[ Home ] [ Club Info ] [ Fixtures/Results ] [ LocalNews ] [ Teams ] [ Photos ]

Local News 2009

Annual Fancy Dress Party
This Year's Theme Was The letter "A"

On Wednesday 30th of December this year's fancy dress party was again a huge success. The magic letter this year was the letter "A" and guests dressed accordingly. This event has become an annual event in the village and is much anticipated by locals and visitors alike.
As usual everybody went to great lengths to get into the party spirit. There were Aliens, Action Men, Audrey Hepburns, Artists, Air Hostesses and Arabs, to name but a few. After visiting local watering holes where the "Craic" was mighty participants moved on to the Bay View Hotel where revelry continued for a while longer. Music was once again provided by the inimitable DJ Agers.

Funds raised this year will be donated to the local primary school.

The promoters would like to thank everybody who supported the event and the many sponsors who come up trumps every year.
Well done to the organisers and to all who took part. The whole event was a badly needed boost to the village after all the bad weather. Below are a few pics. Click to make larger. (Thanks to Aisling). Remember the theme was the letter "A". Match the costume to the relevant personality.

Garda Sergeant Pat Teahan Retires

Popular local Garda Sergeant Pat Teahan donned his uniform for the last time recently having given dedicated service to law enforcement for the last thirty eight years. Pat is a native of Glenbeigh and from his early years was familiar with the Waterville area having attended secondary school in Cahersiveen.

A large gathering assembled in Tech Amergin on Thursday evening to pay tribute to Pat and his family. He was joined by members of his family including his wife Máire, mother Mary Margaret, daughters Áine and Mary Claire along with sons Patrick and Richard. Also present were colleagues from the Cahersiveen Garda Station, both serving and retired.

Local well known activist Tony Donnelly was master of ceremonies for the evening and on behalf of the community thanked Pat for his dedicated service and assistance since his arrival to the Waterville Garda area.
Pat spoke about his life in the force and recollected some of the more memorable events in his life as an officer of the law. As a young garda he started his career in the border area in the early seventies, was transferred to Abbeyfeale, of which he spoke very warmly and then arrived in Waterville in the early eighties. He spoke highly of his then colleague Tom Murphy and wife Eileen who made him welcome and helped him to settle in. He was equally warm in his reference to Garda Seamus Walsh who served with him up to his retirement He thanked Bridie Moran for her dedication to making sure the local community centre was available on court days, even to the point of attending to duty on one particular occasion and then going off to the maternity unit in Tralee hospital and giving birth to her daughter Nessa ...... All in a day's work!.

Numerous groups made presentations to Pat including Pat Everett on behalf of IRD Waterville, Michael Curran on behalf of Community Alert, Helen O’Sullivan on behalf of Dromod Community Care, Paula Huggard and Geraldine Fitzgerald on behalf of the local vintners, Dan Fitzpatrick on behalf of the GAA and Edward Falvey on behalf of the local Coast Guard Unit.
On the night Edward was also presented with a special award for his long and dedicated service to the Coast Guard Service by Divisional Commander John Falvey.

We wish Pat many years of health filled retirement. We thank him for his assistance to the GAA, particularly on match days, for his commitment and dedication to the various local community organisations and for the wise advice he imparted to so many people
Click the pictures to enlarge.

Mary Jo Scoops
€4,600 Jackpot

Local woman Mary Jo Fitzpatrick of Kilmakerin won the Waterville GAA Jackpot on Thursday last and scooped €4,600. Her winning numbers were 5, 12, 19 and 26.
We congratulate Mary and wish her well. She was presented with her winnings by club chairman Dan Fitzpatrick in the company of her two grandchildren Shonagh and Pádraic, Club Registrar Margaret Galvin and David Galvin of Scariff Meats where the ticket was purchased.
Click the picture above to see the presentation.

Scania Truckers Do It Better

In this era of belt-tightening the Scania truck drivers have proven that the spirit of generosity is still alive and well. Truck Drivers from as far afield as Dublin, Drogheda, Limerick, Donegal and Cork joined their counterparts in Kerry to raise badly needed funds for the Childrens' Leukaemia Unit in the Mercy Hospital in Cork.

