An Ideal Woman

My Fair Lady was the musical film version of G.B. Shaw’s Pygmalion which in turn was a twist on Ovid’s original story of Pygmalion and Galatea.
Pygmalion was a sculptor living in Cyprus in ancient Greek times who developed a disdainful view of women, detesting what he claimed were their “many faults”, and resolved never to marry.
Art was his life, his love and his means of existence, and in that isolation he pursued his work with an unparalleled zest.
Perhaps it was an inverted reaction to his phobia that he began to carve the likeness in marble of a woman who by his own perception would be a universal representation of how women should ideally be, in proportion, in substance and in presence.

Havi
Ballymore Ladies GFC

Division 4 League – Ladies into Semi-Finals
Having lost just the one league game during the season, Ballymore Ladies have finished top of the league table. This means they have got home advantage for their semi-final clash with Rheban on October 13th. By the time the Bugle has been printed this game will have been played and hopefully the girls will be playing their first final the following weekend (October 20th).

Wednesday 12th September Ballymore vs Nurney\Kildangan
Nurney\Kildangan are playing football for the first time this year and the ladies wasted no time in notching up the scores against them. It was a welcome return from injury by Sheena Hubbard.
Captain Aisling Rigney was first to every ball and Ballymore’s Woman of the Match.

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 1 goal 4 points
Sheena Hubbard 1 goal 2 points
Stephanie Harney 1 goal 2 points
Sharon O’Donoghue 2 points
Cleo Hubbard 1 point
Fran Burke 1 point
Louise Burke 1 point

Ballymore 3-13 Nurney\Kildangan 0-0

Monday 1st October Ballymore vs Castledermot
In past seasons, Castledermot were the only team that Ballymore had a chance of beating in the league. Despite being top of the league, Ballymore were taking no chances against a team that had reached the quarter final of the Championship. With the possibility of the game being cut-short due to bad light, the girls needed to play from the start. The ladies dominated proceedings in the first half, going in at half-time with a comfortable 3-7 to 0-2 lead.As expected, Castledermot came back from the throw-in but the ladies had done enough in the first half to run out winners.
In a match where the entire panel played a part, Anne Marie Gorman ran out of her skin and was Woman of the Match.

Scorers for Ballymore
Cleo Hubbard 2 goals 1 point
Stephanie Harney 1 goal 2 points
Megan O’Neill 1 goal 1 point
Louise Burke 1 goal 1 point
Dawn Murray 1 point
Sheena Hubbard 1 point
Fran Burke 1 point

Ballymore 5-8 Castledermot 3-4


Challenge Matches
Vs Valleymount
One of Ballymore’s league games was postponed and Valleymount agreed to travel down for a game at short notice. In a 13-a-side game, Ballymore finally got one over on their neighbours with a fast moving game. Thanks to Tommy Archibald for refereeing the game and Jackie Smith who played very well for the opposing team!
Dawn Murray was instrumental in the forwards and a well deserved Woman of the Match.

Scorers for Ballymore
I don’t have the list of scorers for this one! I think Fran Burke, Stephanie Harney, Louise Burke and Dawn Murray scored. Apologies if I missed anyone.

Ballymore 0-8 Valleymount 1-3


Vs Robert Emmetts
The final Sunday morning game of the year and Ballymore Ladies travelled to Sallins. This was the 3rd challenge game the 2 two teams have played this year with a win each up to now. The Division 3 side have a shield final in a couple of weeks and were probably hoping for a winning boost before that match. The Ballymore girls were told before the game that their main aim was not to let in any goals. They did as they were told and despite a number of wides, they surprised the home side.
Woman of the Match went to Michelle Hubbard who worked hard throughout, solid in defence as always and carrying the ball forward when the opportunity arose.

Scorers for Ballymore
Dawn Murray 1 goal 2 points
Stephanie Harney 2 points
Megan O’Neill 1 point

Robert Emmetts 0-2 Ballymore 1-5

‘Welly’ Match
It is hoped to play this annual fundraiser on Sunday 28th October (Bank Holiday weekend). This will depend on whether the seniors win their final and have to play the first round of the Leinster Intermediate Championship that day. Keep an eye out for posters in the local shops!

