Gaelic Start.

The fun continues at the Collegeland O’Rahillys new Gaelic Start programme for the St Peters Collegeland pupils on Saturday mornings. Only a couple of weeks left so make the most of it – 10.00 am for Gaelic Start for P1 to P3 and then from 11.00 am we have the Gaelic Skills for P4 to P7.

Gaelic Start is a programme designed by the Ulster GAA Council with the aim to develop early movement skills vital for all future sports including football, hurling and camogie. After a brief warm up, the children do a series of stations in small groups focussing on AGILITY, BALANCE, CO-ORDINATION, RUNNING and JUMPING.

This has been a very successful venture allowing us to identify potential coaches for camogie and football. We have already gained new Club members, children and their parents, and most importantly those essential new coaches.

Our Child Protection Training, a three hour session by an GAA Ulster Council coach, Kathleen Woods, was well oversubscribed, took place in St Peters Collegeland School premises (kindly granted) with a fantastic attendance of twenty-seven coaches being trained across camogie and underage and senior football.

Our underage football fixtures and training is delivered through the very successful Naomh Eoin arrangements with Collegeland, Annaghmore and Clonmore. The Naomh Eoin AGM was held recently and coaches will be advising parents of the arrangements for training venues and days/times shortly.

Membership. Collegeland O’Rahillys has already had a couple of membership events but you can still join or renew membership ( Youth £10) on Saturday morning at St Peters School or on Sunday after Mass from 12.15 to 1.00pm. If your child is a member then we would like at least one family member to join as a Adult membership (£30) .

All adult members will need to pay £30 membership as we are preparing to relaunch and rebrand what was our Gold Membership at £10 per month or £120 per year. We hope to say more about this at our Presentation Night on 27 Feb.

Collegeland Big 100 Cycle.  This major fund-raiser is being planned for Sunday 30 August 100 miles around Lough Neagh starting and finishing from Collegeland.  An energetic Sub Committee headed by Colm McGeary is organising this event. There will be a Big 100 Registration Evening on Sunday 8 March and a special Draw Prize for all those registering that day. Business Sponsorship names and logos are needed for the Cycle jersey and a team of people under Shane McGeary and Frank Donnelly are looking for your support.

Dinner Dance.  The Clubs Dinner Dance and Presentation Night will be held in Armagh City Hotel on Friday 27 February when we pay tribute to the winning teams of 1988 Junior Championship, and who then went on to win the 1990 Intermediate Championship. We will also be  presenting the medals to our  Junior League Champions 2014. Tickets (£20) available this Sunday at the Clubrooms after Mass or contact Frank Donnelly 07751803050 or John McGeary 0791716302 or any Committee member.

Sympathies   Collegeland O’Rahillys sends its  sympathies to the family of Al Mackle (RIP), former Principal at Aughanlig School in  Collegeland. The book “Once More Returning” tells us that in the mid Fifties  “Master Mackle started a school boys team  and there were some great battles between Collegeland and Maghery School.”
Master Mackle’s initiative with the school boys team  continued with the successful Collegeland  Minor team  winning the Armagh Minor  Championship in 1956.    Mary Queen of the Gael, Pray for him