The idea was the brainchild of Ger Culloty from Tarbert along with his colleagues Tony Nolan and Gary Lohan. Ger is the brother of Sarah Curran, whose precious daughter Aimée died in 2007 after a brave battle against leukaemia. The staff of the mercy hospital could not have done more to help Aimée, Sarah and John Joe Curran in their time of extreme trauma.

The 52 trucks gathered in Tralee on Saturday 3rd of Oct and headed through Killarney, Killorglin, Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen before arriving in Waterville at around seven pm. They arrived with fanfare in the village and spent the night in the Bay View Hotel.
Waterville was an array of colour and lifted the spirits of everybody. The convoy set out on the second leg of their Ring Of Kerry trip on Sunday morning through Sneem, Kenmare, Killarney and back to Tralee.
Scania Ireland were generous but a huge Thank You to the truck drivers and collectors. The whole event has raised in the region of €16,000 to date, Every cent will go to the Mercy Hospital. You can contribute by sending your donation to Sarah Curran, Beenbane, Waterville.

All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships 2009

Mick O'Dwyer did the honours at the official opening of the All Ireland Coastal rowing Championships on Friday 21st of August. The Irish Coastal Rowing Federation flag was raised aloft, signalling the commencement of the event.
Saturday morning began early with Fr John Kerin blessing the boats and the first of thirty eight heats in the the various categories commenced.
A total of forty one rowing clubs competed. All the local clubs were well represented and these were joined by others from various parts of the country.

Weather was the major worry but Saturday while blustery remained dry until the later stages. Sunday morning was wet after an atrocious night of torrential rain. Proceedings were delayed until the afternoon when the sun replaced the rain and clouds. Rowing conditions became perfect. The finals began with a wonderful spectacle of closely contested racing.

Afterwards the winners received their trophies in the Waterville Lake Hotel.

The local rowing club may not have won any trophies but certainly won the admiration and respect of those who attended. The industrious committee can be justly proud of its achievement. The preparations were well organised: stewarding of car parking, shuttle bus services and the provision of food and beverage,

This whole event was a great example of local co-operation with so many volunteers giving their time and facilities free of charge to make sure the championships were a success.

Sarah Kelly Sullivan is Toronto's Rose in this year's Rose of Tralee Festival which takes place between August 21st and 26th. Sarah is the daughter of local man Paddy Sullivan, formerly of Stella Maris in the village but now living in Toronto, Canada.
Paddy headed for Canada because of meeting a very beautiful young woman after the Rose Festival back in 1977. Her name was Patricia O'Shea and she was the Toronto Rose. Love blossomed, Paddy moved to Toronto and history has now been repeated with their daughter Sarah being this year's Toronto Rose.

Sarah works as a part-time sales assistant at HMV in Guelph, Ontario, and also instructs recreational programmes in Toronto for children and young people. She has two brothers, Michael and David. The 24-year-old is in her final year at York University in Canada, finishing a degree in Environmental Studies and Geography following a year abroad in Australia, and would like to pursue a career in outdoor education, conservation, international relations, or politics. She enjoys collecting unique jewellery, travel, outdoor adventures, and spending time with her pets: a cat and a four-foot Royal Python named Nuba.
In 2007, she spent the year working as an educator and zoo attendant with Reptilia Inc, where she could indulge her passion for wildlife education and environmental stewardship. Her most valued adviser during the lead-up to the Festival will be her mother Patricia. We wish Sarah well and hope she will enjoy every moment of it

Paddy has a number of songs to his credit. While on a work related visit to Cape Spear in Newfoundland Paddy was inspired by the sight of the Atlantic. He returned home and penned the words of a poem. His friend Derek Harrington (Brother of Paul Harrington of Eurovision fame) took the poem and composed a suitable melody.
Cape Spear is a CD by the Harrington Brothers with lyrics by Paddy. The CD can be purchased at An Tigín in the village and at www.derekharrington.net

We hope to see Sarah, Paddy and Patty in Waterville after the Rose Festival and renew old acquaintances.

