Annual General Meeting 15th December 2008

20/12/2008 The Annual General Meeting of Carraig na bhFear GAA Club took place on Monday 15th December last, in Scoil an Athar Tadhg. Cathaoirleach Don Hegarty opened the meeting and welcomed all those in attendance. Runai Liam Spillane then read out the mnutes of the 2007 AGM, which were in order and adopted by the meeting. He then proceeded to his own report, where he highlighted the successful year that has just gone by, including the historic achievement of winning our first ever East Cork Junior A Hurling Championship, the Junior B Football Championship, Junior A Football league, and defeats in the Junior A and Under 21 A football deciders. He also congratulated Rockbán on their success in winning the County Senior B Camogie Championship, aswell as their All Ireland winning players in both Camogie and and Ladies Football with Cork this year. In particular, it was great to see Cathriona Foley and Sile Burns bring the O'Duffy cup to Carraig na bhFear for the homecoming after winning the All Ireland Camogie title on the 14th September. He also congratulated the underage club on their success this year and urged more adults to get involved in assisting the Juvenille club in their work, so that the club continues to function and reaches its potential at underage and by extension, adult level. Liams report was extremely well received by the members in attendance and received a great round of applause. The Secretary's Report by Liam Spillane is available for all to view further down this webpage. Cisteoir Michéal Foley then presented the Treasurers report. While the club remains in a healthy financial position, our expenditure this year increased and this will need to be balanced by an increase in funding. Lotto Treasurer Tommy Sheehan then presented his report, and it is worrying to note that our income from the Lotto is declining. This is one area that will need to be addressed, as the Lotto is the primary source of income for the club and without it, the club could not survive. Cathaoirleach Don Hegarty then presented his report. He thanked his fellow officers for their help during the year, especially his secretary Liam Spillane. He also thanked the members of the Lotto Committee for their tireless work week in, week out to keep the lotto running smoothly. Earlier this year, a social committee was formed within the club to assist with special events and organisation of off the field activities. Don extended his thanks to the members of this group. He noted that the club was commended by the East Cork Board for its discipline this season, where it was noted we had the best discipline record of all clubs in the various Championships. He Congratulated the Junior A Hurling team on their success in 2008, and their selectors, Mick O'Donnell, Dan Joe Foley and Denis Burns. He Congratulated the Junior A Football team on reaching the East Cork final and winning the League title, again thanking the Selection team of Vincent Twomey, Dan O'Keeffe, Vincent Twomey, Alan O'Brien and Liam Crowley for their work throughout the year. The Junior B footballers had a great year and this was acknowleged aswell by Don, as he congratulated them on becoming the East Cork Junior B Champions, the first time in the clubs history that our second team has won this championship. The selection committee of Aidan O'Reilly, Michael Sherlock, Noel Walsh, Seamus O'Reilly, Eamon Bowen and Conor Delaney were thanked for their work throughout the year with both the B grade Hurling and football squads. An Cathaoirleach also thanked local businesses for their support throughout the year, in particular Eamon Bowen Fabrication for his sponsorship of the football teams and presentation of Jackets to both squads prior to the East Cork Finals, and also, Diarmuid Geaney Agri and Plant for his sponsorship of the hurling teams. Don also thanked Nan Yang Chinese take away for sponsoring a meal for the Junior A Hurling team in the wake of their Championship success. In closing, Don highlighted the great achievements of 2008 and urged all club members to seek continued improvement in 2009, when we will face new challenges on and off the field. He called for a higher level of commitment from all members, to take the club to the next level. He also congratulated Rockbán on their success, and in particular, he congratulated Cathriona Foley and Sile Burns on their outstanding achievements this year. A number of motions were put forward by the GPC and these were all carried by the meeting. These included a proposal to merge the Junior A and Under 21 Hurling and football selection committees together as one. This will be the system in 2009. Club membership remains at current rates, €40 for playing and €25 for non playing members, which it should be noted is alot cheaper