April 1st, 2021

A Chairde,

On behalf of Chairman Mick Gorman and the Kildare GAA Management Committee I would like to wish all a Happy Easter. Below is this week’s “Bits & Bytes” along with an article on the shortage of footballs in the past and a Kid’s Word Search.

  • Congratulations to the Kildare Minor and Under 20 Hurling Training Squads who completed a 12-hour virtual run from Mizen to Malin Head and back to the home of Kildare GAA in St Conleth’s Park Newbridge tomorrow.  Many thanks to all who donated. The monies raised from this 840km virtual run will be shared between Barretstown Children’s Charity and the training budget for both squads.  The Go Fund Me page will close on Easter Monday so you still have time to donate viahttps://www.gofundme.com/f/mizen-to-malin-to-newbridge-minor-u20-hurlers
  • Kildare GAA Coaching and Games are seeking applications for coaching rolesin hurling & football for this year’s Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps. Requirements: All applicants must be over the age of 18 years & have proven experience in a GAA coaching role. To request an application email: murphy.gda.kildare@gaa.ie
  • This Summer’s Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps are fast approaching. The camps will be held throughout the county during the months of July & August. Registration is now open via https://www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie/
  • The GAA issued a memo to all Clubs on Tuesday following the Govt announcement advising it is more important than ever that no adult collective training sessions are held between now and the Government return dates. Further comms will be issued from Croke Park shortly.
  • As part of the Kildare Hurling Action Plane, the County Board will launch a Camán Chill Dara Hurling Awards Scheme on 21st More details to be advised next week.
  • This week the GAA launched the Community Heart Programme. 42 Lives have been saved by access to defibrillators in GAA grounds. The GAA is encouraging all Clubs to A.C.T. now and have defibrillators that are: A – ACCESSIBLE, C – CHARGED, T – TRAINED RESCUERS. More info can be found on https://www.gaa.ie/news/gaa-launch-community-heart-programme/
  • Leinster Council have requested that all Clubs in Leinster complete a Health & Safety Inspection within your club. Kildare GAA are requesting that this audit be completed on a quarterly basis which will help clubs keep track of any works that needs addressing. A copy of your Club’s audit must be completed and returned to developmentofficer.kildare@gaa.ie no later than next Monday April 5th.
  • A Special Agreement Memo in relation to New Coaches Temporary Safeguarding 1 Programme, Online Coaching of Children & Vetting via Garda National Vetting Bureau was issued to Clubs last Friday – all coaches are asked to take note of these arrangements.
  • A new National Suicide Bereavement Support guide which was launched last week. This was developed by people who have been bereaved through suicide, a group of Resource Officers for Suicide Prevention, and the NOSP. More info can be found on the via the following URL: https://kildaregaa.ie/national-suicide-bereavement-support-guide/
 

No shortage of Footballs nowadays … but in the past?

In the early years of the GAA, footballs were in very short supply but there is no shortage of the precious leather nowadays. Before every match, an advance party of kitmen arrive on the pitch with a sack full of gleaming white leather footballs and set them out around the D, or beside a string of cones in preparation for the arrival of the team and substitutes a few minutes later.

Club players of the 1950s and ‘60s will recall that they had to do with one or two footballs when training for the championship. In those days, a football was a prized possession and the usual practice was ‘backs and forwards’, ‘three goals in’ and kicking in and out. There were no drills, no one-on-one plays, no threes v threes, no strategies, no high-viz singlets, and little mention of tactics – apart from, ‘mark your man’ or ‘get rid of it as soon as you get it’!

We are very well off nowadays: in the 21st century a club that hasn’t at least 10 footballs for the subs to kick around at half-time is going nowhere – and certainly not to Newbridge on county final day – where the target every year is to be in an autumn final in St Conleth’s Park.

Scarcity in 1938
In the long and distant past, there were many instances of missing footballs or scarcity of same. The following extract from the minutes of Coiste CLG Chill Dara, dated Tuesday 26 Iúil 1938, illustrates how a few ‘entrepreneurs’ cashed in on a missing ball at the county final:
The Secretary reported that he had received information that a ball that was lost in the County Senior Final a few Sundays ago was taken by certain people in Naas and sold to a club in the county. He had deputed a member of the Naas Club to interview the people who had sold the ball to have it returned, but the Naas representative had received nothing but abuse from the people who had sold the ball
The Secretary desired to know what steps he should take in the matter.it was decided to call the Secretary of the club which had bought the ball before the committee and ask him for an explanation. It was also decided that the Secretary write to or see the sellers of the ball, and report to the county committee.

