The Christy Ring Cup is the championship trophy which is offered for competition between those county teams which constitute the tier immediately below those elite counties which contend for Corn Mhic Chartaigh. The Christy Ring is peopled by some fine hurlers many of whom, if the accident of their birth had been otherwise, would certainly have found their places in one of the elite squads. This championship throws up many contests which excel both competitively and skillwise and which would find favour with the most discerning of sports followers. Unfortunately their perceived secondary status deters many from attending these matches and they are played before far fewer spectators than their quality and their capacity for excitement-generation deserves.
Each year an All Star team is selected from the hurlers who have participated in this championship and to be chosen among this group of fifteen is a major feather in a player's cap. It was with great pleasure that Éire Óg received the notice that this honour had been bestowed on our own Stephen 'Chester' Kelly. Anyone who has seen Stephen in action on the hurling field will agree that he is fully deserving of this accolade. His reading of the game, his reliability and his intelligent use of the ball mark him out as a hurler of exceptional ability. Comhgáirdeachas and well done! Maith an fear thú, a Stiofáin!
This season of mists and mellow fruitfulness has more or less – our hurlers are, at the time of writing, still involved in the Billy Byrne Cup – brought the curtain down on the club's involvement in formal competitions. The season ended rather disappointingly for our senior footballers. They were beaten in their last Div1A league game by neighbours Newtown. The outcome of the game had a huge significance in that victory would have seen them promoted to Division 1. On paper Éíre Óg would have been strong favourites to win so there was huge disappointment at the defeat. It was felt that the experience to be gained playing against the county's stronger teams would be a big help to the team in the 2015 championship. It is hard to know to what the team's below par performance on the night can be attributed. Was it as with the rabbit in the headlights that the team froze in the realisation of the importance of the occasion? Or was it, like Germany post World Cup, that it was suffering a hang-over from the highs of its very demanding championship campaign?
Our philosophical forbears were excellent for finding consolation for the position in which they found themselves e.g. galar gan leigheas, foighne is fearr (if there is no way out of a situation then forbearance/patience is the only option). We can, like them, see the defeat in the positive light of one of their sean-fhocail viz. an rud is measa ná bás, b'fhéidir gur lár a leasa é, and say that remaining in Div 1A for another year may in fact be better for the team's development.
Onwards and upwards for 2015!
Comhbhrón: The Éire Óg club extends its deepest sympathies to John and Jayne Glynn on the death of their 4 year old son, Gavin. Gavin's grandfather, John Glynn, was cathaoirleach of the club for a number of years.
Go n-ardaí Dia scamall a mbrón.
