Graham Keogh 24/11/2024 Graham Keogh 24/11/2024

2024

Good evening. Thank you to everyone who took the time last Monday evening to come to our AGM. We want to welcome all of our new committee members and we look forward to another season with fresh ideas and loads of positive energy all for the good of the club.

Thanks to our secretary Gillian for the huge effort in preparing for the evening and also to our outgoing Chair Michelle who brought so much to the club with her positive attitude and general interest in everyone’s wellbeing, there’s no doubt that she’s simply the best!!

Special Christmas draw

Once again we will hold a draw before Christmas with a chance of winning 1st prize €1,000 cash & 2nd prize €500 cash. You can purchase tickets on Clubforce app https://member.clubforce.com/tickets_m.asp?LL_ID=646 and club members will have actual tickets to buy. Contact us 0863767534 to purchase. Tickets cost €10 each, 3 for €25 or 6 for €50. Draw takes place in Hennessy’s lounge on 8th December 2024.

For anyone who has taken tickets to sell if you could start returning them asap please. Best of luck everyone.

U19’s

The team and management are busy in preparation for the upcoming league which starts in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on our social media pages for all the upcoming fixtures.

All Stars

Everyone had a fabulous morning at All Stars on Sunday moring. . We welcomed Santa and our friends from Eadestown All Stars group. A very big thank you to Santa for dropping by and taking the time to greet everyone. Also a huge thanks for all help during year Amelia ,Ella ,Grace Niamh and Kate, you are all amazing.

The group will take a little break but will return very soon.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 24/11/2024 Graham Keogh 24/11/2024

Club Notes 17/11/2024

Good evening. This year’s AGM will take place on Monday 18th November at 8pm sharp in the No.1 school. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Emails have been sent out to all paid members re agenda, motions, and nominations. If you haven’t received your copy please contact Gillian secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie.

There have been many names put forward to join our executive committee which is always a positive for the club as it’s great to get new views and fresh ideas for next season. As there are more nominations than seats available there will be ballots on the night and this is your chance to have your vote. Only paid members are entitled to vote on the night. Looking forward to seeing as many as possible there and welcoming in the new executive committee.

Christmas draw

Once again we will hold a draw before Christmas with a chance of winning 1st prize €1,000 cash & 2nd prize €500 cash. You can purchase tickets on Clubforce app https://member.clubforce.com/tickets_m.asp?LL_ID=646 and club members will have actual tickets to buy. Contact us 0863767534 to purchase. Tickets cost €10 each, 3 for €25 or 6 for €50. Draw takes place in Hennessy’s lounge on 8th December 2024. Best of luck everyone.

Senior Manager

Blessington GAA would like to welcome senior manager Ronan Joyce and coach Eamonn Callaghan to the team for the incoming season. Wishing you all the very best of success.

U14 C Boys

Congratulations the team and management on their championship win against Newtown Gaels on Sunday evening. Final score Blessington 2-10 to Newtown 2-06. Match report to follow.

Irish culture and language

Maith sibh foireann Tráth na gCeist CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín a ghlac páirt in Tráth na gCeist Laighean Dé Luain 11 Samhain 2024 i CLG Naomh Éanna Bhaile Buadáin. Ag dúnadh do cháilíocht gach uair. Is iad Tommy McDonnell, Pat Brennan (Capt.), Declan Reape agus Conor McDonnell (do Pat Molloy) an fhoireann. Maith sibh ar an 5ú háit a bhaint amach.

Well done to Blessington GAA Tráth na gCeist team who took part in the Leinster Tráth na gCeist on Monday 11 November 2024 in Ballyboden St Endas GAA. Getting closer to qualification each time. Team is Tommy McDonnell, Pat Brennan (Capt.), Declan Reape and Conor McDonnell (for Pat Molloy). Well done on achieving 5th place.

Condolences

Blessington LGFA is saddened to hear of Brendan Martin’s passing. A true gentleman who was so proud of being part of the roots of Ladies Football.

The Brendan Martin Cup is presented annually to the winners of the All Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship

We had the pleasure of Brendan’s company at our LGFA 25th Anniversary celebrations in 2018 (pictured). We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his wife Mairead Cronin, who was a teacher in St Mary’s JNS for many years and always herself supported the girls of our club.

Thinking of all the family at this sad time. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dilis

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 24/11/2024 Graham Keogh 24/11/2024

Club Notes 11/11/2024

Good morning. This year’s AGM will take place on Monday 18th November at 8pm sharp in the No.1 school. Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Emails have been sent out to all paid members re agenda, motions, and nominations. If you haven’t received your copy please contact Gillian secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie.

Minor Girls

A massive congratulations to the Minor girls team and management on their impressive win yesterday’s county final. A great achievement for everyone involved. Match report to follow.

Senior Men

Our senior men’s team are in the process of looking for a new manager. Please send your expression of interest to secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie by cob 15th November

Senior Ladies

Blessington GAA & LGFA Club are seeking expressions of interest for the role of Senior Ladies Manager.

Please get in touch by cob Friday 15th of November to blessington.wicklow@lgfa.ie

Special Christmas Draw

Once again we will hold a draw before Christmas with a chance of winning 1st prize €1,000 cash & 2nd prize €500 cash. You can purchase tickets on Clubforce app and club members will have actual tickets to buy. Contact us 0863767534 to purchase. Tickets cost €10 each, 3 for €25 or 6 for €50. Draw takes place in Hennessy’s lounge on 8th December 2024. Best of luck everyone.

Irish language and culture

Free Irish Story time for Children will resume in Blessington Library next Sat 9 Nov and will

be held weekly until 14 Dec. Session starts at 1pm. Storytelling, bingo, colouring and conversational Irish for children aged 4 to 8 years old. Prizes, stickers and goodies each week. For more information call Noreen 087 2858375. Funded by Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha agus CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín.

Condolences

Condolences to the Tyrrell family on the sad passing of Eoin. Eoin represented the club in the Wicklow Final of Scór Sinsir on 29 September 2023 in the Áithriseoireach category and performed an original poem by David Leigh called the "The Papishier and the Prod”.

