On this very weekend last year Castleisland Rugby Club members introduced a brand new way of fundraising to the locality.
They launched their innovative Split the Bucket venture at The Shoemaker’s Bar on the Friday night of August 31st at 9pm.
And the first draw was held at Kearney’s Bar a week later on the first Friday night of September – it fell on the 7th.
First Winner from Brosna Town
The annals of Castleisland RFC will show that the €592 winnings went east and to Maria Sheehan of Kate Pats’ Bar in Brosna Town.
Now, 12 months down the line, ‘The Bucket’ has served the club well. For the people of this and neighbouring parishes it has become a feature of weekend life and culture across all ages.
Its attraction is that it costs just €2 per entry for a chance of winning a fine wad with the almost guaranteed €1,000 weekly backup.
Well over €52,000 in Winnings
You won’t need a mobile phone calculator or even an abacus to work out that an accumulation of well over €52,000 has been won over the weeks by people within the district who had popped the €2 coin in the envelope with name and contact telephone number.
Being in is as easy as going into your nearest shop or public house and asking for ‘The Bucket’ and the envelope. The results are immediate and if you’re not in …
The Other Side of the Coin
On the other side of the coin – so to speak – the club members are more than pleased by the public response to their winning initiative.
Club Chairman, Dan Casey said that the heretofore, annual and worrying insurance costs of running such a club can now be met without a worry and without cleaning out the club coffers.
“We’re delighted at the response to ‘The Bucket’ over the past twelve months and it’s good all round the district as well,” Dan assured.
Players from all Parishes
“We have players on the various club teams from this and all the neighbouring parishes and we’re getting great support from all around.
“Having that kind of funding available to us means that we can make improvements to the grounds and dressing rooms without having to wait for the money to be collected or for a particular project to be sponsored.
Making a Difference
“We have invested a huge amount of money in our playing pitches over the past few months and we put paths down around our buildings here.
“These are the things that make such a difference and these are the jobs we were always humming and hawing about as there was always something more pressing to spend the bit of money we had on.
“There’s still a nice bit of work in collecting the buckets and organising the weekly draws but the fact that it’s very worthwhile – and we can see the difference it makes to the club.
Scart and Lyons’ Bar
“We’re heading for Scartaglin and Lyons’ Bar this weekend and there a long established link with the Lyons family and rugby in Castleisland.
“For our first anniversary draw we’ll be back in Kearney’s Bar on September 7th and it’s always a great night out.
Some families in the area have been lucky enough for a couple of their members to win the pot.
Nolans took the Biscuit
But the Nolans took the biscuit altogether as three members of the family, mom Margaret and her daughter Maria and son Brendan Split the Bucket within a a couple of months of each other.
Margaret was first up with a win of €1,180 when her envelope was plucked from the drum at The Crown last March.
Mary and Mossie Struck Twice
She was followed by Brendan with a pot of €1,076 drawn at Fagin’s Bar in May and Maria’s turn came in June with a cheque for €1,015 when the draw visited the now sadly closed, Fleming’s Bar in Scartaglin.
Two other locals, Mary O’Connell and Mossie Murphy won it twice each and only a few weeks apart in both cases. And Mossie’s brother, Timmy was also one of the early winners last October.
On Shop and Pub Counters
You’ll find the Castleisland RFC Split the Bucket buckets on the counters of shops and pubs throughout this and neighbouring parishes.
All you have to do is to put a €2 coin into the envelope provided, write your phone number and name on the envelope and put the sealed envelope in the bucket….. and wait for that call.
About the Club
Castleisland Rugby Club is volunteer based and dedicated to the training of teams of all ages. It caters for children from U-6 up to U-18s and adult teams.
Its catchment area is the Castleisland district from which it draws the majority of its 180 strong membership of players and administrators.
You can keep in touch with the Split the Bucket draws and all club news with a click on the link here: https://www.facebook.com/castleisland.rfc
