Parish Pride
Last Friday night our local GAA club Churchill held a celebration night at Ballyroe Heights Hotel. It was our first parish social in six years, but after our senior football team gaining promotion in the County league and winning the County Novice final for the first time in 37 years we thought if we didn't hold a social this year, then when would we ever have one again. It was a truly fantastic night and Mark O Sullivan and his staff at Ballyroe must be congratulated on having the function room decked out in our club colours and providing superb food on the evening. Ballyroe Heights Hotel is a fantastic venue for weddings and socials.
One of the highlights of the evening was our special guest MICHAEL O' MUIRCHEARTAIGH. What a legend this man is, he has been the voice of GAA on Radio1 for the best part of sixty years now and his memory, charm and whit is a joy to behold. MICHAEL had over 300 guests spellbound with humorous Gaa related stories for over thirty mins and even mentioned some of our heroes of old in some of those stories also. At this mans age to have a memory like he does is truly amazing.
After our senior team recieved their medals, Celebration,our bad for the evening, had everyone dancing for the next couple of hours before Botty O Callaghan finished off the night on the decks. Before anyone realised it we were in the early hours of Saturday morning. This is always a sign of a great night when its over before you know it, but a night to remember. These nights are a great way to get the people of the parish together socially. I was speaking to one man during the course of the evening and he told me that only for his young sons playing football for Churchill he would find it a lot more difficult to make new friends in a parish that he has lived in for just two years. So hopefully this social event can happen annually from now on.
MICHAEL O' MUIRCHEARTAIGH has had many famous and funny quotes over the years and below are some of the more famous ones:
Colin Corkery on the 45 lets go with the right boot. It's over the bar. This man shouldn't be playing football. He's made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn't kick points like Colin Corkery.
"Pat Fox out to the forty and grabs the sliothar, I bought a dog from his father last week. Fox turns and sprints for goal, the dog ran a great race last Tuesday in Limerick. Fox to the 21 fires a shot, it goes to the left and wide......and the dog lost as well."
"Sean Óg o Hailpín....his father's from Fermanagh, his mother's from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold. "
"Teddy McCarthy to John McCarthy, no relation, John McCarthy to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation. "
"... and Brian Dooher is down injured. And while he is, I'll tell ye a little story. I was in Times' Square in New York last week, and I was missing the Championship back home. So I approached a news-stand and I said 'I suppose ye wouldn't have the Kerryman would ye?' To which, the Egyptian behind the counter turned to me and he said 'do you want the North Kerry edition or the South Kerry edition?'... he had both...so I bought both. And Dooher is back on his feet..."
"Anthony Lynch the Cork corner back will be the last person to let you down - his people are undertakers"