St. Kieran’s GAA Club’s senior squad faced its first test of 2015 last evening in Cordal. So too did the host ground, stand and facilities and both passed with flying colours.
The prevalence of rain over the past couple of weeks had the pitch in a state of lush, green health. The new and yet to be named stand, only recently erected, was full of first come first served followers. A heavy drizzle at the beginning of the game ensured a test for the stand as patrons drifted in early on.
The compliments on the state of the facilities came fast and thick from people who hadn’t been there since the days when mud-bath and quagmire were apt descriptions of the playing surface then. That was then.
First Round Game
On the new playing pitch the St. Kieran’s side welcomed their Feale-side opponents in the Garvey’s SuperValu County Senior Football Championship first round game. The welcome didn’t last long. The visitors were hit with an opening blitz of gritty, down to earth football that seemed to stun them momentarily.
The St. Kieran’s approach to the job-at-hand was typified very early on as Barry Lynch went in head first and brought off a model block-down on Feale Ranger’s corner forward, Nigel O’Connor. The ball bounced from the block-down, O’Connor lost his balance but Lynch won the bounce and headed out to sea with the spoils of the encounter with the applause and throaty encouragement of the supporters in his ears.
The pattern of the game was set from there on. St. Kieran’s players were onto everything that was dribbled or drilled to them, spilled from play or dropped from the sky.
Something about Them
The ‘home-side’ performance prompted a Ballymacelligott resident, Castleisland native to comment: “There’s a championship in that Kieran’s team. I know ‘t’is only half time but there’s something about them.”
And there was, on Saturday evening anyway as they ran out 2-10 to 0-8 winners. Brosna’s Adam Barry and Desmond’s Thomas Hickey supplied the goals and in that order.
The evening set the stage for Cordal’s Whit Weekend Jamboree and the official opening of their handsomely refurbished grounds. Newly elected GAA President, Aogán O Fearghail is visiting to do the honors on Sunday, June 7th and Charlie Farrelly is looking forward to having a bit of fellow Cavan company on the greatly anticipated opening day. Continued Good Luck to both Cordal and St. Kieran’s. And we’ll see if the Castleisland /Ballymac woman’s feelings about Kieran’s are in tune with the reality of their season. The Réiteóir was former An Ghaeltacht footballer and Listowel based múinteoir, Cathal O Dúbhda.