Well Done
Congratulations to Danielle Parker on her Junior Cert Results.
ng chipped away all excess marble from the block until he had the general proportions of the intended figure in order, the form of the statue gradually took shape. The upper and lower torso and arms were soon brought to near finishing stage, after which the legs and feet were exposed from within the mass of white marble. No statue ever before, nor any ever after, would surpass this in perfection, but as he progressed, Pygmalion failed to recognise profound psychological changes which were slowly and quietly overwhelming him.
He was satisfied with his work so far, content that the contours of the body were sufficiently proportionate, flowing in lines of sublime symmetry and which now simply required careful polishing. All the while as he fashioned the figure, the greater the emphasis he placed on detail. Firstly, although the eyelids, nose and lips were finely set, delicate work on the fingers and nails required completion in meticulous detail, normally the most tiresome and troublesome task, but now his heart was lightened, and with no burden to impede his mind, he fulfilled his ambition sooner than he anticipated. He had achieved that goal which all artists pursue, perfection – the art of concealing art. Most importantly, he had created a perfectly formed, Ideal Woman.
He stood back, and looking at the absolute beauty of his creation, his eyes moistened in feelings of love as he went to embrace and kiss it; but it was a love which never could be requited. For all the beauty, in its shape and form, there was no life, no feeling, no response. He hoped, briefly, that in some way, life could be infused into so beautiful a creation with which he had fallen in love. Otherwise his labour of love had no meaning at all.
He began to fret, fearing some imperfection may have been overlooked. He became more obsessive, more protective as he moved his hand around the body checking for flaws using his fingers, swirling them gently, more in caress than enquiry. He wept.

Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, had been attentive to Pygmalion ever since he rejected women. Initially she was intrigued by this curious man, but as time went on she was astonished at the sheer skill, wonder and drama in his artistry. She remained with him, but unseen. Unobtrusively she became his guiding spirit. He was in truth irresistible to her for the beauty he could create, and now that his passionate love had turned to tears of utter misery, she too was deeply affected. Impassioned by his sorrow, she prompted him to go to one of her temples in Cyprus to seek solace and assistance.
Distraught, Pygmalion went to the Temple of Aphrodite on her celebration day, daring only to request that he might find a woman in the likeness of his statue. He remained there for some time, contemplating on what he considered his past foolishness, but as he was leaving, an extraordinary event occurred before his eyes. A flame from the altar leaped three times into the air, a sign from Aphrodite that she favored his wish. While he noticed that omen, he returned home, and looking dejectedly at the statue, he embraced it, kissed it once more on the lips, a long farewell kiss to a useless image carved lovingly from marble.
As he did so, waves of thrilling sensation raced through his whole body. He stood back, excited, confused. He was sure he felt a softening of the lips. He reached out again to touch the arm. It felt warm. He touched the neck and could feel her vein pulsate. Her face was softening, gaining colour and she began to breadth, her breast heaving. He turned to fully embrace her, and in the exact likeness of his own creation he could see and feel the same beauty, but in flesh he had strived so hard to emulate in marble. Feeling the warmth and fragrance of her body so close to him, was the most tantalizing and thrilling experience he had ever known in his life.
In the splendour of that occasion Pygmalion named the apparition before him, Galatea, and there in the presence of Aphrodite, they were married. Their son, Paphos, gave his name to Aphrodite’s favorite city in Cyprus. Michael Ward.



