The death of my brother Robert has knocked the stuffing out of me,I am getting it hard to create the sort of stuff that came easily to me before he died.Never a great man to beat around the bush i find myself getting more direct and cruder by the day.Hopefully this will pass and normal production will resume a.s.a.p.
Oremus.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
We won by a point.
We qualified for I.H.C.Final by beating Ratoath by a point today.This despite the worst display of bad rereering I have yet witnessed at this level in either Hurling or Camogie in over 50 years.
Fulll report in due course.
Fulll report in due course.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
"It's a great pipe."
"Me father said that he got a new pipe and to give this one to you .""He says its a great pipe."
"Tell your father thanks and tell him I said if it was any good he wouldn't give it to me."
"I will so."
Such was the message delivered by my uncle Joe to Auld Mac's friend Kit Brierty's and the friend's response sixty years ago or more.
They remained firm friends until death separated them.
When they met up in a hardware store after the friend's wife had her one and only son after a long and hard campaign he suggested to Auld Mac that he might buy something for the baby."And what could you buy for a new baby in a Hardware store?
"A wheelbarrow " he said."The wife could use it as a pram and when he gets older he can use it himself to make a few bob."
In Dunderry the craic never ends.
"Tell your father thanks and tell him I said if it was any good he wouldn't give it to me."
"I will so."
Such was the message delivered by my uncle Joe to Auld Mac's friend Kit Brierty's and the friend's response sixty years ago or more.
They remained firm friends until death separated them.
When they met up in a hardware store after the friend's wife had her one and only son after a long and hard campaign he suggested to Auld Mac that he might buy something for the baby."And what could you buy for a new baby in a Hardware store?
"A wheelbarrow " he said."The wife could use it as a pram and when he gets older he can use it himself to make a few bob."
In Dunderry the craic never ends.
Last chance salon for Senior status.
Tomorrow at 11.30 we take on the metropolis of Rathoath in Trim in the Intermediate Hurling Championship semi final .We need to win this and the Final to get to senior status.
These guys,mostly dual players deserve our wholehearted support in this game and have burst a gut to get this far.
I'd say that this will be the last year for a number of the more senior players.
For the decades of exemplary service they have given the Club they deserve our fullest support.
Bi ann.
These guys,mostly dual players deserve our wholehearted support in this game and have burst a gut to get this far.
I'd say that this will be the last year for a number of the more senior players.
For the decades of exemplary service they have given the Club they deserve our fullest support.
Bi ann.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
O Mahony's/Woulfe Tones 6-20.Dunderry 0-4.
Dunderry draw from c.500 houses.The combination opposition have the pick of all houses from the greater Navan area as far as Kingscourt and all parishes in between.David v Goliath.
The smallest combination man dwarfed our biggest boy.It was young and skillful men versus smaller and physically weaker,but game to the last puck , garsuns/
I know the huge effort that has been put into juvenile hurling over the years by dedicated and inventive coaches.I was one myself for yonks.
I'd say Timber Leavy ,who was prowling the line with intent on Wednesday night in the Showgrounds has put in more than most this last decade Reminded me of a younger Coady.
This was a total mismatch if ever there was one.
Hard to see how the game of hurling is promoted by such a travesty.
The organising committee needs to examine its conscience and apply some modicum of real competition to its competing teams.
I;d say that there are dozens of soccer teams in this age group from Navan to Kingscourt and all areas in between .This sort of mismatch is one of many reasons why.This is not any incentive to our guys to keep at promoting the game.
Nor can it be good for the kids involved.
Many will marvel at the replay of the Hurling All Ireland this coming weekend.
Unless the Authorities try and reintroduce the ancient game across vast swathes of Meath it will become a distant memory there in a few generations.
High time to pull the finger out at County and Provincial level.
Dunderry Team.
Niall O Leary.
Jack Feeney Lee Walsh
Eoin Ryan Ronan Brady Cormac Heffernan
Shane Heffernan Donaugh O leary
Paul Maxwell Conor Leavy Diarmuid Curran
Adam Kelly Dermot Kelly
Introduced.Brian Welsher.
I take my hat off the the players who gave their all right to the bitter end , to the mentors who gave their all for the year,to the parents who turned out in numbers and to the Dunderry supporters who never let the side down.
These dedicated Dunderry boys , men and women will persevere and keep the flag flying .
The smallest combination man dwarfed our biggest boy.It was young and skillful men versus smaller and physically weaker,but game to the last puck , garsuns/
I know the huge effort that has been put into juvenile hurling over the years by dedicated and inventive coaches.I was one myself for yonks.
I'd say Timber Leavy ,who was prowling the line with intent on Wednesday night in the Showgrounds has put in more than most this last decade Reminded me of a younger Coady.
This was a total mismatch if ever there was one.
Hard to see how the game of hurling is promoted by such a travesty.
The organising committee needs to examine its conscience and apply some modicum of real competition to its competing teams.
I;d say that there are dozens of soccer teams in this age group from Navan to Kingscourt and all areas in between .This sort of mismatch is one of many reasons why.This is not any incentive to our guys to keep at promoting the game.
Nor can it be good for the kids involved.
Many will marvel at the replay of the Hurling All Ireland this coming weekend.
Unless the Authorities try and reintroduce the ancient game across vast swathes of Meath it will become a distant memory there in a few generations.
High time to pull the finger out at County and Provincial level.
Dunderry Team.
Niall O Leary.
Jack Feeney Lee Walsh
Eoin Ryan Ronan Brady Cormac Heffernan
Shane Heffernan Donaugh O leary
Paul Maxwell Conor Leavy Diarmuid Curran
Adam Kelly Dermot Kelly
Introduced.Brian Welsher.
I take my hat off the the players who gave their all right to the bitter end , to the mentors who gave their all for the year,to the parents who turned out in numbers and to the Dunderry supporters who never let the side down.
These dedicated Dunderry boys , men and women will persevere and keep the flag flying .
Sunday, September 21, 2014
New Ass in Churchtown.
History was made,as far as I know,when an ass foal was born in Churchtown today.The proud mother Tilly and father Obama were present at the birth.Readers will know that Tilly was most definitely not impressed when Obama came on the scene and used kick the s.... out of him at even the most innocuous advance.That she was as big and a half his size tilted the scales very much in hes favour.
For a time I thought she was in fact a mule passing herself off as an ass and this might explain her stubbornness ,which I thought that Obama's attentions might placate.(For the record she hasn't got any less ornery ,which goes to prove that even marriage cannot change some ).
Anyhow after an 11 month gestation period she gave birth to a female foal during the week.She is all legs and thriving and Tilly is minding her something awesome.
I have called her (with some help from my Grandchildren )Princess Beyonce.(Emily suggested "Princess "the "Beyonce" is all mine and relates to her legginess.
My good Dunderry friend Evelyn O Shea (nee Gallagher ) who regularly reads my blog will be invited to the official naming ceremony and allowed pour the celebratory champagne to launch the new addition on her life.
I am told by those who know that asses don't tally in girting down and dirty again after a birth and that about nine days after are at it hard and heavy again.
Artificial methods of birth control are out of the question for obvious reasons (They don;t make them that big ) so the tried and trusted total abstaining method will be employed.
