On behalf of the Graigue-Ballycallan GAA Club, I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to everyone who wished us well in the recent Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling Final. While our efforts fell a little short on the day, it was an occasion savoured by club and parish alike. When the final whistle was blown on the day of the Semi-Final, thoughts immediately turned to County Final Preparations.
A Committee Meeting was arranged for the next evening and the call went out for help to assist with the preparations behind the scenes. This call did not go unanswered and in the following two weeks everyone put their shoulders to the grindstone. The Committee Members were tasked with approaching people to contribute financially, a task they carried out to a member, with great success. Thank you GBC Committee!! The Club Gear shop was open on four occasions and to the four women who operated same, thank you for all your hard work. To the team of men and women from the club who decorated the parish with flags and bunting, your efforts were there to be appreciated by one and all. Thank you to the volunteers who helped out at the after match meal. To the stewards who manned their positions in the club at the home-coming, you ensured that the health and safety of all present was paramount. A special word of thanks to Eugene Foley for erecting the lights at the clubrooms and to Cody Haulage for providing the trailer. Thank you to Fr. Taylor for permitting our Church Gate Collection on the day of the final and thank you to all who contributed so generously. The display of colour, good luck signs and posters erected around the parish were a sight to behold and really added to the occasion, thank you to all who took the time to ensure that the team and mentors were left in no doubt as to your appreciation of their efforts on the pitch.
Finally to our sponsors and those who made personal donations, a sincere word of thanks for your outstanding generosity. All of our sponsors will be acknowledged publically in the coming week in the Kilkenny People Newspaper and on our website. In the meantime, we wish our u21 team all the best as they embark on their championship campaign this week-end and we look forward with optimism to a new campaign in 2018 when we hope that GBC will go one better in our attempts to regain Senior status in Kilkenny Hurling.
Dave O’Neill
Club Chairman.