As Wicklow county winner Eoin represented the club and county in the Leinster Semi-finals on 14 September 2023.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 04/11/2024 Graham Keogh 04/11/2024

Club Notes 03/11/2024

Good evening. This is the final chance to get your nominations and motions in for this year’s AGM. Closing date is Monday 4th November. All paid up members should have received emails regarding the AGM by now. AGM will take place on Monday 18th November at 8pm sharp in the No.1 school. Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible as it’s your chance to have your say and air any views that you may have about our club.

Senior Men

Our senior men’s team are in the process of looking for a new manager. Please send your expression of interest to secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie by cob 15th November

Senior Ladies

Blessington GAA & LGFA Club are seeking expressions of interest for the role of Senior Ladies Manager.

Please get in touch by cob Friday 15th of November to blessington.wicklow@lgfa.ie

Minor Boy’s

On Bank Holiday Monday October 28th was our County Minor A Final in Aughrim v An Tochar, the previous year’s champions. We have had an amazing panel who had worked hard to reach this final and I knew we were ready for this last battle.

We also knew nothing would be easy against this well experienced team. Our players were maybe unsurprisingly calm, which I felt reflected how ready we were.

Parade was over and the time had come for lads to do what they done best to play GAA at the highest juvenile level in our county, representing their club, families and, mostly themselves in a final we have dreamed of since day 1 with this amazing bunch. We started well but struggled at times to break down a well drilled An Tochar side and we missed a few early chances and went it at halftime 0.5 to 0.3 behind.

At halftime the Management discussed what changes we could make but decided to leave as finished first half for few minutes of Second half but a few strong words were said in dressing room and deep down the lads knew we were not playing as a team and this was one of our number one goals we set out at beginning of year meeting. Also we discussed hurt of losing two previous finals.

So the lads went from dressing room with only one thing in mind to become county champions. We started second half stronger but as first half we struggled to make our possession of ball count on the scoreboard. This group never give up, and we always had hope we could succeed .And with about 10 mins to go a couple of positional changes, things started to go our way. Their work rate and never give up attitude started when we were 3 points down and when Jack Murray kicked over a great free.Eneryone stepped up a level from goals through to forwards. Then up stepped Luke Higgins to swing over a sweet left foot point and the belief really kicked in. That play was followed by 2 epic points from Patrick Small to put us 8 points to 7 points up and the final whistle blew.

Unbelievable scenes happened in Aughrim as the pitch was invaded by a sea of blue and white. It was the proudest moment for me as manager .

Then Ronan Smyth (Captain) lifted the cup in the stand as this group of lads achieved only what they deserved for years of hard work.

Celebrations began and well deserved for this group and thanks to Lee and fire brigade the lads had an amazing homecoming to supporters and fireworks.

Thanks to An Tochar for a great game but also a tough way to lose.

Huge thanks to all Players Parents, Local Schools and to everyone from our club for all the support, best wishes, and congratulations after the win as without a great club ethic these lads could never have achieved such highs.

Thanks especially to Ben Reid, Eddie Boylan, Steven Bohan, Curtis Geraghty, Maebh Corr (S&C) Gillian Balfe (Admin), Lisa Jackson(social media) and Jess Brennan as nothing is possible without the hard work, time and dedication these volunteers give to our club.

Blessington 2024 Minor A Football Champions !!!

U9 Boys

That’s a wrap for the season.

Huge thanks to the coaches, especially Orla, Paul, Patrick, Ronan and Gareth for giving up their time on Mondays evenings and Saturdays to guide these boys on their GAA Journey.

Thanks to the parents for travelling the length and breadth of Wicklow and Kildare to facilitate games.

Great way to finish a season with a pizza party and the Minor A County Champions, players and manager Jimmy Mulhall bringing up the Cup to share with the boys!

Enjoy the break; it’s needed, see you all in February.

U6 Team

The Blessington U-6 team had a great morning playing their first u6 game against Eadestown. The kids played 2 games and showed great skill and determination and they really enjoyed themselves. Thanks to Micka Nugent (former Blessington player) and the coaches of Eadestown for travelling to Blessington for the game

Senior Ladies

Blessington GAA & LGFA Club are seeking expressions of interest for the role of Senior Ladies Manager.

Please get in touch by cob Friday 15th of November to blessington.wicklow@lgfa.ie

Thanks to the outgoing management team for your time and dedication for the past couple of years.

Minor girls

Our Minor Ladies will be heading out to Bray on Sunday the 10th of November at 11am to play AGB in the Minor A Final. All support is really appreciated.

Club History

Today 3rd November 2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of Blessington winning the 1974 Junior Championship v Carnew played at Baltinglass.

Final score 2-4 to 1-3.

Team was:

Mick Doran, Patsy O'Donoghue, Shay Sargent, Andy Doran, John Magee, Pat Quinn, Martin Hennessy, Tommy Cullen, Arthur Hennessy, Popsy Finnegan, John Finnegan, Jerry Hennessy, Paddy Murphy, John Coogan, Seamus Breen. Subs: Christy Nolan, Davy Byrne, Des Kennedy, Tom Mc Grath, Paddy Sargent.

Scorers: Paddy Murphy 1-0, Popsy Finnegan 1-0, John Finnegan 0-3, Seamus Breen 0-1.

Manager: Gerry Mc Intyre.

Selectors: Jimmy Hughes, Pete Nolan, Paddy Magee, Peter Finnegan, Toddie Hennessy.

Thankfully most of the team are still with us todayl but let us remember those who have departed this life, namely Mick Doran, John Magee, Christy Nolan, Davy Byrne, Des Kennedy & all of the Management team

This win whilst not particularly notable in itself, it kick started a great era for Blessington culminating in a Senior Championship in 1983.

This was the first Adult Championship win for the club in over a generation.

Let us continue the success of a previous generation & look forward to the years ahead with confidence.

Cros Bhaile Coimin Abu.

Irish language and culture

Free Irish Story time for Children will resume in Blessington Library next Sat 9 Nov and will be held weekly until 14 Dec. Session starts at 1pm. Storytelling, bingo, colouring and conversational Irish for children aged 4 to 8 years old. Prizes, stickers and goodies each week. For more information call Noreen 087 2858375. Funded by Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha agus CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín.

Condolences

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Tom Fisher and family on the passing of his Dad Peter.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 04/11/2024 Graham Keogh 04/11/2024

Club Notes 27/10/2024

Good evening. Notice was sent out last week re our upcoming AGM and this is open for anyone to attend. Meeting takes place on Monday 18th November at 8pm sharp in the No. 1 school. Nomination forms have been sent by email to all paid up members and if you haven’t received yours please contact Gillian at secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

When nominating a person for a particular role please ensure you have the person’s permission first.

Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible as it’s your chance to have your say and air any views that you may have about our club.

Senior Men

Our senior men’s team are in the process of looking for a new manager. Please send your expression of interest to secretary.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie by cob 15th November.

We’d like to take this opportunity in thanking outgoing manager Brian Cardiff for his time and dedication to the team for the last 2 years. Brian was set with a task of winning a county final which he did in his first year of coming on board and for that we will be forever grateful. There was a great positive relationship between Brian and the lads and also the rest of the management team and we wish you every success in your future endeavours.

Minor Boys

So the weekend has arrived for the county final and the lads all head to Echelon Park Aughrim on Monday. Enjoy the entire experience lads and the entire club is behind you all. We are expecting a huge Blesso following to Aughrim with the blue and white flags flying high.

For anyone attending there is a €10 fee for over 16’s and €5 for students and oap. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please contact me on 0863767534 if you need any assistance with this. Throw in is at 2pm, see you all there.

U7’s

Our Brilliant U7s were out for their last game in the Kildare league yesterday morning against Moorefield. Brilliant effort and team performances from the 3 teams of 6 with some great individual skills, tackling and shooting on display..a big thanks to Moorefieldgaa for hosting and inviting the team back to their clubhouse for their Halloween party..a great start to the weekend with the lads looking forward to Monday, where they will be leading out and supporting our super minor team in the final.

Blesso blues Academy

A great session on Friday evening folks, well done to all the kids. It was a great way to wrap up the season. The kids have been great all year and have tried everything we asked them to do. They have shown great progress since April and it’s great to watch them develop the skills but also develop socially as they mixed with new kids.

Thanks to all the parents for bringing the kids along each night and for helping and getting involved in the drills. Without that help we wouldn’t be able to run a smooth session.

Enjoy the break and we look forward to having the 2019/2020/2021 kids back to the Academy next year.

Best of luck to the 2018 kids as they now move up to the u7 age group next year, they will be great.

Have a great long weekend everyone and keep practising those skills over the winter months!

Thanks to Hudson Brothers for their ongoing support

Senior Ladies

Blessington GAA & LGFA Club are seeking expressions of interest for the role of Senior Ladies Manager.

Please get in touch by cob Friday 15th of November to blessington.wicklow@lgfa.ie

Thanks to the outgoing management team for your time and dedication for the past couple of years.

All Stars

It was a fun packed morning at All Stars. A big thank you to Conal, Siofra, Amelia, and Ella for popping in to join in the fun with us. Clark kept the two teams in line for a fun little match. We wish all the teams taking part in finals and matches over the weekend. The very best of luck. We finished off our session with a few treats for the kiddies. Enjoy the midterm break.

Irish culture and language

Well done to Conor Fitzgerald, Dylan Callaghan, Fiachra Duffy and Aaron Cantwell who represented the club at Scór na nÓg on Friday 28 October in Greystones. This was their first time competing. Well done to Hollywood GAA who completed the hat trick.

Maith sibh Conor Fitzgerald, Dylan Callaghan, Fiachra Duffy agus Aaron Cantwell a rinne ionadaíocht ar son an chlub ag Scór na nÓg Dé hAoine 28 Deireadh Fómhair sna Clocha Liatha. Ba é seo an chéad uair acu a bheith san iomaíocht. Maith sibh CLG Hollywood a chríochnaigh cleas an hata.

Wicklow Health and Wellbeing

Booking now open for “Let’s talk addiction and mental health”

Join us for “Let’s Talk Addiction and Mental Health” with former Limerick hurler Ciaran Carey, this eventis open to everyone not just GAA Clubs.

We will explore key topics around mental health and addiction awareness, the effects on individuals, families, and communities, and highlight support services for positive change and healing.

Ciaran will share his personal journey and provide inspiration for fostering resilience and recovery.

This is a valuable opportunity to engage in an open and supportive conversation—everyone is welcome to join.

Pre-booking via eventbrite.ie is necessary to attend.

To book your place please click on the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/.../lets-talk-addiction-and...

For additional information please email: wicklowlsp@wicklowcoco.ie

Condolences

Heartfelt condolences to the McDonald family on the very sad passing of Martins mam. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam

Sincere condolences to senior men players Jack and Rob Gilligan and their family on the passing of their Grandmother Polly Power.

Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 04/11/2024 Graham Keogh 04/11/2024

Club Notes 13/10/2024

Good evening. We sent out a save the date for our club A.G.M which takes place on Monday 18th November at 8pm sharp in the No.1 school. We invite you all to attend as this is your club and it’s your chance to have your say. We also are looking for members to put themselves forward to join our executive committee. Nomination forms will be sent out to all paid members in the coming weeks. Roles required are Chairperson, vice chair, Registrar, Treasurer & committee members. Each position will be fully supported by existing committee members. We ask that you have the person’s permission prior to nominating them.

Minors

We went to Baltinglass last Wednesday for the semi-final of the football championship against AGB. We had a slow start but the team kept to the game plan and were leading by 2 points at halftime.

We regrouped at halftime after a good chat and the lads came back to the pitch full of positivity. The fantastic hard work ethic in the second half was obvious to see, in particular our defensive play.

It was a joint effort put in by everyone that got us into the county final on Sunday 27th. Full details to follow.

Thanks to the fantastic Blessington support on the night, it really spurned the lads on and to everyone for your messages of best wishes.

We hope to see you all get behind the lads for the final in Aughrim as these are a super bunch of lads and deserve to be where they are.

U9 Boys

The U9 Boys travelled to Stratford on Friday night for the U9 West Wicklow Blitz

These boys are getting better and better, game by game, brilliant skills, shooting, even better passing & team play on show tonight v Baltinglass, Donard and Stratford

Thanks to Stratford for host and Wickow GDC Cormac Noone for organising and a facilitating the games.

The boys were out again on Saturday morning, this time hosting Athgarvan in the Kildare League, another very strong performance from the boys.

