Ballinora   Hurling   &   Football   Club,   Waterfall,   Co. Cork,  Ireland

SECRETARY’s REPORT

By: Tony O'Mahony

28^th November 2002

TUARASCÁIL AN RÚNAÍ

A  Cháirde,

Tá sé de phribhléid agamsa an tuarascáil seo ar imeachtaí an Chumainn i 2002 a chur ós bhur gcomhair anocht. Tá siúl agam go mbioch cruinniú sár-mhaith againn agus bhfuil gach duine sásta le obair an oiche.

The year under review may not be regarded as a record breaking one in terms of trophies won on the playing fields but it would have to be regarded as a year of intense activity as the number of games played was well up to the average and the number of training and coaching sessions would also be on par with other seasons. While success is important in terms of encouragement and in terms of raising the profile of our team's,  success is best measured in the amount of participation and when viewed in this manner I feel it is reasonable to regard it as quite a successful season. It did of course have its high points, some of which would be the highly successful championship campaign of our intermediate footballers who reached the county semi-final and were only narrowly defeated. The victory of our U-16 hurlers in the mid-Cork and championship and likewise the mid-Cork championship success of our U-14 hurlers gives cause for optimism, however this is no license for complacency as we must also be conscious of the fact that at the lower age levels we are unable to compete with the stronger clubs in the division which has to be a source of worry if we are to continue to make the impact one would expect in years to come. During the year the distinction of representing us on inter county teams fell to Conor Brosnan and he did so in splendid fashion on the Cork U-21 and junior football teams but the lean year endured by Cork teams deprived him of medal success.

Our various committees worked tirelessly in their different areas of responsibility to provide the necessary back up for our teams, generating finance and the many other tasks they were given to do. If one has concerns one of the main ones would have to be the shortage of personnel to carry the huge work-load which running a club catering for such numbers involves. As we are all aware the more we spread the work-load the easier the job becomes,  but we must accept that the shortage of volunteers now means the club cannot operate efficiently as with the same few expected to do everything, and few things get done as they should.  I am quite sure there are many people throughout the parish who could playa role if encouraged and given the opportunity as it is in all our interests that our club is a vibrant one, as we are all aware of the many evil influences which  are at work in society today and the role a thriving club can play in combating them as our youth go in search of an outlet for their energy. This is a very important function of all G.A.A. clubs and of course very much part of our role in providing an outlet for the young people of our catchment area. I would appeal to anybody in the locality with any bit of spare time who might feel they could give some help to come forward. I am sure they will feel welcome and they will find it rewarding.

COMMITTEES

JUVENILE COMMITTEE

Our juvenile committee continues to do excellent work in organising games, which involves providing and arranging transport, organising training and coaching sessions, and raising the necessary finance to fund all this. This group lay the foundation on which the club is built and they can never be thanked enough for the service they provide because theirs is the most demanding task of all when you consider the process of teaching the many skills that have to be learned. Do they ever get the recognition they deserve.

FUNDRAISING

The principle function of this group was to organise and promote the annual Golf Classic which by now has become a major event in the life of the club as a social event and of crucial importance in terms of generating finance. We are deeply indebted to this small band of people for their wonderful contribution. The lotto this year was a joint venture between the adult and juvenile committees while the position of the advertising signs in the field remains unchanged.

HALL COMMITTEE

This group is making wonderful progress in utilising the hall to the fullest. They have over a short period changed the hall from the loss-making situation. It has been a huge source of revenue through letting it for parties, indoor games and training etc. They have shown great dedication to the job and brought their expertise in this area to very good effect by changing what was a liability to a valuable asset. Their success story is a great example of what can be achieved if sufficient volunteers make themselves available to do particular projects. Some of their profit has been put back into necessary repairs and maintenance while the surplus is to be used for various club projects. We thank them sincerely and wish them further success. Surely this experience must tempt us to re-examine how we spread the work-load.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

In the area of public relations much use was made of the Parish Newsletter and having various items announced in the church which served us well and a club newsletter at the end of the season giving information on events which took place during the year and out-lining plans for fundraising events for the year ahead. In the present era we need to be ever conscious of the importance of public relations as it can have such a vital bearing on the image of our club.

