The Club celebrated a landmark occasion in the it's modern history on October 21st, 2023, with the official opening and blessing of the Paddy Connolly Stand at a ceremony in Lisnamult. The opening was performed by the late Mr. Connolly’s son, Kevin, on behalf of the Connolly family. Mr. Connolly was a hugely popular figure in Roscommon Gaels who drove players to and from matches all over Roscommon and far beyond for many decades. One former club official described Mr. Connolly as “the quintessential club man who would do anything for Roscommon Gaels but who didn’t want any limelight. Paddy would be too busy arranging to bring players home to get into any photographs after the Gaels won a match”. To mark the opening, the club held a full day of activities which included exhibition matches featuring teams from all four codes in the club. Along with the opening, the centre-piece of the day was an entertaining football match between Roscommon Gaels Masters and the Roscommon Gaelic Masters county team. In opening the stand, Mr. Connolly paid tribute to the members of Roscommon Gaels involved in the development of the facilities in Lisnamult over the last 15 years. “The transformation is truly remarkable,” he said. He thanked all those who had worked on the planning and construction of the stand, especially “the incredible work” of Tom Harlow, Fergal O’Gara, and PJ Moran whose “unwavering commitment made this momentous occasion possible”. Mr. Connolly thanked Roscommon Gaels for choosing his father as “the recipient of this great honour”. “When Peter Mullen first brought me to see the completed stand I had to pinch myself. Seeing Paddy’s name inscribed here was an emotional moment, that memory will remain with me for years,” he noted. “It fills me with immense satisfaction to follow the progress of the club’s teams on Instagram and witness the vibrant health of our club on every level. This is only made possible by the dedicated efforts of our club members, I’m proud to be one. “Let us not forget our ultimate goal: to bring home the Fahey Cup, we have waited too long. These remarkable facilities mean we can pursue that goal with renewed vigour and passion. Let me once again express my gratitude for allowing me to be part of this great occasion". “I’m sure this new Paddy Connolly Stand will inspire us to continue to strive for excellence both on and off the pitch. I look forward to seeing these grounds filled with enthusiastic new supporters all cheering for the bright and successful future that is in store for Roscommon Gaels,” Mr Connolly said. Pictured Above: Mr. Kevin Connolly along with his family officially cut the red tape and open the Paddy Connolly Stand The blessing was performed by Fr. Kevin Fallon, PP Roscommon. Roscommon Gaels secretary John Donnellan made a presentation to the Connolly family in recognition of their generosity. Roscommon Gaels Chairman Philip Mullen welcomed all those present to “this momentous occasion” for the club. “We have a state of the art spectator stand to show off, and doesn’t it look fantastic,” said Mr Mullen who thanked the Connolly family for their generosity. Mr Mullen expressed his sympathy on the afternoon, to the Hession family on the death of former club chairperson Stephen Hession who had died the previous day. He also paid tribute to the late Máire Allen, the former Roscommon Gaels children’s officer, who also died recently. Mr Mullen thanked the Lisnamult community for their understanding during the development of the facilities. He acknowledged the work of project manager, Tom Harlow and Fergal O’Gara, who was the liaison between the club and Kevin Connolly; the builders and contractors, and engineer PJ Moran. He also praised the club volunteers who prepared the ground and brought food to mark the special occasion. County Board Chairman Brian Carroll congratulated Roscommon Gaels on their opening of the new stand and extended his best wishes to the club for the future. Roscommon Gaels Academy players applauded the Masters players onto the pitch for their match which was refereed by Tommy Gately. Cian Mulry from the All Stars presented the ball to the referee and Amhrán na bhFiann was sung by club member and Scór participant Jane King. Musical entertainment was provided throughout a memorable day by Declan Walsh. The Master of Ceremonies was Noel Fallon. Before the Masters match, a minute’s silence was held in memory of Stephen Hession, former chairperson of Roscommon Gaels, who died the previous day. On Saturday August 19th, the Club came together in the Lounge to honour the success of a number of it's underage teams across all four codes. The special guest in attendance to present the medals was