Bruree Notes 4/1/2009

Mossy Riordan R.I.P.

Limerick gaeldom has lost another stalwart with the recent death of Mossy Riordan of Cregane, Charleville. A native of Garryfine, just a couple of miles down the road from Cregane, Mossy came from farming stock, a trade he followed all his life. Mossy was one of Bruree’s great forwards of the 1950s and 1960s and indeed played into the 1970s. Mossy had one of his proudest moments in 1957 when he was part of the Limerick Junior hurling team which took the Munster title, defeating Cork, and went on to win All Ireland honours. But Mossy had many proud moments with his native Bruree, being part of one of the club’s most successful periods on the field of play. He was part of Bruree’s Junior hurling campaign of 1951 which resulted in the club’s first county title in over fifty years. South titles in 1957 and 1963 followed and again in 1966 when Mossy and Bruree went on to collect a second Junior hurling title. That year’s county final against Ballybrown was played at Croom on December 18th. Ironically, Mossy was laid to rest at Colemanswell on December 18th, 2008.

On the field of play, Mossy sometimes played at centre field but was more often found in the forwards, regularly in later years at full forward, where his name was often high on the list of scorers. In times of desperation, he could always be relied on the score a vital goal. A tough, skilful hurler, very strong physically, he was noted for his vision and his distribution of the ball. He played direct, first time hurling and encouraged his team mates to do likewise. During his playing years, Mossy was also involved in the administration of the club, as a committee member and as a selector at various grades. His pride in Bruree and its teams was always evident and he always followed the club’s progress with great interest. Bruree GAA presented Mossy with their Hall of Fame award for 2001 to recognise his contribution to the club and to the game. Mossy was one of the many Bruree greats of the past who enjoyed and savoured Bruree 2006 Senior success.

Mossy’s removal from O’Malley’s Funeral Home in Charleville was one of the largest seen in recent times. His medals and the number twelve Bruree jersey as well as the Limerick jersey attested to and honoured his sporting prowess as many friends and sporting colleagues filed past the remains. A guard of honour from Bruree GAA were at Colemanswell Church to receive Mossy that night.

We extend our sincere sympathy to his wife, Kathy, to Mossy’s sons and daughters and to his extended family.


GAA

Draw Winners: Bruree GAA Players Development Fund Draw 3: €1,000 Noreen Sherwood, Emly, Promoter Noreen Sherwood €200 Richard Nallen, c/o GVM Promoter Danny Deady €100 each Derek Thompson, Dublin Promoter John O’Halloran Marian O’Brien, Stylepark, Promoter James C. O’Brien, Tom O’Brien, Hospital, Promoter Edward Potter. Draw 4: €1,000 Derek Thompson, Dublin Promoter John O’Halloran €200 Valerie Sheehan, c/o Laurence Sexton Promoter Laurence Sexton €100 each Des Frawley c/o Aidan Frawley, Promoter Aidan Frawley, James C. O’Brien, Stylepark, Promoter James C. O’Brien, William and Ellen Boyce, Garryfine, Promoter Pat Boyce. The club would like to thank everyone who supported the draw and all the players and club members who worked so hard to promote the draw and recruit members.

Juvenile AGM: The Annual General Meeting of Bruree Juvenile GAA Club held before Christmas at Bruree School elected the following officers for 2009 - Chairperson Mike Mullane, Vice-Chairperson Gerard Sexton, Secretary Mike Lyons, Assistant Secretary James Feane, Treasurer Kit O’Halloran, Assistant Treasurer Karen Rea, Scor Coordinator Noel Brosnan, Coaching Coordinator Brendan Hogan, Under 8’s Laurence and Andrew Sexton, David Hogan, Sally Frawley, Under 10s Brendan Hogan, Tony O’Driscoll, Joan Quirke, Eamon Sexton, Under 12 Conor Howard, Breda McCarthy, Paul Fitzgerald, Karen Rea, Gerard Sexton, Under 14 TBC, Under 15 James O’Dea, Mike Sexton.

Winners: Congratulations to Charleville CBS on winning the First Years Hurling League recently. Bruree players on the panel included T.J. Mullane, Eamon Lyons, James Kelleher and Brendan Murphy. Well done to all.

