Tipperary GAA Scene - April 7th 2021

Return to Play

Last week the government announced plans and dates for a phased return for Senior Inter County training from April 19^th and underage non-contact training from April 26^th. The news gave a welcome lift to so many people from players to supporters, parents and coaches. We can all now begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully it will mean that GAA pitches from Lorrha to Carrick on Suir and from Solohead to Gortnahoe will soon welcome back all our young players who are eagerly awaiting the reopening of their club grounds. However, we must all now play our part to make sure that our pitches and facilities remain open. WE must continue to follow the return to play protocols as set out by the GAA prior to any training sessions, no matter how small they may be. I am sure that each club will, in the coming week be sending out details and arrangements for training sessions and times and it is vital that while following each clubs’ individual protocols, everyone logs in to their Foireann account and submits the health questionnaire for each person attending whether they be a player or coach. It is important also that parents and guardians use a “Drop and Go” system at each venue and do not congregate in groups of any size while training is in progress.

If everyone follows the advice and guidance provided, we can ensure that we will all have a summer filled with great enjoyment and fun like we have all been hoping for.

A Weekend of Fundraisers across Tipperary

With on field activities currently on hold, GAA clubs across the county used the easter bank holiday weekend to raise funds for club developments and charities, while also promoting outdoor exercise in many ways. In keeping a close eye on the various club social media outlets, it was obvious that people all over the county and further a field were playing their part and supporting their chosen club’s event. It was also great to see the many well-known faces from the world of sport and entertainment getting involved and playing their part. At the time of writing in excess of €285,000.00 had been raised by the various events, which is a fantastic achievement. Well done to the various organising committees in each club who all did a fantastic job.

Health and Wellbeing

To encourage all clubs in the county to become involved in the GAA Healthy Club Initiative an information Webinar will be held on Tuesday, April 13th @ 8pm. The aim of this Webinar is to welcome new members and hear from clubs already participating in the project on the positive role the Healthy Club Committee can have within their club and the overall community. With vaccinations now being rolled out and non-contact underage training in pods of 15 permitted from April 26th every club should make health and wellbeing a priority.

Please identify a Club representative to join the meeting. No prior registration required. All clubs have been sent a link to access the meeting. Please join 5mins in advance: GAA Healthy Club Webinar

GAA Oral History – Seamus Flannery

In the next episode of our GAA Oral History series, Seamus Flannery discusses his hurling career with Kildangan GAA Club. He recalls his Miller Shield successes alongside his brothers Paddy and Nick, and he describes his disappointment at not being picked for the Tipperary team. Seamus outlines Kildangan’s wins and losses during his playing days and describes his contribution to the club in terms of fundraising. He also recalls the harsh physical challenges of farm work and the impact it had on his physical fitness. Furthermore, he considers the differences between hurling during his career and hurling today, the challenges of life in the war years, and the significance of the GAA in his life. Seamus describes hurling tradition in the locality and the success of Kildangan GAA Club in 1930s and 40s. The full interview can be listened to via the following link: https://www.gaa.ie/the-gaa/oral-history/seamus-flannery/

Become a Coach Your Club Needs You

With a return to the training fields on the way, perhaps now is the right time to consider becoming a coach. To create a coaching system which produces and supports the development of coaches and players at all stages of development, the GAA has revised its Coach Education Programme to take account of the different playing capacities that exist between children (up to 11 years), youths (age 12 – 17) and adults (age 18+), and the competencies that a coach is required to display when working with each of these playing populations. These streams have been identified to cater for the diverse needs of children, of youths and of adults as established in the Player Pathway. The aim of the GAA Coach Education Programme is to ensure that all players and teams are coached by a person qualified to the appropriate level who can enable them to achieve their full potential. The programme provides the opportunity for coaches to specialise in catering for the particular needs of Child, Youth and Adult players as they strive towards Total Playing Performance (TPP). It recognises that they will be best qualified to do so when using a games-based approach to training and development and when they have the required level of management and leadership capability, developed through a process of experience and reflection. The Coach 10 Model identifies the Motivational & Vocational Attributes which combine to drive this process and create an environment within which Coaching and Communication Inputs produce a Cohesive Team within a context of individual and collective well-being. The programme is grounded in the Association values of Community Identity, Amateur Status, Inclusiveness, Respect, Player Welfare and Teamwork.

