All pix: Danny Lahart
The local community surrounding St. Johns Park were all invited to celebrate another milestone in the clubs development. Over the last 18 months volunteers at the city club pulled together to extend and refurbish it’s dressing rooms to accommodate increasing numbers of players and panels playing Gaelic Games there. Joined to mark the occasion were City Councillors Andrew McGuinness, Eugene McGuinness and Joe Malone, John McGuinness TD, Kilkenny GAA county board secretary Conor Denieffe and Fr Dan Carroll provided a blessing over the dressing rooms and all its users. The celebrations began with the clubs u9s and u10s boys and girls playing out their street leagues finals over an 8 game blitz on the front pitch. This was a culmination of several weekends of street leagues in which over 100 young players were involved. The huge work by mentors was commended by Juvenile Chairman Brian Fox as he addressed the large gathering at the end of the games. Chairman Johnny Holohan welcomed all members and guests as he outlined the superb work that has gone on at the club since it’s foundation in 1969, and that this was just the latest addition to what is still a beacon in the St. Johns Parish community. He acknowledged the work of all volunteers headed by development chairman Sean Hogan. He invited Breda Leydon, wife if the late Lou Leydon, to cut the ribbon and officially open the dressing rooms. Flanked by the Leydon family Breda proudly did the honours and hundreds of children flooded the rooms for their first glance and dream about big days getting ready with their teams in the future.
The evening continued with a camogie/hurlers exhibition match that saw the winning captain accept the Leydon Cup from camogie Chairwoman Joan Galwey.
Congratulations to everyone at O’Loughlin Gaels GAA & Camogie …a bright future is secured.
