Club Carlow will bring a fresh approach to the traditional work of a County GAA Supporters Club. The re-branding of the Friends of Carlow as Club Carlow has come about following consultations with other successful supporters clubs in Kilkenny and Tyrone and because of the County’s ambitious plans to develop a Centre of Excellence.

Successful fundraising initiatives of the past will continue to be organised, beginning with the pre Championship Dinner on 7th May in the Seven Oaks Hotel. Special Guests will include Senior Hurling Manager Kevin Ryan, Senior Football Manager Luke Dempsey, Galway’s Joe Connolly and Daithí Regan of Offaly. Tickets cost €50 and we would be grateful for your support on the day.
Great interest has already been shown in the Dinner and it would be advisable to book tickets immediately.
Finance raised from these events will continue to be used centrally by Club Carlow to help with preparations for our County teams and to support the County Coaching Development structures.

Club Carlow introduces a very simple concept – people who believe in the GAA in Carlow and who value what it does, coming forward to contribute financially to it. They do that by committing €120 per year to the county, which is paid by a monthly direct debit of just €10 – just €2.30 per week.  Funds raised through the membership of Club Carlow will be used entirely to assist with the development of the planned Centre of Excellence. There will also be opportunities for local businesses to support the Development through a Corporate Membership scheme.

To encourage a take up of membership we will issue members card, which will entitle supporters to admission to certain club and county games and to discount in a variety of businesses across the county. Regardless of any incentive, will be the feeling that you are contributing to something very important to all of us – Carlow.

Club Carlow will be wholly within the official GAA system, every euro raised will be spent by Carlow County Board on behalf of the Clubs and members in the county.
In addition we will be supporting Carlow County Board in improving the marketing of our games and communication with all members and supporters.
All this won’t happen overnight; programmes and structures are currently being put in place to ensure we can deliver on our aims as quickly as possible, but please be patient and we will deliver!

As we are only starting out we ask you to get behind the fledging Club Carlow and play your part in helping our teams put Carlow on the national GAA stage.

The Carlow hurling panels holiday plans were emphatically endorsed at the Talbot Hotel on November 27th .The Christy ring cup champions are to head to New York after Christmas .The Barrow side gaa fraternity came out in force to support the lads “who wants to be a thousandaire fundraiser “.County secretary Tommy O’Neill won himself the hamper while friends of Carlow gaa PRO Seamus Marnane was first in the black chair. The friends supported the Ring champions as main sponsors on the night .Public relations officer Marnane works with the C.I.A. nine to five but was found not to have all the answers when facing the spotlight. The Tippmans phone a friend Des Shaw was also stumped when asked how many players are there on an Australian rules Team.

One man not short of an answer was celebrity contestant Ritchie Kavanagh who donated his winnings to charity.
Knockbeg Principal Cyril Hughes underlined his all round sports knowledge answering confidently (as John Coady’s phone a friend) that Bjorn Borg did win five Wimbledon’s in a row .No one in the Talbot could supply the answer to the question “what is the road number connecting carlow with Grange ford “.

However as 2008 draws to a close it’s clear that Carlow hurling is on the right road and the team is very definitely headed for the big apple.

Friends Chairman Stephen Murphy has endorsed the appointments of new carlow football manager luke Dempsey and Michael Dempsey.Murphy regards the twin appointments as hugely positive steps fopr carlow .
Michael Dempsey will probably be remembered best for managing O’Hanrahan’s to three senior football titles and a Leinster club title (2000) during his four-year tenure in Carlow.

Before that he managed Laois to win an under 21 Leinster FC in 1994 and managed their senior footballers in 1997 and ’98. He has spent the last three years as physical trainer to Brian Cody’s allconquering Kilkenny side where he earned nationwide acclaim. County board chairman Pat Deering welcomed the appointment.

“We are delighted to have Mick Michael Dempsey on board. It is a part time position in conjunction with IT Carlow,” he said.

“Leinster Council were the prime movers as part of the strategic review from Croke Park which is being launched on the 25th of the month. Every county is going to have one of these people. “Obviously some counties are going to have a full-time person but because we are one of the smaller counties we fit into the part-time position.

“It is a great boost for us. Mick is a fella who has great experience in hurling and football and has a lot to add to the equation.”

It is indeed an exciting prospect but a daunting one as well. Carlow football on the inter-county scene is at a low ebb and with the hurling manager’s position still vacant, he will be starting from a small base. Initially it is expected that he will work closely with Brendan Hayden, Johnny Nevin and Valerie Crean, who are coach and development officers in the county.
Their aim is to increase participation at underage and youth level in schools and clubs and in the process build up a core of quality coaches in the area.

Deering expects Michael Dempsey will also work with the current development squad and try to improve structures at club level. There are several other areas which Michael Dempsey will be involved but at this stage the new man was still sorting out the fine print.

“To be honest a few things have to be tidied up from the GAA point of view with Croke Park and as far as I know that is not happening until sometime this week,” he said earlier this week.

His role is hugely important as Leinster Council will be setting projects and targets to be achieved within the county each year. Should Dempsey and his team fail to reach those aims funding will not be fed down until the job has been completed.

Meanwhile Luke  Dempsey has opened the way for Thomas Walsh and Derek Hayden to return to Carlow. The new football manager issued a plea for every Carlow born player fit for the county to come into his set up. After high-profile defections to Wicklow and Laois, Walsh and Hayden would be welcomed back into the fold with open arms. “I hope all players born and bred in Carlow would come on board with what we’re trying to do,” said Dempsey. “The aim is obviously to have the best possible team at our disposal and I will be leaving no stone unturned or avenue unexplored.” The former Westmeath and Longford manager announced a continuation of last year’s backroom team with Johnny Nevin, Hughie Brennan and Breffni Hannon all accepting selector roles.

Hannon will take up dual responsibilities with the u21 county team as Dempsey hopes to use the grade as a breeding ground for future success. Mick Mulcahy, head of the Defence Forces physical fitness in the Curragh, will take care of the players’ strength and conditioning coaching having worked with Luke on previous teams.

“We’ll have our first meeting with the players on Friday, November 21, at 10.30pm at Éire "g where we’ll assess their shape. The following weekends we’ll hold trials for interested players who have come to our attention through their clubs which will culminate in a probables versus possibles match on December 28 in Dr Cullen Park.”

The team are not allowed to train collectively until January 1 so Dempsey and his selectors will leave the panel open to all players who feel they have something to offer until then.

“We’ll assess the panel in January and create a pre-national league group to play in the O’Byrne Cup and challenge matches. But it won’t be closed off at that stage because we’ll be hoping to add to it with the trial matches. Clubs should make players known to us because we’re trying to build the best team possible.”

The Carlow hurlers fresh form their Christy Ring cup Victory received a ringing endorsement from Friends of Carlow GAA chairman Stephen Murphy and his committee.

At the friends August Murphy led a vote of congratulations to the players and then approved a thirty thousand euro cash injection for the hurlers.

The financial support is part of an interim package of sixty thousand euro which is heading to central G.A.A. coffers in carlow. The friends have had a number of successful fundraising initiatives during the year with golf classics and corporate fundraisers .individual members can still join the friends by clicking here.