PR Weekly Bulletin

A Chairde,

I hope everyone is keeping safe and well. The long evenings and sunnier weather are I’m sure lifting everyone’s spirits during these challenging times.

• As part of the Kildare Hurling Action Plan, the County Board is launch a Camán Chill Dara Hurling Awards Scheme on 21^st All clubs are invited to register their interest by clicking https://forms.office.com/r/DRHDhbtf5C This event is likely to be of interest to Club Officers, Coaches, Juvenile & Hurling Committee members, Hurling Action Agents.

• The 2021 Provincial Championship draws will take place next Monday & Tuesday (19^th & 20^th April). The Leinster SFC Draw will take place at 7:30am on Monday on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland programme.

• Our Inter County Senior Footballers & Hurlers will commence collective training next week and it is envisaged that they will receive their National League Fixtures in the coming days. For the duration of their campaigns we will be including a Quickfire Player Profile from both teams in our weekly bulletin.

• Club resource material ahead of the proposed return to play for Juveniles is expected to be issued in the coming week. Adult collective training remains suspended until further notice.

• The GAA last week advised that the deadline for Club Membership subscription was extended to 31st May 2021. All Clubs are asked to ensure all players are registered ahead of their return to play dates.

• 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/

• April’s book of the month for the GAA Museum Book Club is here and this month we will be reading ‘Last Man Standing’ by Chris O’Connor. In this book O’Connor gains unique access to some of the most famous hurling goalkeepers. Join the club today crokepark.ie/bookclub

• Applications for the 2020 MacNamee Awards are now being accepted. It should be noted that only work published or completed in the 2020 calendar year is eligible for consideration. There are a number of categories which can be found on https://www.gaa.ie/stories/applications-2020-macnamee-awards-now-being-accepted/

• Have you tried out the GAA’s “RecipesForSuccess” yet? Learn how to fuel your performance on and off the pitch with new weekly cook along videos dropping weekly by checking out https://www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/community-and-health/healthy-eating/

Ag Féachaint Siar – From the Archives of

Coiste CLG Chill Dara

Invitation to Cill Dara All-Ireland Football Medal Winners to

Cusack Stand Opening in 1938

We will publish occasional topics from the minutes of the County Committee during the year. The first is about an invitation from Central Council to all players who won All-Ireland senior football medals in 1905, 1919, 1927 & 1928 to attend the opening and blessing of the new Cusack Stand in Croke Park on Sunday 21 August 1938.

Extract from minutes of Coiste CLG Chill Dara, 26 Iúil 1938

A letter was received from the Secretary, Central Council, asking for the names and addresses of all those players of Kildare who had won the All-Ireland football final in the years 1905, 1919, 1927 and 1928 as it was intended inviting all these players to Croke Park on August 21^st on the occasion of the opening of the new (Cusack) Stand. The Secretary was ordered to compile the lists and addresses and forward on same to the General Secretary.

The invitation was again discussed at the next meeting on Tuesday 9 August:

A communication was read from the Secretary, Central Council, asking for the names and addresses of any player of Kildare who had been a member of a team that had won All-Ireland honours. Such players to be associated with the GAA, and not suspended from its ranks. The Secretary read out the list of the players of the 1905, 1919, 1927 and 1928 All-Ireland champions. T Kelly supplied the names of the substitutes of the 1905 team, and further consideration of the matter was left over till the next meeting of the County Committee.

A week later, the County Committee decided ‘to entertain all the All-Ireland football champions from Kildare on Sunday August 21^st, at Barry’s Hotel, after the match, Kerry v Leix. Each of the players who had received an All-Ireland championship medal was being invited by the Central Council to be present at the opening and blessing of the new stand at Croke Park, and more than50 players had been invited from Kildare County. Each player will receive an invitation card with passes to the ground and stand. The players should note that they are to enter the grounds by St. Joseph’s Avenue, off Clonliffe Road’.

Cusack Stand and a Hurling Final in Killarney

While the Cusack Stand was under construction, the 1937 All-Ireland hurling final was played in Killarney on 5 September of that year: Tipperary captained by J Lanigan defeated Kilkenny by 3-11 to 0-3 before an attendance of 43,638.  J. Lanigan captained the winning team and the referee was J. Flaherty from Offaly who also took charge of the 1939 and 1946 finals. He also refereed the senior football finals in 1939 (replay) and 1948.

There were no seats under the new stand, only on the upper tier. Bench seats, without back support, were installed on the lower Cusack before the 1966 All-Ireland finals. When large pieces of concrete began falling off that stand – due to spalling – in the late 1980s, the risk of injuries was a major concern for the Association. The decision was made to rebuild the entire stadium. Naturally, the Cusack Stand was the first part of the stadium to be rebuilt. It was opened in 1995 and whole the project was completed to the excellent standard that we have enjoyed since the new Hill 16 was opened on 14 Márta 2005.

Nóta: The Bulletin will include a review of the development of the original Cusack Stand in a future issue.