LOCAL NEWS ARCHIVE - JANUARY 2001

Presentation to Under-14’s

On last Friday night, a special function was held in McSeains, at which the victorious Cornafean Under-14 Footballers received their 2000 Roinn D Championship medals. The event was attended by a large gathering of parents and supporters. The speakers included the Co. Board Chairman George Cartwright, the Chairman of Bord Peil na nOg Willie Mimnagh, and Cavan star Bernard Morris, who presented the players with their medals.

All the speakers were loud in their praise for all the young players, each of whom played so well in the Championship campaign last year, and helped bring the Roinn D Cup back to Cornafean, for the first time in fifteen years. Strong hopes were expressed that this panel of talented players will be bringing even more success to Cornafean in the future, at under-16, minor and senior grades.

Handsome tributes were also paid to Caroline Crowe, who trained the team at over 60 practice sessions during the year, for her hard work and commitment throughout the campaign, and to the team’s other mentors, Kevin Geoghegan, Willie Duignan and Benny Duffy for their valuable contributions.

All of the 18 members of the panel were introduced individually to the audience before receiving their medals from Bernard Morris, and a special presentation was also made to Caroline Crowe, in recognition of her role in the team’s success.

Death of Anna May O’Donoghue

There was widespread sorrow and regret in the area last weekend on the death of Mrs. Anna May O’Donoghue (nee Burns), Corr, Cornafean, who died on Friday January 20^th at St. Christopher’s Hospice Cavan.

Anna May was a very friendly, gentle and decent lady, who was held in very high esteem by everyone in the community. She worked for a number of years as a home help in various households in the locality and her kind and obliging nature was greatly appreciated by everyone whom she helped in this capacity. Although she had been in declining health for some time, she was never known to complain and she remained very active until shortly before her death. In her later life she travelled extensively and indeed in the last twelve months of her life she paid visits to the U.S., London and Lourdes. She was predeceased by her husband Philip in January 2000.

There were large attendances at the Removal of her remains to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Coronea, on Saturday evening last, and at the Funeral Mass on Sunday, with burial in Potahee cemetery. Deepest sympathy is extended to her son Joe, daughters Mary, Ann, Frances, and Una, brother and sister, Eugene and Kathleen Burns, (Drumbess), daughter-in-law, grandchildren, nephews, nieces and other relatives.

Scor

The Cavan Senior Scor 2001 competitions will be held next month and Cornafean will be competing in the first round in Killeshandra Community Centre on Saturday February 24^th. The other teams competing on the same night will be Ramor United, Templeport, Munterconnaught, Mountnugent and Killygarry. Best wishes to the Cavan teams who are taking part in the Ulster Scor na nOg finals next Saturday in Strabane, Co. Tyrone.

Dinner Dance

There has been strong demand to date for tickets for the Cornafean GFC Dinner Dance and Presentation of 2000 Junior Championship medals, which will take place in the Pikers Lodge Gowna on Friday 9^th February. The function will also include presentations to newly married couples Johnny and Mary Masterson, Liam and Martina Young, Rory and Margaret McSeain and Martin and Anne McCormack.

A limited number of tickets will be available up to 1^st February, price £15 each, from Rita Martin (049 4335301), Tommy McGibney (049 4337882), Dominic King (049 4337415), and Paddy McDermott (049 4334552). People interested in attending are asked to book their tickets as soon as possible as demand is likely to exceed supply, and the remaining tickets will be allocated strictly on a "first come first served" basis. See Advert elsewhere in this issue.

Monthly Meeting

The January monthly meeting of Cornafean GFC will be held in the clubrooms on next Friday night, 26^th January at 9.30pm All members are asked to attend. END

 News - edited Monday 15 January 2001  

Under-14 Presentation

A special function will be held in McSeain’s on Friday 19^{th January in order to honour the achievement of the Cornafean Under-14 footballers who won the Roinn D Championship title last October. The victorious panel will receive their medals on the night and the presentation will be performed by county star Bernard Morris. The function will commence at 9pm and all are welcome.}

All members of the Cornafean senior football panel are asked to be in Cornafean Park on Sunday next at 2pm for the first training session of the new year.

Cornafean GFC are holding a Dinner Dance and Presentation of the 2000 Junior Championship medals in the Pikers Lodge Gowna on Friday 9th February.

A limited number of tickets will be available up to 1st February, price £15 each, from Rita Martin (049 4335301) Tommy McGibney (049 4337882) Dominic King (049 4337415) and Paddy McDermott (049 4334552). People interested in attending are asked to book their tickets as soon as possible as they have already been in strong demand and the remaining tickets will be allocated strictly on a “first come first served” basis.

Congratulations to Joseph McGlade, Drumgoon, and Geraldine McBride, Gortnacarrow, Newtownbutler, whose wedding took place on Saturday last in Connons Church, Newtownbutler, with a reception in the Hotel Kilmore, Cavan

 News - edited Monday 8 January 2001

 Death of William Magee

There was widespread regret in the locality on the recent death of William (Billy) Magee, Cornamuckla, whose death took place on Monday 1^st January in Cavan General Hospital. He was in his mid-eighties, and was held in high esteem throughout the locality.

There were large attendances of mourners at the Removal of his remains to St. Feidhlimidh’s Cathedral, Kilmore on Tuesday evening, and at the Funeral Service on Wednesday.

Deepest sympathy is extended to his wife Anna, sons, Albert, Karl, and John, daughters Barbara, Lorna, Iris, Pearl and Olwyn, sister Alberta and other relatives.

