Windgap Tullahought Notes April 22nd with Jimmy Walsh
BREAKFAST AT EASTER: An early morning of grass frost, bright sunshine and clear blue skies dissected by the soaring flights and almost celebratory flights of the returned house martins set the scene for an event with a difference in Windgap on Easter Sunday morning. It all added to the euphoria of the arrival of twelve fluffy ducklings that were hatched by their wild parents at the lake in Tullahought a couple of days earlier. From eight o’clock, the fragrance of cooking sausages and puddings being prepared for the communities first Full Irish Breakfast wafted their way from the Parish hall out into the village street. Inside the hall the hard work of the previous days was to be seen as its newly built tables were laid out in a banquet style for the occasion. Warm and colourful its walls and tables were covered in decorations and flower arrangements in the Easter colours. On the stage a remeberance tree was also provided by the youth club. By the kitchen an array door an array of stainless steel containers were used to keep the food at the perfect temperature, Just inside it a frying pan big enough to cook rashers off of a whale was being prepared. Elsewhere car parking stewards and carloads bearing food and acouplements were arriving. The fundraising brainchild of Nicholas Hawe, he was assisted by a team of cooks, waiters, waitresses and volunteers of all ages too numerous to mention. The group using the GAA Club Rooms as a back up kitchen had the show was quickly on the road. Throughout the morning the individual diners and family groups arrived in waves from milking, from early morning mass in Tullahought and after the ten o’clock mass in Windgap. Their numbers were swelled by passers by and visitors from far and near, as the miracle of the bacon and sausages was resolved by the nearby supermarkets in Callan. For many of the early arrivals it was away to Limerick for the day on a full stomach for the Hurling League semi finals as the volunteers who toiled all day just made it home to see the two o’clock throw in. With them went the noise and banter of a memorable get together day for all involved. Supporting every breakfast served was an array of sponsors who were listed on each table that had been put together for the occasion by Andy O’Neill, Shane Doyle and Pat Walsh. As part of the event a monster raffle for an elaborate Easter cake, tapestry, hampers, local paintings and timber was arranged. Further details of sponsors and prize-winners to follow next week. For all the updates and photos visit windgap.ie
HURLING NEWS: Windgap played host to the Erin’s Own from Castlecomer in the All County Junior Hurling League in Windgap on Saturday evening. Behind form the third minute the sides were level on four occasions before they adjourned with Windgap having gone 0-8 to 0-6 ahead at the break. Three early second half points saw the home sides lead extended to five. With former county player veteran Sean Meally marshalling the Comer defence a golden run of seven points on the trot saw the visitors 0-14 to 0-12 ahead. Having saved a twenty one yard free during that period the home side with a never say die attitude rallied and were tied at 0-14 apiece entering the dying moments. As the visitors counterattacked their defence was overrun and a point resulted from a goal chance to give Windgap a 0-15 to -14 lead. From the puck out a soft free was conceded as the resultant score saw the sides sharing the spoils at 0-15 each when referee Willie Kearney called time.
On Sunday evening the side Junior B side travelled to Ballyhale where they went down to Ballyhale Shamrocks. Lining out for the side was Vincent Purcell who made the journey home from Limerick straight after the Kilkenny verses Galway league semi-final to participate. See Barry Henriques match reports in the Sports Pages.
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: Coming from Ballyhea, that consists of a shop and church on a crossroads in North Cork, current sports journalist and live long passionist hurling fan Diarmuid O Flynn is to lead his community on the road to Europe. This follows their three year long weekly Saturday morning march in Ballyhea against Austerity and the problems it has caused. A surveyor in the construction industry for over twenty years, Diarmuid and the community in the area have taken up the battle for the ordinary citizen who has suffered from carrying the entire debt burden incurred by others. Like many others Diarmuid and his family and community was hit by the necessity of emigration across every generation with himself and eight of his sisters and brothers departing Ireland in search of work. Closer to home in Windgap, the local hurling side that has depended on players working and studying in various parts of England, Scotland and Wales to make the commitment to continually return for the league and championship games looks like being further hit. The new seasonal issues arise through the reduction in the Summer Jobs market for students. The result will apparently see more of them stay away or move away for the main months of the Hurling and Camogie seasons. Having lined out in the National league for his county and played on his return with his club until he was fifty, Diarmuids story is synonymous with many a local tale. His life experiences and his decision to run in the forthcoming European elections may eventually help to turn the tide for rural and urban communities across the country.