SCÓR

Our Sc6r committee have been working hard under difficult circumstances to promote the cultural aspect of the club and while they left no stone unturned their success was rather limited due mainly to the reluctance of people to compete. It is unfortunate that more people do not wish to represent the club as such winning brings as much enjoyment as winning on the playing field. I am sure there are numerous people in the parish who would have a lot to offer in this area if they could be encouraged to become involved and as I understand that most of the out-going committee do not wish to continue. It is a matter which needs to be addressed urgently.

BALLYMAW DEVELOPMENT

This small band of people have really set headlines for us all in what they have achieved and the manner in which they achieved it. They made the erection of the dressing rooms their priority and throughout the summer working on long evenings and on Saturdays build the dressing rooms totally on a voluntary basis, the walls are build and the roof on, they are now ready for doors and windows, plastering and plumbing etc.  As well as these being done voluntarily,  every available cost-cutting measure was employed so what has been done for the little money spent has to be seen to be believed. When ready for use the dressing rooms will be of immense benefit in relation to the use of the fields at Ballymaw.

HISTORY

The production of the club history is making steady progress. It’s being compiled by Michael O'Connor and he has already assembled much material relating to the early years. The job is made more difficult because there are no minute books available for many years which makes  checking details more difficult. The 1940's and early 1950's seem to be a particularly grey area, so if anybody has any information which may help for this or any period of the club history I would appeal to them to make it available, as all items of importance should be included to ensure that the finished product will be a valuable record of club activity since its foundation and something to be cherished by present and future generations of Ballinora people wherever they may be.

HURLING

The hurling committee continues to make a vital contribution to the well-being of the club. Having previously identified areas of concern they continue to work on them. They have succeeded in creating a better approach to hurling within the club, they hold regular meetings and discuss their problems and where necessary bring before the club executive to have them solved. This process can only be beneficial. Their efforts have been a great help in avoiding any clash of fixtures between hurling and football for selectors and players. We all hope that sufficient resources become available to them to enable them to produce more people who could undertake coaching our youth.

FOOTBALL

Our football committee also provides a wonderful service to our teams ensuring that everything is laid on for them as needed,  and their ongoing communication with their hurling counterparts makes for a far smoother operation than we were accustomed to prior to setting up the present structure. Our club will be the winner as a result of this co-operation.

FIXTURE / TRAINING CO-ORDINATION

This committee has proved to be a great success. They meet regularly during the playing season under the chairmanship of Donie Healy and the different groups needing the use of fields for training and matches attend and make their application. A programme is drawn up to accommodate everybody as best possible.

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorship has by now become very much part of G.A.A. activity and the situation in Ballinora is no different from what it is nation-wide. We are fortunate to have South of Ireland Petroleum Ltd. as sponsors of our adult teams for a number of years now,  which has meant a lot to the club and this year we secured sponsorship from Norwood Grange Nursing Home for our Golf Classic. To both we say a heartfelt thanks for their generosity.

REPRESENTATION ON CORK TEAMS

Michael Murphy was on the Cork Minor Football panel for the round robin series and played in many of the games including the Munster semi-final defeated by Kerry. Conor Brosnan was on the Cork U-21 football team defeated Clare. Conor  was also on the Cork Junior football team which lost to Kerry in Killarney, and to make it a hectic year for him in football he was on the UCC team defeated in the Sigerson Cup final (inter-varsities competition) and a member of the UCC team which made it to the county senior semi-final. Donal McSweeney was a selector to the Cork U-21 football team.

Representation on Muskerry Senior Team

Garry O'Halloran, Eddie Carey and Cronan Healy played a number of games with Muskerry senior footballers,  with Garry playing in the Co. Championship against St. Finbarrs Hurling. Conor Brosnan was on the Muskerry hurling team which defeated Glen Rovers after a replay and lost to eventual Co. Champions in the quarter final. Niall O'Leary, Willie Dineen and Pearse Power were on the Muskerry team (selected from the junior clubs) which lost to Blarney in the Lucey Cup senior hurling tournament played at Ballincollig and Barry Crowley and Willie Dineen played in challenge games with Muskerry.

BOARD DELEGATES

Donal McSweeney represented the club on the Cork Co. Board and Jerry O'Shea and Dollie Healy represented us on the mid-Cork Board Junior Board while Denis O'Neill and Willie Maher represented us at the Mid-Cork Juvenile Board and the City Juvenile Board. Representation on Muskerry Juvenile Teams Killian Keogh and Peter Martin were members of the Muskerry U-16 football team that won the Liam Lyne Cup.