The parents will have to earn their keep now as the Cavan farmer said to the bull when yoking him Io the plough and reminding him that there was more to life than pleasure.
For a time I thought she was in fact a mule passing herself off as an ass and this might explain her stubbornness ,which I thought that Obama's attentions might placate.(For the record she hasn't got any less ornery ,which goes to prove that even marriage cannot change some ).
Anyhow after an 11 month gestation period she gave birth to a female foal during the week.She is all legs and thriving and Tilly is minding her something awesome.
I have called her (with some help from my Grandchildren )Princess Beyonce.(Emily suggested "Princess "the "Beyonce" is all mine and relates to her legginess.
My good Dunderry friend Evelyn O Shea (nee Gallagher ) who regularly reads my blog will be invited to the official naming ceremony and allowed pour the celebratory champagne to launch the new addition on her life.
I am told by those who know that asses don't tally in girting down and dirty again after a birth and that about nine days after are at it hard and heavy again.
Artificial methods of birth control are out of the question for obvious reasons (They don;t make them that big ) so the tried and trusted total abstaining method will be employed.
The parents will have to earn their keep now as the Cavan farmer said to the bull when yoking him Io the plough and reminding him that there was more to life than pleasure.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Come on the Paddies
Irish men and women gave thr lives for the right of self determination over many centuries,The Scots as a nation hadn't the liathroidi to vote in sufficient numbers to be free,Shame on them'
Shame on ex Irishman Bob Geldorf who is now paying for the soup he took in accepting a Knighthood from the Empire in advocating for Scotland to stay subgutated.
Now it is clear where "Banana Republic "came from.
Shame on ex Irishman Bob Geldorf who is now paying for the soup he took in accepting a Knighthood from the Empire in advocating for Scotland to stay subgutated.
Now it is clear where "Banana Republic "came from.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Dunderry V Ballinlough IFC 14/09/2014
On a cool and almost windless Sunday evening in Moylough this much anticipated Quarter final went ahead before a large crowd.This was a unique setting for such a game,being next door to Ballinlough as it is and the local GAA Club had pulled out all the stops to ensure quick admittance to the grounds for the many travelling patrons.
The surface was good and the pitch is damnable tight.
Dunderry and Ballinlough are similar in every way.Both are rural clubs to which emigration has not been kind.Huge efforts go into promoting the game and keeping the Clubs afloat.Both have their share of fanatical and critical supporters.Both promote the dual games of hurling and football ,albeit Kilskyre seperately represents this corner of North Meath in the hurling stakes.
The inter club rivalry is intense and both are hovering betwixt Senior and Intermediate in recent decades.
In 2005,when I managed Dunderry ,we were consigned to Intermediate status after a playoff involving Ballonlough,where we have lingered since, despite making the playoffs most years since.Ballinlough followed suit shortly afterwards.Very few rural clubs survive for any length of time at Senior level.
Worryingly we have drifted down the Divisions in underage football.A dozen years ago or so we were competing in the top divisions.More recently we hover nearer the bottom of the pile.Ballinlough .I understand are even worse off having to amalgamate with others to field.
We would see who coped best with these altered circumstances today.
Last year for a variety of reasons eight players from our panel retired.Stephen O Rourke and his co selectors were brave men to take on the job in theses circumstances and surprised many by arriving at this stage unbeaten.
The emigration of John Kelliher , the unavailability of Davy Mac Cormack and Damian Clarke through injury during the latter part of the campier and the sojourn of Stephen to the USA for the summer must have had a negative impact on preparation.
Only Jennings ,Davy Mac,Finn,Harte,Swiss and Bob Doc remained from the 2005 team.
All answered the call to keep at it for another year to try and keep the flag flying,despite aching bodies and playing in unfamiliar positions ,after up to 16 years labouring in the vineyard without success.
True albumen one and all.
Team.
Jennings
A.Newman (C) S.Harte Davy Mac Cormack.
C.O.Shea Finn Stephens C.Dempsey
Bomber Farrell Lukie Martyn
A.Watters, Ted Dowd Simon Carty
Bob Doc P:Kenneally S,Coogan ,
From the very start Ballinlough laid out their stall,They kept 13 men the goal side of the ball thus making space at a premium in an already tight pitch. They stuck rigidly to this plan right to the end ,keeping possession as long as possible and releasing the ball only to the forlorn figures in the forward line when on the break.
Our boys tried to counter this by playing wide.
It was down to a game of good ball handling and making good use of the few shooting chances that came the way of each team.
We were off the mark for the first two points but lost our nerve and they registered the next four in succession.
Worryingly Paddy Kennelly .who is our major scorer all summer by a country mile ,was missing scores he would normally put over in his sleep. It was not as though he was crowded out of it ,but at twenty tender years of age there is huge expectation on his young shoulders and the day we all dreaded ,when he would have an off day, had arrived. Truth to tell his scores got us this far in the first place,
And he was not alone in this.We kinda panicked ,even at this early stage.The dismissal of young Dempsey on a black card had an unsettling effect ,even if his replacement Swiss went on to have a fine game ,
We rallied somewhat in the closing minutes of the half outscoring them by two points to one leaving the score at the half time score 0-5 to 0-4 in their favour.
Any ones game I thought and we would surely improve on the shooting front in the second half.
Even at that stage it seemed clear that the first team to get a goal would win on balance,
Our a shooting improved ,but only marginally thereafter and we registered a further seven points in the half but missed a good deal .Coogan took over the free taking duties with immediate effect and more success and made his mark.
They kept to their game plan and plugged away getting 8 scores to our seven but crucially one of theirs was a goal half way during the half.
The selectors then threw the kitchen sink at it replacing the two midfielders,Watters and Bob with Liam Dempsey,Colm Harte,Marty Garry , Mark Kane and J.P.Kenneally and while we did get within a couple of points in the final minutes we just were not sharps enough to catch up.
They won on the scoreline of 1-12 to 0-11.
Yes sir.The goal done for us.
That and 14 wides and 7 shots into the goalkeeper's g hands.
Men of the game to me were Jennings,Davy Mac,Finn,O Shea,Swiss ,Coogan and P Kennneally.
The older guys were the best and they must stay on and give it one more try at least,however disappointed they are momentarily.
The potential of the younger guys has yet to be realised and one hopes they have the requisite dedication and perseverance to do the hard work necessary to achieve it,
Given the lower divisions in which they laboured at underage they are great to be as good as they are actually.
It goes without saying that Stephen and crew ought stay on for one more year at least.
Unlike in 2005 there will be no one abusing them orally nor organising coups to get rid of them.
Yep this elephant does not forget.Wherever about forgiving .
The surface was good and the pitch is damnable tight.
Dunderry and Ballinlough are similar in every way.Both are rural clubs to which emigration has not been kind.Huge efforts go into promoting the game and keeping the Clubs afloat.Both have their share of fanatical and critical supporters.Both promote the dual games of hurling and football ,albeit Kilskyre seperately represents this corner of North Meath in the hurling stakes.
The inter club rivalry is intense and both are hovering betwixt Senior and Intermediate in recent decades.
