St Patrick’s are the perfect example of how a GAA club can be at the epicentre of the community

St Patrick’s at the heart of community matters

THE word ‘community’ carries real weight in Greencastle. It’s their own wee corner of the world and they take pride in the fact that they look out for each other in any way that they can.

Fiona Teague has a keen eye for that. She is the secretary of the Greencastle Community Association while she also sits on the club’s development committee.

“The Community Association and the club have worked well together for a long time now,” she said. “It goes hand-in-hand and you can see that clearly. The Community Association is the community wing of the club and our role would revolve a lot around the community centre that is up there, keeping the facilities open and ensuring that the non-footballing community have somewhere to go to.

“That centre is used seven days a week from everything from the u-6s to our retirement club who spend every Thursday afternoon there and have their Christmas dinner there.

“We want to make sure there is a facility that can be used by everyone and is fit for the public to use. It has grown in usage over the years, the demand is phenomenal. The increase in investment we have received through different capital developments has shown just how much it is used.

“It’s the hub of the community. As you can appreciate, Greencastle isn’t the metropolis of the world but it doesn’t have to rely on the town for existence. It doesn’t rely on you having travel to Cookstown or Omagh to access facilities. We have good enough ones here.”

Teague said that the day of clubs being about the senior team only are gone, and Greencastle are keen to ensure everyone can access activities locally.

“Communities and clubs are now much wider than just the senior team. You have people coming in not from the area, maybe people who have never had any interest in football. Maybe someone not from a Gaelic background.

“You want somewhere where they feel welcome, somewhere they want to come to. We want to have those facilities, maybe it’s to attend a class for exercise or education. It’s about providing an option for everyone.

“Health and well-being is something that is becoming more and more of a focus in recent years.”

In 2017, that was evident as they collected a Healthy Club award at Croke Park.

It’s a theme picked up by club chairperson Darryl McCullagh, who is delighted that they offer an outlet for so many young people in the area.

“In the current climate, to be able to field teams across all age-groups is very, very positive.

“All the young people are getting football and essentially that’s what it’s all about.

“We are there to help our members develop, from a holistic point of view as well as football.”

That ability has, of course, been impacted by the coronavirus crisis, but the club has tried to adapt.

“We have ran a few initiatives, the likes of the local clean up,” the chairperson continued.

“We have done some maintenance around the facilities and we have helped in the community by going out and giving advice, maybe helping with grocery shopping for people.

“Any door you knock on has been more than forthcoming in trying to help the club in any way they could. It shows that community spirit.

“The club may be there for them but all the members are there for the club.”

That has been helped by the fantastic facilities offered by Greencastle.

Two pitches, a training area and a smaller 3G pitch provide space for teams to train and play. There are also handball facilities and an indoor and outdoor gym.

“Our facilities are in a good place at the minute,” McCullagh concluded.

Fr Shield’s going from strength-to-strength since reformation

CAMOGIE in Greencastle has shown tremendous growth over the last decade, and that is something that really pleases Fiona McKenna.

In 2010 the Ft Shield’s side reformed with the main intention of having some sort of camogie presence in the area. Ten years on and it is flourishing with girls of all ages getting the chance to play.

“We reformed as Fr Shield’s in 2010,” said McKenna, who is chairperson of the camogie club.

“A lot of us went away to college and whatever else and it went away but we managed to get it going again in 2010.

“It wasn’t about being competitive that year, it was more about seeing what kind of uptake there was.

“We started at underage and we had a senior team with girls who had maybe played before, we got a team together but they were non-competitive.

“Really from that we have been building up through the years and now we have an u-6 team right to senior.”

Last season their u-16s and minor sides amalgamated with Carrickmore outfit Éire Óg and played under the Na Lochra banner.

“That side won the u-16 championship,” McKenna continued. “We did quite well and we were hoping to have a good go at the minors this year but that looks like it won’t happen now with the current situation.

“We just want to move in the right direction, we want to keep girls playing and remain interested.”

