U8 Girls Football The newest group of ladies in the club is the Under 8s Girls. This is a fantastic group of girls who turn up every Monday buzzing with energy for their weekly training. The skills are developing fast and the girls are very enthusiastic and love their GAA. There have been great improvements made already within the group and we hope to arrange some friendly matches shortly. We are a very happy bunch and we look forward to achieving great things. Team Mentors: Jenny O Doherty & Dara Terry

The Future of Ladies Football is looking so bright

U10 Girls Football The girls Under 10 team was formed in Octo-ber 2003 with 14 enthusiastic girls and by the time they played their 1st match the panel had swelled to 30 players. Throughout the 2004 season the girls did us proud with their enthusiasm, their sporting behaviour and the way they demonstrated their newly acquired skills. We entered 2 teams in the Ger Ca-navan tournament in July and despite not winning their matches, battled bravely to the end and won the admiration of the organisers of the event.

Opening day of the 2005 season was on April 10th and what a show ours girls put on, decisively beat-ing the St. Peregrines opposition. At the time of going to print, our U10 girls squad boast the best record of any club team this year, as they remain unbeaten after 4 league games. Mentors: Patricia Reynolds and Marguerite Walsh.

U16 Boys Football Having avoided relegation last season and still playing in division 4 the team has lost the opening two league games and have also made an early exit from the championship. It has been a par-ticularly difficult start to the season as unlike last year we have not played well in the three games to date. The championship game against Whitehall was fixed for the weekend of the school mid-term break which did not suit us as some players were still away. While things have not gone our way so far we have not been able to field a full strength team in any of the games but expect everybody will be back fit and ready after the Easter break. We are still confident of beating our points total from last year and expect to com-pete in all our remaining games with a full squad available. On the positive side the new training pitch at the clubhouse has been a great facility for the team. We are also confi-dent that we will be represented on the Dublin U16 development squad this year. The welcome development of St Pauls entering a team in the U16 school com-petition and progressing to the semi final and St Fintans school reaching their final, highlights the contribution our team is making to the school teams. Manager U16 Boys 2005 Shay Mc Caffrey

U14 Boys The current under 14 team is one that has shown a huge improvement over the last twelve months. In 2003 they struggled to win any matches. How-ever the boys showed tremendous loy-alty to each other and to the club in

sticking together. They worked hard and they have seen a benefit for their efforts. The footballers finished in the top half of the 2004 league and the highlight for the footballers was in winning the winter league. En route to this triumph they beat teams who only months previous had ham-mered them. This improvement has continued in 2005 and the football-ers are unbeaten thus far in league and championship. The hurlers were coming from a similar starting point. A measure of their improvement last season was in winning their section of the PJ Troy tournament. This winter the boys have worked on improving their skills through training on the new astro pitch in the club. A few games now will develop those skills in match situations. In the past twelve months each player has improved remarkably. With a similar future improvement it is likely that we will see a good number of these boys play on the club’s senior teams and some of them have the potential to repre-sent Dublin in the future. The boys are now preparing for the Feile na Gael in both football and hurling. This is a blitz style tourna-ment which takes in every county in Ireland during May. Most of the current inter-county players have competed in this competition. Our aims for the year are to con-tinue developing the boy’s skills and approach to both football and hurl-ing. This team is capable of winning their sections of the Feile and of achieving promotion in league. Achieving these will be a great re-ward for the team’s work. While the lads train hard in all types of weather they are always looking out for a laugh. As with any

team they know just how far to push the mentors. There are highs and lows and totally ridiculous mo-ments but its funny how the same players tend to be the source of all three, sometimes even in the one session. No names mentioned!!!! The main social event of the year was a trip to Croke Park on 17th September for the first of the two international rules series against Australia. A great day, with plenty of fun and noise to go with the impressive display by the Irish side … no need to say who was making the noise!! Manager U14 Boys 2005 Fran Bates

U14 Girls Football Last year, our Under14’s Ladies team played in Division 2A of the league. The girls competed well and improved with every game through-out the season, but unfortunately, were just on the wrong side of the scoreboard on too many occasions. Our Captain last year, Ruth Rey-nolds, lead by example and made a scoring debut for Clontarf’s senior Ladies team and won medals as a member of the Leinster and All-Ireland winning Dublin Under 14’s team – congratulations Ruth! This year, assisted by Kevin Devine and captained by the very capable Megan Casey, we’ve been training away and have already met Raheny in a challenge match. We have a good crew graduating up from last years under 12’s, and we’re still retaining some very strong players from last years panel, so we’re look-ing forward to some better results this season in Division 3 North. Again, a special word of thanks to Sue Lillis for her continuous hard work. Manager U14 Girls 2005 Louis O’Donoghue

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Featuring Club news, fixtures, results, team photos, etc.

