Founded
in 1925 under the name of Mountheaton, the Club affiliated with the Offaly County
Board and took part in the Junior Championship, where they defeated Eglish in
the 1927 Junior County Final.
By Liza Roche
Ballyskenach GAA Club have this week launched their 2000/2001 Development Draw which is a follow on to last year’s highly successful draw.
The money raised from the draw will go towards paying for the new Clubhouse which accommodates, Ballyskenach GAA, Camogie and Athletic Club. The facility which includes two dressing rooms, showers, ladies and gents toilets and a meeting room has become a centre point in the local community.
The Ballyskenach Club proudly boast the inclusion of four of their Club members on Offaly County Under 21 and three on the County Senior panel, which is a huge achievement for a Club which up until the early 1990’s was a Junior Hurling Club. A small GAA Club, Ballyksenach has an unusual history in that it has achieved success in both Offaly and Tipperary. Positioned in Roscrea parish, the Club is in County Offaly and it is one they share with their neighbouring club and partners at underage in hurling Killavilla.
Founded
in 1925 under the name of Mountheaton, the Club affiliated with the Offaly County
Board and took part in the Junior Championship, where they defeated Eglish in
the 1927 Junior County Final.
The Club remained active in the years following until 1940 when it lapsed for a period of two years until 1942 when the present Ballyskenach Club was founded mainly due to the efforts of Peter Campion, Sean Feehan, and Joe Dooley. This time they affiliated to North Tipperary and won the Junior title in 1948, defeating Eire Og Nenagh. It was eleven years before Ballyskenach won another title, when they defeated Lorrha in the 1959 Junior Final.
In 1961 the Tipperary County Board introduced a Bye-Law which allowed only one hurling and one football club in a parish and consequently Ballyskenach were refused affiliation. Later that same year Offaly County Board agreed to accept affiliation and so they took part in the Offaly Junior Championship. Success came their way in their first year, winning the Junior Title of 1961 at the expense of Blackwood Rovers.
Sixteen years were to pass before Ballyskenach re-captured the Junior Title in 1977, defeating St. Saran’s in the final, having narrowly lost the final the previous year. Two years later the Club won their first Intermediate title when they defeated Killoughey in the final. The Club spent a brief spell at Senior Level, but without success.
The present day successes are due in no small way to efforts which were made at Juvenile level since the early 1980’s, capturing the first underage title in the U14 C Championship of 1983 and to the work done at schools level in Dromakeenan and Clonlisk.
Having made history in 1990 by winning the Minor B title the team members themselves fought hard to be allowed enter the A Championship the following year. Some people felt they would be out of their depth, but their self belief proved to be well founded, when they brought home the County Minor title in 1991, defeating Ferbane/Belmont in the final. Many of the present senior side were on that history making team.
In 1994 with Paddy Kirwan at the helm, they swept all before them to take the Junior title at the expense of Carrig and Riverstown. A very young sided they exceeded most expectations when they went on to win the intermediate title in their first year of participation at this level in 1995 and so earned the right to play in the Senior Championship, where they reached the County semi-final last year.
The Club and the Community are extremely proud of their current county representatives, Brendan Murphy, David Franks and Mick O’Hara who are playing their part with the senior team and all three are joined on the U-21 panel by David Carney. While the rest of the county are surprised and delighted by the ‘discovery’ of Brendan Murphy, his success has been no great surprise to Ballyskenach people, and followers of underage hurling in the County, who have been watching Brendan’s progress since he was under twelve.
It was indeed a proud moment for all associated with Ballyskenach GAA when Mick O’Hara captained the U-21 team to their recent Leinster title. Hopes are high that this team can go on to capture the county’s first ever elusive U-21 All Ireland Title.
Development In 1995 the hurling club, camogie club and athletic club came together with a plan to purchase and develop St. Bernard’s Park, which up to then had been owned by the Monks at Mount St. Joseph’s. The fundraising was kicked off by a ‘Lord Mayor Campaign’ with four candidates – Mary Middleton, Paddy McLoughlin, Pauline O’Toole and Tom Douglas, and the latter was ‘crowned’ Lord Mayor at the end of the campaign.
Work has been ongoing at the pitch over the past few years and as well as obtaining some lotto finance, there have been many fundraising events – draws, pitch and putt classics, race nights etc and the Club very much appreciates the support they have received in all these ventures.
Progress has been slow, but steady and the development work is now in the final stages though there are still considerable expenses to be met to complete the job. Following the success of last year’s draw, the Club are again launching a similar, but even better, draw this year, with the first draw taking place at the end of August.
This is an opportunity for people to help give the hurlers, camogie players and athletes of Ballyskenach the standard facility they deserve while being in with a chance to win a great prize.
The Draws will take place on a monthly basis and notice of draws and winners will be published in the Midland Tribune. Yearly subscription to the draw is £50, half yearly is £25 paid twice, Monthly subscription is £5 and a standing order facility can also be arranged if needed. Please note that all entrants to the draw must join for the twelve months.
