URBAN POC FADA CHAMP: Congratulations are extended to Niall Walsh who represented Windgap and won the inaugural urban Poc Fada through the streets of Carrick-on- Suir on the Bank Holiday Monday. The event was part of the Clancy festival and the Maurice Davin weekend in the town and attracted representatives from all of the surrounding clubs in Kilkenny, Waterford and Tipperary. Starting at the Castle it went up Castle Street down the Main Street and then left down Bridge Street. After arriving at the old Bridge the course turned up the Quays and alongside the River Suir to finish .
INVITATION TO JOIN THE GATHERING TEAM: As part of the preparation for the upcoming Gathering Festival, many areas of Windgap village are getting a late and overdue spring clean. All volunteers are most welcome to join any of the working groups or if times don't suit feel free to clean or paint an area at your convenience. The open request to all is, please do take an active part, roll up the sleeves, and join in. Currently work is taking place in the Grotto, the Graveyard, the Village Street, the Lake and the Hall. To add the icing to the Gathering Cake bedding plants, shrubs or anything that will add colour is required. Alternatively the organizers would like people to sponsor or donate a tray of bedding plants, a shrub and to feel free to give them to any of the volunteers or simply drop off at John Ryan's in the village. Local residents are invited to please plant a flower box or window box or erect a hanging basket. The final line of the notice states “its our Village, Parish and Gathering, nobody else is going to keep it clean for us, so come on and join the team.
WORLD CHAMPIONS VISIT ONE WALL: The bank holiday saw an array of world ranking Handballers work out at the local one wall alleys. They included Catriona Casey, from Ballydesmond. Playing out of the Ballymacelligot Club in Kerry Catriona won the Women’s under 23 World Singles Title and also both world singles and doubles collegiate titles. She was accompanied in Windgap by her world collegiate doubles winning partner and Clare Senior Camogie player Lisa Loughnane. Also present were world collegiate double finalists John Hurley from Ruane in Clare and Kevin Mulligan from Ballaghadreen and the visitimg American player Amy Fadden from Pittsburgh. Highly approving of the outdoor facilities in Windgap it was noted how the players can hear the ball echo in play which is an unusual feature of outdoor courts. Joining them was an array of local players that included other collegiate players Sean Foley and Shane Walsh along with Edward Cunningham and Julie Walsh
FOOTBALL: Gerard Purcell lined out with the Kilkenny Junior football side who recorded a win over Hertfordshire in the British junior championship played in Watford on Saturday. The side travel to Birmingham for the second round game on Saturday next.
CAMOGIE: The Windgap under twelve camogie team had a great day today at the blitz in Thomastown on Saturday. Five teams attended. Windgap, Kilmacow, Ballyhale, Piltown and Thomastown. The girls played four brilliant matches where they beat Kilmacow, Ballyhale, and Thomastown and lost by a small margin to Piltown. Great skill was shown by all the players and the trainers have done a wonderful job with this group of girls. The panel was Tara Hayes, Heather O' Brien, Amy O' Shea, Ellen O' Neill, Gillian Costello, Sarah Davis, Emily Culleton, Jessica Enright, Jade O' Gorman, Ciara Smith, Emer Dunphy, Ella Dunne, Alice Monaghan, Leah Murray, Laura Foley, Roisin Foley, Sarah Doherty, Lucy White, Amy Kinsella.
OUR LADYS HOSPITAL: A five mile sponsor, run, walk or jog, will take place on Wednesday 19th June in aid of Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin. The walk starts from the Marion Hall, Owning at 8.00pm. Refreshments after walk, free raffle for sponsor cards returned on the night. For more info on this event contact: Brenda on 086 3199051. All are Welcome to participate or support, cards are available from Hearn’s Hardware and Kevin Daltons Butchers in Carrick on Suir and also in Flemings’ Bar in Faugheen and Willie Maloney’s Pub Skough.
CRAFT SALE IN CAMP HILL: Camp Hill Kyle are holding a Craft Sale and Coffee Morning and a Clearance sale on selected pottery made in Kyle on 8th June from 10am to 1pm. Kyle near Coolagh is on the R698 (Windgap road) and just three miles from Callan . On your visit enjoy delicious homemade cakes Teas and Coffee.
THE BIG QUESTION: Feedback about last weeks big question facing the volunteers in the Planning for the Future group, saw another one added. Seen as the potential big blockers to the and neither concerned the word money, cash or dosh in any form. The next meeting takes place in the GAA Club Rooms during the week in the lead up to the Gathering that takes place fronm the 21st to the 23rd of June.
CLUB MERCHANDISE: A new supply of hurling club Hoodies and Jerseys in all sizes has been purchased. For further details contact any committee member.
TIDY TOWNS: Work continued in Tullahought during the week with the ongoing painting of entrances and the railing at the lake by the residents. It also included the cutting of the Sportsfield and entrances by the local hurling Club.
HURLERS DRAW: The annual Hurlers Co-Op Draw takes place on Tuesday next 11th of June.
Supporters of the local club can win any of five cars or an array of holidays and cash prizes by contacting the local committee members and players or by purchasing on line on the Kilkenny GAA website .
CLUB NEWS: The winning numbers in the weekly lotto were 3, 9, 19, 27 and bonus number 23 brought a match three cheque to Mary Moore. Next weeks prize-fund is €4,950
BRIDGE RESULTS: Winners of the Bridge Club game in the Olde House in Killamery were 1st. Rita Townsend and Helen lanigan. Best Gross Alice lanigan, Catherine burke2nd. Elizabeth Lanigan, Elizabeth Murray3rd. Finoula Walsh, Rita Houlihan. 4th. Kitty Meagher, Mary Walsh,
ALZHEIMERS: An Alzheimer Café will be held from 11am-1pm on Wednesday 1st May in Harry’s Bar Langtons. The Café will give people with dementia/their family members an opportunity to get together chat and share information in a safe space. We will be having a talk from Caroline Clifford, Community Psychiatric Nurse. There will be free tea, coffee and scones at the café. All are welcome. For more info contact Ruth O’ Gorman on 056 7771230.
GAA BIBLE: For the local GAA fan the latest version of the “Kilkenny GAA Bible” of results, facts and figures for all codes in the county has been added to the resources section of the kilkennygaa.ie website. Now an online production, it is a “must browse” for Kilkenny followers. Compiled by Gerry O'Neill it comes with many gems of information in over one hundred and fifty pages stretching back to 1887.
OASIS OF LIFE: Watching the hive of activity around a small pool of water illustrated the importance of the liquid for so many. After travelling thousands of miles it provided the sole source to house building material for up to twenty house martins in the dry arid conditions of recent weeks. Accessed over a six bar gate a constant stream of birds flew gracefully in, dropped the air from their wings and began busily mixing the clay and water at the edge of the pool. Not as graceful on terra firma as in flight, they bobbled and balanced and almost tipped over as they busily worked. After collecting sufficient material they immediately made a beeline for residences hundreds of yards away to build homes for nesting. As the day passed the water became muddier in colour as the nests grew taller with the darker damper colour showing the new addition. Similarly attracted over the winter months similar pools became the birth place of tadpoles before the drying easterly winds evaporated the water leaving their oasis of life all dried up.
NOTES: Contributors and Clubs are invited to email items for publication with a name and contact number to [email protected] by Sunday evenings at 6pm