One source of pride for the club was the fact that they had three players on the Tyrone side that claimed the All-Ireland Minor C title with victory over Kerry last year – Kira Donnelly (joint captain), Megan Clarke and Leah McGuigan.

“That was very good for the club. Everyone enjoyed seeing that,” McKenna added.

More glory days ahead on the football field

IT’S pretty simple to identify the greatest day in the history of Greencastle football.

On March 10, 2007, the St Patrick’s senior team conquered Croke Park as they defeated Kerry outfit Duagh by a single point in the All-Ireland Junior final.

Like every club, they have had their lows too, but club chairperson Darryl McCullagh is confident that the hard work of the coaches will lead to a real period of positivity in the coming years.

“Greencastle is a rural club with very limited members,” he said.

“We’ve had people moving away to Australia to enjoy themselves when they’re young, and why wouldn’t they, but it does mean that we can be limited in resources at times.

“But I think the club has done very well over the last 10 years both on and off the field of play, recently celebrating 50 continuous years as a club in November 2019, which was a special night for members past and present.

“We got promoted to senior football in 2010 and competed well for a few years.

“Unfortunately we were relegated in 2013 but bounced straight back the following year after winning our first Division Two title and competed strongly in senior football until 2017.

“I think we lost about six or seven starting players to travelling abroad during 2017.

“Those six or seven players were away when we got relegated from Division One so it was tough to sustain it. Even at the minute we have a number of players still in Australia.

“Thankfully two or three have returned home over the last 18 months and they stepped straight back into the fold.”

Those other players should eventually flock home, and there is no doubt that the club’s increased competitiveness at underage level is providing another real beacon of hope.

“Our youth coming through is very promising, we have a couple of fantastic young players emerging,” McCullagh continued.

“We are competing really well and winning titles nearly on a yearly basis across various age-groups. From that point of view it’s very, very positive.”

Handballers continue to court success

AFTER few years out of the eye-line, handball has really regained some presence in Greencastle with the St Patrick’s club confident of even more success in the coming years.

A few years ago the sport was lying dormant in the area, but there are now around 80 juvenile members playing the sport and the club are getting more competitive in the race for silverware.

“The handball club is going very well at the minute,” said handball officer Kieran Treacy. “It’s thriving actually.

“It’s open since 1999. There was a bit of early success but then it died off around 2011, 2012 – there was no handball played for five years.

“In about 2016, Darryl McCullagh (club chairperson) really put a push on it and he helped with the installation of a one-wall at the school.

“That kicked it off again, the school principal (Noel McGinn) got behind it, and from that the interest has grown and grown.”

That interest has turned to success. Recently Casilin Treacy, John McGlinchey, Niamh Conway, Tarlach Treacy and Alice McGlincey represented Tyrone at the Ulster Juvenile Championships.

“We had a bit of success, my own two children (Casilin and Tarlach) and a couple of others made the breakthrough and were competing in Ulster and winning titles,” Treacy continued.

“Once there is a bit of success others are mad to get at it and that encourages others.”

For Treacy, he feels that the path they are currently on should lead to even brighter days.

“We were doing nothing for five years and now we have lots of juveniles and we are challenging for Ulster titles.

“We want to just continue that, push on too, because it’s going really well.”

Sperrin Óg looking

forward to anniversaries

LADIES football in Greencastle received a real shot in the arm during their 25th anniversary celebrations a few years ago, and now the progress is being witnessed on the pitch too.

Last year, the Sperrin Óg side reached both the Senior Championship and Division One semi-finals. Cookstown and Errigal Ciaran proved too strong in those last-four encounters, but both games were competitive suggesting that good days lie ahead if they keep their shoulder to the wheel.

“If I’m right then I think that was the first time in the club’s history we had done that,” said PRO Michaela Fox.

“We had been in Division One before and have been there for the last couple of years, but it was a big thing for us to get to that stage – especially as we are such a small club.”