Got suggestions for a better service?, please send an email to info@clontarfgaa.com

Clontarf Credit Union

Opening hours Monday & Thursday – 2 to 4 pm

Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday – 10 to 12 noon

Frank Doran House 3 Churchgate Avenue

Phone: 833 1687 Fax: 853 1592

e-mail: clontarfcu1@eircom.net

Serving Clontarf Community Since 1962 and

Proud Sponsors Of Clontarf GAA Club (Ladies Football, U14 Girls, U16 Girls and U9 Boys)

Our services include

• Free life insurance on shares saved up to age 70 • Dividend paid on shares saved - currently 2% • Free loan protection up to age 80 • Interest paid on reducing loan balance • Rebate on interest repaid on loans • No charges/fees payable on any transactions

Why should you join the Credit Union?

Wishing Clontarf GAA Club Every Success For The Future

the recruitment of mentors – so if your interest is coaching, ad-ministration, first aid, support, travel or any form of assistance that could help us please do not hesitate to contact us! The goals for Clontarf GAA Club at the moment are to build on all the great work that has gone before. Increasing and maintain-ing playing numbers is of utmost importance to us. A simple measure of fun for players is their willingness to return and continue to play. With the club’s fantastic facilities available to all teams it is our challenge to im-prove the quality of coaching, mentoring and play for Clontarf GAA Club. From the amazing numbers at the Saturday morn-ing nursery to social football on a Friday evening participating numbers, fun and the quality of the process and not our perform-ance is my vision for the club. With continued hard work and dedication from all involved Clontarf GAA Club can only go from strength to strength.

- Brian Mc Cormack

Clontarf GAA Club formally ac-quired their own Games Promo-tion Officer on Monday October 4th 2004. This person is Brian McCormack…………. Profile Hi! My name is Brian McCormack. I am 23 years old and from just outside Navan, Co.Meath. I at-tended St.Patrick’s Classical School Navan and followed on to Dublin City University where I completed a degree in Business Studies in May 2004. I am a member of the Walterstown club on the Dunshaughlin side of Navan and I also play rugby for Navan RFC. I have extensive underage foot-ball experience having repre-sented Meath at all levels from U14 to senior in the O’Byrne Cup in 2001. I was a member of the first St.Patrick’s Classical School Hogan Cup (All-Ireland Colleges) winning team in 2000. Following this I represented the DCU Siger-son side for four years and cap-tained the DCU Sigerson side of 2004. In 1999 I was a member of the first Irish U17 International Rules side to tour Australia and in 2000 I represented the Irish Youths rugby side in the Four Nations Tournament held in Dublin. I have played rugby for Navan RFC and gaelic football for Walterstown since the age of 6. My other inter-ests include golf and I am a mem-ber of Headfort Golf Club in Kells. My interest in Gaelic Games ad-ministration began in DCU where I was Chairman of the DCU GAA Club in 2003/4. I also assisted in the coaching of Fresher and Si-gerson sides in the college. I have

extensive experience of many of the top coaches in Ireland and in my role as GPO for Clontarf GAA Club I aim to pass such knowledge on; Padraig Nolan, Colm O’Rourke, John Tobin, Paul Kenny, Rob O’Malley, Niall Moyna, Sean Boylan, Paddy Carr, Mickey Whelan and Joe McDonagh. Present & Future As GPO for Clontarf GAA Club my job contains coaching gaelic games in the local schools both primary and secondary, assist-ing coaching of the club sides, the running of coach education programmes and general pro-motion of gaelic games for the club. Throw in running holiday period camps and my time is well spent! Projects which I have commenced work on in-clude development of gaelic games in non-traditional playing schools, the resurrection of camogie for the club and the running of Foundation Level coaching courses for all our mentors. Priorities today include maintaining the excellent pro-gress of the ju-venile girls sec-tion within the club along with the further im-provement of our amazing nursery. The dedication shown by all mentors in-volved from age 4 to 40 is in-credible and deserves the highest amount of praise. A regular activity of any club is

Full time Games Promotion Officer Appointed

Clontarf GAA GPO Brian McCormack keeping a watchful eye over the nursery on a

Saturday morning.