In 2005,when I managed Dunderry ,we were consigned to Intermediate status after a playoff involving Ballonlough,where we have lingered since, despite making the playoffs most years since.Ballinlough followed suit shortly afterwards.Very few rural clubs survive for any length of time at Senior level.
Worryingly we have drifted down the Divisions in underage football.A dozen years ago or so we were competing in the top divisions.More recently we hover nearer the bottom of the pile.Ballinlough .I understand are even worse off having to amalgamate with others to field.
We would see who coped best with these altered circumstances today.
Last year for a variety of reasons eight players from our panel retired.Stephen O Rourke and his co selectors were brave men to take on the job in theses circumstances and surprised many by arriving at this stage unbeaten.
The emigration of John Kelliher , the unavailability of Davy Mac Cormack and Damian Clarke through injury during the latter part of the campier and the sojourn of Stephen to the USA for the summer must have had a negative impact on preparation.
Only Jennings ,Davy Mac,Finn,Harte,Swiss and Bob Doc remained from the 2005 team.
All answered the call to keep at it for another year to try and keep the flag flying,despite aching bodies and playing in unfamiliar positions ,after up to 16 years labouring in the vineyard without success.
True albumen one and all.
Team.
Jennings
A.Newman (C) S.Harte Davy Mac Cormack.
C.O.Shea Finn Stephens C.Dempsey
Bomber Farrell Lukie Martyn
A.Watters, Ted Dowd Simon Carty
Bob Doc P:Kenneally S,Coogan ,
From the very start Ballinlough laid out their stall,They kept 13 men the goal side of the ball thus making space at a premium in an already tight pitch. They stuck rigidly to this plan right to the end ,keeping possession as long as possible and releasing the ball only to the forlorn figures in the forward line when on the break.
Our boys tried to counter this by playing wide.
It was down to a game of good ball handling and making good use of the few shooting chances that came the way of each team.
We were off the mark for the first two points but lost our nerve and they registered the next four in succession.
Worryingly Paddy Kennelly .who is our major scorer all summer by a country mile ,was missing scores he would normally put over in his sleep. It was not as though he was crowded out of it ,but at twenty tender years of age there is huge expectation on his young shoulders and the day we all dreaded ,when he would have an off day, had arrived. Truth to tell his scores got us this far in the first place,
And he was not alone in this.We kinda panicked ,even at this early stage.The dismissal of young Dempsey on a black card had an unsettling effect ,even if his replacement Swiss went on to have a fine game ,
We rallied somewhat in the closing minutes of the half outscoring them by two points to one leaving the score at the half time score 0-5 to 0-4 in their favour.
Any ones game I thought and we would surely improve on the shooting front in the second half.
Even at that stage it seemed clear that the first team to get a goal would win on balance,
Our a shooting improved ,but only marginally thereafter and we registered a further seven points in the half but missed a good deal .Coogan took over the free taking duties with immediate effect and more success and made his mark.
They kept to their game plan and plugged away getting 8 scores to our seven but crucially one of theirs was a goal half way during the half.
The selectors then threw the kitchen sink at it replacing the two midfielders,Watters and Bob with Liam Dempsey,Colm Harte,Marty Garry , Mark Kane and J.P.Kenneally and while we did get within a couple of points in the final minutes we just were not sharps enough to catch up.
They won on the scoreline of 1-12 to 0-11.
Yes sir.The goal done for us.
That and 14 wides and 7 shots into the goalkeeper's g hands.
Men of the game to me were Jennings,Davy Mac,Finn,O Shea,Swiss ,Coogan and P Kennneally.
The older guys were the best and they must stay on and give it one more try at least,however disappointed they are momentarily.
The potential of the younger guys has yet to be realised and one hopes they have the requisite dedication and perseverance to do the hard work necessary to achieve it,
Given the lower divisions in which they laboured at underage they are great to be as good as they are actually.
It goes without saying that Stephen and crew ought stay on for one more year at least.
Unlike in 2005 there will be no one abusing them orally nor organising coups to get rid of them.
Yep this elephant does not forget.Wherever about forgiving .
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Only possible now to go Senior in Hurling
We were deservedly bet by Ballinlough last Sunday in ther football.Report soon.
All energy now into Hurling.
Sunday week we meet raging favourites Ratoath.(At least I think its Sunday week )
All energy now into Hurling.
Sunday week we meet raging favourites Ratoath.(At least I think its Sunday week )
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Nail biting times for Gaelic games in Dunderry.
WE have three Intermediate teams in Dunderry,Camogie ,Football and Hurling.I hope and pray for 3 Senior teams.We are capable.
Not this year unfortunately .
Camogie will be as is for another year due to the farcical format of the Championship where a single round system of a very few games has been confirmed by Leinster Council at the behest of Boardsmill and Kildalkey ,I am informed.
As regards Hurling and football we are still in the hunt and at the knockout stages.
Hope springs eternal.
Not this year unfortunately .
Camogie will be as is for another year due to the farcical format of the Championship where a single round system of a very few games has been confirmed by Leinster Council at the behest of Boardsmill and Kildalkey ,I am informed.
As regards Hurling and football we are still in the hunt and at the knockout stages.
Hope springs eternal.
Dunderry v Gael Colmcille IHC 8/9/2014
This quarter final took place on a Monday night in a resplendent Pairc Tailteann under lights.Monday nights are not a great idea for attracting crowds.Only the diehards showed up.The Monday setting may have been because four of our guys were with the Meath minor hurling panel the previous Saturday in their unsuccessful tilt at the B final where they were beaten by Kerry.
Conor Dempsey and Lukie Martyn played and Alex Walshe and Mickey Dowdall were subs.The latter two are underage again next year,
The melting pot that Dunderry has become is well illustrated by the fact the fathers of all four are from outside the Parish.
I have the height of respect of Kells as they are passionate about their games and would take nothing for granted,so it was with some trepidation that I looked forward to the game.
Team.
Doc
Sprog Finn ( Capt.) Davy Mac
Minogue O Shea Dempsey Junior
Bomber Liamie
Ted Jordan Gilkie
Johnnie Moran Alex Lukie.
Bruts and Wright were unavailable because of injury and suspension respectively.Wright was hard done by as he instinctively responded to a a very late pull by the Moylough centre back in the previous match, His got a savage smack.
Bruts has a broken collar bone.
I'd say that Kells miss Shine.
Both team's were nervous initially and we struck first with a well taken point.Kells scored the next two and we repeated the dose and then they got the next two establishing a pattern that was to prevail for the rest of the half.
With both teams settling and gauging the style of the referee the hurling opened up and we reeled off four on the trot before they clawed back two in the run up to half time.
Our back line was solid as a rock with Finnn leading like a captain should and O Shea fully expressing his full array of talents and courage.
And in this they were only marginally ahead of their supporting cast in the back line all of whom were impressive.
Midfielder held their own and Liam's ball winning was impressive.Gilkie was deadly from frees and open play and is improving all the time.Jordan was resettling into his stride after a long injury fuelled lapse and the other were struggling manfully against an impressive Kells rearguard.
We went in at the break a point ahead at 0-7 to their 0-6.At his we g had spurned a number of scoring chances and should have been more ahead.
