Ballymore Ladies GFC

‘Welly’ Match Rained Off!
The August Bank Holiday didn’t provide the expected sunshine for the big game and it had to be called off, much to the disappointment of the ladies and gents involved.
The ladies are still training hard so the game will be re-scheduled to a date after their league campaign (end of October). Keep an eye on next month’s Bugle for details!

Division 4 League – Ballymore’s unbeaten run comes to an end

Tuesday 17th July Ballymore vs Rheban
League and Summer Cup
After some discussion it was agreed to play one game to cover both competitions rather than 2 games in 3 days. On home ground, Ballymore controlled this game from the start, keeping their league rivals scoreless. Sheena Hubbard was the playmaker from the kickouts and earned a well-deserved Woman of the Match.

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 5 points
Stephanie Harney 2 goals 3 points
Sheena Hubbard 2 points
Megan O’Neill 2 points
Cleo Hubbard 1 goal
Anna Ward 1 point
Sharon O’Donoghue 1 point

Ballymore 3-14 Rheban 0-0

14th August Milltown vs Ballymore
Ballymore travelled to Milltown on a damp evening. The girls started with the same enthusiasm they had shown in their previous league games but the ball refused to go between the posts. At half-time and having had all of the possession only an Aisling Rigney goal separated the 2 teams.
After the throw-in the ladies regained their concentration and made space for the forwards. The scores came and Ballymore remained on top of the league table.
In her final match before heading off on her travels, Amanda Conway put in 110% and was awarded Ballymore’s Woman of the Match.

Scorers for Ballymore
Aisling Rigney 1 goal
Dawn Murray 3 points
Stephanie Harney 2 points
Louise Burke 1 point
Anna Ward 1 point

Ballymore 1-7 Milltown 0-1



21st August Balyna II vs Ballymore
Ballymore had another away game in the league but this time on the far side of the county. With the majority of the team getting lost (our manager isn’t known for his navigational skills), the evening had started badly. And it didn’t improve!
Balyna II had only lost to Ballymore in the league this season and if their intention was to ensure that it was a game we’d rather forget then it worked. Balyna were focused from the start and had a tidy lead at half-time.
The ladies only really got going in the 2nd half but the game was stopped for an injury which resulted in a change of pitch. On the new pitch Dawn Murray (with the help of 2nd highest scorer for Ballymore that evening Gemma Swords!) started notching up scores without reply. However with only a few points in it the game was abandoned by the referee due to poor light.
Thanks to Sheena Hubbard for being umpire on the night – Aisling Rigney would like to point out that the ball did not hit her on the way out over the line and that was NOT a 45!

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 2 goals 6 points
Gemma Swords 1 point

Balyna II 4-5 Ballymore 2-7

Remaining League Games
Ballymore vs Nurney\Kildangan Rearranged for Wed 12th Sept
Ballymore vs Castledermot To be rearranged


Summer Cup Competition
Having beaten Rheban in the last round, Ballymore went into Group B in the Summer Cup (Won 1, Lost 1) and drew Carbury at home. The girls fought well and did themselves proud against a team that fancy themselves as one of the favourites for the Championship this year.


Championship – Ballymore Ladies fail to progress
27th August Vs Eadestown II
The first round of the championship was played in Eadestown and last year’s beaten finalists showed why they are expected to reach the same stage this year. Ballymore showed promise in parts with some good movement in the 2nd half but the other team’s experience was too much to overcome. Ballymore’s Woman of the Match was given to Anne-Marie Gorman for constantly making runs and winning the ball in the half-back line.

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 1 goal 2 points

Eadestown II 5-10 Ballymore 1-2

1st September Vs Kilcullen
Ballymore Ladies hosted neighbours Kilcullen in the 2nd round and they proved that their unbeaten run in Division 3 is no fluke. Ballymore never got into this game and were very disappointed with their overall performance.

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 2 points

Ballymore 0-2 Kilcullen 6-10

8th September Vs Round Towers
Round Towers could not field a team for this game and Ballymore got their first ever championship win…even if it was a walkover!

