|
|
LOCAL NEWS ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 2002
[Main
Local News Page]
This Christmas, many local people will be availing of the Christmas holidays to savour two fine publications of local history and folklore which were published within the past year.
Last
August, the Drumcor Old School Committee published “Drumcor - Its School &
Surrounding District"and the book was launched to coincide with the
celebrations marking the re-opening of the Old School in Drumcor as a new
Community Centre. The book was jointly edited by Bernard Martin and Michael
Tully, both of whom dedicated huge amounts of time and energy in researching a
wide variety of local history, folklore and traditions for the book. The quality
of the final publication is a due reward for their efforts, and the book has
been a very popular seller in the months since its launch. A limited number of
copies of the book are still available from Committee members.
In November, “All Lovely Kilmore – Its Churches People and Heritage”, written by Wendy Swan, was launched, and this publication has also been met with a rapturous reception in the locality and in surrounding areas. Again this is a very high-quality book with a great collection of local history and folklore, including many photographs, and again the huge effort on the part of the author Wendy Swan is obvious throughout its 120 pages.
In time, both publications will serve as an invaluable record of many local traditions and aspects of everyday life that otherwise may have remained unrecorded and forgotten in the collective folk memory of our locality.
The Cornafean Walking Club is holding a walk on St Stephen's Day (Thursday December 26), starting at 2pm from McSeain's. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun, savour the fresh air and help lose some of those extra pounds built up during the excesses of the Christmas period. There will be refreshments afterwards in McSeains.
The Cornafean GAA Lotto will continue as normal over the Christmas season with the usual Sunday night draw taking place in McSeains on Sunday 29th December. The Lotto Jackpot currently stands at €10,800. There will be extra prizes for Christmas.
The Vintage Tractor Club of Cornafean are holding a Tractor Run on St. Stephen's Day leaving McSeains at 11.30am sharp. This is the second such event to be held by this new club in recent months and the first tractor run, held in October was a tremendous success, with a total of forty club members driving their vintage tractors on a twenty-mile circuit around the Cornafean area.
On St. Stephen's Day, Cornafean GAA club are hosting their annual charity football match in Pairc Naoimh Fionnain. This year for the first time the local Ladies footballers will be taking part so it should be a special occasion. All players are asked to be at the park by 2pm on St. Stephen's Day, and the game will commence at 2.30pm. This event is always a popular and enjoyable occasion, and all players and supporters are welcome. This year the proceeds are in aid of the local Autism & Downs Syndrome charities.
Next Monday night 23rd December, the annual Christmas Whist Drive will be held in Cornafean.
The annual Cornafean GFC New Year's Eve dance will take place on Sunday 31st December, in McSeain's. As in previous years, there will be musical entertainment from Ian Pickens and his band. This has been a very popular event with local people for many years, and this year's dance is not to be missed.
What better way to get over the excesses of the Christmas
period than a brisk walk on St Stephen's Day?
The Cornafean Walking Club is holding a walk on next Thursday December
26, starting at 2pm from McSeain's. There
will be refreshments afterwards in McSeains.
The Cornafean GAA Lotto will continue as normal over the
Christmas season with the usual draws taking place on Sunday next 22nd December
in McSeains and again on Sunday 29th December at the same venue.
On St. Stephen's Day, Cornafean GAA club are hosting their
annual charity football match in Pairc Naoimh Fionnain. This year for the first
time the local Ladies footballers will be taking part so it should be a special
occasion. All players are asked to be at the park by 2pm on St. Stephen's Day,
and the game will commence at 2.30pm. This promises to be a very enjoyable
occasion, and all players and supporters are welcome. This year the proceeds are
in aid of the local Autism & Downs Syndrome charities.
The Annual General Meeting of Cornafean GAA club was held
last Friday night and attracted a large attendance of members. This year it was
necessary to hold the AGM in McSeains
due to a problem with the heating system in the clubrooms.
In their annual reports, Club Chairman PJ McGlade and
Secretary Rita Martin recalled a year in which solid progress was made on a
number of fronts, not least on the field of play where the senior team achieved
promotion to Division 2 and also in relation to the development of the local
playing field and the ongoing construction of the new Sports Hall, which is
expected to be completed during 2003. The club's hard-working treasurer Padraig
Gormley stood down after a number of years dedicated service in the position.
Sharon Mulligan was elected unanimously as his successor. The AGM was attended
by County Board Chairman and local club member George Cartwright.
