To Editors, Ballymore Bugle
The following letter was received by a Ballymore Eustace resident some months ago regarding lending policy of Naas Credit Union (incorporating sub-office in Ballymore Eustace)

“Having recently applied for a loan and subsequently been refused based on their new lending policy, I feel others may find themselves in the same position.
Under the new lending policy, unless one can produce 3 wage slips and 3 banks statements, one cannot borrow more than €1,000, based on being a member with an excellent borrowing history. The only option for non wage earners is to use the financial details of your spouse.
I am sure it is obvious to the member of Naas Credit Union that the people most affected by this new policy will be women in the home who are unable to provide the necessary paperwork for themselves and who are unable and/or unwilling to involve their husbands in what is a small area of independence for them.
Many of these women are in a position to repay a loan of more than €1,000 and have previously done so; however, this is no longer good enough for Naas Credit Union.
Where are all these women to turn to now? Are we sending them back into the hands of moneylenders? What is the point of being a member with shares if you cannot borrow yourself? Where is the ethos of the Credit Union Movement in all of this?
I understand this policy is particular to Naas Credit Union and is in no way enforced by the League of Credit Unions.
My husband and I have closed our accounts in Naas Credit Union in protest and have sent a letter of complaint to the Board of Directors.”
The writer (name and address with Editors) goes on to encourage other members who are unhappy with implementation of new policy to similarly put it in writing to the Board of Directors and not just moan about it to the girls at the till who have no say in C.U. policy. The author re-iterates her frustration that member s with clean records as ‘good payers’ should be treated thus.
Editors in reply:
We understand the authors vexation and frustration; the Credit Union Movement is admirably known as the ‘peoples’ bank’ and not as stringent or dictatorial as main banking/financial institutions so it would be a shame if the C.U. moved away from that concept.
Each application is treated individually; we did contact a manager of another busy C.U.in Co Kildare and A N Other employee of a Credit Union office. Both said, that whilst their own respective branch have not yet implemented the policy set in place by Naas C.U., the latter are only following the actual guidelines set down by the Irish League of Credit Unions lending criteria.
The manager of another Credit Union admitted they still worked on a member’s record of borrowing and repayments and, to a large extent, references given by other members. However, he felt it was only a matter of time before these regulations would be commonplace within the movement. The Regulator has wide ranging powers in regulating credit unions; in the case of defaulted loans, he will come down hard any Credit Union not adhering to the guidelines and protecting all of its members interests. - Editors

And the following is Naas Credit Unions formal statement with regards to the matter.
“Naas Credit Union is not in a position to comment on individual cases; however, the credit unions commitment is to deal with all members in an equitable and confidential manner. As a community based organization, we welcome and would encourage feedback from all our members. We are happy to listen and address any matters raised by our members on an individual basis. “
BALLYMORE EUSTACE G.F.C.
Election of Officers for 2008


Patron: Fr. Breen
Presidents: Jim Clarke and Eddie Hubbard
Vice Presidents: Monsignor Conway, Jimmy McLoughlin, Eithne Daly, Sean Farrington, Eugene Gilroy and Tom Quinn
Chairman: Tim Gorman
Vice Chairman: Pat Browne (snr)
Secretary – as yet, the position has not been filled; volunteers welcome, don’t all rush together…….
Treasurer: Paddy Nolan and Ann Marie Gorman
P.R.O: Tommy Daly and Mark McCarville
County Board Delegates: Eddie Hubbard
Committee Members: Owen Barrett, Noel Thompson, Ciaran Conway and Tom Quinn
Senior Selectors: Paul Carroll, Pat Murphy and Jim McLoughlin
Junior Selectors: Pat Browne (snr) and Brian Fisher

Membership is now due: Players €50:: Non Players €30

A happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year
to all who supported the club in 2007

The News: The juvenile club is taking a break at the moment ,except for the juvenile girls that have had a couple of indoor coaching sessions in the handball alley. There is ample interest in a girls only team so it is planned to enter a team in a girls only league next year. Coaching sessions are at 5:00pm every friday in the handball alley until further notice and will move outdoors in the Spring.
2007: The first coaching session was held on 24th of March and we had over 100 boys and girls from the ages of 6 – 12 training on a weekly basis. Apart from the large number of children training and hopefully enjoying themselves we also made progress on the playing side. Our U10 team were runners-up in their league, the U11 team lost narrowly in their league semi-final and the U12 team lost in the final of their league. We also played a number of U8, U9 & U10 blitzes during the year. It is great to see the improvement made by all the players over the year and great credit is due to the boys and girls for the effort and determination they are showing in improving their skills. It is also very encouraging to see the effort that parents are putting in by bringing the boys and girls to the practice sessions and matches.We would especially like to thank all of the parents who have helped us at the practice sessions, who have assisted with teams, driven players to matches, helped to set up / take down pitches, supported our teams and washed the jerseys. A special thank you to the parents who helped out at the summer camp. Given the large number of boys and girls involved we would not be able to continue without this help, remember that many hands make light work. We are always looking for additional help and we expect our number to grow again next year when we will introduce girls teams. If you are interested in helping in any way please let us know, no previous experience is required and we will arrange for coaching courses for anybody that is interested.
The Girls team in the handball alley on 16/11/2007
Back Row - Natasha Murphy, ?Ellen Carter, Grace Kerr, Margaret Headon, Lucy Field, Hazel Stewart Byrne, Heather Sammon, Aoife Murphy, Shannon Winders, Siobhan MurphyFront Row - Oonagh Deegan, Mayah Sammon, Evie Carter, Amy Horan, Beth Doyle, Cory Waters

Also there is an U12 (primary school) disco organised in the resource centre on Friday 14th December from 5.30pm to 8.00pm















U8 football
Merry x-mas and a happy New Year to all from the juvenile club
U11 football





U12 football Ballymore Eustace GAA Club Juvenile Football & Hurling
Coaching motto: Children first, winning second