Click the pics to see more.

All Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships 2009

On Friday Aug 21 st Waterville will begin welcoming the many oars people and their families arriving to give of their best in pursuit of glory for club and county.

An official opening ceremony will take place at The Waterville Lake Hotel at 7.30pm where the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation flag will be raised aloft over the venue signalling the commencement of the event.
On Saturday morning following an ecumenical service to bless all boats and crews a full race programme will begin. Upwards of 35 races will be contested over the day from which Sunday’s finalists will be discovered. As usual these races will be keenly contested and no quarter will be asked or given.

Crews as young as 10 and 11, to as old as Methuselah will be doing their utmost to bring a coveted title home.

While the rowing will be as hotly contested as ever the weekend itself is a wonderful opportunity for coastal communities from as far north as Carnlough in Antrim to as far south as Sherkin Island to meet each other and enjoy all the banter and craic that is an integral part of this great event.

We are hopeful that our championships will be as successful as possible for all and that everyone who attends will have experienced great hospitality, will leave here with wonderful memories and a desire to return as soon as possible.

We wish the committee well and congratulate them in their efforts so far.

A great day was celebrated in France on Friday 22nd of May 2009. The wedding of Michael Mossop and Christelle Naudet. Michael is the son of Pauline Murphy, 5 South Terrace, Waterville and her husband John Mossop. Pauline has been living in Montreal for the past thirty five years.

The ceremony took place at Mairie d' Orgerus " City Hall " Orgerus Village (Christelle's hometown). The nearest large town is Rambouillet. It’s a paradise for hunters in the forest around the town, and is where all the guests stayed. Guests came from Canada and Ireland, especially Michael's uncles and their wives, Neilie and wife Helen, Gerard and wife Monica. The reception took place at Ferme au Columbie, an old 18 century farm. Wonderful champagne, Wine, Food, Music and dancing were enjoyed by everybody.

How did they meet?
Michael and Christelle were in Halifax on business, Christelle's flight back to Montreal was cancelled and she was put on the evening flight. Michael was on the same flight and they ended up sitting next to each other. It was the beginning of a romantic relationship. The happy couple will live in Montreal. Michael is a Engineer for a French company and Christelle is a sale's rep. for Zerox. Congratulations and best wishes to all concerned.

Rowing Club News

Our senior men had wonderful success at the Ballinskelligs Regatta recently. This augurs well for them especioally with the Irish Coastal Rowing Championships coming up in Waterville next month. We congratulate and wish them well for the remainder of the season.

Popular senior team player Seamus O'Shea married his long time sweetheart Deirdre O'Shea in St Finian's Church on Saturday 30th May and afterwards a most enjoyable reception was held in the Waterville lake Hotel late into the night.

Seamus is the son of Lily and the late James O'Shea of Beenbane while Deirdre is the daughter of Brigid and John "King" O'Shea of Cahersiveen. Indeed, John "King" spent his early life in Beenbane, so it is appropriate that Deirdre should come full circle and become a Beenbaner.

Fr John Kerin, a native of Scartaglin, was the mass celebrant, with Marion O'Neill and Cormac Dineen providing the music. Deirdre's sister Yvonne was chief bridesmaid, ably assisted by Linda and Rachael. Best man was Conan Fenton and the groomsmen were Ian Galvin and Kieran O'Shea. Ian and lovely wife Julie made the trip from New York especially for the occasion. Deirdre's granny Katherine, in her ninetieth year, came from the U.K. and aunt Ann crossed the Atlantic from the island of Bermuda.
Lily is a native of Kilkenny and many of her family made the journey from the sunny south east. They seem to have brought the sunshine with them as Deirdre and Seamus were blessed by the best day of the year so far, weatherwise......surely an omen for their future lives together.

We wish Seamus and Deirdre a long and happy life together.

