Carlows nfl games 2009

Carlow business says yes to friends

AMID all the doom and gloom surrounding the world these days, Carlow GAA shone in a positive light at the Seven Oaks Hotel on November 12th .

With all the glitz and glam of a Hollywood premiere the Friends of Carlow GAA hosted their first fundraising lunch in front of a packed room. Among the celebrity attendees were Ben Dunne, Brian Cody and Henry Shefflin who mixed with the crowd with ease.

At €150 per ticket there was a huge response from Carlow supporters and businesses with over 200 people in attendance. Alan Shortt provided a comical element to the afternoon when he donned the guise of Brian Cowen, Michael D Higgins, Bertie Ahern and Christy Hennessy. Each gave an interesting interpretation of Carlow GAA and the economy.

Few will ever forget the unlucky participants of a quiz performed on the spot. Auctioneer Tom Byrne and Milltown Engineering employees Micky Joe Lomax and Peadar Jordan conjured images of a farm as they bleeted and mooed as their chosen animals a cow, lamb and bullock respectively. Ben Dunne told the attendance not to worry about the economy at present as with every fall there will always be a rise.
Chairman of the Friends of Carlow and MC on the evening Stephen Murphy was lauded by the crowd for his efforts and a special presentation was made to him by Jimmy O’Toole.

The county board were represented by Pat Deering, Tommy O’Neill and Michael Meaney while county football manager Luke Dempsey also made an appearance. A special collection was also made for the Carlow senior hurling panel’s trip to New York in January.

When the Friends of Carlow G.A.A. met for the first meeting in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow, there were lots of issues to be raised. But since this was a getting together of genuine friends of the G.A.A., the side issues quickly fell away and the main function of this new band of supporters came to the top of the agenda- how to raise money, to back the County Board in promoting Gaelic Games.

Sub committees, with differing responsibilities, were formed and five people, Jimmy O'Toole, Chairman, Philip McDonald, Jim Hughes, Liam O'Connor and John Browne Sec. volunteered to organise a Golf Classic. It could have been a very difficult task were it not for the marvellous generosity and help given by the Morrissey family in Mount Wolseley Golf and Country Club, where the classic was played. Jackie and Peter, golf staff members, were also superb in their co operation.

A lot of meetings and a lot of suggestions resulted finally in the staging of the game on Monday 12th May in weather conditions that would do justice to Spain. The winning score of 92 points was a fitting tribute to a most enjoyable day that achieved its main aim of not just increasing the financial coffers, but also of gathering friends together in a wonderful happy atmosphere, where missed tap-ins were soon forgotten!
To my colleagues on the sub committee, to the main committee, to the generous sponsors and to the players who took part we say míle buíochas, ’s go mbeirimid go léir beo ag an am seo arís!

Seán de Brún, Rúnai

Winners

Winners of G.A.A. Golf Classic - Mount Wolseley Golf and Country Club, Tullow
12th May 2008