Challenge Matches
Ballymore played 2 challenge matches since the last edition of the Bugle against Valleymount and Donard. The girls didn’t gel well in either game with Stephanie Harney getting Ballymore’s Woman of the Match as she helped out Donard who were short of players!

Back to School
A large number of the ladies are in school and college so the noses are firmly back in the books. Good luck to all of the girls in their studies over the coming year.
Well done to Louise Byrne on receiving her Leaving Cert results.

Bon Voyage
Amanda Conway and Susan Foley have both left the team to go travelling around the world. They are keeping up with the ladies progress and we look forward to welcoming then back to the club next year.

Good Luck
The Ladies would like to wish Ballymore’s senior team all the best in the Intermediate Championship, having beaten Raheens on Sunday September 9th to reach the semi-final.

Golf Society News

Ballymore Eustace Golf Society recently held Tim Duggans Captains prize in the magnificent Heritage Golf and Country Club Killenard Co. Laois on 01.09.07. Many thanks to Niall Carroll for the professional way he welcomed our Society and to Tim for picking this tough but fair course. Below are the results of the day.
Handicap. Points.
Conor Fallon 14-3 35 Winner Ciaran Curley 8-4 34 Runner-UP Steven Byrne 11 34 Third Niall Carroll 9-2 34 Gross Winner Simon Murphy 12 29 C1-Winner Jay Curley 15 29 C1-2nd James McCarron 18-1 28 C1-3rd Pat Curley 17+1 30 C2-Winner Thomas Daly 19+1 30 C2-2nd Johnny Brophy 18 28 C2-3rd Margaret Bradshaw 20+2 32 C3-Winner John Williamson 19+4 31 C3-2nd John Murphy (L J Jnr) 23 29 C3-3rd Micheal Byrne Jnr. 26 30 C4-Winner Michael Byrne Snr 21+5 26 C4-2nd John Flynn 31 25 C4-3rd Michael Murphy 20 27 Front 9 - 16pts Eoghan Barrett 22 28 Back 9 - 18pts
Longest drive Gents David Higgins
Longest drive Ladies Mary Horan.

Nearest the Pin Gavin Daly.

Hon Sec. Mick Horan.

Congrats to, Mairead O' Toole on her recent All-Ireland win.
She won the Seniors Championship in Pitch & Putt which was held in Enniscorthy on Sunday 2nd Sept. She is a member of the Poulaphouca club. This is her 2nd All-Ireland title! A great achievement.

And as if that wasn't enough she was playing on the Kildare team the following Sunday in the Leinster Inter-County, which they won by 24 shots. Dublin were runners up. Mam is on the left in the back row.
The team now travel to Cork for the All-Ireland in Cork on Sat 15th Sept. Good luck to them.

-Ballymore Eustace GAA-Senior

Ballymore are having a good run in this year’s championship carrying on from being undefeated in last year’s championship. They got their campaign underway against a tough Grange side. This was their first group match and it was a tight affair and Ballymore had the upper hand- just about.
The next opponents faced by Ballymore were a much fancied Rathangan side. This again was a closely contested game and Ballymore led by 1 point at half time. The second half was a tight affair with Rathangan gaining the upper hand. With only minutes remaining Rathangan were leading by two points and the writing looked on the wall for the Ballymore side. But their never say die attitude paid dividends deep into injury time as good link up play saw Tommy Archibald in front of goal and he launched an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net to the match with the last kick of the game. This ensured Ballymore’s path into the quarter-final but they still had one group game against Kill.
This Kill side were really up for it as their championship hopes were on this game. Again the Ballymore men showed their grit and sailed into the quarter-finals to face Raheens.

