App posting No. 1000.
Santa’s Party .. what could be more appropriate to mark the 1000 posting on this app than to report on what was a wonderful club occasion that involved all members young and not so young and those who are still young at heart ...
The Clubhouse in Springfield was a hive of activity on Sunday evening as over 160 boys and girls availed of the opportunity to meet and greet the man of the moment, Santa Claus himself. Santa had obviously checked out the area before arriving under the cover of darkness as he tied his reindeers at the side of the river behind the dugouts where they could graze and drink some fresh water while their master distributed his goodies. Santa wasn’t taking any chances as he organised some of his helpers to set off fireworks to light his path as he crossed the pitch. Santa also got his wish and availed of the opportunity to be photographed with the Flanagan Cup and had a drink from the most coveted prize in Westmeath football.
Santa has made contact to tell us that he has made it safely back to base and that the 'mile long' scroll is now locked away in a safe until Christmas Eve. He made reference to what he called 'an amazing team effort' from the club members to put the party together The man in the red cloak was correct you know. The work of putting this party together required a huge team effort. The positive response and feedback made it all worthwhile and in particular the recognition of the family dimension associated with the occasion. This confirmed once again that Mullingar Shamrocks truly is the family friendly club. Every team needs a commander-in-chief and on this occasion Maria Carroll filled the position with distinction. Gráinne Ryan, Sharon Foy and Helen Hassett looked after the kids with crisps and drinks. Robbie Boyle played a blinder keeping the adult-children happy with a caffeine hit with a bit of help from Murt Ryan. There was also some biscuits, cake, and tea as the Healthy Club eating guidelines were set aside for the evening. Debbie Newman and Aileen Daly collected the money to pay for Santa's travelling expenses. Sean Óg Hynes fresh from his stage debut in Back to the 80s took on the role of DJ and proved to be an instant success. Máiread Newman, Jodi Aherne and Alessia were Santa’s elves. Santa’s personal elf was Holly - the elf with the perfect name for the occasion. Barry Kelly made sure Santa didn’t have a senior moment and forget anyone’s name!! Santa’s elf Máiread made sure to write down all the boys and girls names and Santa brought the scroll back to the North Pole for double checking Christmas Eve. Pat Collins kept a close eye on everyone and everything and even managed to get Maria Carroll the hoover when it was all over so the commander-in-chief could hoover the gym!!
The decorating was down to Róisin, Rosemary, Emma, Niamh, Debbie, Ritchie Daly, Matt Ledwith, Murt Ryan and Barry Kelly. Their efforts turned the venue into a Christmas winter wonderland. This team made it possible to spread the happiness and make Santa’s party a superb community occasion. Only one person was busier than Santa Claus on Sunday evening in The Clubhouse ... the wonderful Andrina Finch who recruited Claire, Mary and Fola to act as her elves on this occasion to help out with the plate painting. Well done and thanks, Andrina and gang ... Barry Kelly, the chairman of our under-age committee was busy behind the scenes all week ensuring that every detail was in perfect running order for Santa and on Sunday evening was on stand-by to make certain that Santa never had a memory blank and failed to recognise any of the 160 children who called in to his Grotto.
A big Thank You to all concerned for what was a wonderful conclusion to what has been a superb year for the club.