The second half took up as the first ended with neither team able to pull away from the other.until half way during the half when with the help of Gilkie's immaculate free taking we gradually snuk into a permanent lead.Ted got line as did the Kells twelve so it ended up fourteen a side.
Let me stress that there was no dirt at all in this match.And the referee frustrated both sets of fans equally.Either a good sign of a bad one,who knows.
We won the half by 7 points to 3 to run out winners on the scoreline 0-19 to 0-14 a fair enough result on the night.
Backs and midfield were good but there is room for improvement in the forwards.
Aside from one easy miss Gilky was immaculate,Alex tenacious and TED boisterous.Lukie ,Johnie and Jordan wee quiet by their own standards.
Gilkie scored 0-10.including frees and 65's.
Liamie scored the first point of what I hope is many ,Alex and Lukie at least one apiece I forget who scored the rest.
Dooley got a late run.
Conor Dempsey and Lukie Martyn played and Alex Walshe and Mickey Dowdall were subs.The latter two are underage again next year,
The melting pot that Dunderry has become is well illustrated by the fact the fathers of all four are from outside the Parish.
I have the height of respect of Kells as they are passionate about their games and would take nothing for granted,so it was with some trepidation that I looked forward to the game.
Team.
Doc
Sprog Finn ( Capt.) Davy Mac
Minogue O Shea Dempsey Junior
Bomber Liamie
Ted Jordan Gilkie
Johnnie Moran Alex Lukie.
Bruts and Wright were unavailable because of injury and suspension respectively.Wright was hard done by as he instinctively responded to a a very late pull by the Moylough centre back in the previous match, His got a savage smack.
Bruts has a broken collar bone.
I'd say that Kells miss Shine.
Both team's were nervous initially and we struck first with a well taken point.Kells scored the next two and we repeated the dose and then they got the next two establishing a pattern that was to prevail for the rest of the half.
With both teams settling and gauging the style of the referee the hurling opened up and we reeled off four on the trot before they clawed back two in the run up to half time.
Our back line was solid as a rock with Finnn leading like a captain should and O Shea fully expressing his full array of talents and courage.
And in this they were only marginally ahead of their supporting cast in the back line all of whom were impressive.
Midfielder held their own and Liam's ball winning was impressive.Gilkie was deadly from frees and open play and is improving all the time.Jordan was resettling into his stride after a long injury fuelled lapse and the other were struggling manfully against an impressive Kells rearguard.
We went in at the break a point ahead at 0-7 to their 0-6.At his we g had spurned a number of scoring chances and should have been more ahead.
The second half took up as the first ended with neither team able to pull away from the other.until half way during the half when with the help of Gilkie's immaculate free taking we gradually snuk into a permanent lead.Ted got line as did the Kells twelve so it ended up fourteen a side.
Let me stress that there was no dirt at all in this match.And the referee frustrated both sets of fans equally.Either a good sign of a bad one,who knows.
We won the half by 7 points to 3 to run out winners on the scoreline 0-19 to 0-14 a fair enough result on the night.
Backs and midfield were good but there is room for improvement in the forwards.
Aside from one easy miss Gilky was immaculate,Alex tenacious and TED boisterous.Lukie ,Johnie and Jordan wee quiet by their own standards.
Gilkie scored 0-10.including frees and 65's.
Liamie scored the first point of what I hope is many ,Alex and Lukie at least one apiece I forget who scored the rest.
Dooley got a late run.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Dundeerry 7-10 Wolfe Tones 2-3.U 14 Football.Final.
This back to basics team that is at the vanguard of the Juvenile Football revival in Dundeerry met on 45 occasions either training or playing games this year.The mentors Sean Kelly,John Brady and Eoin O Leary have a simple philosophy,availability first and foremost.Players must be in attendance at training as a prerequisite to being selected for a place come match day.They apply discipline in accordance with club policy.Kind but firm as you would expect from three men who know what being a member of a proud club is all about.Men who played at a high level and who know that success comes from 90 % perspiration and 10 % inspiration.
Men who select the team on merit without pandering to the sulking of so called star players devoid of any vestige of Club pride.
Things had drifted here,believe me.That aberration has now been rectified thank God.
That 31 players turned out for most matches is proof ,if proof were needed that players respond favourably to firm discipline,clearly understood rules and an ethos that makes Dunderry GAA Club the club of first choice for these young teenagers.
Mostly they come from good GAA families and are steeped in the traditions of the GAA.
Aware that a lot of emigrants from Dunderry worldwide read this blog and that they may have emigrated before these kids were born I am putting the lineage of these kids,in so fsar as I know it, up so that the said emigrants will know who is who ,as it were.
The first 15 named are those who started the match on Thursday last in the Showgrounds in Navan.Such was the dominance and superior teamwork of the Dunderry lads that there is little point in going through the game blow by blow.
Suffice it to say that there were no bad players on our team .only good ones and (marginally ) better ones.Probably the guys down the centre were marginally better than the rest but it is a close call.
1.Sean Brennan ,son of Barry and grandson of All Ireland winner Tony .Tony was a selector for Meath also and transferred here during the Chairmanship of my Nile Tommy Mc Cormack.Tony managed Dunderry to their sole Senior championship win.
2Jack Feeney.Son of Tommy and grandson of Tom from Meadstown.Mother a Kennedy from Trim claims all the GAA genes.Tommy disputes this claim.
3.Ronan Brady .Son of John and grandson of Seamus.Third generation to play for the Club.His mother a Crocock from Dunsany claims good GAA genes too.
4.Michael Garry.Son of the "bear " and mother is a daughter of the late Korea Mac Donagh,Steeped in Dunderry Gaeldom for aeons.
5.Donagh O Leary..Son of Eoin and camogie player Freda..Lengthy and pure GAA genes both sides.
6.Cian Egerton.New family to Dunderry.Dad is on Juvenile committee.A player of immense potential.
7.Jimmy Smith .Son of Jimmy and grandson of Eugene from the Yellow Walls.THE definitive Dunderry family.
8.Shane Heffernan (Captain ).Son of Kevin a Limerick native and a GAA man to his fingertips and most importantly a fierce Dunderry man now.
9..Colm Flynn.Team's Mister Fixit.Has the vision to solve any problems presented by the opposition.
10.Paul Maxwell.Son of Sean and grandson of John Joe ,one of those who launched John Brady ,Sean Kelly and a host of other juvenile footballers on their footballing careers.
11.Dermot Kelly.Son of Sean and grandson of Sean senior .The third generation of his clan to grace the sporting fields of Dunderry.The Cup for Club man of the year is called after his granduncle Paddy (Hanny ).I have the great honour of winning it twice.
12.Cor mac Brady.Son of fellow Dub. Paidi,another fanatical GAA head ,once also a member of St.Brigids ,Blanchardstown.
13.Alex O Connor.Scores goals for fun."The goal machine"
14.Diarmuid O Corrain.Son of Colm from Lambay.This guy has it all .Can play equally well anywhere and a fluent Irish speaker.
15.Adam Kelly.Marty's son from Meadstown,Another third generation man of impeccable pedigree.