than most clubs in our area. A motion regarding proposing changes to the size of the Junior B Hurling and Football leagues was also passed. No Team Selection appointments were made on the night, these will be handled by the GPC and brought for ratification to the next Club Monthly meeting. The following Officers were then elected by the meeting for 2009: President: Fr. John Collins. Vice Presidents: Fr. Con White, Kitty O'Sullivan, Tommy Sheehan, Eddie Hegarty, Joe Quinn & Niall Cronin. Chairperson: Don Hegarty. Vice Chairperson: Dermot O'Driscoll. Secretary: Liam Spillane. Assistant Secretary: Irene Hegarty. Treasurer: Micheál Foley. Lotto Treasurer: Tommy Sheehan. Public Relations Officer: Tomás Sheehan. (087 9056392) Registrar: Michael Sherlock. Liason Officer: Fr. John Collins. Insurance Officer: Brian Hegarty. East Cork Board Delegates: Pat Hegarty, Don Hegarty Grounds Committee: Eddie Hegarty, Tommy Sheehan, Jim Hickey and Pauline Hegarty. Lotto Commitee: Tommy Sheehan, Donal Foley, Sean Hegarty, Liam Crowley, Timmy Hegarty, Mick Sherlock, Bertie Sheehan, Dan Crowley, Eddie Hegarty. Cultural Officers: Tommy Sheehan and Micheál Foley. Social Committee: Pauline Hegarty, Sean Walsh, Irene Hegarty, Gretta Cronin, Nuala Finneran, Noreen Pike, Eddie Hegarty, Ollie Murphy. During the election of Officers, it was noted by Cultural Officer Tommy Sheehan, that the club needs to place more emphasis on its promotion of Scór competitions. 2009 is the 125th Anniversary of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael and although Carraig has a great record in Scór at all levels, more needs to be done to promote it within the local area. To this end, it was agreed that posters advertising Scór competitions will be made, and a Scór page will be added to the Club website. The 2009 Club Calendar and Dinner Dance were also discussed under Any other business, before an Cathaoirleach brought the meeting to a close.

Secretary's Report 2008

The year 2008 has been a long time coming for Carraig na bhFear. It’s arrival recorded an event that has not made the club’s annals since it’s foundation – namely the winning of the East Cork Junior A hurling title. The Club also took  the East Cork Junior A Football league title and the Junior B Footballers brought the East Cork Football Championship honours. The Junior A Hurlers began their campaign on 6th April when they played their first league match againstRussell Rovers and forced a late draw. Their next match was once again a draw when they met Dungourney in the league. Their first and last defeat came in a league game against Sarsfields on 28/05/2008. Sarsfields 1-11 Carraig 1-07. They continued playing league matches and defeated Castlemartyr by a single point in mid June. Then came the first game of the championship – the preliminary round – against Erins Own on the 22/06/08. It was a close encounter but Carraig took the honours and defeated Erins Own by three points. Carraig now had some breathing space and played a league game against Killeagh early in July and won by a margin of two points. Round 3 of the championship was played on 21.07.08 in Ballynoe. Our opponents were Dungourney and Carraig won on a score of  0-14 - 0-12. The Quarter Final of the Championship saw Carraig comprehensively defeat Bride Rovers in Watergrasshill early in August. (2-12 to -11) . Then it was semi-final day and on 08/09/08 in Rathcormac, Carraig once again squared up to Erins Own and defeated the opponents more definitively on this occsasion. (1-15 to 0-09). The scene was now set for a East Cork Final against Killeagh and we returned to Ballynoe on 13/09/08 and made Club history by defeating Killeagh (2-15 to 0-09). It was Carraig’s proudest moment when Timmy Geaney (Captain) lifted the East Cork Trophy. Celebrations were short lived as the hurlers prepared to meet Ballymartyle a week later in Pairc Ui Rinn. They progressed to the County semi final having defeated Ballymartyle. The County semi final was played once again in Pairc Ui Rinn and unfortunately Dripsey came away with the honours. They went on to win the County defeating O Mathuanas and yesterday took the Munster title when they defeated Kilgarvan.  And so ended a mega journey for a great team under the direction of Dan Joe Foley, Michael O’Donnell and Denis Burns. The Junior B hurling team began their campaign on 06/04/2008 when they defeated Bride Rovers in their first match of the league. Days later they met Castlelyons and were defeated by four points. On the 27/05/08 they were once again defeated – this time by St. Catherines. Their luck changed on 03/06/2008 when they defeated Cloyne in a league game on a scoreline of Carraig 4-16 Cloyne 4-08. In early June they defeated Erins Own by 3 goals in a further league match.  