A special function will be held in McSeain’s on Friday 19^th January in order to honour the achievement of the Cornafean Under-14 footballers in winning the Roinn D Championship title last October. The victorious panel will receive their medals on the night and the presentation will be performed by county star Bernard Morris.

Another date to note for local GAA enthusiasts will be the forthcoming presentation of medals to the local footballers who won last year’s Junior Championship. This will take place at a Dinner Dance in the Piker’s Lodge, Lough Gowna, on Friday 9^th February. Tickets for the function will be going on sale in the coming weeks.

Deepest sympathy toJim McCusker. Lahard and his family on the death of his mother Annie, whose funeral took place in Potahee Church last Thursday.

Congratulations to Kathleen Masterson, Bruse and Cormac O’Donnell, Arva, and to Jimmy McGibney, Corlis, and Laura Murphy, Tramore, Co. Waterford on their recent respective engagements.

 News - edited Monday 1 January 2001

On last Saturday, 30^th December, a special function was held in Cornafean, during which a time capsule, containing a variety of items of local interest, was inserted into the local Millennium Monument. The Arctic weather conditions did not deter the sizeable attendance, and made the occasion all the more unique.

The Monument was erected in late 1999 by the local community Development Association, and unveiled on New Years Day 2000, in order to herald the arrival of the new millennium. At the time it was proposed that a time capsule would be inserted into the monument at a future date, including a collection of items of local interest, to be opened at the end of the 21^st century.

In the intervening year, work commenced on the manufacture of the time capsule, a 2 foot high stainless steel cylinder, 1 foot in diameter, and members of the Association undertook the task of locating and collecting the many items to be stored in the capsule for posterity. This work was brought to fruition on Saturday when committee member Jim Hannon inserted the capsule into the monument.

Earlier, the Chairman of the local Community Development Association, Dessie Harrington, had addressed the gathering, giving an illuminating account of Millennium Monument project, from its initial conception to its completion. He noted that the project was financed entirely from donations received from the people and businesses of the area, without any grant assistance from any outside source. In this regard it is truly a people’s monument. He complimented the people of the area for their generosity and strong support for the project throughout the past year.

Jim Hannon then gave an account of the contents of the time capsule, which include several parcels of various items, including a list of the names of the members of all families now resident in the area, as well as details of all the corporate donors who subscribed to the project. The capsule also contains copies of several publications of local interest including the history of Cornafean GFC "Up the Reds – The Cornafean Achievement", signed by the author George Cartwright; Dean Coombe’s book on the history of Kilmore Cathedral; Fr. Dan Gallogly’s history of Killeshandra parish; the Cornafean Sports Annual of 1983; the souvenir booklet for the 50^th Anniversary celebrations for Coronea Church in 1986; . the Anglo Celt 150^th Anniversary book published in 1996; and the match programme of the 2000 Junior Championship final, as well as a copy of "What if the Dream Come True", a book by Moya Sheridan MacEoin, which gives an account of the career of her uncle, local man Sean Sheridan, who served Cavan as a TD for many years.

Also included is the video produced by the local Vintage Association last year, the "Mountain Road" tape of music by the Cornafean Ceili Group, a copy of "A Study of Cornafean, its People and Antiquites" completed in 1999 by Olivia Harrington, Drumkeeran, among many other items of local interest, including several odds and ends submitted by families for presentation to their descendants in one hundred years time.

In his address, Jim thanked Denis Brady of Multi-Tech Ltd in Mountain Lodge who donated the capsule for the project. Jim also thanked all those who subscribed monies to the project. A list of subscribers is on display in McSeain’s Bar.

Local piper Sean Kelly then led a short parade to the Monument, and Jim Hannon inserted the time capsule into the Monument. Undoubtedly its contents will make for very interesting reading for the people of Cornafean when it is opened on New Year Day 2100.

There was deep regret in the area on the death of Tom Geraghty, Bruse whose death took place on Thursday 28^th December in Cavan General Hospital. He was 82 years old.

A native of Bruse, Tom emigrated to England in the early 1940’s where he pursued a career in the construction industry. On the death of his wife Margaret in 1977, Tom returned home to live in Bruse, where he worked subsequently as a farmer. Throughout his working life, he was regarded as a very industrious man, who was never afraid of hard work, and who was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed his assistance. He was also noted for his friendly, kind and pleasant nature.

He will also be remembered as a keen huntsman. He was a member of the hunt clubs in both Shancor and Cormore and he regularly attended drag hunts throughout the region, winning numerous prizes down the years in hunts in Counties Cavan, Fermanagh and Monaghan.

There was a large turnout of mourners at the Removal of his remains to Coronea Church on Saturday evening, 30^th December, and at the Funeral Mass on Sunday, with burial in the adjoining cemetery. Deepest sympathy is extended to his sister Kathleen, brothers John, Kevin and Patsy, nieces nephews and other relatives.

The Cornafean GFC New Year’s Eve dance in McSeain’s was a great success, and was supported by a capacity attendance, many of whom were home from Dublin or abroad for the festive season. The function was regarded as one of the more enjoyable of such occasions in recent years, even allowing for the absence of much of the excitement which accompanied the Millennium Eve celebrations this time last year.

The first Whist Drive of the new year in Cornafean will be held next Monday night, 8^th January at 8.45pm.

On St. Stephen’s Day, the players of Cornafean GFC emerged from their winter hibernation to participate in the club’s annual charity football match in Pairc Naoimh Fionnain. This turned out to be a very enjoyable affair for everyone involved, and the weather conditions were quite good for this time of year. The proceeds of the game were in aid of the local Senior Citizens Committee, who organised the annual Senior Citizens Party, which was held in McSeain’s just before Christmas.