This article is from page 54 of the 2011-01-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 54 JPG
“A ONCE in a lifetime night” was how Crusheen GAA Chairman Colm O’Connor described the club’s Historic Victory Social in The West County Hotel on Friday.
“It’s a huge privilege for me to welcome you to this celebration of 2010 on winning the Canon Hamilton for the first time and completing the Junior A double.
“2010 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons at a national political level but in Crusheen it will remembered for all the right reasons.
“To the players of 2010 you have your place in history and rightly so, you will never forget this year and we will never forget what you have done for the people of Crusheen.”
Special guest on the night, Clare County Board Chairman Michael O’Neill echoed those sentiments in his address to the 350 strong crowd.
“Tonight is a night of celebration and no matter how many titles you win in the future, this is the first. Many, many great Crusheen teams went before and it wasn’t for the want of trying that they weren’t as lucky as you were to win the county championship. But that day in Cusack Park you were representing all those players who had represented Crusheen down through the years and we must never forget that. We must never forget the teams that came before us and that’s part of the psyche of the GAA.”
In keeping with that belief, a special slide-show was presented to celebrate the players, mentors, officials and supporters alike from both the past and present.
While Master of Ceremonies Syl O’Connor interviewed many local legends on the night, two of Crusheen’s most celebrated sons were mentioned most. Michael Moroney won an All Star in 1977 and ‘was the undisputed master of the art of line ball taking’ and he was asked to sum up the year before the presentation of the junior medals.
“I suppose it’s the greatest thrill of my life to see them pulling it off. Such a fabulous bunch of players we had this year and tonight we paraded in close to 60 players and they have all given serious commitment all year and it was a joy to watch them win the two junior titles and the senior one. It will always stay in my mind and especially for the players and mentors it is something that they will always look back on. It was a marvellous achievement for a very small parish.”
The final words of advise to the Class of 2010 were fittingly uttered by former player, club sponsor for over a decade as well as county sponsor, Pat O’Donnell who could not hide his pride in the club’s achievements in 2010.
“Whatever the recipe, hold it, keep it, nourish it, embalm it.”