In the words of Elvis “I don’t worry, Whenever skies are grey above, Got a pocketful of rainbows, Got a heart full of love”.
There were some grey skies alright alongside blue skies coupled with one rain shower at the 4th annual Pat Farrell Cup on May 25th, but it was all worth it for the rainbows that came soon after. The love was also on show for Pat Farrell as the Parish came out in force to remember someone that was such a pillar of the community. Alot of Pat’s grandchildren were playing on various teams from Infants up to the Senior teams and were delighted to receive a medal from their Granny and Aunt Mairéad. Thank you to the Farrell family for allowing us to remember Pat in this way each year and Chris for kindly sponsoring the medals.
After all the children had been registered by Sue McEvoy and Gwen Bergin we got the day under way. Based on the weather forecast we decided the Infants class would be better off displaying their skills in our Indoor Astro arena. Overseen by Yvonne Farrell, Gwen Bergin, Sue McEvoy and Dave Kerins the children partook in some fun games and a match. The effort the children put in was brilliant and we hope they were very proud of themselves after it. Thank you to Kate Hill and Caoimhe Cully who refereed the matches. After the session ended Pat’s daughter Mairéad Farrell presented each team with a medal commemorating the event. The children were delighted to hear Mairéad remembered them from 2024. She told them all she was very impressed with their progression and encouraged them all to keep up the practice.
Outside on the main pitch, children from First and Second class were playing matches. Overseen by Karen Dunne, Neil Bergin, Dean Donoghue and Damien Farrell the team work was phenomenal alongside the kicking and hand passing. Some of the goals scored wouldn’t have looked out of place in Croke Park either! Chris Farrell was delighted to present the medals to this group. Thank you to Nicole Coughlan and Sadie Cullinan for making sure the games, as usual, ran smoothly. Nicole has also been on hand, alongside fellow transition year student, Jack Dalton, to help train the children so I’m sure there was an extra element of pride for Nicole seeing the hard work come to fruition.
On the back pitch, the atmosphere was mixed. Some boys and girls were getting to play on the Senior team for the first time, for some this would be their last run out in the tournament as they progress to second level education in September. The coaches were also looking for bragging rights. Mix all that together and you’ve a great afternoon of football to enjoy!
The men in the middle keeping everyone in check were the Cahill brothers, Luke and Jack. Once again these lads can be relied on to ensure a fair game takes place. After a round robin system we had our finalists for the main Cup and also the teams for the Shield Final. The Shield Final was the curtain opener. To prove how serious we take this we went to the next level referee wise and drafted in Peter Farrell. Thankfully he had no need to issue any cards! After a tense battle it was the Robbie Dunne and Richard Bradley team in the Cloghs colours who toppled the duo of Brian Gravin and Dec O’Connor who togged out in the colours of Meath. Livia Bradley and Cian Cusack proudly accepted the Shield Cup from Chris on behalf of their team mates.
Next up was the finale, the holy grail- The main Pat Farrell Cup. This time it was the turn of seasoned mentors Eoin Robinson and Dave Cully of Broadford to take on the first time Senior managers of Seánie McEvoy and Mike Donnelly in the colours of Balyna. The children were put through a dynamic warm up before taking to the field. For a while neither side could be separated score wise. The blocks were fearless and the tackles tenacious. A deluge of rain didn’t dampen the spirits of players, managers and spectators alike. Slowly but surely the children playing under the colours of Balyna managed to pull away and overcome the mighty challenge of the Broadford team. There were scenes of great excitement come the full time whistle and a great memory stored for the victors.
Neil Bergin, spoke highly of Pat and the contribution Pat made to the Parish through his many years as Principal in Broadford Ns and his position on numerous committees throughout the Parish. All that was left to do then was for Chris to once again present the Pat Farrell Cup to joint captains Lucy Daly and Dylan McManus.
With the action completed off the pitch it was time to refuel! The team of Seamus & Marie Galligan, Kate Cully, Kathleen Lynch, Anne Hill and Fiona Farrell ensured everyone was well fed and they were ably assisted by Susan Shannon, Cora O’Hagan and Anne Carr.
This event does not just happen without alot of behind the scenes work and the club would like to thank Neil and Yvonne for driving the event and also all the coaches from Clogherinkoe GAA, Balyna Juvenile and Balyna Ladies who gave up their time over the last few Wednesdays with the hope of planting a seed of love for football for those not already playing and nurturing the love for all those who already do. Thank you to the schools for facilitating the sessions and the children for being such active and enthusiastic participants. We hope everyone enjoyed the afternoon and we look forward to seeing the children in action for their respective teams in the future.
