Kilcullen GAA Juvenile celebrated an incredible year for the club on Saturday evening,
writes Dara Clarke, with a special event to mark the achievements of the U16-U12 teams.
Killian Whelan did MC on the night, bringing his professional touch and ensuring everything went off smoothly. The special guest on the night was three time All Ireland winner and two-time All-Star, Cork Camogie Player
Ashling Thompson. What a special guest Ashling turned out to be. An amazing athlete who has battled mental health issues, and suffered a horrific injury due to a car accident but bounced back to new heights in her sporting career, through her love of sport. Ashling shared her story, while also covering topics such as social media, taking the losses with the wins and balancing study with sport. For that 30 minutes, every person in the room was captivated by this amazing young lady.
The medal presentations on the night included the
U16 Boys Div 1, U14 Boys Div 3, U13 Girls, U14Girls, U15 Girls, U16 Girls (all Div 1). Also the U14
Girls Feile A County and
All Ireland Feile medals.
In addition, the
Boys Mentor of the Year Award was presented to the U16 Boys Mentors (Sean O’Brien, Jim Buckley, Kevin O’Brien and Killian Whelan). The
Girls Mentor of the Year Award and overall Mentor of the year award was presented to the U14 Girls Mentors (Ed O’Loughlin, Ger Breen, Nick Birchall, Pat Devenney and Kate Timmons).
A plaque was presented to Scoil Bhríde Principal
Anne Flanagan by club president
Pat Lynch, to acknowledge the support from the school over the years with the use of their facilities, sports equipment and playing pitch.
The Sports Quiz predication prize was presented to
Niall Howard.
It has been an amazing year for the club overall, with nine trophies on display from this age group alone. In the words of Ashling Thompson, when asked what advice she had for the young people in the room ‘stick with something you love, be it sport, music, art ... it will always be there for you and will give back more than you could ever imagine’.
(Photographs supplied by Dara Clarke.)
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