The main officer positions for the coming year are as
follows:
Chairman PJ McGlade, Vice-Chairman Padraig Cosgrove,
Secretary Rita Martin, Assistant Secretary Paddy McDermott, Treasurer Sharon
Mulligan, Assistant Treasurer Michael McGibney, PRO Tommy McGibney.
There was great excitement in Crossdoney on last Saturday
afternoon next, when Santa Claus made his customary visit to the village, where
he was greeted by a large gathering of boys and girls, to whom he later
distributed gifts. The festive atmosphere in the village was enhanced by the
impressive Christmas lighting, which was erected recently by the hardworking
members of the local Christmas Tree Committee. Well done to everyone concerned.
The next Whist in Cornafean will be the ever-popular
Christmas Whist on next Monday night 23rd December.
The annual Cornafean GFC New Year's Eve dance will take
place on Sunday 31st December, in McSeain's. As in previous years, there will be
musical entertainment from Ian Pickens and his band. This has been a very
popular event with local people for many years, and this year's dance is not to
be missed.
Cornafean enjoyed a very successful night at the County Scór
Na nÓg Finals which were held in Killeshandra Community Centre. A large
gathering of Cornafean supporters were among the large attendance who savoured a
wonderful night's entertainment.
The local club were represented in five competitions,
Question Time, Recitation, Ballad Group, Novelty Act and the new Most Promising
Ceili Dancing Group.
Cornafean's first victory of the night came in the Question
Time where Patrick King, Tomas McGlade and Cormac Geoghegan enjoyed an
impressive win in a tough quiz with a winning total of fifty marks out of a
possible 60. At the end of the night, there was further joy among the Cornafean
contingent when it was announced that the local Novelty Act group had also won
their competition.
Cornafean had something more to celebrate when they were awarded 2nd place in the "Overall Best Club" Award, which is awarded annually to the club with the best overall performance in the first rounds of the competition. This award went to our friends in Drumlane, and we congratulate them on this achievement.
There
was a large attendance of local supporters in Killeshandra Community Centre on
last Friday night, when Cornafean took part in the first round of
this year's Scor na nOg competition.
Cornafean were represented in all eight competitions, and the standard of
competition was very high in all the categories. All the young participants who
represented Cornafean can be very proud of their performances, as indeed also
can their parents and the adult helpers who assisted in training and
preparing the various acts.
On Saturday night, the first round winners were announced and there was joy for
Cornafean when it was announced that the club had qualified for the
county final in four items- Question Time , Recitation, Ballad Group and Novelty
Act.
The county final will take place on next Saturday evening, 15th December, again
at the Killeshandra venue. This is always one of the most popular
events in the local calendar during the year, and the high standards of
performance in the first round bodes well for a very enjoyable show and a
large attendance on Saturday night. The show starts at 8.00pm.
The Annual General Meeting of Cornafean GAA club will be held in the clubrooms on Friday next 13th December. All members are asked to attend and new members are welcome. The meeting starts at 8.30pm sharp.
|
|
|
The late Peadar Doyle (with Art McSeain) holds the Sean Leddy Memorial Cup - Sept. 2000 |
The entire area of Cornafean and the surrounding locality was shocked and saddened by the recent death of Peadar Doyle, one of the area's most illustrious and respected figures. Peadar died peacefully in the Esker Lodge Nursing Home, Cavan on Monday 25th November after a short illness. He was just a few months short of his 82nd birthday.
Peadar will be remembered as an immensely likeable, friendly and generous man, with a keen sense of humour and fun. He was a wonderfully colourful and often outspoken personality, who was never afraid to use his considerable oratorical skills to argue passionately for any cause he espoused. Over the years, he made many friends throughout the length and breadth of Ireland in his long career as a Gaelic footballer and later as a prominent GAA official. His generous, warm-hearted and kindly nature were well known to everyone he met
A man of immense religious faith and devotion, Peadar always practised his Christianity in a very modest and self-effacing manner. He was a lifetime member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, and his practical temperance was always a shining example to others.
Peadar spent most of his working life as a Community Welfare Officer for theDepartment of Social Welfare, where his work involved attending to the needs of many of those less fortunate in society. He was well known for his firm but unyieldingly fair approach to his work and throughout his career he was always extremely modest and discreet in looking after the interests of those in need.
Of his many achievements, it is undoubtedly his contribution to the GAA, both as a player and as an administrator that many people will most immediately and fondly remember of Peadar Doyle.
It is no exaggeration to say that Peadar Doyle will be remembered as one of the "giants" of Cornafean GAA club, since its inception in 1908. A lifetime stalwart for Cornafean, Peadar ranks among the greatest of the players which backboned the mighty Cornafean football teams for much of the 20th century.
