BADMINTON QUIZ: Tullahought Badminton Club holds their annual Table Quiz in Tullahought Community Centre on Wednesday 19th February at 8.30pm and all are welcome to attend.
VALENTINES DAY: A date with a difference takes place when the next Hurling Club Progressive 25 Card Drive takes place in Guinans on February 14th at 8.45 pm. All are welcome.
CAMOGIE AGM: The Camogie AGM takes place in the Clubrooms on Friday 21st of February at 8pm. It will be followed by Club registration on the following Sunday 23rd at 10.30am
FOOTBALL IN FRANCE: Making the French connection in Football is local Club player Stephen Purcell who is currently training with Paris Gaels Gaelic Footballers. Wearers of the blue of France the side train for two hours under lights in Pantone Rugby club in the north eastern section of Paris. Stephen previously wore the renowned yellow and blue colours of Clermont the rugby famed city of Clermont in the French championship. Stephen is currently teaching English in Danton Bleriot in the Parisian suburb Enjvalois. In Paris the Gaels training panel is made up of almost half Irish and French and is completed by a Chinese and a Hungarian player. Grandson of Edward Purcell who played in goal for the county seniors in the heyday of Kilkenny football Stephen will miss the French championship as he hopes to return home in the spring to assist the local hurling side in the junior championship. Continuing the Clermont football training connection was Shane Walsh who also studied in the City.
CAMOGIE REGISTRATION AND BAKE SALE Registration for the new year takes place on Sunday week 23rd February between 11am and 12 noon
CUTEST CUPCAKE COMPETITION: As part of the Camogie Bake Sale a competition is taking place to find the Cutest Cupcake. Beautiful baking needed, in aid of Windgap Camogie! ‘You can’t buy happiness but you can buy cupcakes and That’s kind of the same thing!’
MICHAEL F MORRIS: The following is a query sent to the windgap.ie website, seeking information on the local Grotto. It went “Hi, I was in St. Nicholas Cemetery on Sunday last and was intrigued by the grotto. I'm a Waterford historian and was gob smacked to see a memorial to Michael F. Morris in the grotto. He was the son of Samuel Morris coal and timber merchant of Waterford and Fiddown. Can you tell me if the Morris family contributed to the financing of the grotto and have you any idea of their connection to Windgap”. To help throw a light on the areas history contact Thomas Deegan on tommy.deegan@gmail.com
CLUB HURLING FINALS: Sunday morning in the rolling stonewalled fields of East Galway the community at morning mass in St Jarlath’s Church in Ballydougan heard Fr. Iomar Daniels words for the heroic efforts of their local Kilnadeema Leitrim hurling team. The result saw them receive a round of applause after they went down to the Rower Inistioge after extra time in the All Ireland Intermediate hurling Final in Croke Park the previous evening. Outsiders for their own county final against near neighbours Cappataggle, their wondrous journey was unforeseen and magical to all involved. The dual parish club stretches from the Kilnadeema end in the Slieve Aughty hills overlooking lake and town of Loughrea, inland and eastwards via Ballydougan Hill. Part of Galways hurling heartland it is traversed by two main roads radiating from Loughrea towards Kilimor, Portumna, Tynagh and Woodford. The final saw the countryside covered in tricolours of maroon white and blue. Along with Kilmeen, Ballydougan is part of the parish of Leitrim whose amalgamation for hurling with the neighbouring parish of Kilnadeema was owing to the falling population. In addition Fr. Iomar recalled the sudden and sad loss of a younger club player Patrick Halpin in London earlier in the week. Patrick in whose honour a moments silence was held in Croke Park was from the Kilnadeema and Aille section of the club where Fr. Joe Clarke is the PP. Whilst also showing concern for the poor and underprivileged Fr. Iomar sought volunteers with digger driving, block laying, plastering and carpentry skills to have the new public toilets completed in time for the first communion ceremony. Across the road one of the clubs former pitches was showing the effects of the heavy rains nationwide as water lay over one corner and the high pitched sound of cars from the Galway International rally could be heard on the wind. Having shared the same mystical All Ireland journey the junior players of Antrim’s Creggan and Waterford’s Ballysaggart will have to face another day as extra time failed to separate them. Maintaining local interest, nearby Portumna prepare to meet Carlow’s Mount Leinster Rangers in a real David and Goliath battle in the All Ireland senior final on St. Patrick’s day, whilst back by the Nore the Rower Inistioge celebrated their famous and well deserved victory in their Cois Abhainn community centre and in many other households and venues. Elsewhere parish bulletins and Club notes focussed on the resumption of the new season with notices of training sessions as all involved started on another club hurling journey.