Quarter Final Success
Ballymore 3-10 vs 2-08 Raheens; This game showed you exactly what a championship game is about with a great display from the Ballymore men. They started excellently with a score within the first 30 seconds from Eoin Kavanagh. Raheens replied from a free but Ballymore dominated from there to the interval. Goals from Eoin Kavanagh and Tommy Archibald and points from Hugh Keogh, the three Kavanaghs and William O’ Donoghue saw Ballymore lead at half time by 2-08 to 1-04. The 2nd half started with Ballymore starting well with 1-1 from Tommy Archibald. Ballymore didn’t score for another 20 minutes and Raheens came back to within 5 points. William O’ Donoghue put the nail in Raheens coffin with a pointed free much to the delight of the Ballymore crowd.
Every Ballymore man showed their worth on the day and played well especially the Kavanagh brothers, William O’ Donoghue, Tadhg Grace, John Doyle and Kevin McNally. Ballymore had great support over the games and will hope it gets bigger for the semi-final (date and venue not fixed yet) but we hope to see a bigger crowd to cheer our boys. The lads also welcome back Paul Browne and sunshine boy, Colin Clarke from trips abroad.

Race Day @ Punchestown
Ballymore GAA is hosting a race day in Punchestown on Nov 17th in aid of the local club. All support will be greatly appreciated and tickets will be on sale shortly. If you would like to order tickets you can do so by e-mailing the club at:

Bits ‘n Bobs with Rose

Rose of Tralee – The Truce Road Connection
Readers, I visited Tralee this during the lead-up to the Rose of Tralee Competition this year and I have to tell you, the TV coverage does little to show the town and the atmosphere as it is during festival week. There’s a positive buzz about the place – a carnival atmosphere, several live music venues throughout the streets and the entrants – well, they are treated quite like royalty. Families lined up outside Fels Point Hotel and The Festival Dome seeking autographs from the girls. Should the pageant cease, Tralee would suffer greatly as it really is the jewel in their tourism crown, so to speak.
Laura Edgeworth from Prosperous was the Kildare Rose this year who sadly, lost out on a place in the final. Laura’s Dad, Mike is a relative of the late Matt Edgeworth of Truce Road (both men formerly from Longford). Laura was joined by all her family – mum Anne and Dad, Mike; sister Ruthie and pal, John and brother, George for the final. “I made friends with so many of the girls through the heats that I decided to come and support them, particularly the Leinster Roses, the Longford and Dublin Roses were great fun. I couldn’t believe how well we were all looked after and how nice people were.” said lovely Laura, a primary school teacher currently posted in Ballymun.
Laura received a special mention from the French Rose – the final Rose on stage during the televised final - when she was interviewed by compere, Ray D’Aarcy as the Kildare Rose epitomised the spirit of the festival, being so friendly and warm to everyone. She may not have been on the stage for the final but she was definitely a winner with the fellow Roses and their families in Tralee.

Matt will be back
Matt Purcell, Readers, is on the mend. Having spent some time in Naas Hospital and then recuperating in Dun Laoghaire, Matt has moved back home and is recovering well. He has emailed me to thank all of you for your good wishes, to those of you who visited him or sent cards, he really appreciated the gesture and hopes to be back writing for The Bugle soon.
Well, Matt, we hope so too! Your column has been missed.

Frustration is….
Watching my three legged cat, Leo stretch his neck and raise his back leg to scratch like hell but no leg, no scratch and no relief. Even ten years on, he goes through the daily ritual and its like everytime “Damn, where’d that leg go?”

The Anvil Strikes a Note at Poulaphouca
Sad to see The Anvil Bar/Lounge closed – place looks ‘gloomy’ with no lights on at night but alas, it’s a sign of changing times. But for those of you who enjoyed the Sunday night sing-a-long with John Kelly, John Joe and friends, pop up to Poulaphouca House Hotel on Sunday nights where the music and dancing ex-Anvil continues. No cover charge, all welcome.
Ballybought Bridge re-opened! Neighbours and residents celebrate the completion of repair work of Ballybought Bridge on Sun 22nd July (prior to official opening). Neanderthals like myself thought it was called Alliganstown Bridge – oh no Readers, Ballybought it is and The Bugle had better get it right.
Wouldn’t yer man who wrote the ditty “London Bridge is falling down, falling down…” have run into fierce rhyming problems if it was Alliganstown-cum-Ballybought he was singing about….