Embedded Files
Under-8 Management team for 2015
The Under-8 group will be looked after by Karl Henson, Roy Glennon, Lorraine Gaynor and Michael Mulvihill.
Training details
Training for this group will be on Mondays and Wednesdays , from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in Garrycastle.
Training will normally be held on the new pitches in Area-1 and Area-2 in Garrycastle, please see the Training Schedule for details.
St. Patricks Day Parade
The younger players in Garrycastle, (from Nursery/Under-6 up to Under-10), marched proudly in this years St. Patricks Day parade. For photos etc, please see the St. Patricks Day Parade page!
County Under-8 Blitz schedule 2015
County blitz games will in most cases be held on Saturday mornings again this year - see the schedule below for dates and locations.
Times and Locations will be confirmed in the week before the blitz, and all parents will be texted the details as usual.
Christmas Party, December 14th
Our Annual Christmas party for our youngest players/club members was held in our Clubhouse last Monday. The evenings entertainment started with an interactive magic show where the Magician kept his audience of over 130 children amazed with his bag of tricks.
At the interval, the children gave Santa a huge welcome and sang Christmas carols along with him, and while Santa settled in for a long evening of meeting and talking to each child in his grotto, the second half of our party started with a Christmas Puppet Show which was a big hit with the audience. The party finished up with a mini disco.
The Minor board would like to thank all the parents and club members that helped to make it a very enjoyable evening for all those that attended. Special thanks to Santa, his Elfs and Photographer, The Kids Club Entertainment Show, and the parents that brought along treats on the night.
Happy Christmas to you all and we hope Santa brings everything you asked for this Christmas morning!
Halloween Party, October 31st
Our clubhouse was taken over by 76 young Superheroes, Pirates, Princesses, Grim Reapers, Vampires, Witches and lots more for our annual Halloween Party, with plenty of treats, music, fun and games. Even “Auld Sheik” couldn’t keep up with the pace and had to sit down, but ended up being “mummified” with loo roll. All our spooky revellers were treated to a large bonfire and fireworks to finish off the night.
Our Annual Halloween Parties offer our youngest members a safe and supervised environment and we can provide this only with the help of parents and club members who generously give up their time for our underage players. On behalf of the club – well done guys!
Huge thanks to Nicola Henson, Sinead Shine and all the other organisers for a job excellently done!
Under-8 End-of-Year Party, September 29th
The Garrycastle Under-8 group finished up their activities for 2015, with a well deserved party hosted at the Bowling alley on Monday evening. More than 50 of the clubs yungest players atended, for a night of fun and games, bowling (of course!), and fun in the Quasar zone.
2015 has been another successful year for this important age group. The under-8 players of today will be the backbone of the underage teams at all age grades in the years to come, and they have shown by their enthusiasm, efforts and general excellence that they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Huge thanks must go the the management team and mentors at this age group, led by Karl Henson, ably supported by Ger O'Donoghue, Michael Mulvihill, Roy Glennon, Darragh Shine and many others. The skill levels exhibited by these young players, are in no small part due to the efforts and expertise of their mentors.
Some pictures included below to give a taste of the fun on the evening, photos courtesy of Ger O'Donoghue.
As mentioned, this concludes the under-8 activities for 2015. For approximately half of these young players, the move up to the under-10 grade awaits in 2016, and we wish them (and the players who remain to carry on the under-8 mantle), the very best of luck in their football endeavours.
[Report: William Leahy]
Under-8 Challenge vs Roscommon Gaels, Garrycastle, September 19th
Garrycastle welcomed Roscommon Gaels for some Under-8 Challenge matches on Saturday morning.
[More details to follow]
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Garrycastle, September 5th
Garrycastle hosted the one of the final rounds of this years Westmeath county under-8 blitz series on Saturday morning. On a perfect morning for football, we welcomed Kilbeggan/St. Josephs, Tyrellspass and St. Malachys Ballinagore to Garrycastle. A great turnout of more than 30 players allowed us to field 3 teams on the morning, with each team playing two matches.
[ Full notes to follow... ]
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Athlone, August 15th
The Garrycastle Under-8 team made the short journey to Pairc Chiarain on Saturday morning for the latest round of county Under-8 football blitzes. On a lovely morning for football, an absolutely fantastic turnout of no fewer than 36 players attended. This allowed three teams to be fielded, and they each played two matches against their counterparts from Caulry and Athlone.