School Blitz

Another morning stolen from the gods last Thursday morning in the pitches. Mixed 1st and 2nd class local blitz. Educate together, Number 1 School and St Mary’s participated. Well done to all the teachers involved for their help and positivity. 163 girls and boys took part. This was run by the transition year program and they are a great resource. We Appreciate ongoing help from all volunteers. Thanks to all parents who helped out and to Kevin Hanlon also. Also thanks to Richie for sorting bus for educate together. Next up 5th and 6th boys cuman na MBunscoil blitz on 18th October.

Irish Culture and language

Blessington GAA are looking for any members of the club who will be U17 on 1 January 2024 to take part in Scór na nÓg on Friday 18 October 2024. In particular, anyone who can compete in the Ballad group section or the instrumental (traditional music) section of the competition. Please call Noreen on 087 2858375 for more information asap. Thank you.

Tá CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín ag lorg aon bhall den chlub a bheidh faoi 17 ar an 1 Eanáir 2024 le páirt a ghlacadh i Scór na nÓg Dé hAoine 18 Deireadh Fómhair 2024. Go háirithe, aon duine atá in ann dul san iomaíocht i rannóg an ghrúpa Bailéad nó sa rannóg uirlise (ceol traidisiúnta) den chomórtas. Cuir glaoch ar Noreen ar 087 2858375 le haghaidh tuilleadh eolais asap. Go raibh maith agat.

Ar an Satharn 12 Deireadh Fómhair reáchtáil CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín an dara ceann d'ocht seisiún scéalaíochta saor in aisce do pháistí i Leabharlann Bhaile Coimín. Buíochas le hEoin agus Lola as cuidiú leat. Tá na seisiúin páirtmhaoinithe ag Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha agus CLG Bhaile Coimín. Beidh an chéad seisiún eile ar an 28 Deireadh Fómhair ag 1pm.

On Sat 12 October Blessington GAA held the second of eight free storytelling sessions for children in Blessington Library. Thanks to Eoin and Lola for helping out. The sessions are part-funded by Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha and Blessington GAA. Next session will be 28 October at 1pm.

Wicklow Health and Wellbeing

Booking now open for “Let’s talk addiction and mental health”

Join us for “Let’s Talk Addiction and Mental Health” with former Limerick hurler Ciaran Carey, this eventis open to everyone not just GAA Clubs.

We will explore key topics around mental health and addiction awareness, the effects on individuals, families, and communities, and highlight support services for positive change and healing.

Ciaran will share his personal journey and provide inspiration for fostering resilience and recovery.

This is a valuable opportunity to engage in an open and supportive conversation—everyone is welcome to join.

Pre-booking via eventbrite.ie is necessary to attend.

To book your place please click on the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.ie/.../lets-talk-addiction-and...

For additional information please email: wicklowlsp@wicklowcoco.ie

Condolences

Sincerest condolences to the Foley family and all in Dunlavin on the passing of Thomas. Our thoughts and prayers are with ye all at this very sad time. Sandra Declan and Sadie Rose, we are thinking of you all. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 08/10/2024 Graham Keogh 08/10/2024

Club Notes 06/10/2024

Good evening. Our All stars wish to thank the senior ladies team and to everyone who attended their match on Friday evening. The ladies held a bucket collection at the gate and all proceeds went towards the new sensory room. Thanks so much to everyone for your generosity.

Christmas Order Portal is now open for a limited time

We're thrilled to share that our Christmas Order Portal, kindly provided by McKvr Sports, is live! Explore our exciting new range of gear and place your orders today.

Important: The portal is only open for a short time—don’t miss out! The closing date is at the top of the page when you open the link.

Once the portal closes, you won’t be able to order until the next window after Christmas. All sales are final and cannot be changed, so please double-check your order. https://eur.mckeeverteamwear.com/collections/blessington-20062

What a morning up in the pitches on Thursday. Blessington Gaa hosted a mixed blitz for local 3rd and 4th classes. The future is as bright as we want it to be when we see the skills on display today. 106 girls and boys from Blessington No 1 school ,Gaelscoil na Lochanna and St Mary’s SNS took part. They were all a credit to their schools and families. Thanks to the transition years for their coaching, organising and refereeing. Well done to Molly and Jonathan for making this transition year program happen. Thanks also to John Murphy, Orla Dolan and Laura Foley and Mick Moran for what they did to help. Thanks to all schools and teachers for making everything simple. The pitches were class Eoin. Mixed local blitz next Thursday for 1st and 2nd classes. We’re gonna live forever!

Well done to JP for organising.

We would like to wish a very happy Birthday to the bravest young girl in our club Aoife Keogh. We were all sorry to hear that you had to go into hospital on your 14th Birthday. Wishing you a speedy recovery and we look forward to sharing some cake with you very soon. Best wishes from all your friends in Blessington GAA.

Football News

Minor Boys

The lads face AGB in the semi-final of their championship this coming Wednesday. Venue to be confirmed, and we wish the team and management the very best of luck.

Allen Cup semi final

Blessington vs St Nicks

We travelled out to Dunlavin for Saturdays semi final. First half playing against the wind we dominated for the majority of the half scoring some lovely goals while we did switch off for a 10 minute spell where we struggle to win our kick outs and fair play to St Nicks they took their opportunity scoring some lovely points.

Half time score Blesso leading by 5 in a tight game.

Second half Blesso playing with a strong wind. We stepped up and kept pressure on making sure we came away with the win.

We had a number of lads who not feeling the best today but we moved things around and made sure everyone got their game time.

Thanks to our professional umpires

Thanks to huge crowd cheering on the lads

See you all training Monday will

Details of the final to follow.

U8 Boys

A busy week for our U8s with two fixtures in the NKL. We played Ballymore earlier in the week then Kilcullen, both away matches. Thanks to both clubs for hosting, great to get the lads out for matches and wrap up the lads couple of weeks of this season on a high. Special mention to the U7s lads that came up to help us out today: Oisin, Oscar, Josh and Tom, who absolutely smashed it!

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Under 16 girls finished off their 2024 season with a trip to KBowl, different kind of ball to get to grips with but it was some craic. I think some of the mentors have found their calling and who knows Blesso Bowling team could be one for 2025.

Thanks to all the girls for their commitment and efforts during the year, they are a super bunch, thanks to all the parents for putting up with the polls, the match reports, helping the girls being available for training and games, thanks to Under 14 girls- without ye we couldn’t have fulfilled games, much appreciated by all of us mentors. A quick year but a fun year. Best of luck to all the girls for next season, those staying with 16’s and those moving on. Never stop believing in yourself- it’s all you will ever need and everything else will follow. Blesso is lucky to have ye all.

