In the last six weeks we have lost my brother Robert and his (and mine)first cousin also called Robert ,who was a Welshman living near Salisbury in England.And Gary Travers ,Korea Mc Donagh , Larry O Brien' from Tullaghnogue.and Join Hyland.I am suffering from funeral fatigue and not in the best of form.Too many memories.
It was decided that myself and herself would represent the families at the Salisbury funeral ,so we headed via Rosslare via Pembroke Dock across the butt of Wales ,skirting Bath and on to Frome where my wife's sister lives.She is a seventy year old widow who left Templemore at sixteen years of age to seek employment in Frome where her Tipperary born aunt lived for seventy years until her death last year.
I'd say that the users of the M4 across Wales would not be too pleased with MH registrations as I am not a man to put the pedal to the metal at the best of times and prefer to drive off motorways if possible,but this was not on in this journey.
I find that driving on motorways requires absolute concentration at the speeds used on them and must say that the Brits and the Welsh have the M4 well signposted in advance ,so few surprises emerge.And a Sat .Nav. is only a brilliant aid on these long journeys.
And the amount of lorries on them is unreal.From the looks of things if the lorries ceased to travel the country would grind to a standstill within weeks.Lorry drivers are a much under appreciated sector of society it seems to me and are subjugate to such over regulation that it is difficult to see how they put up with it at all.
We rested up in Frome for a day or two and renewed friendships with Dolores,Martina and Judith and Shannon but missed Denise.We were treated like royalty.lovely people.Frome is a hilly agricultural town and the people are friendly ,as far as I can see.
On walkabouts I spotted a man older than myself on a high nelly bike ,sporting a pair of wellies with a rain mac on and with a carrier on the back on which was rested and tied a bag of groceries .You could see similar men in a thousand towns and villages in Ireland.The spit of Joe Mac Cormack or Joe Travers if you like.Must be a genetic connection somewhere, however remote.
On then to Wilton near Salisbury for the funeral which was held in a Church of England Church.We stayed with my cousin Teresa and her husband Pete Truttle a Brit. and native of the area.They gave up their beds for us for the two days and nights we were there.We were treated like royalty by them and our other cousins Gwenda and Sylvia and their families,I cannot speak highly enough of all these cousins of mine and my father's only surviving brother Alan .who at 81 is as sharp as a razor. And healthier by far than mused nearly 20 years his junior.
These are country folk and as sound as they come.Pete is a fierce sound guy and could without any bother morph into any rural village in Ireland and fit right in ,no bother.I was mightily impressed with him.Although younger than me he worked on binders and finger bar mowers drawn by horses in his youth and has a fierce bond with the land from his childhood.
He bears a multitude of medical setbacks with considerable fortitude.Must be the olive oil he so adores.
We drove around the Salisbury plains and saw Stonehenge.There is an outdoor piggery next door to it and there were pagans aplenty parked in the vicinity.
One thing I did notice was the massive size of the fields thereabouts .I would guess that the smallest was over 100 acres and many were well of much greater acreage.Nearly all were grain growing.I learned that most of the agricultural land in England and Wales is owned by a handful of aristocrats and those farming the land lease it from the landowners and rarely own it outright.
In a nutshell the aristocracy stole the land from the natives in England and still have it and lease it back to them.Here it was stolen from the natives but we got it back,.Fair dues us.
Our cousin died tragically.He had a leg removed two years ago and a foot also removed since He was diabetic from a young age and was strict in observing the prescribed medical protocols.He was only 58 years old.
.Concurrently his wife was also suffering her own considerable medical traumas.
My uncle suffered the heartbreak of burying his only and much revered son.And his wife Jo and children Luke,Thomas and Kim and grandchildren Tyler and Georgina were heartbroken also,as you would expect.
My cousins and uncle all live beside each other and are fierce united.At 81 years young he is slowing down a bit and is lucky to have them so close at hand.He is an expert fly fisherman and gives classes to people as far away as Sweden and there were fellow fishermen from Wales at the funeral,which overflowed the Church in South Newton.