On the morning the Garrycastle teams showed off the skills they have been perfecting in training and in the recently held Garrycastle Skills week. All six matches included some fantastic catching, tackling and blocking, and up front, scores flowed freely as the teams got into their rythm.
All the players present can take great satisfaction from their efforts. On the morning, the Garrycastle teams were a little too strong for their opponents, and justifiably completed a clean sweep of victories in all of their matches.
Many thanks as always to the Athlone GAA Club for a well run and well organised blitz, with all matches played in a great spirit. And huge thanks as usual to all the players for attending, for the great support on the sidelines from parents and grandparents alike, and for the team mentors for ensuring that everyone present got to play in all of the matches.
Under-8 GO Games, Croke Park, July 13th
The Garrycastle Under-8 squad travelled in force to Croke Park on Monday, to take part in the Leinster Council sponsored Under-8 blitzes. Over 30 Garrycastle players travelled, providing two teams playing against the St. Laurences GAA Club from Kildare.
Slide show below, with huge thanks to Sinead Shine for all the photos!
Detailed report to follow...
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Rosemount, July 10th
The Garrycastle Under-8 travelled to Rosemount for Round 5 of the County Under-8 blitzes.
Detailed report / photos to follow.
Under-8 Challenge vs. Clann na nGael, Johnstown, June 24th
Garrycastle U-8’s played Clann na nGael on Wednesday night, (June 24th), in Johnstown for the first time this year. Both clubs had great numbers which resulted in the creation of three concurrent matches.
The Garrycastle "Red" team played against Clann na nGael’s strongest team which gave the mentors a chance to compare the skills and abilities between the two clubs. When the ball was thrown in the Garrycastle boys tried to keep their positions, but a mix up between players gave Clann the opportunity to kick a fast ball in and post the first score.
However, the Garrycastle team were not fazed and had an immediate response, kicking the next 11 points without response. There were some fine scores from all our forwards and midfielders with some fantastic movement and passing from Kealan McNamara, Andrew Henson and James McHugh.
Daniel Stankard in goals made some vital saves and his accurate kicking was fantastic. Our three backs Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor and Niadh Shine were cleaning up all 50/50 balls and stopped all Clann attacks.
We expected a strong response from Clann in the second half and they started much sharper with a fine score from long range. However, following some positional changes Oisin Mulvihill started to dominate midfield - laying off the ball into Aaron Keegan, Oisin O’Donoghue and Darragh Glennon where they started scoring from all angles. An absolutely excellent display of football from every player.
The Garrycastle "Green" team weren’t to be outdone by the "Red" team with some fantastic displays throughout the field. This game was a lot more closely contested with both teams picking off some fine scores. However, it was the quality of the tackling, blocking and defending that caught the eye in this game.
Dylan Summers and Keelan Ward made a countless number of fantastic blocks both while in goals, and when they were out the field.
Fionn McMahon and Dylan Frawley were excellent in defence, winning 50/50 balls and taking the ball out of the danger areas. Calum Hudson dominated the midfield area and won every ball that game his way.
Louie Shine and Conor McCormack covered the whole pitch putting in some brilliant tackles and carrying the ball forward with super pace and skill. Upfront Hazel Donegan and Van McCay showed lightening pace and skill and kicked some wonderful scores. Another excellent display.
The Garrycastle "White" team decided from the start that they weren’t going to be outshone either, and got stuck in right from the throw in. This game was also very closely contested and the Garrycastle defence worked hard to keep Clann out. Dylan Moloney, Adam Kearney, Martin Stephens and Christian Turean led from the defence with a brilliant display of tackling and blocking.
Mairead McBride, Luke Quilty and Senan Nugent policed the mid area with great effect with Luke putting in a man of the match performance and picking up three fine scores along the way.
Ronan Croughan, Tadgh Mulvihill, Amelie Henson and Katelin Devlin-Gaffey put in great work all over the field and came out on top in a number of crucial challenges. Rhys Larkin, Oskar Pieskorski and Alex Connor were a constant threat to the Clann defence and picked off a number of fine scores. The "White" team had the largest number of players, and each player showed excellent maturity and comradery when asked to give their teammates a run.
