Newcastlewest GAA
Race Day and Raffle
Annual Race Day
and Raffle Fundraisers
The annual fundraiser takes place at Limerick Racecourse on Wednesday 28th December and support is appreciated. Tickets cost €60 each and include admission to the racecourse, complimentary race card, use of the panoramic Greenmount suite, a 3 course meal, CCTV, waitress service, on the spot tote/betting facilities, use of tipster and reserved parking. In conjunction with the race day the club is running a raffle, with tickets €5 each and a book of five costing €20, with prizes (all cash) as follows:
1st - €1,000; 2nd - €500; 3rd - €300; 4/5th - €250; 6/7th - €150 and 8/9/10/11th - €100. Race day and raffle tickets are available from all club officers, members, players etc or from the race day co-ordinators John Collins, Neilus Sheehy, Sean Roche, Maurice McAuliffe, Peter Curtin, Seamus Kelly, and Mike Sammon. The club thanks all who supported the fundraisers in 2010 and in previous years and we appreciated support this year also. Money raised goes towards the costs incurred in running a dual club which fields 18 teams in hurling and football, and which cost €65,000 to run in 2011.

General Committee 2012
The following general committee was elected at the reconvened AGM held in the club rooms on Friday 9th December: Martin Sheehan, Peter Curtin, Paddy McCoy, Con Sheehy, Seamus Kelly, Declan Brouder, Denis Noonan, Peter Culhane, Donie Gleeson, Billy Lee, Seamus O’Connor, Vincent Sheehan. Other members may be co-opted. We wish all the best of luck in 2012.

Coiste na nOg
The annual general meeting of the under age (U16, U14, U12, U10, U8 and U7) section of the club takes place in the clubrooms on Friday 13th January at 8pm. Outgoing chair, Aidan McMahon and outgoing secretary, John Hurley, will report on a very successful year in which the U16s won the football championship and were Shield runners-up in Premier hurling, the U14s captured a first ever County Feile Peil and reached the All Ireland Feile Peil Division 2 Final, the U14s captured the Premier County Football Championship title and contested the Premier County Hurling Championship title (losing to All Ireland Feile Division 1 runners-up Na Piarsaigh). The U15s reached the Premier County Championship Football Final (losing to Galbally), and are in the County Division 2 Hurling Championship Final v Ballybrown. The U13s were competitive in hurling and football and the U12s were competitive in hurling and football in the county games. The U10s and U8s trained twice a week in hurling and football and competed well in blitzes and challenge games within and outside the county, and finally training for 2011 U6s commenced at Newcastlewest Community Centre in November and is going well. These successes did not happen by accident of course and full credit to Aidan, John, players, many dedicated mentors and parents, sponsors etc for their commitment. Hopefully this same input will be forthcoming in 2012 and the Coiste will improve skills etc and remain competitive at all levels. This process of consolidation and improvement can be kick started by a big turn of interested, committed members and parents etc at the very important Coiste AGM on Friday 13th January.

U15 Hurling
Co Division 2
Championship Final
Newcastlewest v Ballybrown
The above final scheduled for the Staker Wallace GAA pitch, Martinstown, on Sunday last did not go ahead and is postponed until 2012.

How Newcastlewest Club teams fared in 2011
Junior footballers: reached County Championship semi final, losing to Monaleen. Won the West Championship. Defeated in the County semi final by eventual winners Blackrock.
U21 footballers: reached the Premier County Championship final, losing to Fr. Casey's.
Minor footballers: won the West Championship and lost to Killulta Gaels in the County Final.
U16 footballers: won the Premier County Football Championship title.
U14 football: reached the Division 2 All Ireland Feile final, won the County Feile title, defeated in the Premier County league final by Monaleen and won the County Premier County championship title.
U12 football: competitive in the County Games League.
U10 football: held our own in many blitzes and challenges.
U8 football: held our own in various challenges.
Intermediate hurling: retained our County intermediate status, reached the County championship quarter final, losing to Munster champions Effin and reached the West Senior Championship Final, losing to Adare.
Junior B hurling:
reached and lost West League and Championship Finals, reached the County championship quarter final, losing to County champions Croom.
U21 hurling: failed to qualify for the West Championship Final.
Minor hurling: withdrew from the County 12 a Side Championship due to insufficient numbers of 17/18 year olds.
U16 hurling: reached the Premier County Championship Shield Final and lost to Ahane.
U14 hurling: reached the Premier County Championship Final, losing to Na Piarsaigh.
U12: competitive in the County Games League.
U10: competitive in various blitzes and challenges.
U8: competitive in blitzes and challenges within and outside the county.
U6: commenced coaching indoors in the community centre in November.
Obviously in football we did very well and the future is bright. In hurling the picture is not so rosy, especially at adult level (U18 up) and all in the club - officers, players, mentors, will have to address it we are to arrest the decline!

