* This is usually a sporting column where the news of what happened on the sporting front for the club. It is a column where we tell you other club news. This week we provide a review of a fine weekend in our club. Club life involves fundraising. When you put a play together to entertain your members and friends we ask club members to take part and like in every other venture to volunteer (coerce!) their services. They will possibly face friendly ridicule from their peers. In the end they do it for the betterment of the club.
Saturday and Sunday morning it happened, riding along on my bike, and as usual alone as I just can keep up! All that came into my head was the words from a Boyzone song. “Don’t Love me for fun girl let me be the one girl”. I actually laughed out. It was just as well it was on the road between Hilltown and Rathfriland. No one heard me just the odd bemused cow peering over the ditch. Yes the song was still in my head from the performances of Mrs Browns Boys on Friday & Saturday Night. The weeks of intense preparation by all the members involved paid off with absolute fantastic performances. The review is quite simple as a leading Judge on Strictly Come Dancing would say “fab-ul-ous!” There were continual tears of laughter on a lot of peoples’ faces. When you see our chairman, vice chairman, assistant treasurer and committee members along with the other members prepared not to take themselves seriously you must take your hat off to them. Their relaxed attitude towards themselves should not be mistaken for the serious amount of preparation they threw themselves into for which they should be commended. Well done to Declan, Rory, Kevin, Betty, Claire, Moira, Harry, Gavin, Cillian and Lorna. You all carried it off brilliantly. So will there be a part 2? A sequel to what has been. Will Mrs B appear with her singing boys? Can Mrs B even sing? Can the boys even sing? We will see. Thank you to all who were involved in the preparation for the play and the hall. There are too many to mention individually. That said no one will mind if we single out local actor and playright Ciaran Milligan who put together the play and coached and helped all our budding actors and actresses to perform so well. Without him the task would have been impossible. Last but by no means least thank you to all our members and friends who came out to support both nights. Sorry to all those who couldn’t get a ticket, it was one of our most popular ventures.
* This weekend sees our ladies venture into Ulster for the first time in many years when they will face St Pauls the Antrim champions at the Antrim venue with the throw in at 1.00pm. Good luck to the ladies who have worked so hard. We hope it will all pay off come Sunday.
* Declan Fitzpatrick will lead his troops into the County Under 16B Championship Final this Saturday against Glenn. At this point the venue for the game is unknown. The lads have worked really hard this year to get where they are and have shown plenty of promise and resolve in their build up to this final. It would be great to get out as many supporters as possible to the game. The lads really deserve this. So come on out next Saturday afternoon and give them your voice. They deserve it.
* On Saturday our Year 4 & 6 footballer’s took part in a blitz in St Malachy’s Park all the boy’s performed brilliantly and competed well in all their games against fellow Gaels from Aughlisnafin, Bryansford, Carryduff & Kilcoo. A big thank you to fellow club members Conall Crilly, Joe Cunningham, Michael Cunningham & Zach Carville for refereeing the various juvenile games and also Brian Cunningham for coming along and taking some photographs on the day. A big thank you also goes to the parents for once again providing refreshments on the day, your assistance and involvement is greatly appreciated from all the coaching team. It was great to hear from a visiting coach that he was glad that the final blitz of the year for his club was in Castlewellan as the welcome and courtesy shown by our members is always first class. Photographs from Saturday and other juvenile events are on the club website www.castlewellangac.com.
* Whilst our young footballers were enjoying their final football blitz of the year some club members of an older vintage were dusting of their boots to take part in a social football competition in An Riocht. The team managed to win the Joe Donnan Memorial Cup following an inter-county (this one’s for you Fish) win over Armagh side Carrickcruppin. There was no doubt that there were some sore limbs and heads the lads on Sunday morning but it was worth the effort. Thank you to host club An Riocht for the invitation to the event which was extremely well organised. The panel was Shay Flannigan, Paul Hanna, Ray Cunningham, Mark Stratton, Finbarr Rice, Ben Rice, Conor Boyle & Terry Connolly.
* A couple of our young members were feverishly working on Sunday at the Paul McKibbin Memorial Cycle. Not only that they were even ready to get on the road and put in the heavy miles. Tadhg & Fianna Owens saw the cyclists off on the 50 mile cycle which is held each year for a cancer charity in memory of their grandfather. Well done to you both for helping out your Grandmother, Aunts and Uncles.
* Good luck to Club member Linda Rogan who will run in next week’s Dublin City Marathon. She is raising funds for the Special Olympics Basketball Squad of which her son Niall is a member. This is such a worthwhile cause and she deserves all our support. Good luck to you Linda.
* The Attack Fitness Circuits will resume this week on Thursday evening at 7.00pm on Wednesday in the Club and on Saturday
* The weekly Castlewellan AC weekly runs continue every Tuesday and Thursday leaving the Club at 7.00pm.
* The numbers in this week’s lotto were 03, 04, 05 & 23. There were no jackpot and one £20 winner this week; Tracey Ward. Next week’s Jackpot is £4800.