Granagh/Ballingarry GAA Club Notes:
Cheque Presentation:
Granagh/Ballingarry GAA Club will make a cheque presentation of €500, the proceeds of the Jim (Twin) Lynch Memorial Cup hurling tournament 2022 between Feohanagh/Castlemahon, Tournafulla and Granagh/Ballingarry, to Bryan Lynch of the Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal fund committee on Tuesday 7th February in the Rock Bar, Granagh at 8.30pm. Your support for this event would be appreciated and light refreshments will be served on the night.

Limerick GAA Club Tickets:
Limerick County GAA Board launched their 2023 Club season tickets recently. The tickets will entitle the bearer to entry to all Limerick County Board games in 2023 from minor to senior levels. The cost is 150 plus postage. Order your ticket now at limerick.ie/step/limerick-gaa-season-tickets-2023/

County GAA Club Draw:
Granagh/Ballingarry GAA Club are once more promoting the Limerick County Club Draw for 2023. There will be monthly draws from March to December with a top prize of €10,000. There are a host of other prizes to be won, 2nd €3,000, 3rd €2,000, 4th €1,000, 5th exclusive star prize, 6th to 9th €500, 10th to 13th €250, 14th to 30th €100. There will again be exclusive monthly prizes to be won. Entry to the draw is just €10 per monthly or €100 for the ten draws with the option to join our own ten monthly draw and County Club Draw for €150. If you would like to renew your membership for 2023 please follow the link limerickgaa.ie/clublimerick-draw-signup and select Granagh/Ballingarry GAA club and the number of draws you wish to sign up for. You may also contact the Granagh/Ballingarry GAA club draw co-ordinator Stephen Stapleton on 086-1960301. Note the first draw for 2023 is on Saturday 25th March.

Draw Promotors Hit The Streets:
Granagh/Ballingarry GAA Club draw promoters are taking to the streets of the parish to canvass members to join the 10-month draw, March to December. By joining you automatically become a member a member of the club for 2023 and you will be included in the weekly club lottery if you pay your €100 membership in full by May 1st . See draw brochure for details or contact any member of the finance committee.

Poster Banning GAA Events (1916):
1916 was a pivotal year in the creation of the modern Irish state. On Easter Monday 1916 some 1,200 spectators occupied buildings across Dublin triggering a battle for what was then one of the major cities in the British Empire. Beyond the capital poorly armed rebel contingents turned out in North Dublin, Meath, Louth, Galway and Wexford. Posters were a major tool for the broad dissemination of information during the rebellion and were distributed widely to garner support, urge action, boost morale and carry warnings. This public notice poster was issued by General John Maxwell (1859-1929) at the same time that he was presiding over the execution of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, as well as extensive martial laws and the internment of thousands of men and women in the aftermath. The poster aimed to prohibit GAA matches from taking place. Although not formally involved in the 1916 Rising the GAA made a significant contribution indirectly by producing a generation of physically fit young men with nationalist views and a hostility towards the government, state, institutions and the forces of law and order. Members of the GAA were prominent in the Irish volunteers and hurls commonly appeared in place of guns in drill and training exercises. In the aftermath of the 1916 Rising the official commission of enquiry identified the GAA as an instigating factor in the Rebellion. The GAA leadership denied the finding and later sought to engage with the British authorities to safeguard the organisation’s sporting operations. This involved the GAA exclusion from an entertainment tax and the re-introduction of special train services to matches.