16.Ciaran Clarke.Son of the late Jimmy from Dunderry.Has opted for Meath not Cork,thank God.Dinny deceased is doing cartwheels in Heaven.( in between gathering sliotars surreptitiously for me for the juvenile hurlers ),Hats off to Ciaran's mother.
17.Luke Hill. Son of Bessie.
18.Brian Fay.His mother Lorraine Thornton was a good camogie player.If he has her bottle he will go far.
19.Conor Leavy.Son of Tommy (Timber ) Leavy the leading light in underage hurling in the Club.His grand dad Paddy Kavanagh is the only Dunderry man to referee a Senior Football All Ireland.His great grand dad on his mothers side Mick Lawless lived at Lawless Cross and thought nothing of cycling to Dublin and back each weekend.his wife Dolly used cycle with him.Great friends of my people.
20.Ciaran Brady.Another son of John's and a fine footballer and a fine fellow to boot,A first class Mass server.
21.Neil O Leary.Another son of Eoin and Frieda ,Has scored some spectacular goals ,I am told.
22.Andrew Bell.Another very welcome Dublin refugee .Father Niall was a Tower of strength with Clondalkin.
23.Dean Rahill.Son of Donal from Connells Cross.
24.Jade Callaghan.Son of Dominic and grandson of Henry and Carmel from Tullaghanstown.On his mother's side he is a Connor from Robinstown.Grandfather Jackie was a good footballer in his day and aunt Jackie was a savage Camogie player for Dunderry and Trim.Great friends and top class people.
25.Daragh O Leary.His father Mick was a stalwart Trim footballer and broke our hearts many's the time.
26.Gavin Larkin.Son of Pat Larkin .Missed final because of school attendance.
27/Kevin Cooke.From Black Road is a son of farmer par excellence Gerry.
28.Cormack Heffernan.Another excellent son of Kevin from Limerick.
29.Lee Walsh.From Decent Dublin parents this member of a sporting mad GAA family has huge talent.Brother Alex will see to his continuing sporting development under ever present and encouraging parents.
30.Eoin Wilson,Another Dub.in exile Father Keith a long time club suppporter.
31.Jack Nolan.Mother Eunice O Brien swung the caman wuth menace in her day,A member of the Newman clan and a favourite of rthe Drudge.
The team co ordinator was Orla Brady and Thomas Doherty manned the gap for training when Sean was with Meath and the other mentors unavailable.
This is the second cup won by r this team this year and I am informed that the players had great respect for the mentors .
The parents of the players were there in numbers a;; year round to lend their support.
Stephen O Rourke.Adult football manager, is I hear, lending a helping hand also and keeping an eye out for emerging talent.More luck to him.
As I type this a hear that these guys have just won a hurling match above in the field .
Great all rounders.
As they say around here they are horrid nice fellas and have a few fatherly players.
Yes indeed ,back to basics.
7.
Men who select the team on merit without pandering to the sulking of so called star players devoid of any vestige of Club pride.
Things had drifted here,believe me.That aberration has now been rectified thank God.
That 31 players turned out for most matches is proof ,if proof were needed that players respond favourably to firm discipline,clearly understood rules and an ethos that makes Dunderry GAA Club the club of first choice for these young teenagers.
Mostly they come from good GAA families and are steeped in the traditions of the GAA.
Aware that a lot of emigrants from Dunderry worldwide read this blog and that they may have emigrated before these kids were born I am putting the lineage of these kids,in so fsar as I know it, up so that the said emigrants will know who is who ,as it were.
The first 15 named are those who started the match on Thursday last in the Showgrounds in Navan.Such was the dominance and superior teamwork of the Dunderry lads that there is little point in going through the game blow by blow.
Suffice it to say that there were no bad players on our team .only good ones and (marginally ) better ones.Probably the guys down the centre were marginally better than the rest but it is a close call.
1.Sean Brennan ,son of Barry and grandson of All Ireland winner Tony .Tony was a selector for Meath also and transferred here during the Chairmanship of my Nile Tommy Mc Cormack.Tony managed Dunderry to their sole Senior championship win.
2Jack Feeney.Son of Tommy and grandson of Tom from Meadstown.Mother a Kennedy from Trim claims all the GAA genes.Tommy disputes this claim.
3.Ronan Brady .Son of John and grandson of Seamus.Third generation to play for the Club.His mother a Crocock from Dunsany claims good GAA genes too.
4.Michael Garry.Son of the "bear " and mother is a daughter of the late Korea Mac Donagh,Steeped in Dunderry Gaeldom for aeons.
5.Donagh O Leary..Son of Eoin and camogie player Freda..Lengthy and pure GAA genes both sides.
6.Cian Egerton.New family to Dunderry.Dad is on Juvenile committee.A player of immense potential.
7.Jimmy Smith .Son of Jimmy and grandson of Eugene from the Yellow Walls.THE definitive Dunderry family.
8.Shane Heffernan (Captain ).Son of Kevin a Limerick native and a GAA man to his fingertips and most importantly a fierce Dunderry man now.
9..Colm Flynn.Team's Mister Fixit.Has the vision to solve any problems presented by the opposition.
10.Paul Maxwell.Son of Sean and grandson of John Joe ,one of those who launched John Brady ,Sean Kelly and a host of other juvenile footballers on their footballing careers.
11.Dermot Kelly.Son of Sean and grandson of Sean senior .The third generation of his clan to grace the sporting fields of Dunderry.The Cup for Club man of the year is called after his granduncle Paddy (Hanny ).I have the great honour of winning it twice.
12.Cor mac Brady.Son of fellow Dub. Paidi,another fanatical GAA head ,once also a member of St.Brigids ,Blanchardstown.
13.Alex O Connor.Scores goals for fun."The goal machine"
14.Diarmuid O Corrain.Son of Colm from Lambay.This guy has it all .Can play equally well anywhere and a fluent Irish speaker.
15.Adam Kelly.Marty's son from Meadstown,Another third generation man of impeccable pedigree.
16.Ciaran Clarke.Son of the late Jimmy from Dunderry.Has opted for Meath not Cork,thank God.Dinny deceased is doing cartwheels in Heaven.( in between gathering sliotars surreptitiously for me for the juvenile hurlers ),Hats off to Ciaran's mother.
17.Luke Hill. Son of Bessie.
18.Brian Fay.His mother Lorraine Thornton was a good camogie player.If he has her bottle he will go far.
19.Conor Leavy.Son of Tommy (Timber ) Leavy the leading light in underage hurling in the Club.His grand dad Paddy Kavanagh is the only Dunderry man to referee a Senior Football All Ireland.His great grand dad on his mothers side Mick Lawless lived at Lawless Cross and thought nothing of cycling to Dublin and back each weekend.his wife Dolly used cycle with him.Great friends of my people.
20.Ciaran Brady.Another son of John's and a fine footballer and a fine fellow to boot,A first class Mass server.
21.Neil O Leary.Another son of Eoin and Frieda ,Has scored some spectacular goals ,I am told.
22.Andrew Bell.Another very welcome Dublin refugee .Father Niall was a Tower of strength with Clondalkin.
23.Dean Rahill.Son of Donal from Connells Cross.