Old Bookshops
I have I suppose, somewhat in excess of one thousand books left, mostly on shelves, and a day never passes but a reason arises to refer to at least one of them. There were many, many more, but for practical considerations (space and continuing peaceful relationships), I had to find new homes for them. Those remaining on the shelves are mostly used for reference purposes. The rest are the ones I have an abiding love for, and they will ever be a part of me. A book is a good companion, and like a good woman should be embraced, frequently.
Many of these old and out-of-print books were retrieved from secondhand bookshops in Dublin, those musty-smelling treasure houses of knowledge whose owners ever seemed to be at peace with the world, and who in a quaint way matched the furniture of their surroundings. Now, nearly all of them have closed down, their contents vanished and with them, invaluable sources of learning. One of the last of these shops, Greene’s of Clare Street shut shop late last year.
A particular secondhand bookshop I frequented for a while was called SPQR, behind Searsons pub in Baggot Street in Dublin, and there every Friday, I bought two or three books and sometimes more. Here I found The Genuine Remains in Prose and Poetry of Samuel Butler volume 1 (published 1759), author also of Hudibras, a brilliant and witty writer, contemporary of Marlowe, Shakespeare and Francis Bacon. I asked if volume 2 was available and was directed to Trinity College, where after three days wait it arrived from their archive. They did not have volume 1. I offered to buy their copy, but they refused, wanting mine as well.
SPQR was run by a quietly spoken elderly gentleman, a true bookman full of knowledge with a well-stocked bookshop. Another attraction to be seen moving between the shelves was the owner’s very pretty daughter, Susan, a vision, whose countenance bore such an enigmatic expression that the beholder desired to explore the labyrinthine ways of her mind in search of whatever spirit troubled her; but like Marlowe’s Helen, or Pygmalion’s Galatea she remained elusive, lost in solitude, enclosed in a maze. She would have been perfectly suited to Marshe’s Library behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral amongst the writings of Swift and Catullus, the passionate love poet, housed in the serenity of that unforgettable oak-paneled room where euphemistically, ancient leather-bound books peep out from their shelves seeking the company of a lover – of books - in moments of wonderful melancholy.
On my last visit to SPQR, I selected and paid for eight books and was to collect them following day. When I called on the Saturday afternoon, the door was locked and through the glass, no books were to be seen – the shelves were empty and the counter was cleared of its equipment.
I was puzzled, because the owners were nice people with a genuine interest in and love of their vocation. On the following Monday, a message was left at my office “to phone the lady from SPQR.” For a moment I was thrilled, not that I might retrieve the eight books, rather that she might need help, or me, but I had no phone number for her. It was I who then needed help. There is more than one explanation to melancholy!

The meaning to the anagram SPQR is clear to every schoolboy: Senatus Populus Que Romanus – Senate and People of Rome, which was inscribed on all public utilities, such as public baths. Some time after the episode just related, I was in a dictionary when I spotted a second meaning to that famous dictum’s capitals – Small Profits and Quick Returns. Michael Ward.
P.S. Who has my copy of the Kama Sutra?

The NewsThe big GAA news and excitement around Ballymore at the moment is the success of the Intermediate Football Team who are now in the Intermediate Co. Final. To make it to the final is a magnificent achievement and we wish the Ballymore team the best of luck against Suncroft. A special thanks to John Doyle, Timmy Gorman, William O’Donoghue and James Kavanagh for refereeing the village league matches last weekend, their visit was appreciated by all of the young players.
We also wish the Ballymore ladies team the best of luck in their bid for league honours over the next few weeks.
The Scoil Mhuire Ballymore Eustace U11 football and hurling teams have completed their leagues (see below).
The U-9 and U-8 teams have been busy over the last few weeks. They played Kilcullen on Sun 23rd Sep. and this was followed by a blitz played in the football field involving Castlemitchel and Kilcullen on Sun 7th Oct. The teams played very well on both days and showed great skill. 26 boys and girls turned out for Ballymore on both days. Football training continues on Saturday evenings at 5:00 pm, although we are nearing the end of the playing year new players are always welcome. All the county leagues are now finished and we are concentrating on playing the Village League. There are 4 teams in the 9-12 year old group and 4 teams in the 6-8 year old group. The games have been very close so far and the leagues will culminate with a finals days at the end of October, more details closer to the day (It is also rumoured that there may be a parents game that day)
Scoil Mhuire Ballymore Eustace U11 HurlingThe school U11 hurling team had a very enjoyable league campaign over the last 3 weeks. The first game was against Crookstown N.S. on Mon. 17th Sept. in Ballymore Eustace. On this occasion the strong Crookstown team won well against a tired Ballymore team after their marathon U12 football games. The second game was against Rathangan N.S. on Fri. 21st Sept. in Rathangan. In this game Ballymore were ahead for most of the match until the last 5 minutes when Rathangan got a goal and Ballymore lost by one point. The third game was against Dunlavin N.S. on Thurs. 27th Sept. in Dunlavin. This was a very exciting game with Dunlavin getting an early goal and Ballymore having to fight back. Referee Alan Lagriue did an excellent job in this game explaining all decisions to the lads. Eventually Ballymore came out on top winning by 2 goals and 2 points. Final Score Scoil Mhuire 4-2 Dunlavin N.S. 2-0. Up Ballymore!
Scoil Mhuire Ballymore Eustace National school U11 hurling team in Dunlavin