This was the first time I attended any service in a Cof E.Church.The Vicar was the precise stereotype depicted in the popular press and media,avuncular,cuddly and as nice as pie.Hymns were interspersed with tributes by the Vicar,a female Churchwoman and the Ex Mayoress of the area.
There was nothing approaching the Catholic Mass nor the Rosary we are all so familiar with here.
And for the record there is absolutely no difference in the Lord's prayer as recited in the Catholic faith and the one I heard.
He was buried afterwards in the adjoining graveyard with his mother who obviously pre deseased him.I imagine that the grave was hand dug as hereabouts.and some graves go back to the 1600 's.
There was light refreshments at a local alehouse afterwards but very little drink was consumed as everybody lives in dread of the local police.
Like hereabouts they hide in ditches and in lay byes to catch their victims.
The rush to criminalise as many people as possible is well under way as there seems to be a move to ban any alcohol whatsoever whilst driving.
So the zealots are everywhere.
We put the wrong coinage in the Toll at the Severn and caused a five minute delay.My ears are still burning from the unheard sneers about the fucking stupid Irish .Mea wifes culpa.
We stopped on the way home in the Angel Hotel in Cardigan ,where my mother worked before I was born over sixty years ago and where she met my father.Nobody remembered her there,.Given her age this was no surprise. And the House where they lived for a while in Gloucester Row is in the news about an attempt to impose parking charges there.
I did harden up somewhat some family history about two great ,great,great great granduncles who were sentenced to penal servitude for life for allegedly killing a neighbour who informed on them for poaching and using tree fall to provide for their own families instead of handing it up to the Landlord.
But more about when I have translated the Welsh language book I was gifted by Alan on the subject.
Home with us through Pembroke where the equivalent for ignorance of a frustrated rhino insulted me when I asked for directions and via Rosslare a short distance from which where the speeding Taliban had a checkpoint to try and criminalise visitors not familiar with our speed limits.
Ireland of the welcomes me hole..
From all the Cardigan Stephenses in Ireland we extend our full sympathies to our Welsh relations.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Dunderry V Castletown IFC 16/08/2014
It being my birthday and all what better way to treat myself than taking in a Football match and hitting the beer afterwards.I won't dwell on the beer side of things other than to say that ere the night was over I waddled like a duck.
In a well appointed Bective we lined out as follows.
Jennings
Carty Harte Newman
Dempsey Jun. Finn Stephens O Shea
Bomber Lukie Martyn
Waters Ted Marty Garry
Kane Paddy Kenneally Baby Doc.
Those in the know reckoned that Castletown were qualified before the match began and that we needed either a draw or a win to qualify.
We are unbeaten in the Championship but are demoted to Div.3 in the League,a situation that is the subject of much head scratching hereabouts.An enigma within a dilemma as Someone said once/.
Castletown are on paper a mu ch better team than us and many peoples favourites to win ultimate honours.Although there is a growing consensus that Ballivor.operating in Div,4 are the emerging favourites.Those that know swear that Tipp man O Halloran.who it is said drove KIldalkey to SHC glory in recent years is now weaving his magic with BAllivor.We shall see.
Rumour has it that Barry Callaghan's son is emulating his dad with Ballivor's under 16,s.
From the throw in and within minutes Town pulled the point trigger and shot over from play.Mistakes aplenty abounded as passes were mistimed before Dempsey drove through and tipped over the equalising score.
As play swung from one end of the field to the other the Town again tipped over a minor .We started to get our game together and scored the next four points in a row before they scrabbled one back to leave the half time score 0-5 to 0-3 in our favour.
Although the play was intense the quality was not top drawer.
The second half resumed as the first ended with the Town first to register.Then Mark Kane broke his cherry and scored his first IFC goal with considerable aplomb and the minimum of fuss.I know full well that his Australian resident sister will be doing cartwheels as she has a fierce interest in the Dunderry teams.