24.Jade Callaghan.Son of Dominic and grandson of Henry and Carmel from Tullaghanstown.On his mother's side he is a Connor from Robinstown.Grandfather Jackie was a good footballer in his day and aunt Jackie was a savage Camogie player for Dunderry and Trim.Great friends and top class people.
25.Daragh O Leary.His father Mick was a stalwart Trim footballer and broke our hearts many's the time.
26.Gavin Larkin.Son of Pat Larkin .Missed final because of school attendance.
27/Kevin Cooke.From Black Road is a son of farmer par excellence Gerry.
28.Cormack Heffernan.Another excellent son of Kevin from Limerick.
29.Lee Walsh.From Decent Dublin parents this member of a sporting mad GAA family has huge talent.Brother Alex will see to his continuing sporting development under ever present and encouraging parents.
30.Eoin Wilson,Another Dub.in exile Father Keith a long time club suppporter.
31.Jack Nolan.Mother Eunice O Brien swung the caman wuth menace in her day,A member of the Newman clan and a favourite of rthe Drudge.
The team co ordinator was Orla Brady and Thomas Doherty manned the gap for training when Sean was with Meath and the other mentors unavailable.
This is the second cup won by r this team this year and I am informed that the players had great respect for the mentors .
The parents of the players were there in numbers a;; year round to lend their support.
Stephen O Rourke.Adult football manager, is I hear, lending a helping hand also and keeping an eye out for emerging talent.More luck to him.
As I type this a hear that these guys have just won a hurling match above in the field .
Great all rounders.
As they say around here they are horrid nice fellas and have a few fatherly players.
Yes indeed ,back to basics.
7.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Women with foul tongues not funny at all.
In 1969 I emigrated after my Leaving Cert.to England and Wales for a period.After paying my boat fare over to Holly head I had three pounds stuffed into my shoe for fear it would be stolen
I went with a pal of mine to the house of his aunt in Carshalton in Surrey.She was a Dub,long since left Dublin and all vestiges of the Dublin accent was well gone.She had married late in life to a Pole and they were totally devoted to each other.They were very polite and decent people and socially well up the ladder.
Within days we had got the start as labourers with Wimpy who were building houses for the local council.
I served time levelling gardens with a spade and shovel,cleaning out the insides of the completed houses,cleaning the outside woodwork of the same houses and wheeling barrow loads of concrete up Wooten planks like a slave.
The biggest tyrant on the site was a West of Ireland foreman who drove us on like workhorses..
At one stage I was helping an English carpenter who used try and rise me by saying that he was a tradesman and I would never be anything bar a labourer.This was done to put me down as there was a fierce hatred of the Irish there because of the Northern troubles .
I did not enjoy my time in that site,
The decent people who put us up were set in their ways.Coming home dirty from work into a fairly posh neighbourhood we had to strip out of our clothes in the garage ,have a bath and then get the tea,usually al fresco.
I was uncomfortable there,
Things came to a head for me one evening when I was asked ,while eating alfresco, to go into the house and wet another pot of tea."No problem at all" said I.I boiled the kettle,scalded the tea pot and opened the tea caddy.,Not a leaf to be seen ,just packets containing tea leaves.Tea bags of course but the first I had ever seen.Too proud to ask how to use them I figured that in accordance with the high standard of poshness around me and for hygiene purposes they had the further protection of putting them into packets so that they would remain purer than your normal tea leaves.
So I tore them open and emptied the leaves into the scalded pot.
Proud as punch I brought the well drawn tea out to the table and poured the first cup full for the lady of the house.She sipped a mouth full and gagged."Did the tea bag burst "said she.Turning deep crimson I said "Yep that's what happened "
What a fucking idiot.
I handed up my subs every week for a few more weeks and resolved to go elsewhere asap.
After a while I moved into a house nearby full of Paddies.Basically there were three or four floors in the house,with a communal kitchen on each floor and we slept in our own bedrooms two to a room.I bunked up with an older labourer from the site.
As said there were communal kitchens and a communal fridge on each floor,into which you put your perishables including your milk.
We were self catering and ate at our own convenience,
There was a milk thief abroad and more often than not the bottle was drained.Nothing as hateful.It was impossible to catch the milk thief single handed but my room mate solved the problem.He injected a laxative ,Jollop I think ,through the bottle top into a fresh bottle of milk one evening.
That night there was fierce running in every sense of the word along the corridor on our floor to the communal jacks,Lesson learned and problem solved.
And we had another problem.There was a bed wetter in the house.He worked shift work and thought nothing of shaking into my bed when his own was wet from his piss and repeating the dose in it.I never actually caught him in it,
Wherever he got them my room mate conjured up a half dozen crows and put them under the blankets one morning.Problem solved and message delivered.
I drank very little then.
On a Bank holiday I ventured up to an Irish Club in Leicester Square to a dance and got a few dances and met up with two Westmeath brothers who I befriended.
We resolved to head to Brighton for the weekend and I resolved to travel further afield.
Like my late uncle Tommy Mac Cormack I travelled light in those days.Tommy could fit his travelling kit,a comb and razor,in his breast pocket ,I could fit mine in a large rucksack.
So of with us.I don't remember much about that weekend except two things,one .being sneered at a number of times by publicans that "this isn't Ireland Paddy and we don't sell chocolate in Pubs here "and the second being that Woke up with a sore head and about a tenner to my name.My "mates " had disappeared also.
Alone and broke I got the train and headed for Cardiff ,intending to visit my grandparents outside Cardigan.
I duly arrived ,went to the local tourist office and got a map of Wales establishing the discretion of Cardigan relative to Cardiff.It was a long way away ,much more than my meagre pocket could afford on public transport.So I caught a random bus and looked out for building sites and likely employment.I found one with a crowd called "Cementation "who were driving piles to raise a bridge from a dry river bed being made into a road over an intersecting and busy roadway.
It being Tuesday and the start not being until the following Monday I had to live for the week and I had s.f.a.
So I walked out the road for Cardigan intending to thumb to my grandparents and stay for the week.But nothing stopped and I walked and walked and walked to well into the countryside.And took to the minor roads and just before dark bought cheese and Players no,10 fags .
I slept the first night in a remote telephone kiosk and was gone at dawn further off the beaten track.
Eventually I spotted a hay shed full of square bales of hay in the corner of a field and made this my headquarters for the following week.
I made a nest on top of the bales and lined off the land on turnips .carrots and thy cheese and fags,I drank river water and often sat frozen on top of the bales as the farmers worked at bringing more bales into the shed.
One fine day I decided to wash all my clothes in a remote river and did so stripping g to the skin,I lit a fire and spread the wet clothes out to dry on bushes nearby and lay back enjoying the sunshine,And fell asleep.To be awoken by a lady on horseback staring down at me,No words were exchanged.She rode off and I did a runner.
