By Peter O’Connell
KILMURRY Ibrickane GAA club will start their centenary celebrations on this Saturday when almost 80 living past winning captains will be recognised, along with former club chairmen.
Michael Talty is chairman of the Kilmurry Ibrickane Centenary Committee and has found that many committee members were re-energised at the prospect of helping to mark 100 years of the club, which hugs the spectacular, occasionally deadly, Atlantic coastline.
“It’s a very big focal point because of it being our centenary year. An awful lot of people, who might not have been involved for a number of years, have got involved again and have been rejuvenated by the centenary year. That’s what makes it a bit more special,” the vastly experienced referee said.
“From my own point of view, I was chairman of the club for ten years. I had a core group of people with me who were very proactive during the development stages of Pairc Naomh Mhuire and the stand. For that reason maybe a a lot of us got burned out and moved away for a number of years. But now that it is centenary year, those people have come back, with a lot of others, who would have gone in previous years,” he added.
While local people can opt to have their family name or that of a deceased relative inscribed on the clubs centenary wall, there is also an alternative option.
“We’re going to have a centenary journal that will be in every school and church over the next nine months. That will be another opportunity for people to leave their mark on that. They don’t necessarily have to put it on marble on the wall,” Michael Talty explained.
Committee secretary Michael Considine said that Saturday will mark the first celebratory event of the clubs centenary year.
“All of the victorious past captains are coming here at 2pm on Saturday. The past chairmen of the club are also going to be acknowledged. Then we’ll have the kids from the parish releasing 100 green and red balloons and Marty Morrissey will unveil our centenary wall,” Michael Considine explained.
“I think we’ve a total of 79 winning living captains. It’s of all age from U/12 up to seniors. The 1966 captain, Joe Lillis, is treasurer of our committee. We’re trying to incorporate everybody from the parish. We’re targeting people that have left the parish but would have played under-age before emigrating. We’re going to try and bring as many people together as possible. Hopefully we’ll do the year justice because you only get once chance at it,” he added.
Locals or people with a connection to the club, can also avail of the opportunity to feature on the centenary wall.
“It’s something that come December 31 is never again going to be added to. It’s only for centenary year and if your plaque is not up before then it’s not going to go up. Whatever plaques are on it up to then are going to be there forever more on the centenary wall,” Michael Considine explained.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.