AMERICAN INTERVARSITIES: A thirty strong Irish team fly out at the weekend to play in the American inter Varsities 40 x 20 Handball championships in Raleigh in North Carolina. The side includes two local club players Sean Foley and Shane Walsh representing UCD and UL respectively. Having been on the side that travelled last year Sean hopes to go another step this time after qualifying for the doubles final with Martin Mulkerins.
WATER DISSAPEARS: The subject of many visitations and consultations in recent weeks a stream that crossed the road at the Lake in Tullahought became two streams in recent times as another appeared within thirty yards of it at the hollow of the road. Running for a week like the Mississippi and The Missouri they were eventually controlled and under grounded by a local volunteer. The work has made travelling the road much safer as the hazards of aquaplaning and skidding on the stretch when frozen are removed.
LOTTO RESULTS: This weeks Winning Numbers were 5, 11, 13, 22 and Bonus 20. They resulted in match three Ed Howe and Michael O'Shea with On Line player John Dollard also winning. Weeks Prize fund, €5,650
WINDGAP HALL AND DEVELOPMENT: A meeting between the Hall Finance committee, the Playground Committee and the Windgap Community Development Company to streamline plans took place on Tuesday in the Clubrooms at 8p.m.
FIRST COMMUNION: May 19th is the date of the 1st Holy Communion in Windgap and there is no Confirmation in the parish this year.
CLUB MERCHANDISE: Currently available in most sizes are Club Hoodies, Jerseys and Hurling Balls all at cost price. Also available in time for the new season training are large red training jerseys, adult togs at cut prices along with and a number of rain jackets. For further details contact any committee member or call 051 648366.
WINDGAP SENIOR CLUB: Twenty four second level students with connections in Windgap registered as members of Windgap Senor Youth Club in the Parochial House. With events scheduled to commence in the coming weeks the trained leaders include Michelle O’Gorman, Mona Lomax, Marie Anne Hayes, Julie Anne Walsh, Liz Jackson, Celia, Mairead O’Rourke, Barbra Kelly, Triona Moloney, Lena Young and Rachel Murray.
FAUGHEEN AGAINST PYLONS: Following the meeting hosted by the Faugheen against Pylons group and the ongoing communications with the Suir Valley Action Group and the East Coast PAA (Pylon Alternative Alliance) along with the constantly changing feedback from Government ministers on the Eirgrid proposals the groups are considering contesting the forthcoming local elections in some areas.
JUNIOR YOUTH CLUB: The Junior Club will meet in Windgap Community Centre on Friday 28th of February from 3 to 4pm. To participate a person has to register and pay the €10 registration fee to any committee member. The group will meet fortnightly and a €2 fee is required to cover costs. Club rules and consent forms are being organised and will be sent to each registered member by Friday 21st. They can be returned to the organising committee of Lena Young, Helen Walsh, Triona Moloney, Michelle O'Brien and Mairead O'Rourke
YEAR BOOK ARCHIVES: All editions of the Kilkenny GAA Yearbook from 1972 to 2012 are now online on the County website kilkennygaa.ie under the Resources tab. The valuable archive contains many references to the current and previous teams in the area. It has been provided compliments of Gerry O'Neill and the County Year Book and IT committees
NOTES: Contributors and Clubs are invited to email items for publication with a name and contact number to windgapnotes@gmail.com by Sunday evenings at 6pm. For all the local news visit the parish website windgap.ie