Saturday the 28th of August was a special day for the Claregalway U15 badminton team, the beginning of a fantastic weekend in Mosney, Co. Meath for the Credit Union Community Games. We left Claregalway church on Saturday morning armed with plenty of luggage and supplies for the weekend ahead. We had only one thing on our mind… to conquer Mosney. Excitement was high in the bus for the 6-hour journey (traffic through Slane!) as we were all looking forward to a brilliant weekend.
When we finally arrived after stopping in Mother Hubbard’s on the way, we were given our chalets and began to get ready for the opening parade. The girls on the team were chosen to be ceremonial people and to lead the Galway contingent for the parade which was viewed by supporters, Bertie Ahern and various other sponsors, politicians and dignitaries.
Entertainment was provided for all that night and the following two days as there were discos and plenty of activities to do to keep everyone happy, ie. go-karting, laser quest, amusements, and arcades. And the Renmore Variety team made sure we were never bored!
Monday morning, and the nerves were beginning to set in. We were delighted to see so many loyal supporters who had travelled up from Claregalway that morning to cheer us on. We played some hard games against Donegal but unfortunately they proved to be the stronger team and went on to play Meath in the Final. Disappointment was evident but we still had a chance at taking home the bronze medal, a new aim was set for us. Each game we played against Clare was a hard battle and every game was very close. But finally our strength and determination won out as the final second of tension passed and glory filled the air. Cheers, screams and singing could be heard all around the complex, as we were so happy. The prize giving was a definite buzz as all our supporters from the Galway group, and our many new-found friends came to cheer us on as we received our medals to the sound of The Fields of Athenry.
Claregalway U15 Badminton Team: Aine Skelly, Gráinne Noonan, Maria Moran, Michelle Kirrane, Ciara Skelly, Donal Cahalan, Stephen Keane, Thomas Walsh, Ian Steven, Paul Loughlin.
We were sorry to realise it was our last night and that we would have to leave the next day, and especially since many of us were to return to school the following day, but, we still had a brilliant night thanks to our DJ Larry Gogan and all our friends!
Our weekend in Mosney 1999, will never be forgotten, it was the best weekend ever and we hope to return next year; but, without the help of Mary Forde and all our parents and supporters who helped us so much in the past few months, it might not have been a possibility. So thank you to you all, and especially to Mary Forde, for training us and helping us along the way to bring home with us, our All-Ireland medals.
Junior Badminton
Junior Badminton continues on Tuesday evenings. Saturday sessions will commence shortly, with timetable as follows:
Beginners hour 5.30–6.30pm
Existing Members 6.30–8.30pm
Membership Fee for the year will be £15 each. This includes Hall Rent, Shuttlecocks and Insurance payable to the Badminton Union of Ireland and all registration fees payable to the County Badminton association. Fees will be accepted in the Leisure Centre during Badminton Hours on Tuesday 14th September.
Congratulations to our Community Games Team who won Bronze medals in the All Ireland Championships at Mosney on Monday, 30th August.
Senior Badminton
Senior Badminton continues every Tuesday night 8.30–10.30.
New members are always very welcome, and I would like to welcome the new members who have been attending over the last number of weeks.
Mary Forde