He first came into the Cornafean team in 1938 when he joined such stars as Big
Tom O'Reilly, Willie Young, Josie Martin and Mick Dinneny on the team that
defeated Gowna in that year's County Final. This victory came during the club's
"Golden era" when they won five county championship titles in
succession, and a total of eight titles in the nine years between 1932 and 1940.
In 1938, Peadar was also a member of the Cavan team which defeated Kerry in a thrilling All Ireland Minor Final. A free-scoring corner-forward on that team, Peadar scored a goal in Cavan's 3-3 to 0-8 win over the Kingdom in that final. A year later, he starred on the Cavan minor team that lost to Monaghan by a single point in the replayed Ulster final. He was also to the fore on the Cornafean teams that won county titles in 1939, '40 and '43.
During these years Peadar also made a major impact on the Cavan senior team, winning a Dr. McKenna Cup medal in 1943 and an Ulster Championship medal in 1945. He was a substitute on the team beaten by Cork in the 1945 All Ireland final. Peadar went to work in Co. Louth for a number of years in the late 1940's and he played with the "Wee County" for a period during this time, indeed on one occasion against his beloved Cavan in a National Football League fixture.
On his return to Cavan, Peadar rejoined the county Junior team, with whom he played in 1950 and a year later in 1951 he was right-half-forward on the Senior side beaten by Antrim in that year's Ulster Final. In retrospect, he must be deemed extremely unlucky not to have figured in the county's Senior All Ireland-winning panels in 1947, 1948 or 1952.
During these years, his contribution at club level to Cornafean, both on and off the field, was immense. One of the leading stars on successive Cornafean teams during the 1940's and 1950's, Peadar's finest hour as a footballer was probably in the 1956 County Final when he captained Cornafean to win their 20th Senior Championship title. His inspirational display at midfield in the second half of that final was the key to Cornafean's success over a fancied Bailieboro side.
The Anglo Celt described his display that day as follows:
"It was as a direct result of his tireless promptings that all of
Cornafean's scores came. His wonderful enthusiasm,his cool thinking head, his
great play, meant more to Cornafean in this year's final than an extra man on
the field. By word and example he set the headline."
After the game Peadar received the cup from County Chairman TP O'Reilly, a
unique event in itself as Peadar was Vice-Chairman of the County Board at the
time. His remarkable playing career continued into the 1960's during which time
he remained one of the leaders of the Cornafean senior team. It was not until
1972 that he played his last game for Cornafean, when, aged 51, he appeared in
goals for the Reds in that year's Drumkilly Tournament.
His remarkable career spanned five decades in total, and it
is a measure of Peadar's incredible service as a player to his beloved Cornafean
that he played his first game in the red jersey in 1938, the same year as De
Valera agreed terms with the British Government to end the Economic War, and his
last game for the club was thirty-four years later, in the year when the Irish
people voted to join the EEC.
His considerable accomplishments as a footballer were matched by a long career
of service and achievement as a GAA administrator and legislator, during which
he served both his club and his county with distinction. A County Board delegate
for Cornafean from 1943 to 1956, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Board from
1956 to 1963 and also as Registrar from 1965 to 1967. A gifted orator, he was a
fearless defender of his native club at County Board level and his colourful and
sparkling personality illuminated many a Board meeting during those years. He
also represented Cavan at Congress for many years during that era.
Peadar combined his responsibilities at county level with a deep involvement in the Cornafean club, serving in practically all officer positions for the club over a period of several decades. He first became club Secretary in 1942 and continued in the post until 1947, before returning as Secretary again in 1952. In 1961 he was elected club Chairman and he served in this position until 1965. He again served as Chairman of the club in 1974/75.
The highlight of Peadar's tenure as club Chairman was undoubtedly the acquisition, development and opening by the club of their present grounds in Cornafean, which were officially opened by Mr. Harry Carey, Ulster Council President, on 7th June 1964. The opening ceremony was followed by an intercounty challenge between Cavan and visitors Galway, who went on become All Ireland champions later that year.
The official opening of Pairc Naoimh Fionnain was the culmination of several years hard work by Peadar and his fellow officers, among them Fr. Brian McNamara, Tommy Brady, Tom McSeain and Willie McGibney, who collectively spearheaded a mammoth project of fundraising and developing the new grounds mainly through voluntary labour. The generations who have enjoyed the benefit of the fine facilities at Cornafean Park over the past 38 years owe a massive debt of gratitude to Peadar Doyle and his colleagues.
