On Sunday 16th June, Ruairí Óg CLG, Cushendall
held their inaugural Community Day, the brainchild of club secretary, Martin
Magee. The primary objective was to let
local people and others from further afield see just how many different
activities take place within our club over the course of a year and that while
camogie and hurling are obviously the mainstays, there is considerably more on
offer for people of all ages.
The day kicked off with two massive underage blitzes in
first hurling and then camogie. The
carparks were full, and every blade of grass was covered as matches progressed
at a very fast pace. The previous day,
our underage coaches had put hours of preparation into marking out a myriad of
small-sided pitches and drawing up timetables that ran with clockwork
precision. Players and parents had a whale of a time and despite forecasts to
the contrary, the weather was dry, if not exactly summer-like. And if that was not enough, there were
primary school sports available to expend any last possible traces of energy
the young people might have. The field
events concluded with a highly entertaining Challenge match between Carey
Faughs’ Seniors and Ruairí Óg U20s with both teams playing to the maximum of
their abilities and keeping spectators captivated from the throw-in right
through to the final whistle.
When the games were completed, everyone retired to the
comfort of the hall in the pavilion where the mums of the young Ruairí Ógs had
prepared a veritable feast of healthy eating including sandwiches of all kinds,
fruit, snacks and drinks. After the
games and with so much time spent in the fresh air, the refreshments proved a
big hit with both players and parents. Inside the pavilion, the walls of the hall were adorned with pictures
from pupils of the two local schools, St Mary’s PS and Glenann PS who had taken
part in an art competition organised by the club. There were also photographs of the various
activities which take place in the club during the year including the local
Men’s Shed, ROBL 19, Gaeil Ruairí Óg agus Gaeil na nGlinntí and of course
action photographs of the various camogie and hurling teams. The photographs
and pictures garnered a lot of attention from club members and visitors alike and
let them see just how many strings to its bow Ruairí Óg CLG has as well as the leaders,
talent and workers contained within its ranks.
As the day wore on, the RNLI lifeboat made an appearance
highlighting the link that now exists between RNLI and the GAA in promoting sea
safety. The Men’s Shed had an open door
all day long with exhibits on show and members who met with visitors and gave
them an insight into their work and an invitation to come along and join
up. There was a great interest in the
Women’s Well-being Group’s flower-arranging demonstration, just one of the many
activities in which their members take part, but more importantly it gave them
the opportunity to let the wider community know that they exist and that new
members are very welcome. Not to be
outdone, the Irish Language group, Gaeil Ruairí Óg agus Gael na nGlinntí, put
on a taster class for anyone interested which gave them an opportunity to show
off their new premises as well.
And so, the day progressed to the presentation of medals to
the recent U14 Feile winners in camogie and hurling in Dublin and Cork
respectively. The Community Day also
gave Ruairí Óg CLG the opportunity to present its senior hurlers with their
2018 Ulster Championship medals and jerseys as is the tradition within the club
since first winning it back in 1981. The medals were presented by our honoured
guest and new Mayor of Causeway & Glens Council, Sean Bateson who was
accompanied by local councillor, Oliver Mc Mullan. Afterwards, senior player Neil Mc Manus
conducted a short Q&A session with Paddy Burke, Eoin Campbell, Orlagh O’
Hara and Fergus ‘Skinner’ Mc Alister that maintained a quiet in the hall as the
audience listened intently to the players’ responses and indeed laughed
heartily as well, especially when Skinner was on mic.
With the gods smiling on us in terms of weather, the
Community Day was drawing to a close and what better way to wrap things up than
a session of music, song and dance from the very talented local Comhaltas group
led on this occasion by our very own Kieran Dempsey. Before long, the audience was listening to
the various tunes, up on their feet dancing, singing along with the vocalists
and just enjoying themselves after what had been an outstandingly successful
day showing Ruairí Óg CLG in the best possible light.
Please view images of the day by clicking on this link http://www.ruairiog.com/gallery/community-day-289
The Community Day was funded as a result of the club’s
involvement with the Peace IV ‘Sharing Your Community Space’ and ‘Key
Institutions’ programmes.