Waterford Crystal Chandelier (2005):
The Waterford Crystal Chandelier was designed and created by Billy Canning (chief lighting designer, Waterford Crystal) and was installed in the players’ lounge in Croke Park Stadium in 2005. The brief was to design a luminaire that reflected the game of the GAA. It consists of 32 footballs to represent each county in Ireland and 70 sliotars to represent each minute in a full championship match and suspended in mid-air as they would be in play. Using LED technology, the crystal balls and sliotars can change colour to the team colours of the winning team being hosted in the players’ lounge.
The players’ lounge is a private room which allows the players to unwind after the game with their team-mates, friends and family. It is not used after every match but it is the tradition of the All Ireland Finals that both teams converge there afterwards to show camaraderie. The ethos of the players’ lounge shows how Gaelic Games is not just a competition or a physical activity, but a sport with an important social component where teams can gather amicably in both victory and defeat.
Waterford Crystal has had many strong and tangible links with the GAA including the sponsorship of competitions, trophies, kits and youth development schemes. Most notably, the Waterford Crystal Cup was a pre-season hurling competition which began in 2006 and involved Munster County times and third level colleges. Much like the Waterford Crystal large-scale manufacturing plant in the city which closed after entering receivership in 2009, the competition ceased in 2016. It was replaced with the Munster Senior Hurling League.

Waterford Crystal Cup Hurling Finals
2006 Limerick 1-19, Waterford Institute of Technology 3-10 T.J. Ryan (captain)
2007 Tipperary 1-17, Cork 2-11 Brendan Cummins (captain)
2008 Tipperary 3-13, Waterford 0-13 Eoin Kelly (captain)
2009 Clare 1-12, Tipperary 1-7 Gerry O’Grady (captain)
2010 Waterford 1-9, University College Cork 1-11 Declan Prendergast (captain)
2011 Waterford 0-21, Cork 0-16 Stephen Molumphy (captain)
2012 Tipperary 1-21, Clare 2-12 Brendan Cummins (captain)
2013 Clare 1-21, Tipperary 1-13 Patrick Donnellan (captain)
2014 Tipperary 4-22, Clare 3-11 James Woodlock (captain)
2015 Limerick 3-20, Cork 1-16 Donal O’Grady Granagh/Ballingarry captain.
Granagh Ballingarry 2
Limerick GAA 2022 Yearbook
A full review of all Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club activities both on and off the field plus photos in 2022 will be included in the Limerick County GAA Yearbook due to be launched in early February. The book would make an ideal present for a family member or friend.

Membership Due:
Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club membership fees for 2023 are now due and are €40 for adult players (€120 with Club draw) €20 for students and non-players who pay €100 club draw fee in full will automatically be members for 2023. Fees should be paid on or before 31st March to club registrar John Carroll or any club official. To train or play for the club you have to be insured. If you are not we ask you to do so. It is generally felt by club officials that any members or players should feel obliged to get their membership paid asap and we must reiterate that people who have not paid will not be covered by insurance or entitled to any privilege whatsoever from our club.

Bruff Fifth Limerick to win Munster Junior B title
Munster Club Junior B Hurling Championship Final:
Bruff 0-10 Thurles Sarsfields, Tipperary 1-6
Massive congratulations to South Division side Bruff who became the fifth Limerick club to be crowned Munster Club Junior B hurling champions with a thrilling late one point victory over gallant Thurles Sarsfields of Tipperarry after a thrilling contest at Killeady GAA Club Grounds in Raheenagh on Saturday. Bruff now follow Bruree 2008/’09, St. Mary’s, Rathkeale 2009/’10, Templeglantine 2013/’14 and Cappamore 20018/’19 who brought Munster Club Junior B Hurling championship titles to shannonside.

Results:
National Football League Division 1 Round 1
Armagh 1-14 Monaghan 1-12 Mayo 1-11 Galway 2-3 Roscommon 3-11 Tyrone 1-12 Donegal 0-13 Kerry 1-9.
National Football League Division 2 Round 1
Derry 0-16 Limerick 0-4 Dublin 1-11 Kildare 0-13 Meath 3-14 Cork 0-19 Clare 0-13 Louth 1-9
National Football League Division 3 Round 1
Fermanagh 0-15 Longford 0-8 Down 2-11 Tipperary 1-11 Offaly 2-12 Antrim 0-12 Cavan 0-12 Westmeath 1-6
National Football League Division 4 Round 1
Wexford 1-9 London 1-9 Carlow 2-10 Wicklow 2-10 Leitrim 3-18 Waterford 0-11 Laois 2-11 Sligo 0-11
Munster Club Junior B Hurling Final
Bruff (Limerick) 0-10 Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 1-6