Mike Dwyer Hits Forty

During the wedding celebrations it was discovered that Mike Dwyer had reached the forty milestone. Sara hadn't forgotten and produced an appropriate cake to the delight of Mike and all present.
We wish Mike continued good health and wish him well for the future.

Click the pictures to see more

A belated happy ninetieth birthday to popular local senior citizen Doll Sheehan O'Sullivan of Farranahown. She celebrated her special occasion among her extended family in her home on April 18th and there was a plentiful supply of food and beverage followed by music and dancing.

We wish continued good health to Dolly in the years ahead,

Lá na gClub

There was a great day on Sunday for the countywide Lá na gClub, part of the GAA’s 125 year celebrations. There were activities for children of all ages and afterwards they planted shrubs to mark the occasion. Some of the more senior members planted a Silver Birch to commemorate the occasion.

Refreshments were laid on afterwards in the clubhouse.

Tragic Death of Éamonn Fitzgerald

" They never truly die who live on in the hearts of others.”

Our community was once again shocked and stunned at the news of the tragic death of popular local man Éamonn Fitzgerald of St Finian’s Terrace on Tuesday morning last, April 21 st 2009.
Éamonn was an employee of Coláiste Na Sceilge for many years and will be sorely missed by staff and students alike.
He was but forty one years of age and a much loved and respected member of the community. He was involved in many sporting activities eg Beagle Hunting, Darts, Golf, Gaelic Football, to name but a few. He was also an avid soccer fan and made many trips to Liverpool to support his favourite team. He will always be remembered as an extremely sociable character and for his friendly smile. He saw the positive in everyone with whom he came in contact. He never forgot a birthday and was generous to a fault.
Éamonn was interred in St Finian’s Cemetery on Friday after requiem mass at twelve noon. His funeral was one of the largest seen for some time, such was the extent of his many friends and acquaintances.
We extend our sympathy to Éamonn’s family, especially brothers John and Patrick, sisters Angela, Sheila Ann and Fiona, his uncles, aunts and his large extended family.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

The first big stage race of the Irish cycle racing season, the Ras Mumhan a four-day cycle race, took place over the Easter weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday, April 10 to 13. The race was promoted by Killorglin Credit Union Cycling Club and was led by New Race Director Pat Dunworth, The total prize fund for the race was approx €4,500.

The Easter Sunday stage started and finished in Waterville. The stage was sponsored by Pauline Sugrue, Auctioneer. Pauline’s brother Eamonn was a dedicated cyclist but passed away at a young age.

The race began in Waterville at 12 noon and covered a distance of approx. 80 miles.
After leaving the village the peloton headed for Ballinskelligs, Cahersiveen, Coars, Cillín Liath,, Chapel Cross, back in to Cahersiveen, Portmagee, Valentia, Cúm an Easpaig, The Glen, Ballinskelligs and back to Waterville.

After three hours approx in the saddle a bunch of forty cyclists, of the 118 who started, sprinted for the finish line but it was Dutch man Tjarco Cuppens who just edged out Kerry’s Paul Griffin of The Earl of Desmond team with Cuppens’ team-mate Raymond Werst securing third spot.
Special guest on the day was the famous "Iron Man" Mick Murphy who won the Rás Tailteann many years ago on a regular common bike. He was delighted that the Dutch contingent were so successful as he informed us that he had spent a long time in Holland in his younger days.

Well known and highly regarded footballer, bus driver, sea boat operator and genuine gentleman, Seano Shea from Bunavalla has retired from the fruit and veg business. To mark this occasion his many friends and relations gathered in the Villa Maria on Friday evening, March 13th to celebrate and wish him well for the future.
Seano was a prominent player with the club for many years and few could outfield him in his heyday. In more recent times he managed the senior team and was extremely unlucky not to capture the South Kerry championship in 2006.
Club chairman, Dan Fitzpatrick made a small presentation on behalf of Seano's former Waterville customers. Micko Dwyer paid tribute to Seano and along with others sang a few songs while Nuala entertained with some nimble footwork on the dance floor.
The evening was organised by Deirdre of the Villa and Fiona of the Corcán. A great night of song and dance was had by all with the ever ready Paddy and Rose providing the music.
Also celebrating a birthday were the Concannon twins and John O'Dwyer who had earlier made sure the twins were snugly asleep in Cuantrae.
Click the pics below to enlarge.

