|
|
LOCAL NEWS ARCHIVE - DECEMBER 2004
[Main
Local News Page]
There has been tremendous joy recently in the Cornafean area since the happy arrival of quadruplets to Gavin and Lukia Hartin, Gowna. Lukia (nee Kaldanis) is of course a native of Quivy, Cornafean and the news of the healthy arrival of the two boys and two girls at the Rotunda Hospital was met with great excitement among her many friends in the area. Probably the proudest and happiest lady in the locality at the moment is the quads’ great-grandmother Mrs Eilish Leddy, Corr and equally delighted are their grandparents Spiro and Meta Kaldanis, and their uncle Tanassi, together with the extended Leddy family and also of course the Hartin family in Loch Gowna.
We congratulate Gavin and Lukia and their families on this especially happy occasion and wish one and all every happiness and success in the years and decades to come.
On St. Stephen's Day, Cornafean GAA club are hosting their annual charity football match in Pairc Naoimh Fionnain. All players are asked to be at the park by 2pm on St. Stephen's Day, and the Sports Hall and Gym will be open from 12 noon. The game will commence at 2.30pm. This event is always a popular and enjoyable occasion, and all players and supporters are welcome. The proceeds of the day will be donated to the Cavan Monaghan Spina Bifida Association.
There was a large turnout of members at the 2004 Annual General Meeting of Cornafean GAA club which was held in the new sports hall on Friday 10th December last. The meeting reflected on a year of contrasting fortunes on the field of play for the club. Among the highlights was the achievement of the local minors combining with their Killeshandra teammates to record a fantastic league and championship double. In contrast there was less cheer at senior level with the club being relegated to junior ranks in both league and championship despite a huge effort by a dedicated and committed squad that endured over eighty training sessions in a lengthy season.
Off the field, the year was a historic one for the club with the opening of the new Sports Hall last November and earlier in the year the club were represented on the double at the All Ireland Finals of Scór.
There were a number of changes in the officer board for 2005 with the energetic Ciaran Weir assuming the post of Vice-Chairman vacated by Padraig Cosgrove, while Brian McCaffrey, for many years a stalwart club player, taking over from Paddy McDermott in the Assistant Secretary post. The officers for 2005 are as follows Chairman PJ McGlade, Vice-Chairman Ciaran Weir, Secretary Rita Martin, Assistant Secretary Brian McCaffrey, Treasurer Sharon Mulligan Assistant Treasurer Ciaran O’Reilly, PRO Tommy McGibney Irish Officer Brian Doyle, Membership Registrar Seamus Doyle.
On next Monday 27th December all roads lead to McSeains, Cornafean for the special " Stars in Your Eyes" Christmas Extravaganza which is organised by Cornafean GAA club. This show was held for the first time last year, and attracted a massive crowd for what turned out to be one of the most enjoyable shows ever held in the locality. The organisers are promising an even bigger and better show this year with a full complement of new acts, and a high standard of entertainment and fun is guaranteed. The event starts at 9.30pm and with a full house expected, patrons are asked to arrive early.
Last September a group of enthusiastic members of Cornafean GAA club, under the direction of Ciaran Weir, organised a highly successful Sponsored Walk from the Cathedral in Cavan town to McSeains in Cornafean. A large band of volunteers took part in the event and made a big effort in doing so to collect funds for St Christopher’s Hospice, Cavan. On last Friday week the fruits of their labours were evident when a cheque for €23,029.65 was presented by Ciaran Weir on behalf of Cornafean GAA club to Paddy Grogan and Jim Lawlor representing the Hospice. Well done to everyone who contributed to this massive and very laudable effort.
There was widespread sadness in the locality last week on the death of Mrs Kathleen Harrington, Drumkeeran, who died in the Omega Nursing Home on Sunday December 12th. Kathleen, who was aged 93, was predeceased by her husband Frank some years ago. A native of Shercock, she came to the locality as a young woman to work as a midwife in the Killeshandra area. Down through the years she assisted at countless births in the locality and she had a well-earned reputation for kindness, helpfulness and skill in her work. There were large attendances of mourners at the Removal of her remains to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Coronea on Monday of last week and at her Funeral Mass on Tuesday. We extend our deepest sympathy to her sons Paddy, Frank (London) and Dessie, her daughter Mrs Vera McArdle (Lough Egish), her sister Mary (Manchester), grandchildren and other relatives.
