The President, and the Committee, are most grateful to fellow Committee member, John Davey of John Davey Motors, Main Toyota Dealers, for very generously sponsoring a car for our club captain for the coming season. In addition to being a valued sponsor, John is Chairman of the Youth Section, coach to the U-14 side in the club, a member of the Development Sub-Committee, and a member of the Committee. He is also an excellent referee.
Monthly Archive for July, 2007
Page 2 of 2
A meeting of the Executive Committee will be held in Bree’s Bar,Strandhill on Tuesday next [July 24th.] at 9 pm. The members of the Executive Committee for this season are: Conor Frazer [Senior Vice-President], Chairman, Tom Gilligan [President], Clare Storey, Michael O’Hehir, Michael Storey and John Kane.
All intending to support the special alcohol-free teenage charity disco, which will be held in the Clubhouse, Hamilton Park on Friday July 20th, should purchase their tickets immediately from the usual sellers. The disco commences at 9 pm, and all stewards are required to be present by 8.30 pm. As the DJ Levi Curran is very kindly giving his services free, and Tiger Press printed the admission tickets free, the entire proceeds will go to the two charities, the Sligo Branch of Special Olympics, and to part sponsor club member, James Coulter, who travels to Cape Town in October to assist in Niall Mellon’s house building project in the townships there.
The Coaching and Refereeing Conference will take place at the IRFU Connacht Branch Sports Grounds on College Road on Saturday 21st July 2007.
For full details click here.
The club President and the Committee extend heartiest congratulations to the Sligo team, their manager, Tommy Breheny, his assistant, John Kent, Chairman, John Murphy, and the Sligo GAA Board, on their fabulous victory in Roscommon on Sunday last. All Sligo sports people rejoice that the 32 year gap has been bridged, and that Eamonn O’Hara has had his glittering career fittingly crowned.
Club members are especially pleased for Charles Harrison, who was an outstanding youth player with the club and who gave a great display. Man of the match, Kieran Quinn, has a distinguished rugby pedigree. His uncle, Barry Bresnihan, was capped on 25 occasions for Ireland between 1966 and 1971 as an outside centre, and went on two Lions tours, playing in three tests. Kieran’s father, Roddy, played at centre for the club in the 1980′s, while at school in Clongowes Wood College, Kieran was a classmate of International Gordon Darcy.
The new senior management of Bernie Kelly [Club Director of Rugby], Joe Walsh [Coach] and Brendan Leahy [Manager], will unveil their plans for the season to the players when pre-season training commences at Hamilton Park on Tuesday July 24th at 7 pm. All newcomers to Sligo, or anyone who wishes to take up the game, will be most welcome to join the training squad. On the evidence of the tag league, there is a number of players who have the potential to successfully switch to rugby if they are interested in giving it a try. The good news is that there have been no retirements from last season.
Following nine weeks of tag rugby, fitness levels appear to be good, and the management have engaged Karl Gilligan to carry out fitness testing on the squad on August 4th, and to provide a conditioning programme.
The search for a No.10 to replace Jordan Farrington continues, but management are optimistic that a top quality player will be recruited shortly for this position.
The Irish Tag Rugby Association are hosting two post tag barbecues, on this Thursday, and on the final night on Thursday July 19th in Hamilton Park, so two more memorable social evenings are in the offing, following the success of the initial barbecue on June 21st.
The league has now reached the final stages, so there should be some very competitive games over the next two weeks. At this point, it is likely that the eventual winners may be either Simon Galvan’s or Jamie Livingstone’s side, but the real ‘dark horses’ may be the JOD Sharks, who have performed most impressively throughout the league, and will be difficult to defeat.
Annie West, who has attained International acclaim as an artist, will exhibit her latest works, Yeats In Love, in The Cat and The Moon Gallery, Castle St., Sligo.The exhibition will be opened on Saturday July 28th at 12 noon by Michael D Higgins T.D. She is also exhibiting at 101 Talbot St., Dublin 1, and this exhibition will be opened by Senator David Norris on Sunday next, July 8th at 6.30 pm.
Annie is one of Sligo RFC’s staunchest workers. She is a juvenile coach, a regular steward at the club’s teenage alcohol-free discos, and she plays a central role in the publication of the annual membership booklet. Her specially commissioned paintings, with a rugby theme, for the last two club dinner dances, which were presented respectively to Mick Galwey and to David Humphreys, were regarded as masterpieces of the genre, both by the recipients and by all who viewed them.
Annie has a very distinguished rugby pedigree, as her grand-uncle, Jack Siggins was capped on 24 occasions for Ireland, captaining the team in 10 games. He managed the Lions tour of South Africa in 1955, and was President of the IRFU in 1962-3.