Limerick GAA
Yearbook 2011
Well known journalist Cormac Liddy has edited a compact, comprehensive account of GAA, Peil na mBan, camogie and handball activity in Limerick in 2011. Each of the clubs has an account of its 2011 and the progress of the various county teams is detailed. We hear of what happened in the primary and post primary sectors. There are a number of biographies of prominent hurlers, footballers and administrators. There are many colourful pictures and reports of the activities of the various boards. It runs to a packed 220 pages and costs €10. It's available from the bookshop, the Market Yard and is an interesting and thorough account of Limerick GAA.

Off the Field of Play
in 2011
While on the field of play there was plenty of success in 2011, off the field there were many highlights also. Some that were notable were the commitment and dedication of the club officers who led from the front; the co-operation and assistance afforded to the camogie club by the GAA club in the very successful hosting for the first time of the County Senior Football Final; the capable hosting of intercounty and big club games where club members put their best foot forward to ensure everything ran smoothly. The Munster Intermediate Hurling Championship Final, Effin v Ballyduff springs to mind. A huge crowd comfortably catered for, a programme, the town benefitting financially, facilities looking well and more than adequate, the camogie club feeding the hungry, all club members uniting for a common purpose; field, dressing rooms, stands, press box, all-weather pitch, meeting rooms etc all looking spick and span thanks to you know who; the erection of signs on the Limerick road out near the ‘crooked tree’ to promote the appearance of club teams in various county finals; the huge effort and generous response to fundraising for the Feile Peil team; the generous and continued financial support for the lottery, fundraisers and church gate collections and finally the remarkable unpaid commitment and dedication of so many!
Hopefully there’ll be more of the same in 2012.

With the County Football
Ian Corbett, Stephen Kelly, Stephen Nix, Michael O’Keeffe and Michael Quilligan are on the extended co. senior panel. Stephen Kelly of course is a fixture for a decade, while Stephen Nix, Michael O’Keeffe, Ian and Quix have received their call-up as a result of their displays for the club en route to the Co. Senior Football Final. Joe Lee continues as selector with the co. senior team, while his brother Billy links up with manager John Cummins with the U21s. Best of luck to all in the year ahead. Ian Corbett of course is also on the Co. U21 panel as are Paul Hannon, Jamie Lee and James Kelly and best of luck to them also in 2012.

Squash
Squash is not what it was in the halcyon days when the club's two courts were chock-a-block with competitive players playing various leagues. Now we have but one court, the second long transformed into a gym, meeting room, kitchenette, toilet, store room. However that one court is still available for use by the remaining dedicated squash aficionados and Pat Condon is the person to contact re bookings and information.

Club Lottery
This week's draw took place on Monday night at Cartlidge's but too late for inclusion in these notes. The jackpot was €20,000, there were also 10 x €40 lucky dips and five bottles of brandy to be won. There is no draw on Christmas week and the draw the following week takes place at Pat Whelan's on Tuesday January 3rd. The club wishes to thank all who are supporting, promoting and hosting the lottery.

Sympathy
All in the club extend sympathy to Anne Herbert, secretary of Newcastle West Camogie Club and the O'Sullivan family on the death of Anne's brother Liam O'Sullivan, formerly of Dually. Sympathy also to Gerry Scanlon and the family of multitalented young sportsman Darragh O’Donovan. May they rest in peace.

Season's Greetings
To all in the club and who support it and to GAA people everywhere a happy and holy Christmas and a peaceful new year is extended to you.

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For all our GAA news, please visit our website www.ncwgaa.com 

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