Irish culture and language

Ar an Satharn 28 Meán Fómhair chuir CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín tús leis an gcéad cheann de 8 Scéalaíocht Éireannach Saor in Aisce do pháistí i Leabharlann Bhaile Coimín. Beidh an chéad cheann eile ar siúl Dé Sathairn an 12 Deireadh Fómhair ag 1pm go 2pm. Tá na seisiúin maoinithe ag Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha agus CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín.

On Sat 28th Sept Blessington GAA started the first of 8 Free Irish Storytelling for children in Blessington Library. The next one will take place on Saturday 12 October at 1pm to 2pm. The sessions have been funded bt Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha and Blessington GAA.

Scór na nÓg news

Scór na nÓg will be held in Éire Óg Greystones on Friday 18th Oct. This competition is aimed at anyone born in 2007 or later and be U17 on 1/1/24. We are looking for participants, boys and girls, for the following categories: Solo singing, Ballad group, Recitation, Instrumental group, novelty act and a girls team and a boys team x4 for the Quiz. Anyone interested in taking part, please contact Noreen on 087 2858375 asap.

GAA news

The 2024 GAA Youth Forum is taking place in Croke Park on Saturday Nov 2nd. Registration is now live for people aged from 12 – 21.

Click the link below to sign up now!

shorturl.at/SHFEZ

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 08/10/2024 Graham Keogh 08/10/2024

Club Notes 29/09/2024

Good evening. We start with some positive news on the sports capital grant. We were absolutely delighted to receive confirmation that the club has been awarded €149,495 from the fund. This will go into the development of our new clubhouse and dressing rooms.

A huge amount of work went into the application of the grant and many thanks to everyone involved. This task was steered on by Eoin Phibbs and we got great backing for the Taoiseach Simon Harris and also Avril Cronin.

The future is bright for Blessington GAA.

Continuing with the positives, on Friday 27th September The All Star coaches organised a very successful bingo and karaoke night in the Ramblers Rest pub. It was great fun with big support from our members and the Blessington community.

The fundraiser was for the new sensory room that will be adjacent to the Astro which will be installed within the coming months.

On the night some of the senior players and mentors presented the All Star coaches with a very generous cheque of €2000. This was money raised from theirown fundraising event that took place in July.

There was a raffle on the night, with lots of fabulous prizes donated by Blessington retailers,who are always so supportive of the All Stars.

Thank you, to all the people who helped out on the night. Special mention of thanks to Sinead Johnston the bingo master and Bernadette Ellis the bingo checker.

A massive thanks to the lads Aaron Keogh, Cillian Bailey, Brian Bohan, Craig Maguire, Jack Hardy and Lee Brennan for the big clean up in the gym. The lads did a terrific job and we ask everyone to please respect it and absolutely no football boots are to be worn inside the gym please.

Minors Boys

The lads will play the next round of their championship on Wednesday October 9th against AGB. This match takes place in Baltinglass at 7pm. All support is really appreciated.

U11 Boys

The parents who travelled to Ballinakill on Saturday for the boys U11 end of season blitz were rewarded with some very entertaining football. Two physical and evenly matched games against AGB and Annacurra were a good way to finish the regular season in Wicklow. Each of the lads played their part on the day. The lads have a couple of games remaining in the Kildare league in October.

U7’s

Our super U7s were out in the Kildare League this morning away to Kilcullen. Brilliant team performances from the lads with some great tackling, passing and shooting on display..Well done to all the lads, Thanks to the parents for travelling and to Kilcullen for hosting.

Girls Football

U14 White

Another game of 2 half’s last Sunday v Bray in U14 Whites final game of the championship.

Bray took the lead with 3 unanswered goals in the first half giving us a real challenge at half time but the girls went out in the 2nd and got stuck in. Helped by 2 goals from Emily they scored 2:6 in the 2nd half but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

The attitude and work rate is something the girls should be proud of and they left the pitch with their heads high knowing what they are capable of.

U14’s

Anyone who ventured out to Arklow last Sunday afternoon to watch our u14 girls, play their div.1 semifinals against AGB, got to see the game of the year. Blessington got off to a great start scoring 3 goals in the first 5 minutes. AGB didn’t panic and worked the ball into the Blessington half and scored 2 goals in reply. This set up the standard of football for the remaining of the half with both teams trading scored throughout. Half time score was Blessington 5-02 AGB 4-09.

In the second half we came out fast and scored a goal and a point to level the game straight away. Scores for both teams were hard to come by in the second half, as every girl on the field gave it their all. In the end we lost out by a small margin of 2 points, Blessington 9-07(34)AGB 8-12(36).

POTM goes to Lucy Keeley who was on fire in front of the goal. We would like to thank AGB for their hospitality in providing refreshments for the girls after the match. The coaches would like to say how proud they are of the girls and their commitment they gave to each and every game and training session throughout the year.

Healthy Club

On Tuesday evening over 30 players, parents and coaches from the U14 girls teams took part in the ‘Movember Ahead of the Game’ programme, covering Mental Health awareness.

This was a very valuable programme with great feedback.

Thanks to everyone who came and facilitators Johanna Quinn (Westmeath Football) &

Corey Scahill (Mayo Hurling)

Blessington GAA will have a stand at the upcoming Connecting Communities Roadshow in association with the County Wicklow PPN. The Roadshow takes place in St Kevins Hall on Tuesday October 1st from 16:30 to 20:30. Come along and find out us and more of what’s going on in your community.

Irish language and culture

Date change!

Blessington GAA have received funding from the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha (Joe McDonagh Foundation) and this is part funded by Blessington GAA to host a series of "FREE Irish storytelling for children" between the ages of 4 and 8 which will be held in Blessington Library for 8 sessions commencing Sat 28 Sept, 12,26 Oct, 9,23,30 Nov, 7 and 14 Dec 2024 from 12 noon to 1pm. This event is open to all children in the community but numbers are limited for each session. Please contact Noreen on 0872858375 to book a child's place. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Scór na nÓg news

Wicklow News

Please find attached details of our Winter Award 1 Youth/Adult Coach Education schedule for Football and Hurling. Please circulate among your coaches and get them to register through the link below. Last year we had a fantastic responce to our Award 1’s and hopefully with your commitment and dedication to ensure all our coaches have reached the highest coaching standards possible we look forward to more well attended courses. Microsoft forms Football link for coaches to express their interest https://forms.office.com/e/9HCy0vaPer Microsoft forms Hurling link for coaches to express their interest https://forms.office.com/e/qpEmi2c3Sr

Condolences

We offer our heartfelt condolences to Sean Dempsey on the passing of his Mam Betty Dempsey last week.

