Report By Club Secretary Philomena Brennan
The AGM of Graigue-Ballycallan Gaa Club took place in the clubrooms at Tom Ryall Park, Kilmanagh on Saturday 30th last. The large attendance was welcomed by outgoing Club Chairman Pat Hayes and he opened proceedings by remembering all who had passed away during the year and remembered in particular great club supporters Peggy Hoyne, Maura Doheny, Paul Harrison and Joe Dalton.
Committee member Michael Dermody also offered the club’s sympathies to the Chairman on the recent passing of his own mother. After a prayerful reflection the meeting proper commenced.
Club Secretary, Philomena Brennan delivered the minutes from the last AGM and these were duly proposed and accepted by the membership.
Club Treasurer, Eileen Heafey delivered a comprehensive financial report and while the cost of running the club is considerable, she was happy to report a healthy financial situation. She thanked all who assisted in any way with fund-raising throughout the year.
In his final address as Club Chairman, Pat Hayes placed on record the club’s continued appreciation to the Ronan family for their unwavering dedication to the task of maintaining the club grounds to such a high standard. He thanked his fellow officers for all their support in 2015 and recorded his thanks to the hard-working committee who never waivered in their fund-raising activities. He thanked both management teams, Intermediate and Junior for their efforts and wished them a successful campaign in 2016. He thanked club sponsor Rafter Dempseys for their continued support and Michael Lyng Motors for the sponsorship of the new electronic scoreboard. He encouraged every member to contribute time and effort towards the continued success of Graigue-Ballycallan Gaa Club. He concluded on a personal note by saying that it was a cause of great pride to himself and his family that the club formed a guard of honour at his late mother’s funeral. He thanked his wife Nora and family for all their support over the past seven years of his chairmanship and wished the incoming chairman and club every success at both adult and juvenile level over the coming years.
On behalf of the attendance Michael Dermody expressed the club’s great appreciation to Pat for his total dedication over the past seven years and wished him and his family well for the future. It was then the turn of out-going Vice-Chairman Dave O’Neill to address the meeting. While he acknowledged that 2015 did not reach the heights of 2014 in the juvenile section of the club great progress was made. He expressed his appreciation to the thirty plus mentors who week in week out devote their time to the coaching of the juvenile members and hoped new volunteers would come forward. He thanked the club’s Coaching Committee for their continued commitment to improving standards for all young members. He paid tribute to the clubs’ communication officers and web-site committee. He looked forward to 2016 with the hope that it would bring further success at under-age level. He paid a personal tribute to the out-going Chairman and said his legacy was a club which was on a sound financial footing and populated with many new active members.
The election of officers then followed. As the Chairman was stepping down it fell to the meeting to elect a new Chairman. Dave O’Neill, out-going Vice –Chairman was nominated by Eamonn Egan and this nomination was seconded by John Hoyne. He was duly elected.
Officers 2016.
Club Chairman: Dave O’Neill
Vice-Chairman: Adrian Ronan
Club Secretary: Philomena Brennan
Club Treasurer: Eileen Heafey
PRO: Tracey Millea
Assistant Secretary: Teresa Corcoran
Club Registrar: Brigid Murphy