Cruinniú Cheann Bliana

12ú Nollaig 2005

An Clár

1. Opening of the Meeting
2. Minutes of AGM held on 14th December 2004
3. Secretary’s Report
4. Treasurer’s Report
5. Chairman’s Address
6. Election of Officers and Committee for 2006
7. Close of the meeting
www.geraldinesgfc.com
NA GEARALTAIGH C.L.G.

Tuairisc an Rúnaí 2005

Is cúis áthais dom an tuairisc seo a chur i bhur láthair mar Rúnaí CLG na Gearaltaigh.

Committee Activity:
The Geraldines Committee met on 13 occasions during the year. The meetings in general were well attended. There were also a number of sub-committees formed to co-ordinate specific ventures within the club.

The main activities of the committee during the year were:

Fundraising:

The running of the 30 week Lotto draw.
The lotto commenced on 5 April and finished 30 November. This proved to be a major financial success for the club as will be seen in the Treasurers report later on. The Club is indebted to all those committee members and non committee members who offered their assistance in the selling of lotto tickets.

The Geraldines GFC Benefit Night at Dundalk Stadium-Saturday 24th September 2005.
The Dog night was a huge success on many fronts. A huge crowd turned up to support the recently crowned Intermediate Champions! The stadium was packed for the evening and the event was a very successful fundraising venture for the Club. Special congratulations go to event organiser Stephen Thornton. Thanks also to those who very generously sponsored races and also to the Patron sponsors on the night.

Poker Classic in aid of Tsunami on 28th January.
The proceeds of the Poker Classic in January were donated to the Tsunami appeal. Once again Paul Reneghan did a great job in organising the event.

Sponsorship
Once again the Club is indebted to all those who contributed to the finances of Na Gearaltaigh over the season. There was great support from local businesses, companies and individuals for the Dog Night in September. A list of all the contributors to the Dog Night is currently on the Club website. In addition, many others made contributions towards the finances of the club during the year. Much of this funding is enabled by the canvassing of club members. John Pepper is once again deserving of particular thanks for his fundraising efforts. On behalf of the Club, I thank all those who made contributions over the year, and I also thank those who went out looking for the donations.

Finally, many individuals, companies and business gave their services free of charge over the season and again we extend a big thank you.

Other Activities & Achievements

Club Crest
The Club Crest was completed early in the year, invented, designed and completed by the very able Gerry Connor. The crest now features on club correspondence and jerseys etc.

Newsletter
We managed to produce one club newsletter during the year, which was distributed to most houses the week before the Intermediate Championship Final. It would be useful to prepare and distribute a newsletter twice a year.

Club Facilities
The most obvious improvement in facilities during the year was the surfacing of the Car park, which, I think all will agree, is a superb job. Other projects completed include the road down to the new field and the planting of trees round the new field. Fencing of the new field should be completed very shortly, as will the erection of goalposts and ball stoppers.

Once again Tom O’Donnell deserves the thanks and congratulations of all associated with the club for the superb condition he has kept the football field and indeed the entire premises. Our property is now significantly larger than it has been in the past, and Tom’s efforts to keep the entire property in good condition are nothing short of superb.

Thanks also to Briege Watters who does a wonderful job of keeping the Clubhouse in order!

Blackrock Athletic Club hosted their annual cross country competition at McGeough Park in February last, and will return again this spring. The club is proud to be able to make its facilities available for such events.

St. Fursey’s Presentation Night
A presentation night was held on 4th February 2005, where our own John Neary and Stephen McDonnell of Armagh presented the trophies. This was the last official function for St Furseys, as it was decided at a committee meeting at the end of January that the club would now compete in all competitions as Na Gearaltaigh/Geraldines.

FOOTBALL

Under 10
Geraldines under 10 Team enjoyed a very successful year. The Cumann Peile uí Fhiaich league started in April. After seven successful league matches the team won the competition outright at the end of May, beating the holders St. Michael’s in the final. Over the summer the team had further successes in the Oliver Plunkett’s tournament and the Cumann blitz in Louth village. Opponents in the blitz final were again St. Michael’s.
The squad then went on to win the Championship in September – two late goals in extra time were needed to overcome St Michaels once again.
The mentors have reported that the advent of the club’s new floodlights proved a massive lift for the Gers starter group as during the months of November, December, January and February the squad had at least twenty five of the Under 10s training every Thursday night. Well done to the mentors Eamon Dunne, Lonan McDonald and Padraig Hamill

Under 12
While the squad didn’t lift any trophies, they acquitted themselves very well in both league and championship in the Cumann Peil uí Fiach and also participated in the Gaels tournament. Thanks to mentors Bernie Murray, Thomas McNamee, Lonan McDonald and Eamon Tunney

Under 13
The squad only had one competition, which was championship, to play in. Here we won two out of three games in the championship and lost out on score average on qualification for the semi-finals. Thanks to the mentors Thomas McNamee, Eamon McEnaney, Bernie Murray, Gerry Hoey, Danny O’Neill, John McLoughlin and Michael Woods.

Under 14
The u14’s had a very exciting season, but unfortunately finished up with no silverware. They were beaten in the league final by Oliver Plunketts, and were then beaten in the championship semi-final by the same outfit. This squad travelled to Ballybrown in Limerick to represent Louth in Féile and had a great time. They won two matches, and were then beaten by a very strong Tinryland from Carlow. Special mention goes to John Pepper for making arrangements for Féile and for bringing in the funds which meant the squad were very well kitted out. Thanks to the mentors Daniel O’Gallachóir, Thomas McNamee, Gerard Hoey, John Pepper, Danny O’Neill and David Hand

Under 15
This group lost their first match in 6 years in Louth football when they were defeated by the combination team of the Wolf Tones / St. Nicholas’s in the Division 1 final.
A thank you to the mentors Padraig Hamill, John Pepper, Seamus Breen and Eamon Mc Eneaney who prepared their team well. A special word of thanks to all parents who aided with transport and support but especially to Dermot Rogers and Danny O Neill who were always there.