Ar dheis De go raibh an hanam

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 08/10/2024 Graham Keogh 08/10/2024

Club Notes 22/09/2024

Good evening. There is still some of activity going on at the grounds with teams still involved in championship matches and juveniles taking part in autumn leagues. Wishing all of you every success.

As we are nearly at end of season our A.G.M. will take place in November (date to be confirmed), and as always the executive committee will be looking for new people to put themselves forward as roles will need to be filled. Please take the time to consider this before the AGM and become part of a proactive team that meet once a month to discuss all things club related as we head into next season. More details on this in the coming weeks.

Minors

The lads play their 7th round championship match at home against Tomnafinogue on Monday evening. Throw in at 7.30pm

U13 C Championship plate final Tuesday evening

Blessington vs Naomh Eoin Gaels

Early start in Ballinakil this evening.

Nip and tuck between both teams. Physically bigger opposition however we were playing the better football.

Half time score Blesso 1:07 Naomh Eoin 2:05.

Second half we tightened up a-bit and worked our socks off. After the lads had seen the u15 do us proud the day before we could tell this bunch of lads were not going to lie down. We dominating the possession and kicked on score after score . Leading by 3 with 3 minutes left the opposition worked the ball up into scoring range looking for the goal they needed. We got men back behind and blocked and tackled forcing them wide .

The final whistle :

Blesso 3:11

Naomh Eoin Gael 3:08.

Great to see the smiles and emotion on the lads faces when the final whistle blew.

Thanks to all the parents for cheering us on.

Thanks to the u11 lads for stepping in .

Thanks to the players themselves for working til the very end.

Blessington vs Naas Kildare C championship Friday evening

The lads started well and dominating possession and putting pressure on kick outs. Although leading, our possession did not reflect the score line.

Leading half time 1:06 to 1:04 .

Second half was a tougher battle, Naas were a danger every time they broke . But we defended well for the most part.

We were not our usual fluid selves however we dug deep last 10 mins to finish strong with a score line 3:10 to 2:06.

Thanks to Naas for travelling, thanks to u11 lads for stepping up. Thanks to all the parents for supporting this evening.

U10 Boys

Blessington u10s kicked off their West Wicklow Autumn Series in style with two very enjoyable & competitive matches against Dunlavin & St Kevin’s. There is no better place to be on a sunny evening than at a GAA pitch watching the lads enjoy themselves & develop their skills, teamwork & friendship!

U8 Boys

Blessington U8s hosted Eadestown for NKL Go Games this week, with 2 matches played by each team. As always, this was a competitive fixture, both sides giving it their all with some fantastic play and scores on show. The lads are growing in confidence and challenging matches like this are helping to drive them on

Academy

The U-15 county champions dropped into the Blesso Blues Academy this evening and brought the trophy with them. They even helped out coaching the kids. Academy takes place on our Astro on Friday evenings 5.30pm-6.30pm

Healthy Club

Date for your diary: Friday 27th September 8pm in the Ramblers Rest we will hold Table Quiz and Karaoke evening, with spot prizes and plenty of fun. All proceeds will go towards the All Stars new sensory room. Please come along and support while having a great bit of fun.

The All stars had a super busy morning with lots fun and games. We had a video crew visit us from Croke Park Healthy Clubs, who took footage of the All Stars in action; this will be used across all social media platforms and in Croke Park with in the coming weeks.

A few of our winning Blesso U15 boys arrived with the cup.These fantastic lads engaged with the All stars by playing games and kicking some footballs. Thank you so much lads for coming this morning.

Irish language and culture

Date change!

Scór na nÓg news

Condolences

Sincere condolences to Nora Rawson (Red Lane) on the passing of her husband Gerry. Funeral arrangements tbc.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 08/10/2024 Graham Keogh 08/10/2024

Club notes 15/09/2024

Good evening. A huge congratulations to our U15A boys who are the county champions! A full report will follow. Look out for them returning to Blessington this evening..

A word of thanks to Kenny’s Supervalu Blessington on their recent generous donation to the club. Kenny’s are a great supporter of the community and we encourage you to support local.

Senior Men

The lads found themselves in a playoff against Barndarrig to avoid relegation on Friday evening in Bray. There is no doubt that the mood was low going into the game but the lads pulled together and managed to avoid the relegation by winning 1-08 to 1-05.

Captain Eoin Keogh accepted the Keating Trophy on behalf of the team and was very magnanimous in his speech towards Barndarrig. It was a match that neither team wanted to be in but that’s football, with only one winner on the night.

Thanks to All in Fitness and Brew 21 who recently came on board by sponsoring the team and management and a huge thanks to the Blessington crowd who came to Bray on Friday to show a their loyal support to the lads. It was very much appreciated and encouraging to know that the support was there.

Some of the players are actively involved with some juvenile teams and we wish them all the very best of luck in their remaining matches.

The lads will have a well deserved break now as it was a long season and we wish all the injured players very speedy recoveries.

Looking forward already to next season!!

Junior B

Hard luck to the lads who were beaten in their Quarter final on Thursday evening against Avoca. Final score Avoca 4-16 to Blessington 0-11.

Minor Boys

The minors are at home on Monday evening against Annacurra in the 6th round of their championship. Throw in is at 7.30pm. Please show a huge Blesso support.

Blesso vs Kilcoole u12 pathway league

Blesso 8:13 Kilcoole 1:06

Playing with the wind we started very slow yesterday evening and before we knew it we were 1-01 down. 15 minutes in and we were still scoreless. Then finally kicked into gear . Dominating the rest of the half. Scoring some lovely points. Leading at half time .

Second half we played very well working all over the field and some lovely combinations working up the field taking our scores.

Nice to finish the u12 pathway league unbeaten.