Back row: Dylan Waters, Darragh Kelleher, Shane Barrett, Craig Byrne, Ciaran Kelleher, Mark Daly, Niall O’Neill, Tadhg Dooley, Robbie Noone.Front row: Pascal Thompson, Tony Og Sheridan, Caolan Halpin Graham, Thomas McGuirke, Conor Lipsett, Tom Carter, Enda Stewart Byrne.
Scoil Mhuire Ballymore Eustace U11 FootballThe U11 football team played 4 games in total, Scoil Ui Riada Kilcock, Two-Mile-House N.S., (Kill N.S. in a challenge) and Rathmore N.S. The team had one win in a super match against Two-Mile-House but were runners up in the other games. Norma Fitzpatrick (Junior Infants Teacher) organised the teams for the games and made sure that everyone in the big panel of players got a game.
U8&U9 team with Noel ThompsonBack Row: Tom McGuirk, Robbie Noone, Jordan Deegan, Adam Murphy, Killian Barrett, Aaron Deegan, Caolan HalpinFront Row: Mark Barrett, Conor Nolan, Stephen Davis, Eve Maguire, Amy Horan, Mark Daly




U8&U9 team with Michael Horan
Front Row: Oonagh Deegan, Rebecca Dooley, Cian Duggan, Mayah Sammon, Evie Carter, Jack Doyle, Kevin Mahon.Front Row: Luke Pearse, Sean Crowe, Eoin , Tommy Marsh, Evan Keogh, Tom Carter.




Ballymore Hurlers in Kildare U12 hurling squadCongratulations to, Patrick Langan, Robbie Boland and Michael Stewart Byrne who were recently selected for the South Kildare U12 hurling squad. After a rigorous training schedule the hurling squad went on a 2 day trip to Clare on the 22nd and 23rd Sept.The three lads had a very enjoyable trip playing a good tough match against Lisdoonvarna U12 hurling team on Saturday before enjoying a swim in Seaworld in Lahinch. That night the squad stayed in Lahinch Hostel and got about 3 hours sleep. (Martin Guardian that night probably got no sleep). On Sunday the squad played a blitz before visiting the Cliffs of Moher. Many thanks to the Kildare Southboard for organizing the trip and including 3 players from Ballymore. Ballymore Eustace GAA Club Juvenile Football & Hurling
Coaching motto: Children first. Winning second

Ballymore Eustace Golf Society results.

(Michael Lawlor's) President's Prize 06-10-07.

Winner Niall Carroll 9-3 39pts back 9.
Runner up. Andy Hickey 21+9 39pts.
Gross Winner. Brendan Daly 5+1 39pts.
Third. Jay Curley. 15-1 38pts back 6.

Catagory 1.
Winner. Simon Murphy 12 37pts.
Runner up. Gavin Daly 7-3 35pts.

Catagory 2.
Winner. Gavin Grace 16-2 37pts.
Runner up. Ann (Murphy)Daly 14 36pts.

Catagory 3.
Winner. James Kelly 19+1 38pts.
Runner up. Micheal McGrath 19 37pts back 9.

Catagory 4.
Winner. Pat Fitzpatrick 20+6 30pts.
Runner up. Noel Headon 20+5 29pts.

Front 9. Mick Horan 23 23pts.
Back 9. Eoghan Barrett 23 20pts.

Matchplay.
Winner. James Kelly.
Runner up. Gavin Daly.

Player of the year. Niall Carroll.

Many thanks to our sponsors of the Presidents prize Naas Health and Fitness (Mick McGinn), Matchplay first prize Der & Mags O'Reilly(Ballymore Oil), runner up and green fee's Noel Thompson, Player of the year prize Senior Citizens Committee.

Hon Sec

Mick Horan.