Silver Medal Winners
The under-tens enjoyed a wonderful year, winning the Galway and Connaught championships and qualifying for the national finals. Great praise is due to Geoff Diskin, Jimmy Gavin and Ray Dooley who managed and looked after the team all year. Training started indoors last November and continued outdoors in the Spring. A panel of twenty players were then selected and these players made it to Mosney. There was great excitement in the area when they won the Galway final, defeating Ballinasloe, and qualified to represent Galway in the Connaught championship.
Held on a dreary day in Ballyleague, Co. Roscommon, they first beat Manorhamilton (Leitrim). Ballina (Mayo) champions were their opponents in the final but Claregalway/Lackagh won through in the end.
Getting to Mosney to represent Galway in an All-Ireland competition was an honour for the parishes involved and the club. It was a dream come through for them all. Our players defeated the Cork champions, Mitchelstown, in the semi-finals, with a tremendous effort. They then went on to play the Leinster champions, Rhode from Offaly. It was felt that the two best teams were meeting in the final. They all gave of their best and were unlucky to be beaten by 0–5 to 0–2. All of the parents, and other supporters from the area and the GAA club, made the long trip to Mosney. Thanks to all the sponsors, and to the people who contributed in the local collection. Thanks to Cregmore Construction who provided kit bags for the Mosney trip.
To the mentors, Geoff, Jimmy and Ray, not enough thanks can be expressed for the wonderful way in which they brought out the best in the panel. They trained them twice a week, Thursdays and Sundays, organised challenge matches, tied laces, cleared up, organised gloves, washed jerseys did everything possible for them. They gave freely and fully of their time and energy to all of these children, all the time in good humour and with great heart. They only ever asked of the team to do their best, the winning was just a bonus, which is the spirit of the Community games, and of underage coaching in general.
The civic reception given to the returning participants in Galway city was a great honour and enjoyed by all. But the reception given to the team when they returned to their own area was a sight to behold. Scores of people turned out to cheer them from the school to the community centre/pitch where the Claregalway G.A.A. and the community games committee honoured their achievement of winning silver All-Ireland medals in Mosney.