Jack Damian Maher

A special welcome to baby Jack Damian Maher, great grandson of Frank Casey. Jack was born in Hong Kong on March 3rd to Fiona Fitzgerald and her husband Shane Maher, who hails from Donegal.
The family reside in Guangzhou, China where Shane works in the telecommunications industry.

We wish them all well and look forward to seeing them here in Waterville in the not too distant future.

1st: Padraig O'Neill (5) Michael Murphy (5) Maire Lynott (18) Jim Guiry (23)
28.5 pts

2nd: Tom Murphy (9) Mike Gill (14) Maire O'Neill (29) Dara Courtney (10)
29.25

A great night was had in the Waterville Lake Hotel on Friday 6th February for the Waterville GAA club annual Dinner Dance. A good-sized crowd turned out for what was a very special occasion for the club and in particularl for former chairman Paddy Fogarty who recently was replaced by Dan Fitzpatrick. Dan couldn't be present at the function as he had already committed to another engagement in Bermingham.
Invited guests included Jerome Conway, Chairman of the County Board, Patrick Brennan, Chairman of the South Kerry Board, Weeshie Fogarty of Radio Kerry and Paddy McCormack, ex Offaly footballer and long time Friend of Paddy Fogarty, who played with Paddy during his time with the St. Brendan's club in Birmingham.
Everyone who spoke did so with the highest praise for Paddy and the work he has done with this club over his thirty five years on the committee. Club captain Denis Dwyer made a presentation to Paddy of a crystal set and a travel voucher for Paddy and Rose to have a very well deserved holiday. Paddy's wife Rose, daughter Debbie and his grandchildren were there to help him celebrate on this very special night when the club recognized the incredible amount of work and dedication he has put into the GAA in Waterville. Paddy's other daughter Geraldine couldn't be present and was represented by her daughter Kirsty. Paddy's commitment has been constant and unwavering over the years and the club will be forever grateful for all he has done.

Player of the Year 2008

The player of the year award for 2008 was also presented at the Dinner Dance, and it was the veteran defender Haulie Courtney who picked up this award for the second time in his career. It was a very richly deserved award for Haulie as he led a very young defence in last years championship with distinction and drove the team on time after time. All throughout the year Haulies performances were of a consistently high calibre and it was a very popular award among players and supporters alike. Presenting the award to Haulie was new Vice-Chairman John Dwyer who also received an award to honour his service to underage football in Waterville. This was a long overdue award for John as he has toiled for many years developing and nurturing young talent in the club, which has ensured a steady stream of excellent young talent coming up through the ranks.

We would like to thank Haulie O'Shea and his excellent staff for a wonderful night in the Waterville Lake. As ever the meal and service were of the highest quality. Also of a very high quality was the music provided by Patrick O'Sullivan, who had everyone up dancing all night. Sean Cathal O'Sullivan then rounded off the night with a rousing DJ set.
Report by: Eanna

Annual Club Convention 2009:

After nineteen years as club chairman and previously sixteen as club secretary, the inimitable Paddy Fogarty has handed over the guiding reins of the club to Dan Fitzpatrick. Paddy has been a loyal club official all through those years and deserves the gratitude and appreciation of the whole community. His pride and joy has always been the caring for the playing pitch, which he maintained in pristine condition. Football has absorbed all of Paddy's spare time and indeed he has often gone beyond the call of duty in the worst of weather conditions when some of us may have stood and watched from more comfortable vantage points. We know Paddy will continue to play a full and active part in club events in the future.

We wish Dan and his new committee well in his new and challenging position. It is a difficult task and requires a huge time commitment. Dan has been a valuable player and more recently a selector with the senior squad. He will get the unwavering support of all club members and with his "hands on" approach will leave no stone unturned to ensure the continuation of the proud tradition of our club.

More Info Later