Naomh Fionnbarra GAA Club Cabra, Dublin

Tiny Tots section has gone from strenth to strength this year. For the first time in a number of years a full under eights has come through. There is 23 childern playing at this Grade next year. Mentors Cathern Keriby – Steffany Mooney- Caran Moor, Joe Cassserly jn, David Caffery, Barbara Carbury.

Under 8s team has 20 players and have come on in leeps and bounds. Some realy good talent coming through. Nicky Kehoe – Danny Ruth

The Under nines team has 20 players. Good progress in skills and team work. Mentor Stephen Brown

Great numbers in this team of Boys and Girls. Good work be done by mentors and players. Mentors Keith Murphy – stephen Naughton.

Under 11 and 12 are joined togather under the management of Eoin Sweetman, Wame Elliot, Christy Mahar, .there is a good core of players amoung this age group.

Under 13 team won the P.j. Troy and Football win this year. Manage by Terry Carton – Gerry Cabury – Ciaran Stone.

Under 13 Comogie won their league. Managers Thomas Gleson – Eamma Farrell

Under 14 team won the football and Hurling league. Manger Christy Hannan -Seamus Mc Gratten.

Under 15 won Football and hurling league. Mentors Paddy Whelan – Shane Langan – Keith Langan – Wane Dempsey.

Under 16 played in the A league were they held their own. Beaten in the A championship final. Manger Paul Tunner – Deark O Brian – Dave Rochford.

Minor team beaten in the Football league final and Semifinal of the hurling championship. A lot of work done. Manger – Seamus Mc Grattan – Toney Smithers.

Under 21 team were beaten in the two championships this year in the first round.

Senior Camogie team competed well in league and championship and tried hard in all their matches. Mentors Vincent Kehoe -Madelene Paget – Timmy Mulane

Senor Hurlers

Struggle this year in league and were unlucky in the A championship Mentors Naill Brady

Second Adult Hurling team

Made it through to the quarter finals of the championship. Lucky to stay in the league. Manger Deco Fagan – Lee Mc Keogh.

Third adult Hrling team

Done well in the league and were regulated in the championship. Mentor Nicky Kehoe – Deark Sweetman

Inter Football team

Bad start to the season but made a good recovery to challenge for play off. Mentors Dave Murphy Ray O Reilly.

Second Adult football team.

Lucky to stay in the league and should of won the championship reaching the final. entors Nicky Kehoe – Martin Costello – Liam Keating – Peter Fitzgerald.

Third Adult football Team.

Could of got permonted started off with big numbers of players but fell away near end of the season. Need to go up a division as they got too many walk overs. Mentors Paddy Quinn – John Bradley – Jimmy Farrell.

Friday night our presentation took place in our club house over five hundredth parents and players attended our annul player of the year awards for our young teams. Our juvenile chairman and vice chairman Thomas Gleason and Terry Carton chair proceedings. On hand to present the medals were two Dublin senior hurlers Danny Sutcliffe and our own Eamon Troller Dillion. Four of our teams 13, 14,15,16 all won leagues or were promoted . Our under 13 comoige team won their league. So it was a good year for the teams  at these age groups. Our senior Chairman Noel Paget gave his annual chairman’s addressed were he thank the mentors parents and our club coach Kevin Donavan.

One of the most memorable events of the presentation was the presentation of a sign finbarrs jersey from the the players and mentors of the under 15 team to the parents of Connor Hickey who was a member of this team and was so sadly taken from us this time a year ago. To a sustain round of applause the team gather around John Margaret and Clare with the the frame Jersey which was a great show of support both the team club and family.

In another event juring the week our under 14 and 15 played a tournament on the al weather pitch for the Connor Hickey memorial Cup. This cup was presented by Gael Scoil Bharra and will be play for annually. To morrow morning our Minor footballers travel out O’Tooles to play the league final. The match is switch because the Bogie’s is off. Hope they do well and get off to a fat start. Best of luck to the managers and players.

Sunday in the semi final against Castle knock we did not play well. The condition did not suit our type of play and the fact that two of our first starting forwards did not start put a lot of pressure on the rest of the forwards to score. This did not happen and it was one of the reason we did not win. Also our physicality was not what it should of been and we were knocked off the ball very easily.