The Coach Education Programme focuses on continuing education, so that coaches can improve by means of a series of specifically designed courses, workshops and conferences incorporating internationally recognised principles of best practice. The principle of Applied Lifelong Learning makes provision for coaches to continually develop their skills and to progress at a rate suited to their own development.

For more information on how you can get involved and become a coach in your local Tipperary GAA club, contact any club officer who will be able to enrol you in the correct coaching course.

Nellie Nugent Newcastle GAA Club

On the morning of April 1st, the news slowly spread of the sudden passing of Nellie Nugent.

Nellie was a stalwart of Newcastle GAA club for many years with an interest in many aspects of the GAA.

Nellie was a very successful camogie player. She played with the Elmville club, based in Clonmel, winning a County medal with them in 1962. She also had the honour of representing Tipperary in the early 1960s, playing in two Munster finals in 1961 & 1963. After winning a Munster medal in 1961, beating Cork in a match played in Clonmel, she went on to play wing back in the All-Ireland Final against Dublin in Croke Park.

When she moved to Newcastle on her marriage to Mickey in 1965, she immersed herself in the local community & took great pride in her children’s achievements, attending every one of her son Pat’s underage games. The only reason she might have missed a match after that would have been because her daughters were representing the Club at a Scor event!

Many a white shirt she dyed yellow for the set dancers down through the years as well as embroidering dresses for the figure dancers. Two of her proudest moments were when her daughter Mary won the 1992 All Ireland Scor Amhranaiocht Aonair competition & in 1996 when three of her daughters were part of the Newcastle group that won the All Ireland Scor Sinsear Bailead Ghrupa competition. Nellie was a well-known supporter of Scor, travelling the length & breadth of the country supporting Newcastle.

Whether it was attending matches supporting Newcastle, Tipperary or the Ardfinnan ladies football team, Nellie was very well versed in all areas of the games. One of her most recent proudest moments was being present to see her granddaughter Eimear, win a County Junior football medal with Ardfinnan at the end of 2020. In recent years, Nellie was a very valued member of the GAA Lotto committee in Newcastle, giving many hours both in selling tickets to all her card playing friends and being present at the weekly draws. As a mark of respect to Nellie, Newcastle GAA Club postponed their Virtual 5km fundraiser which was to be held last weekend.

Tipperary GAA offer our deepest sympathy to her husband Mickey, Michele, Annette, Mary, Pat, Jacinta and all Nellie’s extended family.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh sí

St Marys GAA Club Online Bingo

St. Mary’s Hurling Club in Clonmel have begun an online bingo night which will run every Saturday night for the coming weeks and tickets are priced at €10 and can be purchased through the link on their Facebook or twitter page or by emailing saintmarys832@gmail.com

It is an ideal way to spend a Saturday night for something different and may appeal to regular bingo players who want to plug that bingo shaped hole in their life at the moment whilst also raising a few quid for the GAA club. Once you register and pay using the link available you will be emailed a pdf numbers book which you then print and mark out on the night (or you can collect the book at a location in Clonmel). The game is run in conjunction with St. Anne’s GAA Club in Wexford and through an online platform called WebEx which is easy to use and allows for interaction should you be lucky enough to hit a check. The games start at 8pm on Saturday nights with a €1000 Snowball, €850 prize money and other spot prizes too, and it typically lasts about 90 minutes or so. Anyone, anywhere around the world can enter, you do not need to be a club member or even to have played Bingo before. St. Mary’s welcome people to play from all over Tipperary and if you have any questions feel free to contact us on the above email or by social media.