First solve each of the 8 riddles listed below, by unscrambling the letters in BOLD CAPITALS. Then to beat the TOP TEASER you must unscramble the letters surrounded by the blue line to get a Dublin hero who “catches high and keeps 'em out”.

Email your answer to info@clontarfgaa.com before closing date 1st July 2005.

Prizes sponsored by “An Siopa” 1st Prize - €50 voucher 2nd Prize - €30 voucher 3rd prize - €20 voucher

1. Be careful you don’t concede too many frees to this Clontarf HYALE, he’s sure to punish you. 2. TRY MINCE gets the loudest Good Morning Mister in the country every Saturday, from the biggest crowd found

anywhere in Clontarf 3. GLOVEREB, where we all went, surrounds the clubhouse 4. The LIKE and NINK are well used to winning the McCarthy Cup. 5. For sunburnt horses the TABLE DRESS might be home in St Anne's Park 6. So many folk GO to SEE the DARREN beside the Nursery in the park. 7. If you want to keep the sheet clean for Dublin, send for NOX CULT 8. DIG the way the BRAIN SITS for this club that shares the Clontarf colours.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Can you beat the TOP TEASER and win a prize?

Who says being a Clontarf mentor is NOT stressful!?

Helping People to do their Best: Psychology in Action 8th June 2005—Belgrove Boys School Hall

Joint promotion, Belgrove Senior Boys Parents’ Association and Clontarf GAA Club

Professor Aidan Moran works in UCD’s Department of Psychology whose primary area of interest is sports psy-chology. He has worked with many high level athletes and teams. He is an absorbing and fascinating public speaker and also a friend of Clontarf GAA Club. This lecture will address the broad issue of motivating children and will cover topics such as: • Advice for parents on how to motivate their children in all aspects of their behaviour • The general structures and guidelines within a sports club that can help motivate young players • Techniques that can facilitate self motivation This talk will be of interest to parents, teachers and sports club mentors.

Profile on our Clubperson of the Year—Sue Lillis

For Sue Lillis all the hard work spanning almost a decade came at the end of a thrilling county final last September. 40 years old, but a champion at last. Junior B champions, Clontarf , captain Sue Lillis. Sue was a late developer, she only started to play football at 29 years of age. In the time that has passed since, she has watched the GAA in Clontarf flourish both on the club front as well as spear-head the way ladies football is run and perceived. Sue doesn't really do promises but until the Clontarf ladies team are competing at senior level one suspects that she won't rest easy. Last September’s championship victory cannot be seen as means to an end but merely the start of something new. Ladies football was played in Clontarf for the first time in 1996 and in the time since then the club have been in three finals winning on one occasion. Willie Lillis and Noel Hickey have been with the team throughout as has Sue and Brenda Murray. Promotion to intermediate ranks was to come at the end of 2001 but as results were unfavourable, a return to the junior ranks was sought and subse-quently granted. Sue took the decision at that stage that second place was not good enough and things were to be pushed on. This led to the most successful season yet in 2004. "We lost only three matches last season and to be honest that was due to our own mistakes more than anything. People don’t’ normally expect much from junior B football but some of the Dub-lin senior players watched our final last year and they just could not believe the standard." The commitment Sue gives to the cause cannot be put into words. It’s just a pity that she didn't play football at an earlier age because lets not confuse matters she would have lined out in the county jersey. The club bestowed the "club person of the year "upon Sue at the end of last year. According to Sue the award came as a bolt out of the blue. "I was so embarrassed at this, I'd won the player of the match in the final and the girls made another presentation to me on the night of the awards but the person of the year was totally unexpected. I could not ever have seen myself as person of the year. I am just grateful to have been involved. I was totally overwhelmed. I'm really not the better of it.” So here's to Clontarf GAA premier lady, if the club is to progress in the future its more people like Sue Lillis that are needed to drive it on. Interview by RTE’s Siobhan Madigan

GAA Legends Micheal Ó’Muircheartaigh and Sue Lillis