U8’s

Our U8s team were lucky to be invited to an All-Ireland Invitational blitz this weekend, and what a day it was. Teams from all over the country marched in their club colours for a parade, then took to the pitches for a fantastic display of football. With amazing organisation and facilities on the day, Sarsfields GAA were brilliant hosts, and we can’t thank them enough for giving our lads a day to remember. Thank you to all opposition clubs we played: Rhode, Clane, Naomi Gall, Kilcock. A big thank you to our players who represented their club and county so well, and to the parents for their continued support.

Ladies Football

U16 girls

Great outing by the girls on Thursday evening against St Nicks in Donard. They started strongly and showed some heart and passion after the disappointment of last week. They worked hard for the ball, and each other and scored some great goals and points on the back of good teamwork. A few of the u14 girls stepped up to the plate and had some strong showings from them which is encouraging to see.

U14 girls

Our u14 girls played their final group game in the Div.1 championship last Sunday afternoon, against Eire Òg. Eire Òg, like ourselves, were unbeaten so far and looking to top the group. The first half was end to end football, with Blesso hitting the woodwork and a few near misses. Eire Òg were clinical in front of the goal and took their scores, to leave us trailing by 4 points at half time.
At half time the girls talked to each other about the mistakes they were making, and the coaches told them where they can be fixed.
The second half the girls came out fighting and defended really well. We worked the ball up the field and forced our way back to level the game. Eire Òg scored a point in the dying minutes of the game to win the match.
With 2 wins in the group we are through to the semifinals of the cup and will face AGB in the coming weeks. This was a very physical game and the girls never gave up from the first whistle to the last. We hope to see a large support for our girls in the semifinals for this great group of girls.

Healthy Club

Date for your diary Friday 27th September

The Ramblers Rest are holding a Bingo/Karaoke night with all proceeds going to the new Sensory room for our super All Stars. This promises to be a terrific night of fun, hope to see as many as possible there.

Re-Turn Bin

The orange bin is beside Brew 21 container and we ask you NOT to dispose coffee cups in it just any plastic bottles and cans. Thank you in advance.

Irish language and culture

Date change!

Blessington GAA have received funding from the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha (Joe McDonagh Foundation) and this is part funded by Blessington GAA to host a series of "FREE Irish storytelling for children" between the ages of 4 and 8 which will be held in Blessington Library fir 8 sessions

commencing Sat 28 Sept, 12,26 Oct, 9,23,30 Nov, 7 and 14 Dec 2024 from 12 noon to 1pm. This event is open to all children in the community but numbers are limited for each session. Please contact Noreen on 0872858375 to book a child's place. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Scór na nÓg news

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 08/09/2024 Graham Keogh 08/09/2024

Club Notes 08/09/2024

Good evening. There is still plenty of activity on at the pitches and it was great to see so many taking part in juvenile blitz’ and games over the weekend. After the couple of days of bright sunshine the darker evenings are closing in so just be mindful and slow down when driving in and out of the car park.

Senior men

The team are in Bray this coming Friday at 8pm in a battle against relegation with Barndarrig. It’s not a situation that they ever thought they’d be in and we wish the lads and management the very best of luck on Friday.

Minor boy’s

The lads had a great win against St. Nicks last Monday in Round 5 of their championship. Final score St. Nicks 2-11 to Blessington 3-13. Their next championship match is at home on Monday 16th September against Annacurra.

U15A Boys

U15A Championship

Blesso 2-12 to Bray 0-3

The 15’s finished the group stage unbeaten with a good home win v Bray Emmetts . The lads now look forward to the County Final next Sunday in Aughrim, it would be fantastic to get some support out there for these brilliant bunch of lads.

Blesso vs Stratford u13 C semi final

Unfortunately Tuesday was not our night

From the moment the lads arrived at the pitch this evening , they were all switched on. Obvious to see the how focused the lads were.

With Stratford a physically bigger team and their primary u13 team tonight was always going to be difficult against our u12 lads

From the throw in Stratford scored a goal . We switched on and we started to dominate . Great movement , passing link play we started to show what this game meant to us . Taking some lovely scores . We were dominating all over the field. Stratford snatched a couple of goals through the big physical players who difficult to hold up . However we matched them with every 50/50 challenge. Going in level at half time where we should probably be leading .

Half time talk keep at it. On a sloppy night we needed to keep the passing crisp and keep attacking every time we had opportunity.

Started a little slow but again we were fighting for every ball. As the half went on every time we scored a nice point , they came back with a goal.

We took a 3 point lead 15 mins into the second half , missed a couple of frees and ball went the other end and we conceded a goal. Could see all the effort we put in was having an effect on the lads . We conceded multiple goals in a short space of time . We kept at it and got into some nice scoring position working to the very end . Probably our best performance of the season. Playing against a physically bigger team with players who are playing u15 championship, this was always going to be tough .

Coaches so proud of the effort put in this evening.

Final score 3-16 to 11:08

Thanks to all u11 lads who made a difference late into the second half.

Thanks to our professional umpires

Thanks to all the supporters this evening , great to see and hear everyone cheering the lads on.

We go again.

U8 Boys

The U8s had a busy week with two fixtures, Blessington hosting Athy and Castlemitchell for Go Games at home. The lads got some great scores in and showed they’re picking up the skills from training. Thanks to both clubs for travelling and to the Blesso parents for getting the lads out for two matches this week.

U7 Boys

Our U7s were out in Ballinakill on Saturday afternoon competing in the Wicklow League. They played 3 great games against An Tochar, Tinahely and Eire Og in very warm weather. Well done to all the lads who are improving their skills every week and thanks to all the parents for travelling out also.

Ladies Football

Tough night at the office on Thursday evening all round for our brilliant U16 girls. AGB were a strong physical team and Clara also. Best of luck to both teams asthey progress in the championship. Whatever about the score lines and the wins/losses throughout, these girls are a credit to their parents and the club. These times will make them stronger on and off the field. Thanks to all the parents for travelling and the support as always- ye never fail to support our girls and the coaches, U14’s and management, thank you to ye all for your support and best of luck to the girls on Sunday in their championship game.

Academy

Great night at our Academy, thanks to our sponsor Peter Hudson for sponsoring the Academy this year, it’s greatly appreciated by everyone at the club.

Every Friday 5:30 to 6:30 Academy boys and girls the next generation of Blesso stars.

Thanks to our great Coaches, Warren, David and Kirstie.