Throughout the 1960's and 1970's Peadar was also heavily involved as a manager,
coach and selector of many Cornafean teams and his dedication and never-say-die
attitude were invaluable to the club in the difficult years of the late 1970's
and early '80s when the club struggled to survive amidst a severe decline in the
population of its hinterland as a result of emigration and migration.
When the club's fortunes revived in the late 1980's Peadar
was once again to the fore, serving as team manager in the 1988 season, and
grooming an emerging side that was to go on and represent the club with
distinction over the following decade and beyond.
In later years, Peadar continued to be an avid Cornafean and Cavan supporter,
and he regularly attended both club and county fixtures until shortly before his
death. A gifted public speaker, he was a prominent and popular speaker at many
Cornafean GAA functions down through the years, not least in February 2001 when
was one of the guests of honour at the Presentation of the 2000 Junior
Championship medals to the victorious Cornafean team.
Peadar enjoyed wonderful good health in his old age and remained fully active
until the onset of his final illness a number of weeks ago. In recent years
Peadar travelled extensively both in Ireland and abroad with his wife Una.
Indeed only a few months ago, he attended this year's All Ireland Final between
Armagh and Kerry. He took great pride in the achievements of his own family in
all facets of life, not least in the footballing exploits of his sons Seamus,
Brian and Ciaran in the red jersey of Cornafean, since the early 1980's.
If it ever can be said that someone lived life to the full, that tribute
can surely be paid to the great Peadar Doyle.
We extend our deepest sympathy to Peadar's family on their
great loss, to his wife Una, daughters Grainne, Finola, and Eithne, sons
Seamus, Ciaran and Brian, sons in law Edward, Jim and Fergal, daughter in law
Geraldine and future daughter in law Trish, his grandchildren and other
relatives.
There were huge attendances at the Removal of his Remains to St. Patrick's
Church, Drumcor on Tuesday evening last and at the Funeral Mass on Wednesday,
with burial in the adjoining cemetery. After the burial service, his great
friend George Cartwright, Chairman of Cavan GAA County Board delivered a
graveside oration in his honour.
On next Friday night, large numbers of local people will be traveling to
Killeshandra Community Centre where Cornafean will be taking part in the first
round of this year's Cavan Scor na nOg competitions. The pre-Christmas Scor na
nOg shows are always among the highlights of the year in the locality and have
always attracted huge interest in Cornafean and indeed many other areas
throughout the county.
The Cornafean boys and girls have been busy practising for Friday's first round
for several weeks and no doubt all the local acts will produce great
performances on this occasion. A bumper package of entertainment is guaranteed
and the show is likely to attract a capacity attendance. Everyone is welcome and
all local supporters are asked to be there to support our local teams. The show
starts at 8.00pm sharp.
Last Saturday night, Cornafean GAA club held a very successful table quiz in McSeains, with the proceeds in aid of the local Scor na nOg teams. The quiz attracted a large attendance and was enjoyed by everyone who took part.
Well done to Tomas McGlade, PJ McGlade, Margaret McSeain
and Damien O'Reilly who took first prize after a tough contest.
The Vintage Tractor Club of Cornafean are holding a meeting
in McSeains on this Friday night, 6th December at 9.30pm. All members are asked
to attend.
On last Monday week, a new book “All Lovely Kilmore – Its Churches People and Heritage” written by Wendy Swan, Monery was launched in the Kilmore Parochial Hall. This magnificent book has already proved hugely popular amongst local people since it was launched and it is sure to remain a popular favourite over the Christmas period. Its 120 pages include a wealth of local history and folklore and the quality of the finished work is due testament to the huge amount of effort on the part of the author Wendy Swan in producing this wonderful book.
Copies can be obtained, priced at €10 from Gould’s Shop, Crossdoney and other local outlets.
The
Coronea ICA Guild recently held a very
successful charity Whist Drive in Cornafean in order to raise funds for Bóthar,
the Third World development agency. The organisers wish to thank all those who
attended the event and contributed generously to the raffle, those businesses
who sponsored spot prizes and the many people who gave donations to the event. A
total of €781 was raised from the event and this money will be put to very
good use by Bothar in helping those in need in the Third World.
The Cornafean Walking Club are planning a number of walking
events over the Festive Season. Next Sunday, everyone is invited to take part in
a special walk which leaves McSeains at 2.00pm.
On St. Stephen's Day another walk is planned, and this also scheduled to depart
from McSeains at 2.00pm
Deepest sympathy is extended to Mrs. Anne McDermott (nee McGibney), Culliagh, Scamogue, Co. Roscommon and formerly of Corlis on the recent death of her husband Martin, whose Funeral took place in Co. Roscommon recently.
