Under-6 Blitz

The highlight of the week was the brilliant morning in The Downs at the Under-6 Blitz that featured ourselves, the host club and St Loman’s. We had 31 boys and girls making their debut in the Shamrocks colours accompanied by proud mammies and daddies, grannies and grandads as well as uncles and aunties and various other family connections. All were there to enjoy the occasion. The Downs and St Loman's turned out in great numbers also and made it possible to play four seven-a-side matches so that all the young people were able to get involved in the action. The coaches Micheál, Matt, Declan, Colin, Roisin and Barry who have been working with these young players since last March were as happy and as busy as any of the young players. The joy of sport at its purest was evident with the young players having great fun without any interference from rule-related complications or club-tribal loyalties

One young player who attracted attention was Christy Joyce who was a one-man, ball-of-energy scoring machine for Shamrocks. Christy has his football ambitions. He hopes that Dublin will buy him when he is old enough to play with the big men. Christy is entitled to dream because no doubt the transfer market will be up and running when he is old enough to play adult football.

Family connections and tradition are at the very centre of the GAA world and there was plenty of these links unveiled in The Downs on Saturday morning. Marie Burke was there to see the first steps made by her grandsons on a GAA pitch. M. J. and Josh are the latest generations of the Burke family to step into the world of the GAA (Jack Shaw was just a little young to take the field on this occasion).It was an appropriate weekend for the young Burkes to step on to a GAA pitch with Mayo playing in the All-Ireland final. Back in 1936 when Mayo won their first All-Ireland and Laois played in the final for the last time Marie’s father and M. J. and Josh’s great-grandfather, the legendary Bill Delaney and his brothers Mick, Chris and Jack (who won 18 Railway Cup medals between them) were members of the losing Laois team. When Mayo won their last All-Ireland title in 1951 Bill Delaney was also involved. He refereed the final in which Mayo beat Meath. However this did not prove to be a lucky omen for Mayo on Sunday as the concession of two unfortunate own-goals and the manner in which a golden opportunity to win that first All-Ireland title in sixty-five years was spurned would suggest that the 1951 curse is still alive and well.

And when all the fun and games were ended there was food and drink for all involved. Many thanks to The Downs Club for a great morning's football. It was a special morning for these young people and their family connections.