Roscommon County Footballing star Enda Smith. Six teams in total were presented with the Under 13 Hurling team receiving medals for their success in two competitions. The evening was MC'd by Chairperson of the Football sector Ollie McGuinness. Ollie welcomed Enda Smith to the Club thanking him for giving up his time to join with us on the evening. He also welcomed all the coaches, parents and families and invited them to join coaches and club officers for a cup of tea at the end of the presentations. He spoke about the success of all the teams being presented and commended them and their management for their commitment throughout the year. Ollie stated how it was so positive to see so many people in attendance at the presentations. He went onto say that Roscommon Gaels is a large club with over 32 teams between the four codes. The work that goes in by members of the Executive, Sub Groups Coaching and Mentoring is tremendous and he asked the adults in the room to consider getting involved in the club whether it be with a team or club management - there is always room for new volunteers. Following the presentations, Enda Smith took some questions from the audience and passed on some valuable information and advice to our young players along with some of his own personal experiences as an underage footballer. He praised all the underage stars of Roscommon Gaels and encouraged them to keep training and working hard, and the rewards will come. The following teams were presented on the evening:
Managements of all teams were present on the evening and each manager spoke about their teams journey through the year and told a few stories. Following the presentation of medals to all the teams, the award for "Most Improved Player of of the Year" was awarded. Congratulations to the following players who received the award for "Most Improved Player of the Year".
Barry Molloy, the captain of the Roscommon team who won the 1951 All-Ireland Minor Football title, performed the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate St. Coman’s GAA Park in Roscommon Town at a ceremony which took place last Saturday.
St. Coman’s, known to generations of Roscommon people as ‘The Lough’, was described as Roscommon GAA’s ‘spiritual home’ and ‘field of dreams’. It was Roscommon’s home ground from 1936 to 1968 and staged matches right up until 2017. Among the many famous matches it hosted were the 1936 All-Ireland senior football semi-final, numerous Connacht senior and minor finals, and the 1965 All-Ireland junior hurling final. The plaque and a display board which chronicles the major milestones in the history of ‘The Lough’ since it was first used in 1889 are located on a wall beside the former entrance to the famous pitch. The plaque was created by well-known local sculptor, Mark Feeley, and the unveiling ceremony was the culmination of two and a half years of painstaking work by the Roscommon Gaels club’s history committee, spearheaded by club PRO Orla Fleming and Marie Gillooly. In unveiling the plaque, Mr Molloy, who is one of joint honorary presidents of Roscommon Gaels GAA Club, paid tribute to all who played in St. Coman’s Park over the years. He paid special tribute to all the people who had worked on maintaining the ground and recalled how the hiring of ‘sleepers’ from the local railway station in order to create a stand for big matches. Mr Molloy referenced a picture on the display board which shows a commentary booth being built for the legendary Micheál O’Hehir. Mr Molloy also recalled the many events, other than GAA matches, were held in St. Coman’s, including the Roscommon Agricultural Show. He then unveiled the plaque on which the inscription, which is in Irish and English, reads: “This plaque marks the site of St. Coman’s GAA grounds, ‘The Lough’, which was officially opened on 14th June, 1936. It was home to Roscommon County GAA and Roscommon Gaels GAA Club for many years. It honours those who passed through its gates, in particular, the players, volunteers, and fans of many generations who proudly dedicated their time and skills, to the establishment, promotion and preservation of our national games which play such an important role in our sporting and cultural traditions and heritage.” The chairman of Roscommon Gaels, Philip Mullen, welcomed all those in attendance and spoke of the major role ‘The Lough’ had played in the history of Roscommon Gaels and Roscommon Town. Historian and local history tour guide, Marie Gillooly, provided a context of the role of Gaelic Games in Irish life even before the foundation of the GAA in 1884. She said the Lough was first used in 1889 and a hurling match between Roscommon and Castlebar took place there in 1902. In 1926 