Mark is a coming lad and is game and fast but a bit on the light side at present.Tiochadh se roimh fada.That goal will do his confidence a world of good.
Castletown raised their game and secured another minor before we steadied up with 2 well taken scores thar an treasnan.
Then they took over and we were under sustained and unrelenting pressure as they tacked on three successive points as the end drew near.And they should have drawn the match except that Finn won an impossible ball against the run of play from a marauding Castletown team and we held out by our fingertips for a just about deserved win.
We won by a point on the scoreline 1-7 to 0-9.
Our scorers were Paddy Kenneally (0-4.2.F)Kane (1-0).Dempsey (0-1).Waters (0-1).
Liam Dempsey,J.P.Kenneally ,Slatts and Thomas Doc,were introduced during the second half and played tear parts in securing victory.
The name Bellew is synonymous with Castletown and the tradition continues with sixteen year old William ,eldest son of Liam and Maeve from Mayo playing at number 5,where he held Waiters scoreless until hauled off towards the end.Another Mayo connection is Paul Cribben (number 10) whose father Willie I soldiered with on the playing fields of Fingal and further s afield in years of yore.
The way things worked out was that a resurgent St.Michaels are gone ,much to the relief of all who have qualified.
This was an average game.Jenning kept us in the hunt with three unreal point blank saves.Our half back line was again the bedrock of the team'Midfield did well and both Bomber and Lukie delivered.
The retuning Carty had a good first half and maybe tired a little after that.
Some say that Paddy K.is better than Dowd,Barry Callaghan and Sean Kelly were at his age.My own opinion is that if he can stay injury free he has the brightest of futures.
Time will tell.
We badly miss the emigrated John Kelleher.the injured Davy Mac Cormack and USA resident Stephen Coogan.
With a full squad available we will be a force to be reckoned with.
In a well appointed Bective we lined out as follows.
Jennings
Carty Harte Newman
Dempsey Jun. Finn Stephens O Shea
Bomber Lukie Martyn
Waters Ted Marty Garry
Kane Paddy Kenneally Baby Doc.
Those in the know reckoned that Castletown were qualified before the match began and that we needed either a draw or a win to qualify.
We are unbeaten in the Championship but are demoted to Div.3 in the League,a situation that is the subject of much head scratching hereabouts.An enigma within a dilemma as Someone said once/.
Castletown are on paper a mu ch better team than us and many peoples favourites to win ultimate honours.Although there is a growing consensus that Ballivor.operating in Div,4 are the emerging favourites.Those that know swear that Tipp man O Halloran.who it is said drove KIldalkey to SHC glory in recent years is now weaving his magic with BAllivor.We shall see.
Rumour has it that Barry Callaghan's son is emulating his dad with Ballivor's under 16,s.
From the throw in and within minutes Town pulled the point trigger and shot over from play.Mistakes aplenty abounded as passes were mistimed before Dempsey drove through and tipped over the equalising score.
As play swung from one end of the field to the other the Town again tipped over a minor .We started to get our game together and scored the next four points in a row before they scrabbled one back to leave the half time score 0-5 to 0-3 in our favour.
Although the play was intense the quality was not top drawer.
The second half resumed as the first ended with the Town first to register.Then Mark Kane broke his cherry and scored his first IFC goal with considerable aplomb and the minimum of fuss.I know full well that his Australian resident sister will be doing cartwheels as she has a fierce interest in the Dunderry teams.
Mark is a coming lad and is game and fast but a bit on the light side at present.Tiochadh se roimh fada.That goal will do his confidence a world of good.
Castletown raised their game and secured another minor before we steadied up with 2 well taken scores thar an treasnan.
Then they took over and we were under sustained and unrelenting pressure as they tacked on three successive points as the end drew near.And they should have drawn the match except that Finn won an impossible ball against the run of play from a marauding Castletown team and we held out by our fingertips for a just about deserved win.
