Resounding Success of Puc Fada on St. Stephens morning.
December 29, 2024
In mild weather that you would accept as plausible on the 26th of June, not St. Stephen’s day, on the latter end of December, the Puc Fáda organized by Killavullen GAA club, last Thursday morning was a resounding successes, with at least 20% more participants this year, than any year before now. Especially noticeable was the amount of junior player participation, juvenile groups and ladies teams.
The registrars for the event, Liam Cronin, captain of the Junior A team and Sean Palmer, captain of the Junior C team, both successful in their respective Avondhu championships in 2024 were able to get the huge crowd that flocked to the car park of the GAA grounds, registered, money gathered in, and the participants down to the starting points.
The starting point for the adults was Sean and Michelle Sheedy’s gate, on the straight of the Bridgetown road, past Willie O Connell’s fine grain sheds. Here, the Sheedy family treating the participants to sausages to fuel them up for the trip. The juvenile starting point was the grand gates of Clifford house, where Dave McCarthy, Tom Lane and Paddy Nagle held sway as marshals.
Mike O Connor, Colm Looney and Ray Carey held an early lead, but got derailed by Henry Fitzgerald’s place, when Colm took a route, well off the road, that may be more favored by the proposed greenway, from Mallow to Dungarvan. The petrol heads of Podge Cronin, Jack and Conor Shanahan were good as you expect on the bends, but straight line shooting left them down, slithering into too many ditches, to stem their progress. Brian “The Hound” Cotter, Ronan Barry and Eoin Birchill were good, but not great at the bends by the O Gorman brothers fine houses – these young engineers got waylaid looking in, the big windows. An unlikely team that was progressing very well, but then, but they probably had been practicing, on a road they live on, was Jack Stafford, Daithi Murphy, and our Italian man, Umberto who can certainly strike a ball. These young lads got sidetracked by casual glances from a bevy of Killavullen Ladies Football players, and well, they were never the same afterwards.
The first pit stop for “refreshments” was at Colin O Gorman’s house, and here Colin and his Dad, Edmund doled out “tonics” and sweets to the participants, to help them on their way. It had the opposite effect on some teams, but was well and gratefully received. Max O Reilly, Tommy and Alex O Callaghan showed up well, but caught a bad bounce around John Notter’s house, to scupper their chances. Tadgh Sexton, from Banteer with Michael Rea and Stephen Rea were equally prominent, but then Mick shoved his shot into a ditch, to halt their forward momentum. Aidan O Donovan, Fionnán Murphy and Jamie Crummey got a great push down past Niall Hanrahan’s house, when Fionnán used a bit of local nous. Their final score was bettered by one shot by Niall Feaheny, Cian Murphy and Seamus Cronin, but it still was not enough. Now Chaz, Gaz and Bob, had flown Gary home from Amsterdam to win this year, but it lost their chance in Schiphol airport, I guess, perhaps the wrong stick came home in the cargo. Cliff, Ed and Podsey posted a good score, a fine score, but not enough to win.
The Magner brothers were very steady, with Jamie drilled the sliotar down the centre of the road, each and every time, as he has been doing all year long, but again, just got pipped by the winners, in this ultra-competitive competition. The next pit stop at the Hanrahan’s house was hospitality at its finest Killavullen style when you would want for nothing, and a great spot for a break, and a chat. It derailed some teams though, as they lingered too long. Keven Fox, home to Commane for Christmas tried valiantly to steer his team of his brother Liam, and Dad Willie home, but sometimes power is not enough, and buoyed by Niall’s Fuel, one of two shots after here were speculative.
Dinny McCarthy, Barry Murphy and Sean McDonnell were very good, and Barry, as always was guiding his younger protagonist’s home, cheered on by the many well-wishers on the road, but Barry guided his team off track, at the Tinny House. The cousin, Mark Lenihan, Darren Lenihan and Pa Sheehan came close to reliving former glories, but ran out of steam at an important junction – the Tiddane bridge. The title nearly went to London, with Brian Fitzpatrick, Stephen Power and Kieran Tumulty but the two lads unfortunately could not direct Brian to be straight, when needed most. The Cronin’s from Powerstown were strong as always, and different in style. Mick, was up in the air and accurate, Liam was all for ground strokes, and Pa was the steadier of the lot, but chided by Ya -Ya Murphy, they scuppered their chance. Pat O Donovan was aided by his brother John, but that team, showed up well for a while got hampered when Schillaci Looney had to stand down due to a hamstring injury, and Mike O Connor Snr stepped in. The colour of the yellow ball was distracting to Mike, he said, but the team did not fare any better, when the judges allowed him to switch to a white one.
Great fun was had by all, with people home from Canada, Australia, Holland and the UK adding to the banter and a chance to catch up with missed news, and missed friends, but on count back, the winners were Sean Palmer, Sean Bartley and Michael Cagney, nothing impressive, but steady as you go, the way the year was really, and that proved to be the winning formula. Kennedy Roche, and his team of Ryan Roche and Paul Stafford came second, and Kennedy, second now for two years running, has vowed to practise all year long, and strike a winning formula in 2025.
The winners of the Juvenile section of the competition were Dan Hanrahan, Cillian Heaney and Cian Turner with a great score, which was tied with Joey Sharkey, Billy Buckley and George O Reilly, but the former team, won the shootout organized by Rory Lankford, as the adjudicator.
The girls / ladies competition, which is getting stronger every year was won decisively by Abbie Fitzpatrick, Zahra Roche and Sophie O Driscoll.
Thanks to all who participated, or who just took the air, and walked the road, and added to the banter.