Time passed and before I knew it it was Sunday.I walked back into Cardiff stopping on the way to go to Mass.I gave my last few coppers to the collection plate and kept going until I got near the site.Having nowhere to sleep I nosed out a n underground pipe adjacent to the site and settled in only to be moved on by a security guard.I then spotted a derelict house and went in and slept until daylight and off then to the site for the start,
The foreman was a Walsh guy and the crew were mostly Welsh with a smattering of Irish.I was hungry and tired but kept at it helping to empty the bullet dsaped receptacle that was driven into the ground to make the bore that would take the cement to make the pile.It was dirty and cloying work but I kept at it ,not saying much.At tea break all the other guys had sandwiches at which I looked longingly.These tough men and they were tough. sussed out my predicament and shared with me.The same again at dinner break and at tea break the foreman offered me a fiver sub and asked me to mind the workman's hut at night for a week.
Decent and great men .
And so it went for the first week,me getting a fiver sub each day and the lads sharing their lunches and minding the hut at night,
Then as now I had a Dublin accent a fact that made a huge Mayo man from a famous footballing family pick on and goad me at every opportunity.He was twice as strong as me and very popular with the others but enough is enough and I eventually snapped and took him on in a fist fight.IN the end he bate the shite out of me and I ended up unconscious in a heap of spoil.but I got in a few hard punches and kicks before I passed out.
TH at was the end of the bullying.
Another worker on the site was a guy called Sean Pembroke from Tipperary.One of the most decent men I have ever met .He lived in Bristol with his mother and other siblings and his father and some other siblings remained in Ireland.He was returning to reality from a prolonged but ended betting spree on the horses..We became good friends and he sorted out a place for me in the digs he shared nearby.
SO come Friday off I went with him.A huge house full of Paddies run by two old Wales crones,The deal was bed and breakfast,packed lunch and evening meal ,cooked by the crones and served at a huge communal table at which I was introduced to one and all just as dinner was served.
"This is Dave " said Sean introducing me to the over fifteen men seated at the table and the brace of crones
Then crone number piped up "Jeez Dave you are very sexy. "Blushing fiercely and before I could reply she piped up "Yes you have a face like a cunt ."I was rooted to the ground ans didn't know were to look.
Up to this I had never heard a woman use such language.My mother ,my aunt Molly and Nan and Nancy Mic Cormack never cursed like this .neither did any of the women who lived around me.
So I stayed mum and just sat down.
In fairness the dinner was well cooked and the occasion was only once interrupted when the "star " lodger ,a huge Kerryman threw his dessert laden plate at the crone because it wasn't to his liking.No one batted an eyelid.
And so it went.
I never understood how that man had the stomach to mount that woman.The things men will do for a good feed !!
Since then I have a revulsion for women with foul tongues and it has inevitably proved to be a good gauge of hatefulness and bad character.
This revulsion transcends into films and dramas mimicking such behaviour,especially when put in the mouths of clergy ,none of whom i ever heard using such language.I detest Father Ted and find no merit whatsoever In the antics of a fine actor like Frank Kelly mouthing fuck and feck and fuck all else and that moron who depicts the tea lady with her nonsensical "Gwan etc.It actually sickens me and I cant bear to watch it.Iconsider it total nonsense,
And as for Missus Brown in whicn a mini man dressies as a woman to curse loudly and freely I am revolted by it and consider it a gauge of the decline of standards of decency and proper behaviour SO prevalent in Irish public life today.
Paddy whackery of the worst kind inflicted by our own,
I went with a pal of mine to the house of his aunt in Carshalton in Surrey.She was a Dub,long since left Dublin and all vestiges of the Dublin accent was well gone.She had married late in life to a Pole and they were totally devoted to each other.They were very polite and decent people and socially well up the ladder.
Within days we had got the start as labourers with Wimpy who were building houses for the local council.
I served time levelling gardens with a spade and shovel,cleaning out the insides of the completed houses,cleaning the outside woodwork of the same houses and wheeling barrow loads of concrete up Wooten planks like a slave.
The biggest tyrant on the site was a West of Ireland foreman who drove us on like workhorses..
At one stage I was helping an English carpenter who used try and rise me by saying that he was a tradesman and I would never be anything bar a labourer.This was done to put me down as there was a fierce hatred of the Irish there because of the Northern troubles .
I did not enjoy my time in that site,
The decent people who put us up were set in their ways.Coming home dirty from work into a fairly posh neighbourhood we had to strip out of our clothes in the garage ,have a bath and then get the tea,usually al fresco.
I was uncomfortable there,
Things came to a head for me one evening when I was asked ,while eating alfresco, to go into the house and wet another pot of tea."No problem at all" said I.I boiled the kettle,scalded the tea pot and opened the tea caddy.,Not a leaf to be seen ,just packets containing tea leaves.Tea bags of course but the first I had ever seen.Too proud to ask how to use them I figured that in accordance with the high standard of poshness around me and for hygiene purposes they had the further protection of putting them into packets so that they would remain purer than your normal tea leaves.
So I tore them open and emptied the leaves into the scalded pot.
Proud as punch I brought the well drawn tea out to the table and poured the first cup full for the lady of the house.She sipped a mouth full and gagged."Did the tea bag burst "said she.Turning deep crimson I said "Yep that's what happened "
What a fucking idiot.
I handed up my subs every week for a few more weeks and resolved to go elsewhere asap.
After a while I moved into a house nearby full of Paddies.Basically there were three or four floors in the house,with a communal kitchen on each floor and we slept in our own bedrooms two to a room.I bunked up with an older labourer from the site.
As said there were communal kitchens and a communal fridge on each floor,into which you put your perishables including your milk.
We were self catering and ate at our own convenience,
There was a milk thief abroad and more often than not the bottle was drained.Nothing as hateful.It was impossible to catch the milk thief single handed but my room mate solved the problem.He injected a laxative ,Jollop I think ,through the bottle top into a fresh bottle of milk one evening.
That night there was fierce running in every sense of the word along the corridor on our floor to the communal jacks,Lesson learned and problem solved.
And we had another problem.There was a bed wetter in the house.He worked shift work and thought nothing of shaking into my bed when his own was wet from his piss and repeating the dose in it.I never actually caught him in it,
Wherever he got them my room mate conjured up a half dozen crows and put them under the blankets one morning.Problem solved and message delivered.
I drank very little then.
On a Bank holiday I ventured up to an Irish Club in Leicester Square to a dance and got a few dances and met up with two Westmeath brothers who I befriended.
We resolved to head to Brighton for the weekend and I resolved to travel further afield.
Like my late uncle Tommy Mac Cormack I travelled light in those days.Tommy could fit his travelling kit,a comb and razor,in his breast pocket ,I could fit mine in a large rucksack.
So of with us.I don't remember much about that weekend except two things,one .being sneered at a number of times by publicans that "this isn't Ireland Paddy and we don't sell chocolate in Pubs here "and the second being that Woke up with a sore head and about a tenner to my name.My "mates " had disappeared also.
Alone and broke I got the train and headed for Cardiff ,intending to visit my grandparents outside Cardigan.
I duly arrived ,went to the local tourist office and got a map of Wales establishing the discretion of Cardigan relative to Cardiff.It was a long way away ,much more than my meagre pocket could afford on public transport.So I caught a random bus and looked out for building sites and likely employment.I found one with a crowd called "Cementation "who were driving piles to raise a bridge from a dry river bed being made into a road over an intersecting and busy roadway.
It being Tuesday and the start not being until the following Monday I had to live for the week and I had s.f.a.
