The club mourned the sad passing away last week of one of the truly great Gaels of both club and parish when our Vice President and club Trustee Paddy Donohoe died suddenly at his home in Curracloe village.
The club mourned the sad passing away last week of one of the truly great Gaels of both club and parish when our Vice President and club Trustee Paddy Donohoe died suddenly at his home in Curracloe village. Paddy never stopped serving the Shelmalier GAA Club in a variety of roles from the first time he took up a hurley and ball, to the time of him death last week. Paddy was very proud of the GAA, the part it played in his life and that of his forefathers. No prouder man could be seen in Hollymount in recent years eagerly watching over the next generation of Donohoes displaying their skills on the hurling field. Paddy started with the St. Ibars in the 40s and was an important member of the famous Shelmalier Junior Hurling champions of 1954. Having retired from the game he continued to serve the club as a team trainer, passing on the skills of the game to the stars of the future and in many administrative roles ensuring that his club was effectively and efficiently run. It was the personality of Paddy Donohoe that will live long in the memory of those who were lucky enough to know him or to work alongside him. His sharp wit at meetings ended many a potential conflict, his ability to comprehend and appreciate the views of many people, his talent to sing an old song with passion or to regale the stories of the past and of course, his determination to speak his mind and to get the job done regardless of the obstacles that lay before him. The club would to express this sincere condolence to the Donohoe family on their sad loss of their father and grandfather. May he rest in peace.
The under 14 hurlers played a practice game against Thomastown Kilkenny in Hollymount on Saturday last and after an very entertaining game the sides were level at the final whistle. Thomastown showed early dominance with the assistance of the wind and lead by 4-3 to 0-3 at half time. The second half saw the home team reverse the trend and with a fine team performance scored 3-4 in this half. The final score was 3-7 to 4-4.
There were no winners of the club lotto last week which stood at €15,200. The match 3 winners were Noel De Hora, Tommy Donnelly, Dennis Redmond and Michael Donohoe and each person receiving €38. The Model County draw tickets are presently on sale by the club, offering very attractive prizes and a total prize fund of €225, 000. Members of the club will be visiting all the homes of the parish during the coming week and we encourage you to support this draw which greatly benefits the club financially, particularly during our development of our new club complex. The development of our new complex has reached the foundations and sub floor state with the walls construction to begin this week. The final completion date for this stage of the project is June this year which is eagerly awaited by all concerned in any way with the club. We would ask all our parishners to continue to support us by contributing to the club lotto, Model County draw and the monthly contribution to the development.