Tis rarely if ever, that the blue and white of Eire Og has featured with such prominence in the Bray People as it did last week.
Accounts, including team photographs (incidentally uploaded on the Clubs Facebook page) of the finals of 3 football competitions involving teams from Na Clocha Liatha were each given a full page in the sporting section of the paper.
The first of these pages was dedicated to describing our U-14s great victory over St. Nicholas in the Championship while another, a little further on, told the story of the heroic efforts of our very young U-16s against an Tochar in the B-Shield. The last of the pages was given over to an account of Greystones historic victory over St. Pats in the final of the Dunne Cup.
The accompanying post-match photograph of the team, resplendent in their GO jerseys, fully conveys their unbounded joy at being the first squad to have acquired silverware at Senior-level for Greystones GAA.
A smaller picture shows Uachtaran Patsy Vickers, in the company of Captain Darren Hayden, raising his hat in exuberant delight at the teams ground-breaking victory. A victory which will hopefully inspire these players to go on and win a County Championship. A dream which was born for Patsy when he joined the club at the embryonic stages of its juvenile section nearly 50 years ago.
It was a bit disappointing to see so few Clocha Liatha supporters on hand to witness this hugely significant event in Eire Ogs odyssey.
Not only had na Clocha Liatha never won the competition they had never previously contested a final. However, in the matter of their lack of success being a spur to drive the team on to victory the Eire g lads had little advantage over St. pats since it had been nigh on 30 years since they had won the competition.
If one had taken on board the ominous forebodings of the forecasters one would have been very reluctant to set out for the unsheltered country around Old Conna. In the event while the weather would certainly not have earned the epithet clement it certainly did not make for too arduous spectating. A soft rain persisted throughout the game and the very strong wind which greeted the opening whistle, as if to indicate the gods were on our side, had modified considerably when ire g were facing into it in the second-half.
ire Og had the strong wind in their favour in the first-half and supporters felt that it was imperative that they take immediate advantage of it if they were to be victorious. So the sizing-up scoreless initial period which lasted for nearly 10 minutes seemed interminably long. Relief of the tension came with a point from play by Daniel Keane. Daniel Woods, who eventually accounted for 0-7 of the Eire Og total, followed this up with two points from distance. Shortly after J.P. Connolly added another at the end of an excellent bout of play.
While at this stage Eire Og were motoring well one felt that they were over-elaborating and could have been more productive if they made better use of the long wind-assisted ball and followed the logo on their jerseys in being more enterprising in having a go. In any case they were in the happy position of being 0-7 to 0-2 at the break.
St. Pats were on the attack from the off in the second-half but wasted a number of opportunities through inaccuracy. It fell to Eire Ogs lot to register the first score of the half- a point from Declan OMahony. For the next 10 minutes play went very much St. Pats way and they added 4 points without reply. Fraying Eire Og nerves were steadied and St. Pats dash halted- by 2 points from frees from Daniel Woods.
Eire Og ran our 0-11 to 0-7 winners and the team leaves its indelible mark on the proud history of Eire Og Greystones. A just reward for their teams dedication and commitment. Maith sibh a bhuachailli.
LOTTO: Last weekss winning numbers were 10, 11, 13 & 30 and the prize fund, which was not won, stood at 2,000.
The Lotto has been limping along for some period now so it is at present undergoing an overhaul. Watch this space for updates.
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