Calendar: Limerick GAA has published a 2009 calendar celebrating the teams which won county titles in 2008. Bruree’s Junior hurlers are featured and copies of the calendar are available from the Gaelic Grounds.

Oral History: The GAA Oral History Project aims to record the fullest possible picture of what the GAA has meant to the Irish people, in their own words. A questionnaire has been designed to gather as much information as possible and this questionnaire will be preserved as a permanent resource on the history of the GAA and Irish society. This document will be accessible to the public, with the exception of your contact details. Among the topics covered in the questionnaire are the respondent’s memories of the GAA, their own and their family’s involvement in the association and the affect of that involvement in their life. It also addresses the changes which have happened in the GAA and the role, involvement and influences of the Church, politics, the Irish language, women, and volunteers in the GAA. Anyone interested in participating in this collecting of the oral history of the GAA can contact Elaine Horgan or John Harrold to obtain a copy of the questionnaire.

Sympathy

We extend our sincere sympathy to the family, relatives and friends of Brendan McCabe, Dublin, Stephen Coleman, Ballyhea, Mossy Riordan, Cregane, Bernie White, Cork, William Baggot, Cuan Mhuire and Herbertstown, Donal Hayes, Kilmallock, Johnny Barrett, Garrienderk, Maurice Fitzgerald, Killacolla, and Mary Moloney, Charleville, who died recently.

45 Drive

Winners of the 45 Drive during Christmas week with nine games were Fintan Stone and Mike O’Brien and Tom O’Rourke and John Moloney. Raffle prizes went to Katherine O’Regan (x2), Tom O’Rourke, Joe Carey, Nora May Donworth, Noreen Hayes and Seamus Sexton. Winners of the 45 Drive last week with twelve games were Noreen Hayes and partners. Runners up with eleven games were Jim Murphy and Jim Ryan. Raffle prizes went to Fintan Stone, Anne Frawley, Katherine O’Regan and Mary Margaret Noonan. The 45 Drive continues in the Community Centre every Tuesday night, starting at 8.30 pm sharp.

Johnny Barrett RIP

The recent untimely death of Johnny Barrett, Garrienderk, deprives the entertainment world and many voluntary organizations of a great friend and a generous supporter. Like many other communities, Bruree and its voluntary organizations received great help and encouragement from Johnny. For many years Johnny provided the entertainment every month for the Adult Social Club and its successor, the Active Retired Group. Many groups within the parish also found Johnny willing and able to provide the entertainment for their fundraising functions. Johnny Barrett was known by everybody and knew everybody and had a wide circle of people all over Ireland and in the U.K. and U.S.A. who were proud to call him friend. His genial and warm personality endeared him to all he met and he was never without a friendly word or greeting whether on the street or on the stage. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís is an old Irish saying and, indeed, it is hard to disagree with its sentiments when talking about Johnny Barrett. We extend our sincere sympathy to his wife, Ann, and his family.

Thank You

Jessie and Mildred would like to thank everyone who supported their recent fundraiser in aid of cancer care at St. John’s Hospital. The event raised €10,329 for the cause, bringing to over €50,000 the total that this energetic pair has raised to date for various cancer charities. Well done, girls!

Willie Baggott RIP

Willie Baggott was a familiar figure around Bruree since his arrival at Cuan Mhuire since his arrival there in October 1977. A native of Herbertstown, Willie was one of three men who came from Athy to stay in Bruree House after it was purchased by Sr. Consilio. Willie could often be found walking but was never short of a lift. He was good company on a journey, a man who could converse on many topics. He had a great love for our national games and could talk about hurling and football with anyone. He had a great knowledge of the game and of those who played it and had a long and accurate memory of games past and present. He loved traveling around Ireland and made good use of our public transport services to see Ireland and to travel to hurling and football games. Willie also had a great love of amateur dramatics and attended the many plays staged locally. A learned and well read man, Willie also composed ballads, one of which - The Ballad of Christy Ring - was very well received when he recited it on local radio. We extend our sincere sympathy to Willie’s family and to his many friends, especially those at Cuan Mhuire.