BEAT FM SPORTS STAR! Local international boxing star Clare Grace was selected as the Beat FM South-East Sports Star Award recipient for March . The full list of nominations were Shane Kavanagh (Carlow), Paul Breen (Tipperary), Joe Gough (Waterford), Daryl Jacob (Wexford) and Clare Grace (Kilkenny), The event was run by Beat 102-103 in conjunction with Mount Wolseley Hotel Carlow.
GALMOY WINDGAP: On Monday evening the minor hurlers from Tullougher Rosbercon visited Windgap to play in the minor league. In a ding dong affair the visitors were a point ahead at the break after Tim Molloy got the home side’s goal. On the restart Galmoy Windgap forged ahead to lead by four points but failed to pull away even after Cian Hynes added their second goal. As a result the final outcome remained on a knife edge with only a score between the sides until referee Willie Kearney called time on a 2-14 to 2-12 victory for the combined side. The team were best served by Niall Walsh, Peter Hennessey, Kevin Duggan, Pat Grace David Doyle and goalkeeper Oisin Phelan. They travel to Dunnamaggin for a local derby tie meeting with Dunnamaggin on Monday evening next. Best wishes are extended to Darren Grace for a speedy recovery after the game.
TIDY TOWNS: Following the clean up of the Tullahought area the previous week the main Carrick on Suir Road to Callan and the motorway in Knocktopher between Billy Hawes Cross and the Slatequarries continues to be heavily littered by passing vehicles. Elsewhere the Kilmacoliver Loop one of the most popular of the Kilkenny walking trails has been closed.
RE-CYCLING: There was a great turnout of materials for recycling at the WEEE Ireland free re-cycling day held at the Car Park in Windgap on Thursday last.
CLUB NEWS: This Weeks Winning Numbers Lotto Numbers were 12, 20, 24, 27 and Bonus number 5. This Weeks Prize fund is €8,100.
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. For all the local news visit the parish website windgap.ie
BREAKFAST AT EASTER: An early morning of grass frost, bright sunshine and clear blue skies dissected by the soaring flights and almost celebratory flights of the returned house martins set the scene for an event with a difference in Windgap on Easter Sunday morning. It all added to the euphoria of the arrival of twelve fluffy ducklings that were hatched by their wild parents at the lake in Tullahought a couple of days earlier. From eight o’clock, the fragrance of cooking sausages and puddings being prepared for the communities first Full Irish Breakfast wafted their way from the Parish hall out into the village street. Inside the hall the hard work of the previous days was to be seen as its newly built tables were laid out in a banquet style for the occasion. Warm and colourful its walls and tables were covered in decorations and flower arrangements in the Easter colours. On the stage a remeberance tree was also provided by the youth club. By the kitchen an array door an array of stainless steel containers were used to keep the food at the perfect temperature, Just inside it a frying pan big enough to cook rashers off of a whale was being prepared. Elsewhere car parking stewards and carloads bearing food and acouplements were arriving. The fundraising brainchild of Nicholas Hawe, he was assisted by a team of cooks, waiters, waitresses and volunteers of all ages too numerous to mention. The group using the GAA Club Rooms as a back up kitchen had the show was quickly on the road. Throughout the morning the individual diners and family groups arrived in waves from milking, from early morning mass in Tullahought and after the ten o’clock mass in Windgap. Their numbers were swelled by passers by and visitors from far and near, as the miracle of the bacon and sausages was resolved by the nearby supermarkets in Callan. For many of the early arrivals it was away to Limerick for the day on a full stomach for the Hurling League semi finals as the volunteers who toiled all day just made it home to see the two o’clock throw in. With them went the noise and banter of a memorable get together day for all involved. Supporting every breakfast served was an array of sponsors who were listed on each table that had been put together for the occasion by Andy O’Neill, Shane Doyle and Pat Walsh. As part of the event a monster raffle for an elaborate Easter cake, tapestry, hampers, local paintings and timber was arranged. Further details of sponsors and prize-winners to follow next week. For all the updates and photos visit windgap.ie
HURLING NEWS: Windgap played host to the Erin’s Own from Castlecomer in the All County Junior Hurling League in Windgap on Saturday evening. Behind form the third minute the sides were level on four occasions before they adjourned with Windgap having gone 0-8 to 0-6 ahead at the break. Three early second half points saw the home sides lead extended to five. With former county player veteran Sean Meally marshalling the Comer defence a golden run of seven points on the trot saw the visitors 0-14 to 0-12 ahead. Having saved a twenty one yard free during that period the home side with a never say die attitude rallied and were tied at 0-14 apiece entering the dying moments. As the visitors counterattacked their defence was overrun and a point resulted from a goal chance to give Windgap a 0-15 to -14 lead. From the puck out a soft free was conceded as the resultant score saw the sides sharing the spoils at 0-15 each when referee Willie Kearney called time.