The club hosted a number of events from late 2016 and into 2017 to mark their silver anniversary, such as an exhibition event and taking part in the Gaelic4Girls programme that saw them playing at Croke Park. They also had a gala event in the Greenvale Hotel.

That anniversary led to a real increase in interest in the club, and Fox is hoping that a few other landmark events do likewise.

“Next year we will mark the 10-year anniversary of Sperrin Óg winning the All-Ireland (when they defeated Tipperary’s Aherlow in the Junior final).

“It will also be 20 years since we won the Division Three league in 2001, the first piece of silverware for the club. And the following year they won the Intermediate League and Championship and got to the Ulster semi-final.

“The 30th anniversary of the club is coming up too so we have a lot of good times to remember.”

The senior team is obviously going well, and Fox is confident that their progress can entice younger players to get involved.

“Numbers are really good, especially at senior.

Getting so far last year brought a lot of good morale to things and translated into better numbers this year. Well until things were cut short.

“There are a lot of young girls coming up through underage. The numbers may not be massive but the youth we do have is very talented.

“A lot of them were involved with Dean Maguirc and all the different Tyrone panels. There are a lot of Ulster and All-Ireland medals coming through to the club.”

Greencastle is a real ‘Culture Club’

GREENCASTLE is certainly a real ‘Culture Club’ with Grainne Bradley and Ciara Fox driving on an impressive programme of events.

Both of them have a musical background, and they have ventured into other areas too.

“I went to new officer induction training held in Magherafelt and the facilitator told the group that there was only one culture camp in Tyrone,” said Bradley, who is now in her third year as cultural officer.

“I thought if you can’t beat them, join them so I started our own culture camp here in the club.

“It’s only two days in July but it is fun filled and action packed. This year would have been the third camp but it has been cancelled because of the current situation.

“We sing Irish ballads, we have story-telling, recitations and old Irish legends.

“We have cookery sessions and the children would make the likes of Irish stew, potato bread and colcannon and that would provide their lunch for that particular day.

“Then you’d have Sean-nós dancing, Gaelic games and Irish language as well and an art workshop across the two days so they’d have something to take home. Last year we made a mural of the different provinces in Ireland and that’s hanging up in the club at the minute.”

Continuing that art theme, there is also a cultural colouring competition organised every year, in conjunction with Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, and all the entries are displayed at the club’s big breakfast that is hosted around St Patrick’s Day.

Fox has come on board to help this year as joint cultural officer and although their progress may be delayed by coronavirus this year, it should be full steam ahead in 2021.

She has a background in singing, gaining an All-Ireland Fleadh title for the club in 2012. This experience should be a good help for the culture concert that is organised to run every winter. There is a long tradition of music, dance, recitation and singing in the club and Cara Rose Brogan kept the latter alive in November as she picked up the Tyrone title in Scór Na nÓg.

“There is good support from the club and the parents,” Bradley continued. “Ciara is a brilliant help and with both of us having experience of Scór participation, we have a joint interest in promoting the cultural dimension of the GAA.”

Next on the list is looking into the possibility of running a project profiling stalwarts of the club who may have drifted away. Telling their stories and, who knows, maybe tempting them get involved again.

Irish

language promotion continues

THE promotion of Irish language in Naomh Pádraig is currently in the hands of Orla Warnock, who has recently taken over from her sister Sinead.

She explained how the club is trying to engage both young members and adults in the promotion of Irish.

“We run a youth club and summer scheme every year and it has been going from about 2011. That’s for the young people in the club.

“The are for children who attend the local primary school and they come to learn the basics. The summer schemes are for teenagers and younger primary school children.

“We run Irish classes for adults too. The uptake differs each year but we normally get about 10 people attending the classes.”

Moving forward, there are a few initiatives Warnock would like to see introduced in the club.

“I think it’s just more further development of it,” she said. “The language is already pretty prominent in the club.

“I’d like to see maybe more bi-lingual signs and things like that, just adding to the presence of it in Greencastle.”