a group of locals acquired a section of the Lough grounds from the Land Commission for games. This ultimately led to the opening of the ground ten years later. Ms Gillooly outlined many of the landmark matches which had helped to copperfasten the status of St. Coman’s as one of Connacht’s leading GAA grounds for over 30 years. She also spoke of other major events held in the ground, including cycling, athletics, street leagues and ice-skating during the winter. In 1954 a crowd of over 20,000 came to ‘The Lough’ to attend a rally by ‘The Rosary Priest’, Fr Peyton. Six players were chosen to represent all the great hurlers and footballers who had played in ‘The Lough’: legendary Leitrim footballer, Packy McGarty, who gave one of the great individual displays in a Connacht final in the Lough in 1958; Mick Hoare, captain of the 1965 All-Ireland-winning junior hurling team; Owensie Hoare, the first player to win All-Ireland senior football medals outfield and in goal; Jimmy Murray, captain of the 1943 and 1944 All-Ireland-winning Roscommon senior football teams; Gerry O’Malley, one of Roscommon's greatest-ever dual players who won his only All-Ireland medal in 'The Lough' in 1965, and Barry Molloy, captain of the 1951 All-Ireland-winning minor football team. Each of the deceased players was represented by members of their families. Citations were read detailing the illustrious career of each player. The attendance also included the chairperson of Roscommon county board, Brian Carroll; past chairpersons of Roscommon Gaels; joint honorary president of Roscommon Gaels, Seamus Comiskey, and historian Tony Conboy. The Master of Ceremonies was Noel Fallon. The Big Event - NO WHERE TO RUN NO WHERE TO HYDE - May 20th 2023 - Hyde Centre, Roscommon Gaels GAA5/23/2023 Back Row L to R: Brian Tully, Daire Gilleran, James Fetherstone, Cathal Dineen, Orin Walsh, Ciaran Purcell, Daniel O'Doherty, John McManus, Senan Lambe & Michael Farrell. Front Row L to R: Peter Gillooly, Brian Merriman, Ciaran Purcell, Hazel Maguire, Emily Comiskey, Daire Gilleran and Gustavo Rodriguez The Hyde Centre has not seen an event like this in over 20 years. Over 400 people attended the White Collar Boxing event, hosted by Roscommon Gaels GAA Club as a fundraising venture and it did not disappoint. The atmosphere in the room was electric with 18 Boxers, which included 4 visiting fighters from local clubs in the area, 9 fights and a novelty sumo wrestling match the programme for the evening. The Club's organising committee along with Cathal O'Grady White Collar Boxing Ireland and his associate Dave Conlon, and the 18 fighters have worked hard training both locally and in venues in Dublin and Galway over the past 8 weeks organising, training and fundraising and all roads lead to May 20th, last Saturday night where every fighter displayed great courage to get into the ring with their opponent. It was also fitting that a major event was taking place on the same night in the Three Area with Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron which was included in the night's entertainment in the Club's Lounge for the crowd to view. The matchups for the evening, to which the fighters were unaware of until 48 hours previous, were as follows: Dara Hughes v Gustavo Rodrigues, Kilbride visitor Brian Merriman v St. Dominics guest Daire Keenan, Daire Gilleran v Michael Farrell, Peter Gillooly v Orin Walsh, a second Kilbride visitor Brian Tully v Cathal Dineen. The ladies were represented by Emily Comiskey taking on another volunteer visitor, Tulsk native, Hazel Maguire. During the interval, we had a novelty match which brought great entertainment to the crowd with Tommy Mulry taking on Francie Hoare. The second part of the evening then had fights between, Senan Lambe v Ciaran Purcell, Daniel O'Doherty v James Fetherstone and the final match up of the night was John McManus v Mark Purcell. Well done to all the competitors involved. At the interval, Chairperson, Philip Mullen and Cahal Mahon from the organising committee addressed the audience thanking everyone for supporting the event and acknowledged and thanked the main sponsor of the event Sean Doyle Windows Roscommon, and all the local businesses who contributed towards the event. Huge thanks must go all the boxers involved in the event for giving up their time and who all raised large amounts of funds for the club and especially to the visiting boxers, Brian Tully, Brian Merriman, Hazel Maguire and Daire Keenan. The Organising Committe: L to R: Laura Dempsey, Declan Walsh, Finbar O'Reilly, Francis Hoare, Orla Fleming & Cahal Mahon. Who will face who in the Ring on May 20th? See Below.... |
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