This year’s Corn Mill Theatre Christmas production is the Gilbert & Sullivan musical comedy, the Mikado. This is the Corn Mill group’s own unique interpretation of this classic show and hence the name the Rale Mikado. The production promises some brilliant singing and is liberally sprinkled with plenty of laughter and a few musical surprises. It promises a great evening’s entertainment for all the family.
You can see this entertaining show on Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th, Thursday 30th and Friday 31st December. This will be the last opportunity for locals and visitors to enjoy this acclaimed show. Bookings can be made on 049 4339612.
The annual Cornafean GAA club New Year’s Eve Dance takes
place once again this year on December 31st, with music by Ian Pickens and his
band. For decades now, this has always been a popular and memorable occasion in
the locality each year and the organisers are hoping that this year’s dance
will be as well-supported as in previous years.
Cornafean
Notes 7 December 2004
High Achiever Award Winner
Congratulations to Amy
Eccleston, Drumcoghill, a talented piano player, who was presented with a High
Achiever Award Certificate by the Royal Irish Academy of Music at an awards
ceremony in the Ramor Theatre in Virginia on Saturday 13th November. This is a
tremendous honour for Amy and for her piano teacher Colette Cronin, Bruskey. We
congratulate Amy, her parents Ralph and Irene and her family on her success and
we wish her every success in her musical career in the future.
Scór
Winners
Congratulations
to the Cornafean Scór na nOg quiz team of Cian Geoghegan, Patrick King and
Seamus Cullen who recently won the county final in the competition held on last
Saturday week in Ballyconnell Community Centre. Despite trailing by a big margin
at the halfway stage, the Cornafean boys made a strong comeback in the latter
stages of the quiz to emerge as winners. Cornafean were also represented in the
county finals by their Ballad Group and they were quite unlucky not to feature
among the winners at the end of the night after producing a wonderful
performance that greatly impressed the capacity attendance in Ballyconnell.
Congratulations to the Drumlane, Drumalee, Mountnugent, Templeport and
Belturbet clubs all of whom brought home county titles on the night, most
particularly to Drumalee who capped a great year in Scór this year by winning
the coveted “best overall club” award for the first time. Although relative
newcomers to Scór, Drumalee have made a tremendous impact in the Cavan Scór
competitions at both juvenile and adult level in recent years and hopefully a
number of new clubs will follow in their footsteps with just as much success in
the coming years.
On last Saturday evening, the Cornafean quiz team and the other Cavan
winners were in action in the Ulster Semi-final in Scotstown, Co. Monaghan where
they faced competitors from Fermanagh and Monaghan in each discipline. Cornafean
finished as runners-up in the quiz competition, with the Fermanagh
representatives having six marks to spare at the end. There has been, to say the
least, a mixed reaction so far to the new format of the Scór Quiz for 2004/05
and unfortunately on Saturday night there was added dissatisfaction amongst
supporters of all three counties with the manner in which the quiz was run.
Regrettably there was also several complaints voiced that the facilities in the
Co. Monaghan venue were not up to the standard expected nowadays at provincial,
or indeed local, level in Scór.
AGM
of GAA Club
The Annual General Meeting of Cornafean GAA club will be
held in the new Sports Hall on this Friday evening, 10th December at 8.30pm. All
members are asked to attend and new members are welcome. The meeting will be
preceded at 7.30pm by the AGM of the Juvenile Committee of the club.
Last September, a very successful charity walk was held in
aid of St Christopher’s Hospice, Cavan with over two hundred people walking or
running the route between Cavan Cathedral and McSeains, Cornafean. On next
Friday night, a cheque for the proceeds of the event will be presented to
representatives of St Christopher’s Hospice at a function in McSeains, to
which everyone is welcome to attend.
The
late Mrs Amy Keith
There was widespread shock and sadness in the locality last weekend
on the death
of Mrs Amy Keith, Legaland, who died on Thursday December 2nd at Cavan General
Hospital. She was predeceased by her husband Henry some years ago. A member of
the Scott family of Clonloskan, Amy operated a grocery shop at her residence in
Legaland for many years and she was well known to many people in the locality
and further afield as a very decent, genuine and friendly woman.
There was a large attendance of mourners at her Funeral Service in St
Feithlimidh’s Cathedral, Kilmore on last Saturday afternoon. We express our
deepest sympathy to her sons Robert, James, David, Wilson and Gordon, her
brother Jimmy Scott, grandchildren and other relatives.