National Hurling League Division 1 Round 1:
We wish the best of luck to manager John Kiely, captain Declan Hannon and our own Donal O’Grady, coach and rest of the management team as in 3-in-a-row all Ireland hurling championship. Limerick travel to Pair Uí Chaoimh to play neighbours Cork in the opening game of Division 1 in the National Hurling League this Saturday 4th February at 7.30pm. Please support.

National Football League Division 2 Round 2:
We wish the best of luck to manager​, captain Ian Corbett and the Limerick Senior Footballers who will aim to get their division 2 League campaign back on track after going under to Derry 0-16 to 0-4 in the opening round at Dingi8ven on Saturday when they play Dublin in Pairc na nGael this Sunday 5th February at 3pm. Your support would be appreciated.

Club Gear:
Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club tops, hoodies, tracksuits, jackets, shorts and socks can now be ordered online at www.laroachasports.ieproduct-category/clubs/granagh/ballingarryclub.

Dinner Dance:
Granagh Ballinagrry GAA Club will hold a combined Dinner Dance on Saturday 25th March in the Longcourt House Hotel, Newcastle West and County Junior A football championship medals and the silver jubilee of Granagh Ballingarry. Winning the West and County Junior A Hurling championship in 1998 defeating Newcastle West in both finals. Dinner at 7pm. Tickets cost €50 which will go on sale in the coming weeks. Your support for this event would be appreciated.

Congratulations Maurice:
Congratulatiuons to our own Maurice Noonan a member of the Munster Wheelchair Hurling/Camogie team who completed on all-Ireland and league double in 2022 who was presented with an award by Munster council GAA chairman Ger Ryan at a function in Kilmurray Lodge recently.

Club Website:
Check out our website at www.granaghballingarry.ie for all the latest club news our club news our club website is updated regularly and is well worth a visit you can also follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/granaghballingarrygaa and twitter at www.twitter.com/granaghballingarrygaa.

€8,400 Jackpot on Saturday:
There was no winner of the €8,300 jackpot in the Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club lottery on Saturday 28th January in Condron’s Bar, Ballingarry. The numbers drawn were 8,17, 18 and 29. The lucky dips of €20 each went to Kevin McMahon, Marta Kelly, Sean Kennedy, Nora Mulqueen. The next draw for a jackpot of €8,400 will be held on Saturday 4th February in Dinny A’s Bar, Ballingarry. Tickets are €2 each or three for €5 and are on sale in local shops, bars, and from promoters. You can now also play the weekly draw online and the link to play is available on the club facebook or twitter which finishes at 6pm every Saturday. Thank you for your continued support.

Sympathy:
Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club officials players and members extend sympathy to the Hiuckey family, Granagh on the death of Jimmy Hickey. Ar dheis lamh Dé go raibh a h-anamacha go leir.

Club Diary:
Wednesday 1st May
First Limerick GAA Board Meeting of 2023 in the Devon Inn Hotel, Templeglantine at 7.30pm.
Saturday 4th February National Hurling League Division 1 Round 1
Antrim v Kilkenny in Carrigan Park, Belfast at 2pm.
Wexford v Galway in Wexford Park at 5pm. Tipperary v Laois in semple stadium, Thurles at 5pm . Cork v Limerick in Pairc Úi Chaoimh at 7.30pm.
Sunday 5th February
National Football League Division 2 Round 1
Meath v Clare in Pairc Taitheann at 2pm. Kildare v Cork in Newbridge at 2pm. Louth v Derry in Pairc Mhuire, Ardee at 2pm. Limerick v Dublin in Pairc nan Gael at 2pm.
Tuesday 7th February
Granagh Ballingarry GAA Club Cheque presentation to Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal fund in the Rock Bar, Granagh at 8.30pm.