Dunshaughlin GFC marks 125 years with new training pitches

Dunshaughlin Gaelic Football Club will mark two important events this year - the 125th anniversary of its founding, and the opening of its new astro turf and training facilities at its Drumree Road grounds, phase one of a major development project. The president-elect of the GAA, Laois man Liam O'Neill, will be in Dunshaughlin on Saturday 10th September to officially open the new facilities - the date was changed from Sunday 11th after the club found itself in the semi-finals of the senior county championship. The opening is part of A GAA family fun day on 10th September, with a football blitz, pig on a spit, barbecue, entertainment, face-painting and fun activities all scheduled to take place from 1pm until 6.30pm. Later that night, a 'County Colours' social night with entertainment, finger food and a raffle, will take place in An Síbín. "This is a day for the community to celebrate the GAA in the village with a focus on the new facilities that have been provided for all to use," Dunshaughlin GFC chairman Jim Smith explained. He said the work is the culmination of 12 years' fundraising to raise €340,000 and builds on the success of high-profile successes of Dunshaughlin teams of a decade ago, leading to the three-in-a-row senior county championships. "And we endeavoured to ensure that we kept as much of the work as possible local, with John Clince of Rathbeggan carrying out the main contract work, and Kealy Construction the sub-contractors for the floodlighting," he added. Two new training pitches have opened at Dunshaughlin - a fully floodlit sand-based all-year-round training pitch, as well as an enclosed floodlit 70m by 40m astro turf facility, which can also be used all year round. All teams and levels in the club can avail of these pitches. Previous to this, the club was forced to depend on the neighbouring VEC grounds and astro turf at the community centre for its needs. The new facilities are the result of various fundraising events and activities over the past 12 years, as well as the contribution of lands by Castlethorn Developments, the Killeen Castle developers who also have planning permission for a residential development in Dunshaughlin. The club expressed its appreciation to the Newell, Delany and Kelly families for their role in ensuring Dunshaughlin GFC benefited from the proposed building developments in the planning process. Phase one of the development is costing €560,000. Phase two will include the upgrading of the existing clubhouse facility, for which planning permission has been granted. The project was spearheaded by a development committee of Martin Reilly, Michael McHale, Donncha Lloyd, Pat Maloney and Pat Herlihy. Formed in 1886 as St Seachnall's, Dunshaughlin is one of the earliest GAA clubs in Meath. Their first reported game was against Ross on 30th January 1887 which St Seachnall's won by 1-2 to 0-0. Records show them reaching the senior county semi-final for the first time in 1902, when beaten by Castletown following a replay. A hurling team was formed in 1902 in the village called The United Men. Known as the Black and Ambers, the founding fathers of Dunshaughlin GFC included Patrick O'Brien, Laurence Canning, Christopher Tallon, and John Finnegan. The year of 1967 was a significant one for Dunshaughlin, who won the junior football title by beating Skryne, and the development and opening of the new grounds on the Drumree Road, with a Meath-Kildare challenge match. The first intermediate success came when they beat Nobber to win the 1977 Intermediate Championship. Twenty years later, an intermediate championship-winning team was the backbone of the squad which went on to win senior titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, a period that saw Dunshaughlin playing in an All-Ireland club championship semi-final in Roscommon in 2002.