   One lesson for managers from Sunday no matter what age group is to get a free taker who practises and is accurate. I know the lads who took the frees  in other matches never miss one but free taking is the winning and losing of matches which was the differences between ourselves and Castle knock. For all the negativity the team battle hard and showed great spirt never giving up. Rory Mc Grath had a really good game and his fielding from the air was first class. Tommy O’Neill play really well in the centre of the pitch and showed great maturity for a lad so young.

   Very good balance team and some lovely stick hurlers who I hope come through to our senior squad in a year or two. It is that time of year again with the A.G.M on Monday. Hope there is a good response from our members and there is constitutive points put out to make the club better. Thanks to all the out going senior committee it is a thankless job but really important for the good running of our club.Thank you for your voluntary time. Over 380 of our senior members Will sit down over the next two nights for our annul Christmas dinner. Thanks to all our helpers over the two nights. One match left for the year Minor football league final against O’Tooles. Best of luck lads.

                                    Picture taking in the Ballymurphy garden of remembrance Nov 24  2012

On Saturday 24 November over 28 members of the club members went on a tour of Ballymurphy housing estate in West Belfast. Ballymurphy was one of the areas of the city who for thirty years was the focus of occupation by the British army. Five major military bases ringed the estate during the conflict of thirty years. Over ninety residents including two catholic priest were killed and ninety two British solders lost their life’s on the street of this area over twenty five years of war. Our tour guide Liam Stone gave us a detail tour of the house murals and sites were some of the military and civilian action took place over the decades.

 The Mural is a cultural dipiction of all the Gaa clubs that work in the area.            

 The murals were a cross section of culture,military,and every day active of a community which has suffer from occupation and poverty over decades. The similarities with Dublin housing estates was showing when one of the murals was bringing attention to the problem of suicide which is an all Ireland problem.

This mural was painted by the young people of Ballymurphy.

 The lost of such a number of their own brothers friends and family could be felt as we walk through the widing streets were many of them fell. You could  also feel the great pride in the words of Liam as he talk about this community who were abandon by both states and had to relied on their own initiatives to look after themselves which they did so well.

    We finished up in the Ballymurphy garden of remembrance which is dedicated to the Ballymurphy civilians and I.R.A personnel who were killed in the conflict. One last question Liam posed to us was which British army base has been the most attracted in 800 hundredth years of their present on this island. The answer was the Henry Taggard based in Ballymurphy.

The Mural decated to the ten local people who were kiled by the British army on one day in August 1971.

   The area still has loads of problems and still live with the legacy of the past. Yet they have a great believe in the future and in their own ability to build a better life for every one. We want to thank Liam and all his friends for the hospitality and warm well come we got in the Murph.

  Top picture is the Cabra West community games team who won the gold medal in 1970 in Croke Park. Bottom picture is a Barrs minor team of the early 1960s.

Our minor hurlers reached the last four of the B championship on Sunday the 18  November in the Bogies. It was a bright damp winter morning in  Cabra as the Barrs faced a very good Setanta team.

It was a very entertaining game which was in the balance until mid way through the second half when the Barrs scored two goals. On the day the Barrs were much sharper and the discipline was super. They ended up the winners on a score line 0f 3 – 12 to 0 -9.

Goalkeeper Quckser Ward had a very good game and took off two important saves that could of turned the match. Right corner back Eoin Lohan played really well and was not far off man of the match. Full back Rory McGrath was very steady and put in some very good tackles. Ross Maher had a really good game at left corner back. The half back line of Donald O Connor Mark Whelan and Tommy O Neill was solid enough with Donald O Connor making some great clearance. Mark Whelan did not play up to his high standers but came in to the game when it was needed. Tommy O Neill worked very hard after a slow start and came into the game in the second half. Centre fielders Ryan Curley and Scott Curley came in and out of the game and they were very loose in the first half. Yet Ryan Curley was probably man of the match as everything he touch he got. The half forward line of Reece Kearney,Andras Curly and Ryan Kirwin worked very hard and got some important scores. The star studded full forward line of Wane Losty Arron Costelo and Lee Cooney did not hit form and struggle to get into the game. Yet they were always dangerous which is showing by the goals they got. 

Over all it was a great team performance as the work rate and discipline was a pleasure to watch. Great to see these young hurlers coming through. Well done lads.