So I walked out the road for Cardigan intending to thumb to my grandparents and stay for the week.But nothing stopped and I walked and walked and walked to well into the countryside.And took to the minor roads and just before dark bought cheese and Players no,10 fags .
I slept the first night in a remote telephone kiosk and was gone at dawn further off the beaten track.
Eventually I spotted a hay shed full of square bales of hay in the corner of a field and made this my headquarters for the following week.
I made a nest on top of the bales and lined off the land on turnips .carrots and thy cheese and fags,I drank river water and often sat frozen on top of the bales as the farmers worked at bringing more bales into the shed.
One fine day I decided to wash all my clothes in a remote river and did so stripping g to the skin,I lit a fire and spread the wet clothes out to dry on bushes nearby and lay back enjoying the sunshine,And fell asleep.To be awoken by a lady on horseback staring down at me,No words were exchanged.She rode off and I did a runner.
Time passed and before I knew it it was Sunday.I walked back into Cardiff stopping on the way to go to Mass.I gave my last few coppers to the collection plate and kept going until I got near the site.Having nowhere to sleep I nosed out a n underground pipe adjacent to the site and settled in only to be moved on by a security guard.I then spotted a derelict house and went in and slept until daylight and off then to the site for the start,
The foreman was a Walsh guy and the crew were mostly Welsh with a smattering of Irish.I was hungry and tired but kept at it helping to empty the bullet dsaped receptacle that was driven into the ground to make the bore that would take the cement to make the pile.It was dirty and cloying work but I kept at it ,not saying much.At tea break all the other guys had sandwiches at which I looked longingly.These tough men and they were tough. sussed out my predicament and shared with me.The same again at dinner break and at tea break the foreman offered me a fiver sub and asked me to mind the workman's hut at night for a week.
Decent and great men .
And so it went for the first week,me getting a fiver sub each day and the lads sharing their lunches and minding the hut at night,
Then as now I had a Dublin accent a fact that made a huge Mayo man from a famous footballing family pick on and goad me at every opportunity.He was twice as strong as me and very popular with the others but enough is enough and I eventually snapped and took him on in a fist fight.IN the end he bate the shite out of me and I ended up unconscious in a heap of spoil.but I got in a few hard punches and kicks before I passed out.
TH at was the end of the bullying.
Another worker on the site was a guy called Sean Pembroke from Tipperary.One of the most decent men I have ever met .He lived in Bristol with his mother and other siblings and his father and some other siblings remained in Ireland.He was returning to reality from a prolonged but ended betting spree on the horses..We became good friends and he sorted out a place for me in the digs he shared nearby.
SO come Friday off I went with him.A huge house full of Paddies run by two old Wales crones,The deal was bed and breakfast,packed lunch and evening meal ,cooked by the crones and served at a huge communal table at which I was introduced to one and all just as dinner was served.
"This is Dave " said Sean introducing me to the over fifteen men seated at the table and the brace of crones
Then crone number piped up "Jeez Dave you are very sexy. "Blushing fiercely and before I could reply she piped up "Yes you have a face like a cunt ."I was rooted to the ground ans didn't know were to look.
Up to this I had never heard a woman use such language.My mother ,my aunt Molly and Nan and Nancy Mic Cormack never cursed like this .neither did any of the women who lived around me.
So I stayed mum and just sat down.
In fairness the dinner was well cooked and the occasion was only once interrupted when the "star " lodger ,a huge Kerryman threw his dessert laden plate at the crone because it wasn't to his liking.No one batted an eyelid.
And so it went.
I never understood how that man had the stomach to mount that woman.The things men will do for a good feed !!
Since then I have a revulsion for women with foul tongues and it has inevitably proved to be a good gauge of hatefulness and bad character.
This revulsion transcends into films and dramas mimicking such behaviour,especially when put in the mouths of clergy ,none of whom i ever heard using such language.I detest Father Ted and find no merit whatsoever In the antics of a fine actor like Frank Kelly mouthing fuck and feck and fuck all else and that moron who depicts the tea lady with her nonsensical "Gwan etc.It actually sickens me and I cant bear to watch it.Iconsider it total nonsense,
And as for Missus Brown in whicn a mini man dressies as a woman to curse loudly and freely I am revolted by it and consider it a gauge of the decline of standards of decency and proper behaviour SO prevalent in Irish public life today.
Paddy whackery of the worst kind inflicted by our own,
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Dunderry Camogie Teams.Year ???
Doing a Spring clean this Autumn I came across the following teams I selected at the same time.I don't know when.
Any ideas anyone ?One is clearly an underage team and the other adult.
Team 1.
Aoife Minogue
Elaine Keavaney Aoife Mac Cormack Julie Anne Griffin
Leah Norman Catherine Keaveney Susan Dalton
Jane Martyn Danielle Clarke
Aoife Gillick Nicole Cosgrove Jamie Garry
Kate Clarke Blaithin Halpin Leah Fitzsimons.
Sinead Vermulen
Lorraine Coffey
Sally Anne Garry.
Team 2.
Tina Mulligan
Trish Smith Claire Stephens Emer MC Coremack
Ciara MC Cormack Mags Stephens Jenna Gilbride
Louise Byrne Danielle Clarke
Aoife Mac Cormack Olive Crowe Lara Coogan
Suzanne Kelly Collette Rowan Grainne Dowd
Nordie
Lisa Gillick
Sinead Norman.
Can anyone remember the year?
Any ideas anyone ?One is clearly an underage team and the other adult.
Team 1.
Aoife Minogue
Elaine Keavaney Aoife Mac Cormack Julie Anne Griffin
Leah Norman Catherine Keaveney Susan Dalton
Jane Martyn Danielle Clarke
Aoife Gillick Nicole Cosgrove Jamie Garry
Kate Clarke Blaithin Halpin Leah Fitzsimons.
Sinead Vermulen
Lorraine Coffey
Sally Anne Garry.
Team 2.
Tina Mulligan
Trish Smith Claire Stephens Emer MC Coremack
Ciara MC Cormack Mags Stephens Jenna Gilbride
Louise Byrne Danielle Clarke
Aoife Mac Cormack Olive Crowe Lara Coogan
Suzanne Kelly Collette Rowan Grainne Dowd
Nordie
Lisa Gillick
Sinead Norman.
Can anyone remember the year?
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Death of Sheila Bird,
News of the death of Sheila Bird (nee Slevin )in a car accident is filtering in.Her husband MIchael is said to have suffered injuries and is hospitalised.
We sympathise with their two daughters who were not with them in the accident.
Sheila was a very good friend of ours and we are totally shocked and horrified,
Her remains will arrive at Dunderry Church at 7.30 p.m. this evening (Wednesday 3rd September ) and the Funeral Mass is at 12.00 noon tomorrow .
Ar Dheais De go raibh a h anam dilis,
We sympathise with their two daughters who were not with them in the accident.
Sheila was a very good friend of ours and we are totally shocked and horrified,
Her remains will arrive at Dunderry Church at 7.30 p.m. this evening (Wednesday 3rd September ) and the Funeral Mass is at 12.00 noon tomorrow .
Ar Dheais De go raibh a h anam dilis,