On Monday nights we will be back at Clan na Gael Fontenoy‘s pitch in Ringsend, where there are floodlights and full dressing-room facilities. We are grateful to our neighbours for letting us use their facilities.

Training will start at 8.30 SHARP each week and for directions to the club click here.

On Thursday nights we will be on the beach at Sandymount from 8.0.

Players meet up at the car park closest to the roundabout at the end of Sydney Parade, in sight of the Esso service station.

For directions, click here.

All new players or anyone just looking to train with a club in Dublin are more than welcome to join in.

For further updates on training or any changes of times or venues, keep an eye on the website. If you have any further questions about training or fees contact info@ranelaghgaels.ie.

Details of ladies for the year ahead training will be posted soon.

Over the last few years the players have taken the training sessions and the likes of Enda, Colm, Conor and Brian have done a brilliant job.

But for 2012 we would love to have a trainer to work alongside manager Liam O’Hagan and anyone interested
should contact the club on the following email – ranelaghgaelsmail@gmail.com

The men’s team play in AFL Division 8, made the Junior C Championship semi-final this year and won the Murphy Cup.

At the start of this year the Gaels brought in Jimmy Trimble as trainer of the women’s team in what turned out to be a brilliant move and a similar success story with the men’s team would be great.

Though the attendance was smaller than hoped, it proved to be an extremely worthwhile meeting.

Everyone that attended contributed and several good ideas which will help the club into the future were floated.

The election of club officers was held and the main move saw Enda Marren step down as Secretary and take over as Treasurer from John Parsons, who will remain on as assistant to assure a smooth transition.

Maria O’Neill, who has been a valued committee member for the past two years, was voted in unopposed as Secretary, where she will be working closely with Barry Coogan, who was returned as Chairman.

Several new faces will be involved next year and it’s great to see different Ranelagh Gaels members volunteering to help out.

One of the main topics of discussion was the possibility of bringing in a coach from outside the club to train the men’s team.

Jimmy Trimble became involved in this manner with the ladies team this year and everyone was pleased when he confirmed that he would be staying on for 2012.

Anyone interested in getting involved with coaching with the men’s team should contact info@ranelaghgaels.ie

A finance committee will also be set up next year to explore avenues for raising additional revenue for the club and anyone who feels they have something to contribute can get in touch.

All departing committee members are thanked for their voluntary contriubtion to Ranelagh Gaels.

Ranelagh Gaels Committee 2012
President: Dick Morrissey
Chairman: Barry Coogan
Secretary: Maria O’Neill
Treasurer: Enda Marren
Assistant Treasurer: John Parsons
Registrar/Assistant Secretary: John Daly
PRO/Assistant Secretary: Peter Sweeney
Club Development Officer: Conor Fingleton
Ofig na Gaeilge/Leas OCP: Cathal Mac Suibhne
Ladies Team Representative: Louise Donoghue
Committee Members: Denis Doolan, Brian Fitzgerald

The venue is the Community Hall on Mountainview Road and proceedings get underway at 8.0.

All club members are encouraged to attend as the AGM is where we make plans for the year ahead and address any issues that may have arisen during 2011.

A good turn-out is expected because this is one of the most important dates in the club’s calendar.

For directions to the Community Hall, click here.

This is only the second year that the event has been run, but already it is a firm fixture in the calendar.

Players from the men’s and ladies team plus other club members packed a room at Doheny and Nesbit on Baggot Street for what turned out to be a great night.

The men’s team won the Murphy Cup this year and though the Dublin County Board hadn’t got their medals ready in time for last week’s function, they did have the cup ready for presentation.

The ladies team picked up their medals for making the Junior D Championship final, a remarkable achievement considering they only won the E title last year in their first season in competitive action.

The main prizes on the night though were for the two players of the year and the club person for 2011.

Liam O’Hagan faced a difficult choice in picking his number one player for the season, but in the end he went for corner-back Denis Crehan.

The Mountbellew man had another great season and he was a more than deserving winner.

Karen Coughlan was the ladies player of the year and she was one of the stand-out performers on a team that put together a remarkable series of wins during the campaign.

The last award was voted for by all of the players and members who attended on Thursday night and Denis Doolan was the overwhelming winner of the Ranelagh Gaels Club Person of the Year.

Denis, who now falls into the veteran category, still plays a key role for the men’s team and he is also involved in running the ladies team with Jimmy, Brian and Cathal.