We won by a point on the scoreline 1-7 to 0-9.
Our scorers were Paddy Kenneally (0-4.2.F)Kane (1-0).Dempsey (0-1).Waters (0-1).
Liam Dempsey,J.P.Kenneally ,Slatts and Thomas Doc,were introduced during the second half and played tear parts in securing victory.
The name Bellew is synonymous with Castletown and the tradition continues with sixteen year old William ,eldest son of Liam and Maeve from Mayo playing at number 5,where he held Waiters scoreless until hauled off towards the end.Another Mayo connection is Paul Cribben (number 10) whose father Willie I soldiered with on the playing fields of Fingal and further s afield in years of yore.
The way things worked out was that a resurgent St.Michaels are gone ,much to the relief of all who have qualified.
This was an average game.Jenning kept us in the hunt with three unreal point blank saves.Our half back line was again the bedrock of the team'Midfield did well and both Bomber and Lukie delivered.
The retuning Carty had a good first half and maybe tired a little after that.
Some say that Paddy K.is better than Dowd,Barry Callaghan and Sean Kelly were at his age.My own opinion is that if he can stay injury free he has the brightest of futures.
Time will tell.
We badly miss the emigrated John Kelleher.the injured Davy Mac Cormack and USA resident Stephen Coogan.
With a full squad available we will be a force to be reckoned with.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Dunderry V Kilskyre IHC 8/8/2014
It rained a lot last Friday the day of the match.I thought that it might not go ahead.But the Athboy pitch held up well and the match did take place.I thought it unfair that we were expected to play such a vital match the day after three of our starting fifteen had played minor for Meath against Kildare (and won).And Davy Mac has still not recovered from the knavish and sly punch suffered against Kilmainham in the recent A League Football match and was a big loss from our full back line.As it transpired Bruts did the business in his place.A good substitute.
We lined out thus.
Doc
Sprog Finn (C) Bruts
Demps Minor O Shea Minogue
Bomber Lukie
Demps Major Wright Gilkie
Alex Ted Johnnie (Moran)
A fair team on paper and well placed I thought.And we had good subs too,a throw back to the years of yore.And three players who are good were beside me in support in the crowd Ivo,Ownie and Red.
And we would need to be good to best Kilskyre.They are tough ,skilfull ,boisterous and fiercely competitive.But we are no daws either and NEVER shite on the traces in hurling.
Game on so.
We regisrtered a point in the first minute and the body language was good.Then Bruts hit the perfect shoulder and gained possession but was totally in the wrong blown up by the referee.Really these guys would want to up their referring game and apply the rules properly.Kilskyre scored the handy point presented to them.All told I counted4 points scored by Kilskyre from frees that were not frees at all in the first half and the usually placid Dunderry support were incensed by some of the decisions.
Maybe he umpires and linesmen spoke frankly with the referee at half time because he definitely upped his game in the second half and consistently applied the same criteria to both sides.
Then Johnnie Moran persisted in following a hopeless looking ball all the way to the net as it was fumbled by Kilskyre.A nice bonus.
Kilskyre reeled off 4 points on the trot to cancel out the goal and we replied with the next three to regain our lead.They went into the ascendancy again and scored 4 minors to our trow to leave the half time score 1-6 to us against 0-9 to the men from North Meath.
Doc is growing nicely into the goalkeeper role and was having a blinder.The full back line is that mean that they owe money to themselves and they repelled with relish the physical challenges thrown at them by a game Kilskyre unit.
They tried Finn in the shoulder department but he repelled all attempted boarders to the great delight of the Dundery support and rallied his team time and time again.Bruts and Sprog likewise.
Demps minor was showing no aftereffects from the Minor match and was the pick of the half backs in the first half/
Bomber and Lukie are fine athlete's but had their hands full with a kilskyre who had Peadar Byrne prowling with intent.
