On Sunday 13th June, 30 members of the Primary 4 Fun Sunday Group travelled to Glasnevin in North Dublin as guests of the famous Na Fianna club. Na Fianna is synonomous with some of the great names in GAA from Dublin and beyond, including former Dublin manager Paul (Pillar) Caffery, Dublin greats Desi Farell and Jason Sherlock, and Armagh’s 2002 All Ireland winning captain Kieran McGeeney.
The St. Brigids players gathered at 8.15am to board their luxurious Chambers bus for the 2 hour journey to Dublin, under the watchful eye of coaches Gareth Bradley, Leo Brown, Stephen McKay, Paul Murphy, Brendan Mulgrew, Brian Leeson and Peter Lynch. A number of parents also made the trip down, including Ian Sockett, Pauline Brown, Anthony Doherty, Liam Muldoon and Sorcha Woolsley. The weather improved as the group made for the border in the comfort of the air conditioned bus, with entertainment provided by the on-board DVD system. The first ask of ” Are we there yet?” came as we passed Musgrave Park and was dismissed with a loud collective groan as the adults contemplated a long day ahead!
In what seemed like no time at all, the bus passsed into North Dublin,turned onto Griffith Ave and down onto Mobhi Road into the impressive Na Fianna complex, which was buzzing with an array of Hurling, Camogie and Football matches on all the available pitches. St Brigids were welcomed to Na Fianna by Tom Gray who, along with Gareth Bradley, was instrumental in arranging the day.
After a quick change in the changing rooms the St Brigids players made their way onto the state of the art 3G training pitch for a warm up. At this point the former Dublin manager Paul Caffery arrived and spent some time talking to the St Brigids players. He offered them 3 pieces of advice before they took to the field:
1 Listen to your coaches.
2 Practise kicking the ball with BOTH feet.
3 Enjoy the games, and play with a smile on your face.
Pillar then tipped Na Fianna to win all the matches much to the derision of the St Brigids players.
The players were split into 3 groups to play 10 aside games against their hosts, with an under 9 side and 2 under 8 teams grouped together. The games were played under Go Games rules with 3 points for a score over the bar, and 1 point for a goal.
The U9 group took the field against a physically bigger Na Fianna select, but it soon became apparent that both teams were evenly matched. This game was played on the 3G surface, and the St Brigids players initially struggled with the pace and high bounce of the ball. However by the end of the first quarter St Brigids began to come to terms with both the opposition and the pitch. In an excellent game of football, the hosts were stunned by the superior teamwork and shooting prowess of the visitors, who eventually ran out deserving winners after four absorbing and exhausting quarters of play in the midday sun. A feature of this game was the excellent tackling and blocking exhibited as both teams ‘gave their all’ for their respective clubs.
Meanwhile the 2 U8 selections were battling their Na Fianna counterparts in front of a large crowd of appreciative supporters and parents. Each team had two matches which were all very evenly matched, as both sets of players ran themselves into the ground over an hour and a half of fast paced football. Eventually the referees brought an end to the action, and all the players left the field delighted with their efforts, but exhausted!!
Back in the huge clubhouse, all the St Brigids contingent were treated to a great meal, as we were overwhelmed by the hospitality shown by all the Na Fianna members.
At 2pm the bus departed Glasnevin for Belfast as the Na Fianna members headed for Croke Park to support the ‘Boys in Blue’ against Wexford. The St Brigids players were a little subdued on the way home as their endeavors on the field of play began to take their toll. Shortly after 3.30 the bus pulled into St Brigid Parish hall where a selection of pizzas were Little Wing Pizzeria were laid on for the returning heroes.
All in all this was a great trip and one which we hope the kids remember for years to come. Great credit to all the P4 coaches who were involved in the organisation of the trip to the parents who accompanied the group and particularly to the young players whose behaviour was exemplary on the day. A huge thank-you to Tom Gray, Paul Cafffery and all the members of Na Fianna GFC who were wonderful hosts.
Finally a special thank-you to Sorcha Woolsley and the management of Little Wing Pizzeria on the Lisburn for their generosity in hosting the recent fundraiser that provided the funding for the trip and to all the St Brigids members who donated so gererously on the night.
The St. Brigids Panel consisted of: Eoin Brown Paul Bradley Patrick McKay Hugo Leeson Joseph McCarney Marcus Lynch Toirealach Brolly Cian McDonald Liam Donaldson Dominic O’Loan Aideen Mallon Conor Mulgrew Conor Slevin David Toner Patrick Devlin Joseph Muldoon Ronan Muldoon Ciaran Muldoon Patrick Murphy Paddy McAllister Patrick Graham David Aiken Luca O’Connell Shay Campbell James Burns James McKenna Ben Doherty Donal Bradley Dara McKay and Conor Brown.