He is a member of the committee too and rarely ever misses a meeting. Denis is always ready to lend a hand and he was a hugely popular winner on the night.

RANELAGH Gaels’ brilliant run in the Junior C Championship came to an end at the semi-final stage on Sunday.

Having beaten teams ranked far higher than them in earlier rounds, most notably Naomh Fionnbarra in the quarter-finals, the Gaels finally came undone against an excellent Parnells side in Balgriffin.

Ranelagh came back from the dead to lead at the three-quarter hour mark, but ‘Nells showed real class and composure to pull away to a deserved five-point victory.

Liam O’Hagan’s side struggled to get their hands on the ball around the middle of the field, with their opponents winning clean possession from kick-outs and they were very snappy onto the breaks throughout.

This saw Parnells leading 1-4 to 0-1 coming towards half-time, but Ranelagh have shown incredible heart all year.

They displayed their courage again with two points before the break cutting the deficit and then two goals following the restart cracked this game wide open.

Enda Marren got the first and then Paidi Sugrue fisted home from a Gearoid O’Flynn prompt to put the Gaels one up, 2-3 to 1-5.

But this is when Parnells came into their own and they pushed their way back in front. The Gaels had a few more chances before the end, but the best team certainly won.

It has been another season of progress for Ranelagh Gaels on the field.

The second team made it to the second round of the Junior D Championship, the firsts were in the C semi-final and only just missed out on promotion from Division 8.

And there is still a chance to get some silverware before the end of the year with a Murphy Cup final against Ballinteer St John’s to come.

That game has yet to be fixed, but is expected in the next few weeks – so keep an eye on the website for updates.

Ranelagh Gaels 2-5
Naomh Fionbarra 0-9

Ranelagh Gaels battled their way to the semi-finals of the Junior C Championship with a brilliant away win against Naomh Fionnbarra on Sunday.

Playing against the Division 7 Champions on their home patch in a do-or-die quarter-final, the Gaels showed tremendous intensity to beat higher ranked opposition.

The ’Barrs are never easy to beat in Pope John Paul II Park, or the Bogies as it’s known locally.

But that’s exactly what Ranelagh did with a 60 minute display of real focus and intent. The mood was set from the moment the visitors set foot on the pitch and the players followed manager Liam O’Hagan’s instructions to the letter.

Finbarr’s had the better of the opening exchanges and they moved into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead on a slippery day, though their pitch was in great condition given all the rain that had fallen in the previous 48 hours.

One of the main reasons there was only two points in it at this stage was because of the pressure Ranelagh men were putting on their opponents.

The Cabra men hit several first-half wides, but they were all forced into taking tough options by brilliant defending, which started at the other end of the field with the full-forward line.

The midfield of Brian Regan and Alan Toolan, two men not long back from their respective honeymoons but still showing plenty of running, made sure they got a hand on every kick-out while the half-backs and half-forwards were snappy on the breaking balls.

Man of the Match Tom Cusack, who played the pivotal centre-back position, was just one of the men who repeatedly emerged from groups of players with invaluable possession.

With this work-rate it was inevitable that the Gaels were going to enjoy a good spell and this came either side of half-time.

Johnny Conlon coolly slotted home a penalty not long before the break after Barry O’Brien was fouled in the square.

This left the scores 1-2 to 0-3 at the interval and things got even better just after the restart when Paudie Sugrue hit the second goal to put six between the teams.

From here Fionnbarra started to chase the game hard and in middle ten minutes of the second half they really turned the screw, getting four unanswered points to cut the deficit to just two.

It was real backs-to-the-wall stuff for the Gaels at this stage, but once again the defence was superb.

The full-back line of James, Martin and Denis C put their bodies on the line to make sure that no goal chances were given up, while goalkeeper Conor Fingleton controlled his area well.

Ranelagh got a couple of late scores on the break to keep their noses in front, but it still came down to a few crazy scrambles in the box.

Unsurprisingly, the ’Barrs threw everything they had at it and lobbed a series of high, dangerous balls into the area, only to see them all sent straight back out again.

Liam headed off on his golfing holiday to Spain a happy man, though he’s leaving behind a squad of players focused on two weeks of hard work before the semi-final.

Some Interviews during today’s game. Click on the play button to listen.

Manager Liam talks after the game.
Captain Brian Regan.
 

Red-faced Peter Sweeney last night broke his silence on his dramatic late howler against Erin Go Bragh at the weekend.