They played their first championship match against Aghada on 09/07/2008. Carraig won by a single point having been 6 points down at half time. The next championship outing was the quarter final against Lisgoold on 25/07/08. Lisgoold won on a scoreline of 0-16  to 0-09. Lisgoold went on to win the county afterwards. The B’s had one more encounter with Lisgoold on 29/09/2008 when Carraig defeated Lisgoold on this occasion in their last league game of the season. The U21 hurling team played their first and regrettably last championship  match on 23/08/08. They were defeated by Midleton on a scoreline of 2-08 to 2-07. Carraig went to the break having failed to score but rallied back to within the closest of margins in the second half. The Minor hurlers had their first league match on 29/03/08 when they met Fr O’Neills. They were defeated on a scoreline of 5-13 to 0-10 they had a further three league matches after this and regrettably they did not get any points.Their championship debut was on 17/07/08 in Castlelyons against a strong Fr.O'Neills side and unfortunately they did not progress.So ends a great year for hurling in the Club. Our congratulations to all involved for their time and commitment over the year. And now we move on to Football. The Junior A Footballers began their league campaign on  a positive note when they defeated Midleton 4-11 to 2-3 on the 10th Feb 08. Two weeks later on the 24th Feb they had a second league win when they defeated Carrigtwohill 1-11 to 0-5. Carraig were granted a walkover on 9th March in a league fixture against Cloyne when Cloyne were marked absent. The first game of the championship was played in Pilmore on 16th March when Carraig defeated Cobh 0-13 to 1-5. Then came a league game in Glenville against the home team and once again Carraig came out on top 2-11 to 0-10. The Quarter Final of the championship was played in Carrigtwohill on 23/05/08 and Carraig defeated Ballinacurra 4-13 to 1-7. A long Summer break then ensued and the Footballers returned again on 11/08/08 to play a league game against Fr O’Neills. Carraig won 0-8 to 0-5. A week later they were granted a walkover from Glanmire. The match was played in Glanmire on 18/08/08 but Glanmire were not able to field a full team. Another break until 21st Oct when the Semi Final of the Championship was played in Ballynoe. A draw followed when Carraig took on Bride Rovers. Score 0-8 to 1-05. The replay followed a week later on the 29th Oct and this time Carraig won (0-9 to 1-04). They now advanced into the East Cork Final and also took the league title on this match under the captaincy of  Shane Horgan. The East Cork Final was played on a wet and windy day in Carrigtwohill and unfortunately Cloyne took the title. This marked the end of an unbeaten season (albeit the Final) for the Junior A Footballers. Our congratulations to the  mentors (Vincent, Dan, Liam & Alan) and to the players who found themselves playing, frequently, in very inclement conditions. The Junior B squad began their campaign on the 10/02/08 when they played their first league game against Glenbower Rovers which resulted in a heavy defeat due to lack of players. Some senior lemons togged off on that day to bring up the fray (others maintain it was a last shot at defying old age). Unfortunately, they suffered another defeat a week later when they met Castlemartyr. They had their first win on 08.03.08 when they took on Carrigtwohill  and acquired their first league points on a score of 1-13 to 1-8. They were awarded points on 22.04.08 from a no show fromYoughal. Their first round of championship took place in Carraig on 13th May against Lisgoold and Carraig won 3-10 to 0-2. This advanced Carraig to the Quarter Final and this game was not played until 19th Oct 08 in Midleton. On a wet and windy Sunday morning Carraig came out winners on a score line of 3-4 to Midleton’s 1-7.Then it was Semi Final day and in Carrigtwohill the B’s defeated Ganmire in style. Carraig 1-11 Glanmire 0-2. The Final was fixed for 22nd November in Glenville against Bride Rovers and this was to be one of Carraig’s finest hours winning on the slimmest of margins 1-04 to Rovers 0-06.Another Carraig captain ( Nicky Pike ) lifted another East Cork Trophy. Our congratulations to the  mentors Aidan, Seamus, Michael, Noel, Conor, Eamonn, Ollie & Richard. The U 21 Footballers began their campaign on 24th March in Ballynoe when they defeated Youghal on a score line of 3-9 to Youghal’s 1-8.  