Gilkie missed one handy and maybe another but regained his focus and was in the main impeccable from placed balls.He will know that at this level EVE Ry free is vital and will work on this .Demps major and Brendan were under pressure,made more acute by persistent instructions from the sideline.
Ted was in his element and roaming far afield but Alex and Johnnie were not getting enough ball to make an impression
This was a tough ,hard and uncompromising game and extremely physical.Oer all they were more accurate than us in the first half and If eared for our guys in the second half.
O me of little faith.Johnny awoke from his temporary slumber and notched the first two points of the second half.Scores were hard to come by and the inaccuracy we were guilty of in the first half now afflicted kilskyre.
Liam Dempsey had switched to advantage to midfield and Lukie went into the half forward line.Liamie won all the puck outs directed to him.Lukie has skill aplenty but played sporadically,maybe a little tired from the previous days match.
Gilkie continued where he left off in the first half and Jordan Martin replaced Alex .who was unlucky to be hauled ashore.
With ten minutes to go we were three points up and,as I suspected it would,the Kilskyre onslaught did materialise.The last ten minutes was sailboarding stuff as they clawed back two points (one of which should have been a goal),but our duck's arse of a full line and goalkeeper manned the dyke to perfection.
We held out to win by 1-11 to 0-13.Johnnie scored 1-2,Gilky 0-7 I think,Demps minor 0-1 I think.and Lukie 0-1 .But I could be wrong.
Great manly display by two fine teams.No place for ladies.
We lined out thus.
Doc
Sprog Finn (C) Bruts
Demps Minor O Shea Minogue
Bomber Lukie
Demps Major Wright Gilkie
Alex Ted Johnnie (Moran)
A fair team on paper and well placed I thought.And we had good subs too,a throw back to the years of yore.And three players who are good were beside me in support in the crowd Ivo,Ownie and Red.
And we would need to be good to best Kilskyre.They are tough ,skilfull ,boisterous and fiercely competitive.But we are no daws either and NEVER shite on the traces in hurling.
Game on so.
We regisrtered a point in the first minute and the body language was good.Then Bruts hit the perfect shoulder and gained possession but was totally in the wrong blown up by the referee.Really these guys would want to up their referring game and apply the rules properly.Kilskyre scored the handy point presented to them.All told I counted4 points scored by Kilskyre from frees that were not frees at all in the first half and the usually placid Dunderry support were incensed by some of the decisions.
Maybe he umpires and linesmen spoke frankly with the referee at half time because he definitely upped his game in the second half and consistently applied the same criteria to both sides.
Then Johnnie Moran persisted in following a hopeless looking ball all the way to the net as it was fumbled by Kilskyre.A nice bonus.
Kilskyre reeled off 4 points on the trot to cancel out the goal and we replied with the next three to regain our lead.They went into the ascendancy again and scored 4 minors to our trow to leave the half time score 1-6 to us against 0-9 to the men from North Meath.
Doc is growing nicely into the goalkeeper role and was having a blinder.The full back line is that mean that they owe money to themselves and they repelled with relish the physical challenges thrown at them by a game Kilskyre unit.
They tried Finn in the shoulder department but he repelled all attempted boarders to the great delight of the Dundery support and rallied his team time and time again.Bruts and Sprog likewise.
Demps minor was showing no aftereffects from the Minor match and was the pick of the half backs in the first half/
Bomber and Lukie are fine athlete's but had their hands full with a kilskyre who had Peadar Byrne prowling with intent.
Gilkie missed one handy and maybe another but regained his focus and was in the main impeccable from placed balls.He will know that at this level EVE Ry free is vital and will work on this .Demps major and Brendan were under pressure,made more acute by persistent instructions from the sideline.
Ted was in his element and roaming far afield but Alex and Johnnie were not getting enough ball to make an impression
This was a tough ,hard and uncompromising game and extremely physical.Oer all they were more accurate than us in the first half and If eared for our guys in the second half.