On Saturday day night the horrified hack failed to make contact with a simple effort in front of goal, when an easy tap-in would have won the game against the Division 8 pace-setters.

The home keeper made a smart stop from Johnny Conlon’s low effort and all Sweeney had to do was toe-poke home from the edge of the square.

Instead, the mortified media man took a fresh-air shot and missed the ball entirely.

It was moved up the field and Erin Go Bragh scored a goal to set them on the way to a two-point win that had seemed unlikely just a few minutes previously.

Manager Liam O’Hagan would have taken him straight off, but he only had 14 players available and one of those, Conor Fingleton, was involved in a brawl with the opposition manager and another, Denis Doolan, was giving the referee a piece of his mind at the time.

“I don’t know what to say,” muttered Sweeney sheepishly afterwards.

“In fairness, the lads were great about it and Ian Naughton was the first one up to me to offer words of consolation.”

Naughton is, of course, the only man in Ranelagh Gaels history to score against his own team. He noted: “It was one €50 million Fernando Torres would have been proud of.”

Sweeney (pictured above falling over, as usual) added: “That was the turning point in the game. That and the three goals we conceded in the last five minutes.

“Let that be a lesson to you kids – drinking isn’t big or clever.

“I have been celebrating ever since Dublin won the All-Ireland and I didn’t take the wise advice I was once offered – if you can see three balls in front of you, always aim for the middle one…”

RANELAGH Gaels joined in the celebrations on Sunday night as Dublin landed Sam Maguire for the first time in 16 years by beating Kerry.

Everyone at the club, even our members from the Kingdom, pass on best wishes to manager Pat Gilroy and his team for a magnificent achievement.

Last Thursday night the Gaels held our latest table quiz in Smyths and yet again it was a huge success. A big thank you to everyone who took part, the local business that donated prizes and those that played their part in organising the night.

On the field, Liam O’Hagan’s men’s team are in action in the Murphy Cup final against Ballinteer St John’s in Glencullen next Sunday (throw-in 3.30).

This is a great opportunity to bring some more silverware back to the club, but another big performance will be needed to get the better of a well-drilled Ballinteer side.

It should also be ideal preparation for the next round of the Junior C Championship against Naomh Fionnbarra, which is now expected to take place on the weekend of October 2.

The ladies Junior D final against O’Toole’s was also put back and it should be on Wednesday 28th next week. The best of luck to all concerned and check back here next week for full details.

The top prize in the great Ranelagh Gaels Club Lotto is now €1,500.

The next draw will take place on Sunday, September 25 and tickets cost just €2. They can be bought from all of the local points of sale or online at www.locallotto.ie – so why not join in and play.

Mr Cool, Stephen Cluxton.

SO WHAT do you normally do on a Thursday evening?

Do you sit around the pub with your mates arguing over who finished third in X Factor two years ago (we’re not sure either, but we’d go for Jedward)?

Well on Thursday, September 15, you can do that AND win some top prizes at Ranelagh Gaels Pub Quiz in Smyth’s starting at 8.0.

That’s right, training is cancelled (though Jer and Tadhg have suggested we do two extra sessions with double jack jumps next week to make up) and all of the Gaels – men and women – will be there. And they’ll all be bringing their friends.

Questions are general knowledge and not just about sport, so your in-depth knowledge of Fair City (1994-present, specialist subject – the marriage of Rita and Bella) might actually come in handy at last!

Eamon Courtney came up with the questions, but he has selfishly decided to go on honeymoon with the lovely Sharon so we’ll be showing off our new MC on the night.

Still, Eamon is the sort of guy who knows who played cornerback on the Fermanagh side that won the 1996 All-Ireland B title (beating Longford after a replay in Carrick-on-Shannon, don’t you know).

There are loads of top prizes on offer – most of them generously donated by friendly local businesses.

All money raised goes towards a great cause – helping to run your local GAA club in Ranelagh.

If you spend your Thursday nights watching Masterchef Ireland at home on the box, then shame on you. You have absolutely no excuse for not coming along to Smyth’s at 8.0 on September 15 for the Ranelagh Gaels Pub Quiz.

With the Dubs in the All-Ireland final and Ranelagh Gaels Ladies team in the Junior D decider – both games this weekend – there is sure to be a great buzz about the place so come along, join in and show your support.

P.S. – Those of you with iPhones and the like, leave them at home! We want this quiz to be fair and square so we’ll have people checking on the night that there’s no cheating.