BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
HAPPY NEW YEAR! With The Christmas Season and all it’s Festivities over and behind us, attention will now turn to the weeks and months ahead in what promises to be a busy Sporting Year in 2024.
First of all, before focusing on the year ahead, there was plenty of sporting interest from a local Sporting perspective before and during The Festive Season.
A huge congratulations to The Dicksboro Camogie Team who defeated highly fancied and three-in-a-row chasing Sarsfields of Galway to win The All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Final, and in the process becoming the first team from Kilkenny since St. Lachtains of Freshford – three-in-a-row winners from 2004-2006 – in 2006 to win The All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship.
Also, that same day on Sunday 17th December, O’Loughlin Gaels, Thomastown and Tullogher-Rosbercon won their respective All-Ireland Semi-Finals and now have All-Ireland Finals to look forward to.
Meanwhile, The Christmas period was very busy on The Racing front both in Ireland and Cross-Channel, and it was highlighted by an amazing win for John “Shark” Hanlon as Hewick won a dramatic finish to The King George in Kempton.
As expected, Willie Mullins enjoyed plenty of glory also with 5 Grade 1 wins highlighted by a brilliant performance by Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs in winning The Savills Chase at The Leopardstown Christmas Festival, while his nephew Danny was on board Meetingofthewaters to land the Paddy Power Handicap Chase, one of Irelands most prestigious Handicaps.
Also, about two weeks before Christmas, Maria Godden performed very well as she set two personal bests in finishing top 12 at The European Shortcourse Swimming Championships in Bucharest, Romania, while Hannah Kehoe and Maebh Richardson were part of The Ireland Team that finished a highly creditable 5th in The Ladies U-20 race at The European Cross Country Athletic Championships in Brussels.
More about them anon.
2024 could start as a year to remember for three Kilkenny Clubs who have All-Ireland aspirations over the next 9 days.
Both Tullogher-Rosbercon and Thomastown are in All-Ireland Club Final tomorrow evening (Saturday 13th January) under floodlights in Croke Park, while O’Loughlin Gaels will play St. Thomas of Galway in The All-Ireland Senior Club Final on Sunday week 21st January.
Both Tullogher-Rosbercon and Thomastown are in action against Cork opposition, with Tullogher-Rosbercon playing St. Catherines in The Junior decider at 5pm, followed by Thomastown’s clash against Castlelyons in The Intermediate decider at 7pm.
The Kilkenny Senior Team have already begun 2024 with a Walsh Cup game away to Carlow in Netwatch Cullen Park last Tuesday,after Sundays fixture was postponed due to fog and over the next few weeks they will begin their National League campaign before turning their attention to The Championship from April onwards.
Two of the great local highlights of the year take place in Gowran Park over the next 5 weeks with Thyestes Day on Thursday January 25th, while Red Mills Day is on Saturday 17th February, before Cheltenham takes centre stage in mid-March.
Willie Mullins was once again leading trainer at last years Festival with 6 winners to bring his overall tally at The Cheltenham Festival to 94, and a repeat in March will see The Champion Trainer reach the magic century (100) of overall Festival winners.
With the stable hitting peak form at The Leopardstown Christmas Festival highlighted by the performance of Galopin Des Champs, another strong showing at Cheltenham should see him acheive that feat.
As mentioned, Hannah Kehoe and Maebh Richardson were part of The Ireland Team that finished a highly creditable 5th in The Ladies U-20 race at The European Cross Country Athletic Championships in Brussels before Christmas, while they also have a trip to Portugal to look forward to in February in The European Club Cross Country Championships.
The trip to Portugal is as a result of The Junior Ladies winning The Team event for the very first time at the National Cross Country Championships in Gowran in November.
The Olympics in Paris will take centre stage this Summer, and Glenmore native Mia Griffin is currently competing in The Netherlands as part of The Ireland Squad in The European Track Cycling Championships.
These European Championships double up as an Olympic Qualifier, so it gives Mia and her Irish Teammates extra incentive to perform well this week.
Mia was previously part of The Ireland Squad that won a bronze medal in The Team Pursuit at The European Track Championships in Grenchen, Switzerland in 2021.
Following a highly successful career as an amateur, Mark Power has turned his attention to the professional ranks, and he will be hoping to fulfil at least some of that promise and potential in his first full year as a Pro in 2024.
Ellen Molloy made a most welcome return to competitive action in The Autumn following a lengthy spell on the sidelines after damaging her cruciate while playing for her club Wexford Youths in September 2022, and she will be hoping to force her way into the plans of new Republic of Ireland Manager Eileen Gleeson as they attempt to qualify for a first ever Euro Finals in 2025.
Finally, following a very promising European Shortcourse Swimming Championships in December, Maria Godden is in full preparation for The World Championships in Doha, Qatar in February where she will compete in both The 100 and 200 metres Backstroke, and she will be looking to improve on her personal bests that she set at The Europeans in Romania.
So, plenty on the sporting front to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead in 2024 as life has returned to normal following the sadness of Christmas ending.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
John Kinsella RIP
On a very sad note, their was great sadness with the passing of John Kinsella on New Years Day.A very successful hurler, John was twice an All-Ireland Senior Medal winner with Kilkenny, while he also won three County Senior Championship Medals with Bennettsbridge between 1966 and 1971.
A much loved individual, John was best known to many people as a music presenter on local radio with KCR(Kilkenny Community Radio), Radio Kilkenny and KCLR where his broad range of music made him very popular over the airwaves.
