always the case between the clubs the game had the bite of a local derby and spectators enjoyed a good competitive uncompromising encounter.
It was a 'skin-of-the-teeth' affair with Greystones scraping home by the minimum. The hosts had the lion's share of the play and that the match was so tight had much to do with Éire Óg errors and inaccuracy – Newtown were also remiss in this matter. A Newtown supporter said he could not understand why Éire Óg had not won by more. Nevertheless the match had its positives. There was the spectacular fielding at centre-field by James Leonard, improved savoir faire in relation to the breaking ball and the exciting soloing thrusts forward of Jack Tanner and Sam Thompson. It was great to see Jack returning to the team after his sojourn in America – he played at full-back and seemed to have lost little of his dash.
Newtown were down to 14 fifteen minutes into the 2nd half when the game was very much in the melting pot but no advantage was seen to accrue to Éire Óg. In fact there was a lack of awareness on the locals' side and it was Newtown who appeared to have the extra man. He played in the half-back line and was the source of many attacking movements in the last quarter. During the game the area between centre-field and full- forward was often bereft of Éire Óg players, and many promising moves foundered there because of lack of support.
COMHGÁIRDEACHAS The local St Kevins Primary School had a great victory on Monday in the County Football Div 1 Cumann Na mBunscoil Championship. They won 15 of their games during the year. The majority of the squad play with Éire Óg u-12s and u-14s and 4 of the boys, Joe Prendergast, Daniel Healy, Luke Dorgan and Neil Browne, are sons of club coaches. The historians would have it that the last time the school won this title was in 1997 or 1998 when Billy Cuddihy, 'Chester' Kelly and Paul McShane were members of the team. A report on Monday's blitz will be included in next week's notes.