MUSKERRY JUVENILE SELECTORS

The following served as Muskerry underage:  Michael O'Regan U-14 football, Conor Collins U-15 football, Noel Murphy U-15 hurling while U-16 hurling was shared between Noel Murphy and Pierce Power.

MUSKERRY DEVELOPMENT SQUADS

We had a number of players on Muskerry development squads which consisted of the better players within the division which were brought together to further improve their skills and they were as follows:

U-16 Football:      Killian Keogh and Peter Martin.

U-15 Football:     Brian Murphy, Killian Sheehan, Niall Collins, Diarmuid Galvin, Declan O'Shea.

U-14 Football:      Mark Kelleher.

U-14 Hurling:      Liam O'Regan got a trial for the Cork U-14 Hurling team.

U-15 Hurling:      Eoin Lucey, Niall Collins and Killian Sheehan.

BOWLING TOURNAMENT

A road bowling tournament run off on St. Patrick's weekend proved very successful. It was organised as a fund-raiser and a social event as well and proving very successful on both counts. It was attended by His Lordship Bishop John Buckley who also took part. Sincere thanks to the small group who organised it and also to the local branch of Bol Cumman na nGreann for their assistance.

HURLING BLITZ

An adult hurling blitz was run on St. Patrick's Day by the hurling committee as part of their effort to get as many players as possible involved. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to it which somewhat restricted the numbers taking part so only one game was played and proved quite successful.

JUVENILE TRIP

Our juvenile committee arranged a trip to Thurles on the occasion of the Cork v Tipperary senior football championship match and the Cork v Galway All-Ireland hurling qualifier game. It was a very enjoyable experience and I’m sure the question on most of the young players minds is when is the next one.

SUMMER CAMPS

The usual summer camps took place in the playing field in the last week of July and turned out to be very popular with all the participants.

GOLF CLASSIC

The annual Golf Classic was held this year over two days;  July 25th/26th at Lee Valley Golf Club. It was a great sporting and social -occasion. To this committee led by Dan Callanan we are deeply indebted as not alone is it a great source of revenue but it has now become one of the popular events on the Golfing calendar. Our thanks also goes to the local Golfing Society El Nino's for their co-operation and of course to Norwood Grange Nursing Home for their generous sponsorship.

SCÓR

Our Sc6r competitors took part in the mid-Cork competition at Sc6r na Páistí and adult levels. In adult Sc6r we were represented by Ursula Mulvihill in solo singing and in question time by John Brosnan, Donal McSweeney and Con O'Sullivan and ballad group by Betty Murphy, Ursula Mulvihill, Bernie Costelloe, Cecily Lyons and Marie Corkery. The ballad group as runners-up qualified for the Co semi-final which was held at Lisavarid but were unsuccessful there.

LOCAL RED CROSS

The local branch of the Irish Red Cross who as usual were a wonderful source of support in treating injuries during games are deserving of our thanks and of course are to be heartily congratulated on their wonderful achievements in their own competition during the year. They started off by winning the First Aid President's Cup in All-Ireland competition which qualified them to represent Ireland at the European competition at Ghent Belgium on Saturday August 30th and here they did themselves and their parish proud by taking outright honours. This is truly a remarkable achievement. Later In the year they also won local and All-Ireland titles at the Cadet and Novice All-Ireland competitions at Ballyfin Co. Laois to cap off a really successful season for them.

I.C.A.

The close links between the club and the local I.C.A. Guild continued during the year. The Guild here have always been wonderful supporters of the club and it is appropriate that we express our appreciation of their help and wish them well in their own work.

SCOUTING IRELAND  - C.B.S.I.

As is the case with the I.C.A. we are happy to have a great working relationship with the local branch of CBSI with large numbers as members of both organisations. Their co operation is deeply appreciated.

CAMOGIE

We are delighted to be of any assistance we can to our camogie club because working together we can promote our games much better and the importance of working to create a G.A.A. oriented community cannot be over stressed as we share the same objectives.

BAZAAR

The date for the annual Christmas Bazaar is set for Sunday December 8th and with many new people getting involved it is expected to have many new attractions so it should be bigger and better than ever. It has always been a great source of revenue as well as being a great occasion for young and old, so it is reasonable to expect more benefits this year.