Overall the team performances from all three teams was excellent and to see all the skills of the game being performed, and the improvement being made, by everyone was encouraging.
A big thanks to Trevor from Clann and we hope to return the favour later on in the summer. A huge thanks also to all of the coaches and parents who help out, your support in invaluable and greatly appreciated.
"Red" Team : Darragh Glennon, Daniel Stankard, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Andrew Henson, Niadh Shine, Oisin O'Donoghue, Kealan McNamara, James McHugh, Aaron Keegan.
"Green" Team : Dylan Somers, Calum Hudson, Louie Shine, Van McCay, Conor McCormack, Hazel Donegan, Dylan Frawley, Fionn McMahon, Keelan Ward.
"White" Team : Katelyn Devlin-Gaffey, Rhys Larkin, Alex Conner, Christian Turean, Senan Nugent, Martin Stephens, Amelie Henson, Dylan Moloney, Adam Kearney, Ronan Croughan, Luke Quilty, Tadhg Mulvihill, Mairead McBride, Oskar Pieskorski.
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Cusack Park, Mullingar, June 15th
A big group of Garrycastle Under-8 players made the trip to the County Grounds, Cusack Park in Mullingar, for the latest round of county sponsored under-8 blitzes. On a lovely evening for football, almost 30 players made the trip, meaning that Garrycastle easily fielded two evenly matched squads. All the players present played on the evening, playing a total of 4 matches, winning all of the games.
The Garrycastle "Red" team played Killucan in their first match, and Maryland in their second match. Some excellent displays on show with Aaron Keegan leading the way with some excellent scores - as good as any that have graced this pitch. Great support play and accurate passing from Hazel Donegan, Luke Quilty and Jack Dowling set up the team to take two well deserved wins. Excellent defensive play from the two Oisin's, Mulvihill and O'Donoghue, minimised any chances the opposition got.
The Garrycastle "Green" team also played Killucan in their first game and St. Malachys/Ballinagore in their second match, and not to be outdone by their teammates on the "Red" team, also set out their stall early. With some great scores from James McHugh, as well as great individual play from Andrew Henson and Rian Gaynor, the "Green" team pressed forward from the start and were rewarded for their efforts on the evening with two superb wins. A feature of the play was some excellent interplay between James and Andrew, with some of the one-twos between them as good as anything the seniors would have done.
Overall, this was an absolutely great display from this very impressive group of players. The hard effort being put into training is really starting to pay dividends, and this group of players surely has a bright future in front of them.
Squad on the evening:
Cristian Turean, Jack Dowling, Conor McCormack, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Niadh Shine, Cian Norris, Aaron Keegan, Matthew Hardiman, Mairead McBride, Oisin O'Donoghue, Hazel Donegan, Daniel Stankard, Adam Kearney, Dylan Maloney, James McHugh, Louie Shine, James Derwin, Amelie Henson, Senan Nugent, Andrew Henson, Oskar Pieskorski, Darragh Clyne, Conor McCormack, Fionn McMahon, Ronan Croughan, Luke Quilty.
Mentors on the evening:
Ger O'Donoghue and Karl Henson.
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Castledaly, May 22nd
The Garrycastle Under-8 squad travelled to Castledaly on Friday evening to take part in the latest round of County Under-8 football blitzes. On the evening, an absolutely fantastic turnout of more than 30 players, allowed Garrycastle to field three separate teams, with each team playing two matches. This ensured that all players present played the maximum amount of football.
The opposition on the evening was provided by the home club, as well as Rosemount and Kilbeggan/St. Josephs.
On the evening, the Garrycastle teams displayed the various skills they have been perfecting in training each week, and impressed the supporters present with fine displays of tackling, blocking and passing, not to mention some excellent score taking. In the various matches, the Garrycastle teams were a little too strong for their opponents, and finished the evening with a clean sweep of wins.
Huge thanks as always to the mentors, Karl, Ger, Roy, Darragh and Michael, for looking after the teams on the evening, to the players themselves for a fantastic turnout and their enthusiasm to play football, and to the parents for bringing them along and providing such great support on the evening.