On Sunday evening the side Junior B side travelled to Ballyhale where they went down to Ballyhale Shamrocks. Lining out for the side was Vincent Purcell who made the journey home from Limerick straight after the Kilkenny verses Galway league semi-final to participate. See Barry Henriques match reports in the Sports Pages.
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: Coming from Ballyhea, that consists of a shop and church on a crossroads in North Cork, current sports journalist and live long passionist hurling fan Diarmuid O Flynn is to lead his community on the road to Europe. This follows their three year long weekly Saturday morning march in Ballyhea against Austerity and the problems it has caused. A surveyor in the construction industry for over twenty years, Diarmuid and the community in the area have taken up the battle for the ordinary citizen who has suffered from carrying the entire debt burden incurred by others. Like many others Diarmuid and his family and community was hit by the necessity of emigration across every generation with himself and eight of his sisters and brothers departing Ireland in search of work. Closer to home in Windgap, the local hurling side that has depended on players working and studying in various parts of England, Scotland and Wales to make the commitment to continually return for the league and championship games looks like being further hit. The new seasonal issues arise through the reduction in the Summer Jobs market for students. The result will apparently see more of them stay away or move away for the main months of the Hurling and Camogie seasons. Having lined out in the National league for his county and played on his return with his club until he was fifty, Diarmuids story is synonymous with many a local tale. His life experiences and his decision to run in the forthcoming European elections may eventually help to turn the tide for rural and urban communities across the country.
BEAT FM SPORTS STAR! Local international boxing star Clare Grace was selected as the Beat FM South-East Sports Star Award recipient for March . The full list of nominations were Shane Kavanagh (Carlow), Paul Breen (Tipperary), Joe Gough (Waterford), Daryl Jacob (Wexford) and Clare Grace (Kilkenny), The event was run by Beat 102-103 in conjunction with Mount Wolseley Hotel Carlow.
GALMOY WINDGAP: On Monday evening the minor hurlers from Tullougher Rosbercon visited Windgap to play in the minor league. In a ding dong affair the visitors were a point ahead at the break after Tim Molloy got the home side’s goal. On the restart Galmoy Windgap forged ahead to lead by four points but failed to pull away even after Cian Hynes added their second goal. As a result the final outcome remained on a knife edge with only a score between the sides until referee Willie Kearney called time on a 2-14 to 2-12 victory for the combined side. The team were best served by Niall Walsh, Peter Hennessey, Kevin Duggan, Pat Grace David Doyle and goalkeeper Oisin Phelan. They travel to Dunnamaggin for a local derby tie meeting with Dunnamaggin on Monday evening next. Best wishes are extended to Darren Grace for a speedy recovery after the game.
TIDY TOWNS: Following the clean up of the Tullahought area the previous week the main Carrick on Suir Road to Callan and the motorway in Knocktopher between Billy Hawes Cross and the Slatequarries continues to be heavily littered by passing vehicles. Elsewhere the Kilmacoliver Loop one of the most popular of the Kilkenny walking trails has been closed.
RE-CYCLING: There was a great turnout of materials for recycling at the WEEE Ireland free re-cycling day held at the Car Park in Windgap on Thursday last.
CLUB NEWS: This Weeks Winning Numbers Lotto Numbers were 12, 20, 24, 27 and Bonus number 5. This Weeks Prize fund is €8,100.
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. For all the local news visit the parish website windgap.ie
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