ROCHES STORES BAG PACKING

We have been granted the bag packing again this year by Roches Stores for the week leading up to Christmas. Last year this was a valuable fundraising event and we express our thanks to the boys and girls who took part and also the people who operated as supervisors. Well done, as it can be a great public relations exercise as well as an important fund-raiser.

NATIONAL SCHOOL

Our local National School has always been a great nursery for the club as this is where the vast majority of our players get their first experience of Gaelic games. We are all very conscious of the great role played by our teachers in the promotion of our games and here we are fortunate to be so well served by our teachers and we thank them sincerely with a special word of thanks to Vincent Cronin and Michael Bohane for their continued help.

COUNTY  BOARD MEMBERS DRAW

This draw started by Cork Co. Board back in 1992 for the clubs of the county has the potential to provide most of the club's finance with no risk whatsoever to the club in that it does not have to provide prizes. The draw which has attractive prizes,  pays out a minimum of 45% of what is collected and this increases depending on the amount collected. For example from 200 members the club benefits to the tune of E 7,380.  500 members club share E 20,910.   700 members club share E 31 ,570.   1,000 members club share E 47.560. Draw membership fee is E 80 per year or E7 per month. I am sure you will all agree on the importance of deriving maximum benefit from this draw, in fact my own view is that the day to day running of the club could be derived from this source.

SKILLS / PUCK   FADA

This competition which is nation-wide was run again this year. In the Puc Fada we were represented by Alan O'Neill and Owen Hourihan while in the skills competition Alan O'Neill and Robert Dorgan represented us. Neither were fortunate enough to make it to the next stage of the competition.

REPRESENTATION ON BOARDS

Our chairman John Brosnan continued his successful sojourn as Rúnaí Coiste Gairmscoileanna na Mumhan and of course further extended his term as Úachtaráin of the National Body while the Rúnaí served as chairman of Bord na n6g an Chontae and also as a Muskerry hurling selector.

MEETINGS

Club meetings were held on a regular basis during the year, in almost all cases on the first and third Thursday of the month. Seventeen meetings in total and in addition the executive met on a number of occasions while the various sub-committees held their own regular meetings.

PLAYERS INSURANCE

This is an area which appears to have given rise to some difficulties from time to time, some of which seems to stem from sufficient knowledge not being available so as to enable people be aware of their entitlements. It is essential that everyone knows what's available in terms of cover, and also that they play a role in streamlining the claiming process.

PITCH MAINTENANCE

The care and maintenance of our playing fields has been another area to experience difficulties. However the purchase of a new mower during the year has helped greatly and the small team working with our field officer Michael Hourihan has spared no effort to have the fields in the best possible condition for everybody. Some remedial work may need to be done but this may not be possible in the immediate future.

REFEREES

Again this year we failed to provide any referee at adult level and now that this has been. the posItIon for a number of years It reflects badly on us as a club. Refereeing is obviously a difficult job and maybe at times we find it difficult to accept their decisions, but think of the consequences if every clubs efforts were to end in failure like ours. Denis Dineen did represent us at juvenile level.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS

Ballinora is still very much a developing locality and  I believe we can regard this as a bonus as obviously the greater the population the greater the numbers wanting to become involved in the club. In recent times a considerable number of new families have moved into the parish and I would like to extend a hearty welcome to them all, as this is now their home I hope they can feel at home and feel welcome in the Ballinora GAA Club also. There is considerable development planned for the area also which of course will bring major changes and puts an onus on us all to have structures in place which would enable us to cater for greater numbers.

THE FUTURE

We may ask ourselves what does the future hold. I believe it is fair to say, our future is in our own  hands as we have the facilities, we have the players. If everybody involved, be they players, mentors or whatever, are totally committed to the cause there is no reason whatsoever why we can't enjoy a significant amount of success but remember it has to be 100% commitment as half hearted effort is no recipe for success. It is of course important that our games are well planned and properly spaced out to enable people to plan work or holidays or whatever they need to do. The following is a breakdown of the games played during 2002:

INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL

20 games were played, 8 won,  2 drawn and 10 lost. In challenge games we lost to Muskerry (seniors), to Bishopstown (seniors) twice, drew with St. Michael's (seniors) and beat Carrigaline and Millstreet. In the Tom Creedon Cup we beat Ballincollig and Newmarket but lost to Valley Rovers. In the league we beat Carrigaline and lost to Newmarket, Castletownbere, Kilmuiray and Macroom and drew with Kilavullen. In the first round of the championship we lost narrowly to Castsletownbere and went on to play Ballincollig in the qualifier round where we had comfortable victory. We then defeated Glenville after a close game and had a good win over Valley Rovers giving one of our better performances of the year. This pitted us against Nemo Rangers, one of the favourites to win outright. Here, after a slow start our team settled and wiped out an early Nemo lead to go in at the interval one point ahead having played against the wind,expectations were running high but we eventually went under by two points.