Many thanks also to the Castledaly mentors for a well organised and entertaining blitz.
The next blitz is on June 16th in the county grounds in Mullingar.
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Caulry, May 9th
The Garrycastle Under-8 squad traveled the short distance to Caulry on Saturday morning to take part in the latest round of County Under-8 football blitzes.
The Garrycastle squad was much depleted with more than half of the squad absent due to being involved in First Communion celebrations on the day. However, this in turn gave many of the younger players a chance, and on the day we had a great turnout of 20 players.
This allowed us to field 2 teams, giving all of the players present as much match time as possible, and enjoy seeing the rewards of the effort they put in at training, with some fantastic pick ups, tackling and shooting on display.
The Garrycastle "Green" team played against their counterparts from the Moate All-Whites and Caulry. Both matches featured some great football, with great displays from Andrew Henson and the two Conor McCormacks. In both matches the Garrycastle was a little too strong for their opponents.
The Garrycastle "Red" team also played against their counterparts from Caulry and Moate All-Whites. Again, two great games of football were served up, with the players showcasing the skills they are learning at training, and divided the spoils on the day, being narrowly defeated by Caulry, while enjoying success against the All-Whites.
Huge thanks to Caulry for a very well run blitz and for the much appreciated refreshments after the match.
Teams on the day:
Garrycastle "Green" Team: Vivaan Gupta, Oisin O'Donoghue, Andrew Henson, Callum Hudson, Conor McCormack, Conor McCormack, Martin Stephens, Rhys Larkin, Luke Quilty, Amelie Henson, Jack Dowling
Garrycastle "Red" Team: Dylan Somers, Jack McCallon-Tucker, Oisin Mulvihill, Van McCay, Katelyn Devlin-Gaffey, Vidhur Varma Dandu, Sam Heaton, Cristian Alex Lazarescu, Ronan Croughan.
(Match Report: Ger O'Donoghue)
County Under-8 Football Blitz, Garrycastle, April 18th
Garrycastle was the host for the first round of this years County Under-8 football bltzes on Saturday. On a fantastic early summers day, the sun shone brightly from a clear blue sky, as 8 teams of under-8 footballers from Garrycastle, Caulry, Rosemount and Moate took to the field.
On the day we had a fantastic turn out of well over 30 players from our youngest teams, and they played their hearts out in front of a large appreciative crowd of parents, brothers and sisters.
With such huge numbers to pick from, Garrycastle could easily have fielded 3 or even 4 teams on the morning, but to keep to the agreed format, the players were divided up into two teams, playing at 9-a-side, with unlimited substitutions. Each team played two matches.
The Garrycastle "Red" team was led on the day by Karl Henson and Lorraine Gaynor, and played against the Moate All-Whites and Rosemount teams. The Garrycastle "Green" team was led on the day by Ger O'Donoghue and Roy Glennon, and played against the Moate All-Whites and Caulry in their two matches.
With the main pitch being used for Ladies under-14 Féile matches, this was an opportunity to use the new training areas newly installed behind the clubhouse. This is a fantastic addition to the club facilities, and was very favourably commented on by all the teams present.
On the morning, there was a great deal of enthusiastic and skillful football on show. Well done to all who participated! As always at this time of year, we have large numbers of players making the debut in the red-and-green colours. Every journey must start with a single step, and we congratulate all of those who have started out on their football journey, and hope that this is just the first of a great many appearances from them for the club.
Thanks to Jennifer McGuire for the photos!
Squad on the day:
Luke Quilty, Hazel Donegan, Vidhur Varma Dandu, Dean Gacquin, Keelan Ward, James McHugh, Aaron Keegan, Mairead McBride, Sean Galvin, Rian Gaynor, Cian Norris, Christian Turean, Oisin O'Donoghue, Daniel Stankard, Katelyn Devlin-Gaffey, Dylan Frawley, Sam Heaton, Niadh Shine, Andrew Henson, Conor McCormack, Jack Dowling, Sean Donegan, Van McCay, Senan Nugent, Vivaan Gupta, Martin Stephens, Dylan Somers, James Derwin, Amelie Henson, Oskar Pieskorski, Louie Shine, Adam Kearney, Rhys Larkin, Paddy Galvin.
(Posted by William Leahy)
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