List of Prizes August Draw – All Ireland Hurling Tickets plus a night in the Gresham Hotel for two the night before, plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
September Draw – All Ireland Football Tickets plus a night in the Gresham Hotel for two, the night before, plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
October Draw – Cash Prize of £200 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
November Draw – Holiday Voucher for Roscrea Travel worth £750 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
December Draw – Five Prizes of £100 each plus three Christmas Hampers.
January Draw – Top prize of a Dunnes Stores Voucher worth £250 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
February Draw – Cash Draw of £200 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
March Draw - First prize £200 cash plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
April Draw – Shopping voucher for any Tesco Outlet worth £250 plus three runner up prize of £40 each.
May Draw – Cash Draw of £200 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
June Draw – Cash Draw of £200 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
July Draw – Holiday Voucher for Roscrea Travel worth £750 plus three runner up prizes of £40 each.
The Ballyskenach Club currently has four players on the county panels, Brendan Murphy, David Franks, Mick O’Hara and David Carney.
Speaking about the Club that he has played for since U-12 David Franks says that he owes much of his success to the Club and paid tribute to the late Jack Dooley who coached him at underage and also Tom McCarthy and Michael Maunsell. He claims that they taught him and encouraged him from the very start.
David is a member of the Offaly County U-21 Hurling team and also a member of the County Senior Hurling panel which overcame Cork on Sunday last in the All-Ireland Hurling Semi-final.
He and most of his family have played for the Club his brothers, Donal, Kevin, Aidan, Brendan, Vinny have all featured in Ballyskenach teams down through the years, while his other brothers Vinny, who plays in goals for the Club on the senior team and Eoghan who is under 16 at the moment are continuing the family tradition. His sisters Carol (14) currently plays camogie with the Club, Linda and Anita also both played camogie with the Club. David’s father, Monty Franks is also the founder of the Ballyskenach Athletic Club which also uses the facilities provided.
Referring to the new facilites, he maintains that they are a great asset to the Club, ‘The showers are great and the dressing rooms are just the right size, there is even room for a physio table in them. And when there is a meeting on the doors can be rolled back off the dressing rooms to facilitate a large crowd for presentations and other such functions. This is a great facility for a small Club and community to have invested in,’ added David
Speaking about the Club’s Championship ambitions, David said that got off to a great start defeating Lusmagh but unfortunately went down to Kilcormac however he hopes they will do better in their next outing. He is also hopeful that these new facilities will encourage more younger people to join the Club and to avail of the facilities.
Nineteen year old David Carney is also a member of the Offaly County U-21 Hurling team. David is plays at corner forward and in 1998 won a Minor League Medal with Offaly minor team. He is delighted with the new facilities that are being provided in the Club house and believes that these will attract younger players to the Club.
Remarking on his biggest influences, David says Cathal and Noel Murphy were major influences for him and he also looks up to his fellow members on the panel Brendan Murphy, Mick O’Hara and David Franks.
David also pays tribute to the late Jack Dooley who again trained him from underage as well as Paddy Kirwan. Speaking about the Club’s chances of securing a senior County title, David points out that last year they got to the County Semi-final when they were defeated by St Rynagh’s. This year, however, he said the team is just concentrating on one game at time and their next game is against Birr which he reckons will be good game.
Meanwhile, at County U-21 level David’s next outing is against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-finals and he will be busy preparing for this as he anticipates it to be tough game.
Michael O’Hara is the son of the Chairman of Ballyskenach GAA Club. Mick is just twenty and plays at full back, on the County Under 21 Hurling team and is on the Senior Hurling panel. To date Mick has a 1998 Minor League Hurling Medal and an U-21 Leinster Hurling Medal to his credit. At six feet tall Michael is an intimidating figure at full back.
Michael also pays tribute to the Coaching skills of the late Jack Dooley, and also Paddy McLoughlin but also to his primary school teacher, Ms. Mary Fitzgerald of Clonlisk National School for encouraging him. In fact it was in this School that Michael won his first medal in the Small Schools category of the County Primary Game. His brother David O’Hara also plays with the Club U-14 as a corner back.
As a student of Electronic Engineering at Limerick IT, Michael was also captain of the fresher team last year and hurler of the year in the College. This year he was picked on the Fitzgibbon Cup team that travelled to Manchester where they played London.
He loves his hurling also and maintains that it is every hurler’s dream to line out for the County. ‘Hurling for your Club and your County takes a lot of time and dedication but I would encourage every young lad out there who has an interest in the game to stay practising and to give the time to it’ stated Michael.
Referring to the Club, ‘Our Club has always been a good Club and now we have the facilities to match. We have grown from a Junior Club to a Senior Club in the last number of years and I believe now that we have the modern facilities that we needed that the only way is up for us,’ concluded Michael.