JUNIOR FOOTBALL

Four games were played, one was won and three lost. In the mid-Cork league we beat Macroom and lost to Aghabullogue and because of difficult in getting out sufficient numbers we were forced to withdraw from the league. In the championship which operated a back-door system we lost to Aghinagh and then to Inniscarra.

JUNIOR HURLING

18 games were played, 8 won, 1 drawn and 9 lost. In challenge games we beat Ballymartle, -and Ballinhassig, drew with Millstreet and lost to Bishopstown, Fermoy, Barryroe, Diarmuid O'Mathunas, Erins Own and Kinsale. In the mid-Cork league we beat Blarney, Donoughmore, Eire Óg and Ballincollig and lost to Cloughduv and Aghabullogue and got walk-overs from Grenagh and Inniscarra and just narrowly failed to qualify for the league final. In the first round of the championship we beat Ballincollig and then had a good win over fancied Grenagh and met Cloughduv in the semi-final and after a reasonable first half performance we faded in the second period and were well beaten.

JUNIOR B HURLING

8 games were played, 5 won and 3 lost. In challenge games we beat Ballincollig and lost to Donoughmore and Redmonds. In the league we lost to Ballincollig. In the championship we beat Inniscarra and in the quarter final we defeated Iveleary to put us into the semi-final against Cloughduv.  Cloughduv were beaten in a tightly contested match and on the last Sunday just before Christmas, Ballinora won against Aghinagh in the final.   Congratulations to all involved.   

U-21 HURLING

2 games were played, 1 won and 1 lost.  In the opening round of the championship we beat Donoughmore after a slow start and were heavily defeated by Cloughduv in the second round.

U-21 FOOTBALL

6 games were played, 4 won, I lost and 1 drew. In challenge games we beat  Donoughmore and Ballinascarty. In our first championship game we beat Canovee and then drew with Grenagh. In the replay we served up a great display to win comfortably. In the semi-final with Ballincollig we had to give bet after a good performance.

MINOR HURLING A

12 games were played, 3 won and 9 lost. In challenge games we beat Kinsale and Ballygarvan and lost to Blackrock and Valley Rovers. In the non-exam county league we lost to Ballincollig, Carrigaline and Blarney. In the mid-Cork league ewe beat Aghabullogue and lost to Cloughduv, Grenagh. In the championship we lost to Eire óg.

MINOR FOOTBALL A

12 games were played, 3 won, 7 lost and 2 drawn. In the non-exam Co. league we lost to Mallow, Gabriel Rangers, Bandon, and Carrigtwohill and drew with Blarney. In the mid-Cork league we beat Inniscarra, Canovee and Macroom and lost to Naomh Aban and Eire Óg. In the championship we drew with Canovee and they beat us in the replay.

UNDER 16 FOOTBALL B

25 games were played, 15 won and 10 lost. In challenge games we beat Newcestown and lost to Macroom, Inniscarra and Eire Óg. In the City football league we beat Bishopstown, Brian Dillons, V Rathpeacon, Nemo Rangers, Delaney and Ballinure. In the Co. non-exam league we lost to Courcey Rovers, Kiskeam, Ballinascarty, Kilmichael, Clondrohid and Iveleary. In the. mid-Cork league we beat Kllmurray, Iveleary, Ballmgeary and Aghabulllogue and then in the semi-final beat Kilmurray and in the final beat Ballingeary to become league winners. In the championship we were defeated by Aghabullogue. We drew with Delaneys in the City League semi-final. The replay  has not been played at the time of writing.