Shortly afterwards on the 5th April they beat Glanmire by a single point. Score 0-08 to Glanmire’s 0-7. The Final was played on 12th April in Lisgoold and Aghada came away with the honours. A bitter disappointment for Carraig having been beaten by three points on a score of 0-8 to Carraig’s 0-5. Congratulations to Dermot, his colleagues and the players for reaching the final. The Minor Footballers were defeated in their first league game against Carrigtwohill on 24th February. However, they reversed this trend on 1st March when they comprehensively beat Killeagh/Itas in a further league match. A week later on the 8th March  they had another victory against Scarriff Gaels when they took the league points once again. A break from football then until 20th Sept. when Carraig met Fr O’Neills in a league match. On this occasion Carraig were beaten by two points. Their championship debut was played in Aghada on 23rd Sept against Youghal and unfortunately Carraig were defeated and so ended a season where they probably found themselves playing at a level too far. Our Congrats to all involved including David,  Don, Dan, Sean & Michael. The Juvenile section of the club, once again had a successful year. The U 12s brought home the East Cork Hurling League Title and both hurlers and footballers were finalists in the Championship. The U 13’s captured the East Cork Football Title. The U 14’s took the Hurling League Title while the U15’s claimed the C Hurling Championship when they defeated Lisgoold. The U 16 were finalists in the Football League against St. Catherines. The Primary had their own success in Sciath na Scoil when 3rd class won the Indoor Hurling Championship and 5th class won the Outdoor Hurling Championship.It’s reassuring to know that there is a steady stream of talent being prepared for future years. I would like to express thanks to Dermot in the primary school and the dedicated mentors who look after the juveniles. Any easing off of volunteers at this level would spell the death knell of the Junior Club and I would ask anyone who has spare time to consider giving a hand at this level. Staying with the juveniles, I’d like to congratulate Jimmy Dorgan on his appointment as referee in this section. Wehope that where Jimmy has gone, more may follow and we wish him well in his refereeing career. Congratulations must also be expressed to Rockbán for their continued success. Recently they won the Camogie Senior B County Championship with Therese Howard as captain. We wish them well in their Camogie League Final against Killeagh. Many members of the Club played very influential roles in both the All Ireland Football win and the All Ireland Camogie win. Most pleasing was the fact that Cathriona Foley captained the Cork Camogie team and later both Catriona and Sheila went on to win All Stars. Last week Cathriona Foley was honoured with the Evening Echo Sports Star of the month for November in recognition for captaining Cork in the Camogie Final and for Player of the match in the County Championship Final. We congratulate both Dan Joe and Denis and their families and record how delighted we are for them. We were especially delighted that their success in the All Ireland Camogie came on the same weekend that this Club celebrated an historic win in the East Cork Junior A Hurling Championship. I’d like to congratulate the players who represented the Division & Colleges during the year. To Shane Horgan & Colm O’ Reilly who represented Imokilly in Senior Football. To Martin Hickey,Ronan Spillane, Brian Hegarty & Aiden Hegarty who represented Imokilly at Senior Hurling. To Timmy Geaney who represented UCC at Senior level and Daniel Coleman and Richard Mullins who represented Cork Institute of Technology. I’d like to congratulate all those who took  part in Scor na nÓg , Scór na bPaisti and Scor Sinsear. This is a platform to promote our language and culture and in particular I’d like to congratulate the Set Dancers and the Ballad Group for winning their final and the ballad group for going forward to be County Finalists in Scor na nÓg. Likewise, congrats to Carraig na bhFear Football who won the Nuachleas section in their final in Scor na bPaisti. InScor Sinsear, Carraig had a win in the Music and were runners up in the Ballad Group section. Finally, I would like to thank everybody who worked tirelessly during the year for the Club – the lotto team, the grounds men, the social committee, various representatives, GPC, mentors, selectors, spectators,players and my fellow officers. In particular, I’d like to thank the Assistant secretary Irene Hegarty who ended up getting caught for the odd first Thursday in the month. The PRO Tomás Sheehan, an inspirational young man, who single handedly managed the Club website in an unequalled manner. The Treasurer, who is, forever, an efficent gentleman and we wish him well in his quest for good health.. The Chairman, who was most professional in his dealings and a pleasure to be associated with. Everybody involved in the C.L.C.G Carraig na bhFear had one common goal and this was the good of the Club.  With such unity of purpose the Club can moveforward positively and confidently in the full knowledge that goals can be achieved.