No Footballs for Provincial Matches in 1890 and 1895
When you think of the planning, preparation and detail involved in the modern game, please spare a thought for the footballers of Kilkenny and Wexford, and the players from Kerry and Cork as reported in the 1890 and 1895 provincial championships respectively:
When Kilkenny played Wexford in the 1890 Leinster football championship, in Waterford, the referee, Dan Fraher, discovered that he had no football. Nor had anyone else in the grounds. Someone was sent to the town to purchase one. It was seven o’clock when the match finished – and by then many of the Wexford supporters had missed the steamer back to New Ross.
The only scoreless draw in GAA history was in the 1895 Munster football championship between Kerry and Cork in Limerick. With five minutes to go, the teams were scoreless when the ball burst and a replacement could not be found. The referee declared the match a draw.

Kildare v Leix Fiasco
Even by 1918 the position had not improved, as reported in the Leinster Leader of Saturday 8 June 1918. Kildare and Laois could not even finish a championship match because of the lack of a football!
The ball provided by the Leinster Council for the Kildare v Leix tie in the football championship tie at Maryborough (Portlaoise) on Sunday last punctured before the start, which was delayed 30 minutes in consequence. Attempts to repair it failed, and another ball was procured locally, but this collapsed after 10 mins play. Ball No. 1 was then tried, and again it subsided, and the match was abandoned, the spectators being returned their match tickets.
Mr McGrath (Dublin) who refereed, should make a strong protest on the matter. The Leinster Council surely can afford to send a reserve ball for a championship match, and their slackness in the matter really merits the strong criticism heard on all sides.
              
The Co. Kildare players and the large gathering that accompanied them at much expense have a very strong grievance in the matter and can justly claim a change of venue to nearer home for the replay. The Kildare Co. Board should take strong action in the matter. There is not a shadow of excuse for the gross negligence of the Leinster Council, which is calculated to materially injure the Gaelic Movement. We recollect the strong action taken by the Leinster Council itself in the past for much more minor offences. The least that can be expected is that they should practise what they preach.
 
Kids Word Search
This week’s word search contains all the Clubs who have teams playing in Kildare’s Adult Hurling Championship. Can you find all 16 clubs?
B
A
M
O
O
R
Z
X
E
I
G
E
M
N
O
C
R
R
A
V
J
A
D
E
A
J
K
M
O
X
I
E
O
D
Y
E
F
N
O
C
R
X
N
U
O
K
I
L
A
Z
N
A
A
T
A
R
D
S
A
T
R
O
S
B
D
I
O
E
N
A
L
C
D
P
A
V
E
C
X
R
F
E
O
L
A
U
R
L
Z
Q
S
I
F
O
B
I
O
L
T
S
E
U
E
D
P
E
O
Q
I
I
R
D
R
D
H
I
Z
I
L
K
C
I
Q
G
E
L
H
G
D
Q
Y
U
F
W
I
N
D
L
Y
N
L
L
O
E
N
O
M
S
G
L
E
S
T
L
O
I
D
D
Z
W
O
K
R
T
C
R
C
A
J
O
H
U
Y
U
P
S
K
A
X
O
U
V
B
L
U
M
A
I
G
B
S
E
S
M
C
A
S
Y
D
L
R
O
B
E
R
H
X
Q
E
K
L
E
I
X
L
I
P
P
L
Q
V
W
U
Y
N
T
R
E
W
Z
Q
N
U
G
K
U
R
L
P
Q
S
R
O
S
G
L
A
S
T
L
A
U
K
I
L
L
 
Words:
Leixlip                                                              Confey
Maynooth                                                        Celbridge
Ardclough                                                        Kill
Sallins                                                              Clane
Coill Dubh                                                       Broadford
Moorefield                                                      Sarsfields
Ros Glas                                                          Naas
St Laurence’s                                                 Kilcock