Footnote: The most brilliant and humerus incident of the game was the Barrs got a side line cut from thirty yards out on the Ratoath Road side facing down to the Nephin Road goal. Ryan Curly set himself up to take it. Standing beside him on the line was Rocky Rochford one of senior hurlers from the early nineties. As young Curly went to hit the Ball he said to the Rock  I’ll bet you I will put this over the bar . The Rocky said I’ll bet you a fiver you wont. With that the ball sail over the bar and the Rocky went home up to the Navan road less a fiver in his pocket.

                                          Under 8s at the edge of the Furry Glen 17 Nov

Twenty of our under 8s team went on a four mile hike in the Phoenix Park on Saturday. With team manager Nicky Kehoe leading the way the players kept up a fast pace as we travel up hills and through forest in the warm winter sun. Steven Costelo  became our back man as all the kids unloaded their bags on Steven who had no trouble carrying them. Billy Hyland and Kevin Kehoe were position in the middle of the childern and showed the players some nice touches with the hurley and the ball as we moved down the road the fifteen acres.All the players had hurley’s with them and it was like Cu Cullan was among them as they hit their soltar across the wide open fields of the park.

                                                 Resting at the Wellington Monument.

At the back of St Marys Hospital we stopped for light refreshments and a rest. Danny Ruth produced some lovely ham and cheese sandwiches which  Kevin Kehoe was grateful for. Having told the parents we would be back for quarter to twelve we were running a half a hour late . So we decided to take a short cut across the fifteen acres to the Wellington monument were we were to be pick up. Having got their second wind the players flew across the open ground of the acres crossed the stream at the magazine fort and up past the hurling ground to the Wellington monument. Terrry Broughan was waiting for us at this point and we ended another day in park as we travel back to Gods own country Cabra.

Over 200 people attended the boxing tournament on Saturday night in the club gym. There were 17 fights at all weights with some great bouts. The ladies match was the fight of the night with both girls giving it every thing. Our own Ciaran Kehoe put up a great battle against Billy Walsh nephew in a well fought contest. All the fights were well matched and was well worth the admission fee of ten euro. The club want to thank IABA chairman Domic O Rourke and Paddy Osbourn for their help in holding the night. Thanks also to Niall Brady, Noel Paget Seamus McGratten Ronnie O Brian and Johnny Smithers for their help.

                                               Bridie working in New York a 100 years ago.

Every one in Cabra knows Tom Bridie Byrne. He comes from the Byrne family on Dingle road and his family were involved in the butchering trade. A group of the club members were visiting New York in early 2000. On a visit to Ellis island one of our eagle eye members notice this photograph of a immigrant taking in the early twenty century. If that is not a Tom Byrne look alike then pigs can fly. So Bridie was around a 100 years ago . Some people says he is showing his age now. Thanks to Tom for the photo.

                                         Team of the Week Our under 14 Football team.

In a great team performance out under 14 football team put in a great display in our feild  of dreams the Bogies this afternoon. St Finnans put up a brave first half performance which the Barrs struggle with. Second half was different as the parish Boys showed great Finbarrs courage and skill to win comfortably in the end. The Dublin under 14 manager was on the line having a look at some of our stars of the future and from we hear he was very impressed with the players on the team. Great result for the players and the managers Christy Hannon and Seamus Mc Grattan.

Our 21 footbal team were beaten by nine poits in a very disapointing display. Very bad turn out from some of the players. A lot of work and effort goes into players from under four till 21 and it is sad when some player dont show loyelty to the club. Fair play to the players who turned up and gave it their best shot. It is not about winning all the time that counts it is been part of a community and family that give it their best shot which is what the Barrs have done over sixty years.

Great strength and conditioning coaching session in club on Thursday night. Fair play to the county board for running it. Great to see all the lads doing the level one coaching course last week run by our GPO Kevin Donvan.

Hard luck to Christ the King in their semi final on Thursday .It was a great achievement to get to that stage in their first year. Congratulation to all concerned.

On a cold wet Sunday morning  in the Phoenix Park our under 13 camogie team won their league by beating Ballyboden on a scoreline of 2-2 to 0-2. In a great team performance the whole team put in a battling performance to take the honours. On Saturday our under 14 footballers won their semifinal with a good win out in Kilmacude, They now play St Finians in the final next week in the Bogie’s.

Our Under 21 team lost by three points out in Barrog ground. It is a game that got away from us after putting in a good first half we started to make simple mistakes and were beaten by a soft goal in the last four minutes.

Our under 16 put in a great performance just losing out in the under 16 A shield hurling final against St Vincents. Our under 13 team were beaten by O Tooles in the semifinal of their league.