The club President and the Committee wish Annie every success with the exhibition. For more information please visit Annie’s Website – http://www.anniewest.com.
The monthly meeting of the committee for July will be held in Bree’s Bar, Strandhill on Tuesday next, July 10th. A number of very important items are on the agenda.
All details regarding the Summer Scrummage Camp, organised by the IRFU, and which will be held in Hamilton Park from Monday July 9th until Friday July 13th from 9.30 am until 1.30 pm, can be obtained by telephoning 1890473807. Further information can also be found at IrishRugby.ie
Tickets for the special charity alcohol-free teenage disco, which will be held on Friday July 20th, in the Clubhouse, Hamilton Park, go on sale from the usual sellers this week. All proceeds go jointly to the Sligo Branch of Special Olympics, chaired by Colr. Deirdre Healy-McGowan, and to part sponsor club member, James Coulter, who travels to Cape Town in October to partake in the Niall Mellon Foundation building programme in the townships there.
Club President, Tom Gilligan, on behalf of all members, extends best wishes to the Sligo team, their captain, Noel McGuire, manager, Tommy Breheny, his assistant, John Kent, and Co. Board Chairman, John Murphy, in the Connacht senior football final against Galway in Hyde Park, Roscommon on Sunday next.
Belated hard luck to two of our U-18 players, Keelan Cawley and Conor Brady, who were members of the Sligo minor side which lost so narrowly to Galway on Sunday week last in Carrick-on-Shannon. Keelan was injured in this game, and is wished a speedy recovery.
Sligo RFC was represented by the President at the launch of the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership [SSRP] of their Strategic Plan 2007-2012, Making Sport And Recreation a Way of Life in Sligo, at Sligo I.T. on Tuesday last. The impressive launch highlighted the tremendous work being done in so many sports for all age groups by the Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership, under the direction of co-ordinator, Deirdre Lavin, and her staff of Andrea Fox, Diane Middleton and Shane Hayes.
Our club is the grateful beneficiary of a grant from the Partnership.
Speakers on the evening, as well as Ms. Lavin, were Olympic silver medallist, and twice world cross-country champion, John Treacy, who is CEO of the Irish Sports Council, Dr. Richard Thorn, Director, Sligo I.T., and Colr. Tony McLoughlin, Vice-Chairman of the Sligo Sports Partnership, and all three paid glowing tributes to Deirdre Lavin and her staff. Our club looks forward to working with SSRP in the coming season and for many years to come.
Week 6 again produced a feast of exciting rugby in the Tag League, with a series of keenly fought games. A feature of the league is how well so many players, who previously had no rugby experience, have adapted to the game. The surprise of the evening was undoubtedly the defeat of The JOD Sharks, who had won all five previous league games, but they are still strongly in contention for a play-off slot. They have set the benchmark for everyone else to aspire to,despite having no experienced rugby players in their squad.
A welcome visitor on Thursday last was club Director of Rugby, Bernie Kelly. He was most impressed by the ‘buzz’ around the grounds and in the clubhouse, and by the very large crowd present. Bernie was delighted to see so many club players looking so fit and eager, even before pre-season training begins, and there can be no doubt, that the speed and free running of St. Farnan’s gaelic footballer, Declan Cawley caught his eye, as he looks to expand his playing squad for next season. Among the other newcomwers to impress were ex-Sligo Rovers player, David McDermott, former Sligo wing back, Ronan Keane, and former St. Mary’s defender, David Keane.
Coolera-Strandhill mid-fielder, Stephen Carty’s ball handling suggests that he could have had a fine rugby career as a No. 6 or No. 8. Former Georgian International, Hakaba, who played at out-half against Ireland in the 1999 World Cup, played a starring role on Thursday last.
Among the women players, Therese Cosgrove retains all the skills which earned her International selection, while Cliona O’Kelly, first cousin of Ireland’s all-time most capped player, Malcolm O’Kelly, consistently shines, and is also an excellent referee. One of the leading try scorers, and a very talented player, is Maria Devenney, a Co.Donegal Ladies gaelic player, and sister of Donegal star, Brendan Devenney. Elsewhere, Deirdre Heaslip has scored tries which her two International first cousins, Barry Murphy and Jamie Heaslip, would be proud of. Louise Dwyer, a neighbour of Ireland’s No. 8, Denis Leamy, in Cashel, Co.Tipperary, has performed impressively for the Sharks, while former juvenile coach, Jean McConnell, currently on the injured list, is also very consistent. Hockey star, Ceola McLynn is another who has given a series of outstandng displays.
Social Secretary, Billy Leahy, and Therese Cosgrove, are now planning a social function for Thursday July 19th, the final evening of the league, and details will be available on this Thursday.