O me of little faith.Johnny awoke from his temporary slumber and notched the first two points of the second half.Scores were hard to come by and the inaccuracy we were guilty of in the first half now afflicted kilskyre.
Liam Dempsey had switched to advantage to midfield and Lukie went into the half forward line.Liamie won all the puck outs directed to him.Lukie has skill aplenty but played sporadically,maybe a little tired from the previous days match.
Gilkie continued where he left off in the first half and Jordan Martin replaced Alex .who was unlucky to be hauled ashore.
With ten minutes to go we were three points up and,as I suspected it would,the Kilskyre onslaught did materialise.The last ten minutes was sailboarding stuff as they clawed back two points (one of which should have been a goal),but our duck's arse of a full line and goalkeeper manned the dyke to perfection.
We held out to win by 1-11 to 0-13.Johnnie scored 1-2,Gilky 0-7 I think,Demps minor 0-1 I think.and Lukie 0-1 .But I could be wrong.
Great manly display by two fine teams.No place for ladies.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Meath 0-14.Kildare 2-7.MHC.
I mosied along to this game at Trim this evening to see how our guys would perform at this level.Having seen them in action all year with the Club and also once with the County earlier against Wicklow I had no real fears in this regard,but you never know.At this age some guys do freeze and do themselves an injustice.I had no reason to fear at all as it turned out.
I didn't hit Trim until just after half time due to unavoidable delays.At this stage Meath led by 0-9 to 0-4.and were comfortably in control.
Conor Dempsey was at centre half back with number 6 on his back.Lukie Martyn was midfield sporting number 25 and Alex Walsh was at corner forward sporting number 18.On enquiry both had started so I cannot explain the odd numbers fielded by our men.
Mickey Dowdall was a sub.
Just after I landed a Meath player saw red so the remainder of the half was played by Meath with a man down ,14 against 15.
Unlike a bad horse they didn't shit on the traces and battled valiantly to secure a point win.Our boys were mightily impressive,all playing valiantly against the short grass county team who became more dominant as the game progressed.
The tackling was tough and uncompromising and this suited our boys as we do not rear lads with pull back in Dunderry.
And it must be said that both teams put on a top class display on the skills of hurling and the bravery needed to properly display these skills.
Kildare can feel hard done by to lose by a point but it is their own fault as they missed enough scorable chances to win the game.
Meath can feel well pleased with weathering the storm and their selectors never panicked.
Good day for Meath.Great day for Dunderry Hurling.
The large crowd was choc a bloc with the fanatic hurling heads that populate the county ,a breed unto themselves.
I know that my focus is limited soley to how r the Dunderry lads played but there you are.
I didn't hit Trim until just after half time due to unavoidable delays.At this stage Meath led by 0-9 to 0-4.and were comfortably in control.
Conor Dempsey was at centre half back with number 6 on his back.Lukie Martyn was midfield sporting number 25 and Alex Walsh was at corner forward sporting number 18.On enquiry both had started so I cannot explain the odd numbers fielded by our men.
Mickey Dowdall was a sub.
Just after I landed a Meath player saw red so the remainder of the half was played by Meath with a man down ,14 against 15.
Unlike a bad horse they didn't shit on the traces and battled valiantly to secure a point win.Our boys were mightily impressive,all playing valiantly against the short grass county team who became more dominant as the game progressed.
The tackling was tough and uncompromising and this suited our boys as we do not rear lads with pull back in Dunderry.
And it must be said that both teams put on a top class display on the skills of hurling and the bravery needed to properly display these skills.
Kildare can feel hard done by to lose by a point but it is their own fault as they missed enough scorable chances to win the game.
Meath can feel well pleased with weathering the storm and their selectors never panicked.
Good day for Meath.Great day for Dunderry Hurling.
The large crowd was choc a bloc with the fanatic hurling heads that populate the county ,a breed unto themselves.
I know that my focus is limited soley to how r the Dunderry lads played but there you are.