UNDER 16 HURLING B

7 games were played, 1 won, 6 lost. We lost to Eire óg in the mid-Cork league. In the City league we lost to Delaneys, Brian Dillons and beat Whitechurch in a challenge. As the mid-Cork championship turned out to have only two teams we played Grenagh and were beaten but because the runners up also qualified for the county championship we met Banteer in the first round and  were defeated.

UNDER 14 HURLING B

14 games were played, 3 won, 9 lost and 2 drawn. In challenge games we lost to Ballygarvan and drew with Valley Rovers. In the Féile na nGael tournament we lost to Carrigaline. In the mid-Cork league we lost to Aghabullogue, beat Kilmichael and drew with Donoughmore. In the City League we lost to Mayfield, Ballincollig, Brian Dillons and St. Vincents.   We beat Aghabullogue in the mid-Cork Championship final and lost to Cloyne in the first round of the county championship.

UNDER 14 FOOTBALL B

12 games were played, 4 won and 8 lost. In the Féile na n6g competition we beat Carrigtwohill and lost to Carbery Rangers. In a challenge game we lost to Ballinhassig. In the City League we beat St. Vincents, Brian Dillons and Ballinure and lost to Whitescross, Ballincollig and Mayfield. In the mid-Cork championship played on a league system we were beaten by Naomh Aban, Macroom and Kilmurray.

UNDER 12 HURLING A

7 games played, 1 won and 6 lost. The championship played on a league system saw us beat Grenagh and lose to Aghabullogue, Blarney, Inniscarra, Cloughduv, Eire Og and Ballincollig.

UNDER 12 FOOTBALL B

11 games played, 5 won, 5 lost and 1 drawn. In challenge games we beat Valley Rovers and lost to Eire Óg and Valley Rovers and created history by beating Bishopstown in the club's first game under lights. In the mid-Cork league we beat Donoughmore, lost to Inniscarra and Ballincollig and drew with Blarney in the semi-final and won the replay. In the championship we beat Grenagh and lost to Donoughmore in the final:

UNDER 15 HURLING A

2 games played, 1 won and 1 lost. In this mid-Cork competition we beat Eire Óg in our opening game and lost to Inniscarra in the semi-final.

UNDER 15 FOOTBALL A

2 games played, 1 lost and 1 drawn. In a challenge game we drew with Kilmurray and in the mid- Cork competition we lost to Ballincollig.

UNDER 13 HURLING B

4 games played, 2 won and 2 lost. In this mid-Cork league we beat Kilmichael and Inniscarra B and lost to Donoughmore which meant we qualified for the final with Donoughmore and they again defeated us.

UNDER 13 FOOTBALL B

4 games played, 4 lost. In this league we lost to Kilmichael, Kilmurray, Blarney and Iveleary.

SCHOOLS SHIELD HURLING

3 games, 3 lost. In this competition we lost all three games to Greenmount, Whitechurch and Knocknaheeney.

UNDER 11 HURLING GARDA TOURNAMENT

3 games played, 1 won and 2 lost. We beat Whitechurch and lost to Delaneys and Donoughmore.

SCHOOLS SHIELD FOOTBALL

4 games played, 4 lost. In a challenge game we lost to Scoil an Spioraid Naoirnh.

In the competition we lost to Glasheen, Innishannon and Millstreet.

UNDER 10 HURLING

3 games played, 1 won, 2 lost. In this special mid-Cork competition we beta Kilmichael and lost to Donoughmore and Aghabullogue.

UNDER 10 FOOTBALL

3 games played, 3 lost. In a challenge match we lost to Ballinhassig and in the special league we were beaten by Kilmurry and Macroom.

I hope I have covered all the important areas of activity but should anybody feel something which should b discussed is omitted feel free to raise the matter and have it aired. I would like to convey the sincere thanks of the club to all who helped in any way during the I year, whether it was it was as a selector, trainer, Board delegate, providing transport to underage games or as a member of any of our sub-committees or doing the physical work to ensure everything was in order for our teams and of course to our referees we say thanks also and we acknowledge also those who provided the vocal support at our games. To those who made financial contributions whether by way of sponsorship or whatever from companies or individuals our sincere thanks. I would like to thank my fellow officers for their wonderful help and co-operation during the year and I am sure I will be forgiven if I say a special thanks to our chairman and assistant secretary without whose help I could not have managed and we look forward to 2003 bringing even greater success.

Baile Dia ar an obair.

Antóin Ó Mathúna,  

Rúnaí