Under 16
The annexing of the Louth U-16 championship for the first time and the making of history was a huge achievement for the Geraldines. This squad battled their way to the championship final and beat a strongly fancied Wolf Tones / St. Nicholas combination on a score line of 3-10 to 1-1 in the final. The final performance was their best game of the year and they dominated the match from start to finish. Rough house tactics from their opponents in the second half didn’t deflect them and showing great discipline they brought the cup back to the Geraldines. Congratulation boys on making history and thanks to the mentors Eamon Mc Eneaney, Padraig Hamill, Colm Macken and John Pepper.

Minor
The Geraldines minor team had an average run in their league campaign. The squad was made up of a number of 16 and 17 year olds many of whom will be available next year. In the championship they came up against the eventual winners and although they tried hard Cooley were far too strong for them. Well done to mentors Paul Reneghan, Colm Prendergast, Patsy Kirk and Tony McGorrian

Comment:
Once again, 2005 was an outstanding season for the Geraldines underage teams. Great credit is due to the players, managers, mentors, assistants, supporters and parents who make it all possible. These squads now have excellent facilities for training and playing matches, and are well turned out with tracksuits, bags, etc thanks to the efforts of many. It is now well known around the county, and regularly commented on, that the Geraldines underage squads are prepared in a very professional manner. Well done to everyone and long may the success last.

Junior Football
This year we fared well in Junior football. The team competed well in the league and missed out on forcing a play off for a final place by a single point. We were beaten in our championship outing by a strong O’Mahoney’s outfit. Well done to selectors Anthony Mc Crave, Dermot Rogers and Martin Thornton

Intermediate Football
This was a very successful year for the Gers at intermediate level winning the championship for the first time since 1995.

An opening win over the Gaels brought confidence into the team and wins over St. Nicholas’, Togher and St. Fechins meant automatic qualification to the semi finals. Awaiting us there were St. Mochtas. This was a very tight encounter but the lads eventually scraped through by the narrowest of margins. The final was also a very tight contest with only a kick of the ball in it in the end. Man of the match Barry Renaghan stepped up to slot over a 30 yard free with only seconds remaining to tip the balance in favour of the Gers. John Neary then had the honour of lifting the Seamus Flood Cup. The club can now look forward to competing in senior ranks in 2006.

The Gers started the league campaign well but a few defeats on the trot put pay to any chances of winning the league. With that all our efforts went into making a serious challenge for the championship.

The Gers went on to compete in the Leinster Intermediate competition but were beaten by Rathcline from Long ford by 5 points.

Overall it was an excellent year for the Intermediate team.

Congratulations to the players on a wonderful achievement. Great credit is also due to team manager Kevin Lynch, his selectors John Lynch, Padraig McDonnell and Stephen Thornton, kitman Colm Mackin and team Doctor Michael Kieran. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Annie Reneghan who prepared tea and sandwiches after training.

Louth Development Squads
Geraldines were very well represented on the Louth development squads in 2005. In particular we were very well represented on the U14 squad with 9 players.

A Ladies Team
The matter has been raised on many occasions, but nothing has happened. Some have commented that the club could offer more to underage ladies. All that is needed is a small group of committed individuals to get things started.

Feile 2005.
As was mentioned in the u14 section, the club represented Louth at Feile for the third year in a row in 2005. A very well prepared and well equipped group travelled to Ballybrown in Limerick and did the club and county proud. Well done to all associated with the squad and those who travelled.

Fixtures 2005
Once again, there were long periods over the summer where the club had no competitive adult matches, either junior or intermediate. There are efforts underway at present to address this matter at county board level, and hopefully they will be successful.

Bowls
Thanks are due to all the generous sponsors of the various competitions, and to the bowls committee for organising the competitions during the year. These competitions brought in some much needed revenue to the club.

Sympathy
I extend sincere sympathy, on behalf of the club, to all our members who suffered bereavements during the year. At this juncture I would like to thank Rev Fr Brennan PP for offering mass for deceased members tonight.

Website
The club website has now been up and running for a few seasons. It is a valuable source of information on the club, and was especially useful after the Intermediate Final for displaying a large array of photos. I urge everyone, however, to make material available for posting on the site-match reports, photos etc. Thanks to Niall Carroll who runs the site.

The new Louth management team
On behalf of the Club, I congratulate two of our own, firstly Eamon McEnaney on his appointment as new Louth team manager, and John Pepper who will operate as Liaison officer for Eamon and the Louth team. We wish them both every success in their endeavours.

CONCLUSION:-.
Overall this was indeed a very successful year for the club from under age teams to the intermediate team. We continue to improve our facilities at the club, and look forward to more success on the field in 2006.

To all those associated with Na Gearaltaigh in 2005 I say well done. Everyone should be proud of the club’s achievements in 2005, both on and off the field. Our club is blessed with ability and talent both on and off the field, and we must now set ourselves even higher standards for 2006, establish our objectives, and begin planning to make our aspirations and objectives a reality.
It was my pleasure to serve as Secretary in 2005,
Go Raibh Maith Agaibh Go Leir

Colm MacDómhnaill,