Monaghan and Cavan legends lock horns in Currin fundraiser

By Shaun Casey

LEGENDS of Cavan and Monaghan GAA will lock horns once again in Currin GAA’s fundraising game on Sunday, 19 January. Currin are currently in the process of organising the club’s biggest ever fundraiser.

An upcoming ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ event in early February is the main event, and each couple that is participating on the night has to raise their own funds. That’s why Killian Kierans grabbed the idea of the legends match.

The conversation started between him and his father Kieran, the club chairperson, and once they had Seamus McEnaney on board as the Monaghan manager, anything was possible. Slowly but surely, they started to put plans in place.

Terry Hyland will be in the opposite dugout as the Cavan boss and a number of high-profile household names will feature.

The likes of Cian Mackey, Martin Reilly, Conor Moynagh and Mark McKeever will once again pull on the Breffni jersey.

Monaghan boast a number of their Ulster champions winners from 2013 and 2015, with Farney heroes such as Dick Clerkin, Fintan Kelly, Dermot Malone, Paul Finlay, Dessie Mone, Drew Wylie along with Tommy and Damien Freeman set to take part.

“It came up randomly, me and my dad were on the way home from the Maghercloone game in Enniskillen,” explained Kierans. “We were thinking of ideas to raise money, and we came up with the Monaghan versus Cavan legends game.

“I thought there would be too much organising in it, but I gave Seamus McEnaney a text to be the manager and once he agreed to do it, we just had to go all in on it.

“He’s managing the Monaghan team and Terry Hyland is going to do the Cavan side.”

“I don’t think we’re going to bother with the new rules,” chuckled Kierans on the prospect of the upcoming legends game. “It’ll be roll-on, roll-off sort of a job, it’s only a bit of craic and the new rules might be too strenuous, and it would be a nightmare trying to organise.”

Everything centres around the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fundraising event and Currin, the oldest and smallest GAA club in Monaghan, are hoping to develop their club’s facilities with the money that is raised, including a new pitch, gym and a walking track.

“It’s a massive fundraiser,” added Kierans, who played for the Monaghan minor team in last season’s Ulster Championship. “We’re hoping to raise about €150,000.

“I think there are 48 couples that’s dancing in it, and everyone has to raise their own funds. For example, we had someone who organised a boozy bingo, which is kind of just like bingo loco, last Friday and it was great craic.

“We’ve a man, Cameron Dowd, he’s given out two tickets to the Premier League darts and someone did a car wash fundraiser there recently too and raised nearly €3,000 so it’s just sort of bits like that there, a lot of raffles.”