Healthy Club

Date for your diary Friday 27th September

Re-Turn Bin

The orange bin is beside Brew 21 container and we ask you NOT to dispose coffee cups in it just any plastic bottles and cans. Thank you in advance.

World Suicide awareness day takes place on Tuesday 10th September and the team will be handing out green ribbons and information on suicide awareness. Also there are free online webinars on this subject and all details are on our social media pages through a QR code.

Irish language and culture

Date change!

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 03/09/2024 Graham Keogh 03/09/2024

Club Notes 2/09/2024

Good morning. Just to start with a bit of housekeeping, so again we need to stress that dogs are NOT permitted on or in and around our club grounds ( except official service dogs) . This is entirely for health and safety of everyone attending. On Saturday the top pitch had to be cleared of dog mess before the U14 girls played their match. This is absolutely not tolerable and very embarrassing when it’s the visiting team to point it out. Please do not bring your dogs to the pitches and do not take offense if a volunteer asks you leave. Thanks to everyone in advance.

Senior Men

Our senior men’s championship came to an end on Saturday evening when they lost to St.Pat’s. The team were absolutely gutted to not make it out of their group. The amount of time and preparation that went in to the championship cannot be faltered. The team and management gave it everything. Thanks so much to all the sponsors of the team and also a huge thanks to everyone who came out and supported the lads.

The positive support was very much appreciated and it outnumbered the few negative comments coming from behind the dugout, all of which can be heard from the sideline. These comments don’t help but only add to the heartache.

The lads face Bandarrig on Friday 13th in Bray to stay in senior football and all positive support is very much appreciated.

Junior A

A super win yesterday in Roundwood for our junior A team, defeating Bray on a score of 2.09 to 0.09 . With stalwart centre back Luke O’Brien on holiday, in stepped Kevin John Rodgers to have a huge influence in the victory.

The game was level three times in the first halve with our points coming from Ruairi Finan , a Sean Byrne 45 and two from Finn Behan . While Bray landed a goal and two points before halve time , Thomas Fisher kicked a point and Finn Behan soloed right through the Bray defense for a terrific individual goal , leaving us just a point behind at halve time .

Finn Behan kicked a long range free to level the game on the restart, however, Bray responded with two of their own. Then it looked like it might not be our day as big goal chances were saved of Aaron Keogh and Thomas Walsh, but shortly thereafter Thomas Walsh who had a super second have hit the net and we were one point up. Bray levelled again with was to be their last score as Ruairi Finan with a free and Thomas Walsh with two fine points gave us a three-point win , relief all round, we play JAFC next year , well done lads and to mentors Darren Behan , Stephen Doyle , Peter Behan and Barry O’Donovan .

Minor Boys

The lads head to Dunlavin this evening to take on St. Nick’s in the 5th round of their championship. The best of luck to the team and management. Throw in at 7.15pm.

Team : Adam Williamson , Sean Ellis , Terence Punselle , David Williamson (capt.) , Dylan Friel , Killian Bailey , Aaron Keogh , Sean Byrne (0.1, 45 ) , David Phibbs , Finn Behan (1-3 , 1f) , Ruairi Finan (0.2 , 2f) , Padraig Quinn , Kevin John Rodgers , Thomas Fisher (0.1) , Thomas Walsh (1.2) and reserve Danielius Sarkaukas .

Blessington U8s hosted Athgarvan for go games this week in the NKL. Playing 4x10 minutes due to numbers, the lads grew into the game improving each quarter. With our focus on our use of the width on the pitch and creating space, plenty to get stuck into in training. Thanks to Athgarvan for travelling and to all the players giving it their all after a busy week back at school.

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Tough day at the office on Thursday for both U16 teams. It happens sometimes, ya just come up against tougher opposition on the night and the breaks don’t go your way. . Well done to both Rathnew and St Pats, good games. Hats off to our girls, not an easy task to get 40 girls out playing for championship , some who have only started ball this year, unreal, so well done to each and every one of them. Some of the girls were really upset coming off the pitch and although we explained at the end of the day “it’s a game of football” it shows the heart and passion they have for their club and the jersey on their back which is what matters the most. All we will do is learn and we’re certainly not down and out just yet, we are Blesso. Well done girls, heads up and thanks to everyone for the support as always. A million thanks to the U14 girls and management, without them the 16’s wouldn’t be able to field two teams. On we go.

U14 Girls

Our u14 girls played their second game in the Div.1 championship yesterday afternoon, away to An Tochar. From the off the girls started at a blistering pace, keeping the ball and scoring at any chance they got. When An Tochar got the ball we defended really well and confined An Tochar to 3 points for the first half. Half time score Blessington 5-3 to An Tochar 0-3.

Second half An Tochar came out strong and had racked a few scores. Blesso dug deep and worked the ball through the hands and scored 3 goals to help keep the home team at bay. The rest of the second half was nip and tuck with both teams battling hard for each and every ball.Final score Blessington 9-5 An Tochar 3-10. Player of the match goes to Skye Moran who was brilliant today, winning alot of ball and tackling everyone who came near her, well done Skye.

Thanks to all parents who travelled across the gap to support. Next championship game is next week at home to Eire Og.

Irish language and culture

Blessington GAA have received funding from the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha (Joe McDonagh Foundation) and this is part funded by Blessington GAA to host a series of "FREE Irish storytelling for children" between the ages of 4 and 8 which will be held in Blessington Library every two weeks commencing Sat 14 September to Sat 14 December 2024 from 12 noon to 1pm. This event is open to all children in the community but numbers are limited for each session. Please contact Noreen on 0872858375 to book a child's place. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Blessington GAA are running the very popular Irish classes again. This time it is pitched at those who are pre-intermediate to intermediate level. The classes are held in Blessington GAA clubhouse on a Wednesday evening 8pm to 9pm commencing Wednesday 4 September for 6 weeks. Anyone interested in attending please contact Noreen on the number above. There is a charge of €10 to attend all 6 sessions. Again, numbers are limited and offered on a first come first served basis.

Condolences

Our heartfelt sympathies go to the Teague family Rockypool Crescent on the passing of Michael Teague , senior ,at Naas hospital on 24 August , mass for Michael was in Church of our Lady , Main Street , on Thursday last and then news of the passing of Michaels wife , Bridie , also at Naas hospital on Friday . Deepest sympathy to our former junior footballer , Michael , junior , and sisters Margaret , Celine and Audrey and grandchildren to include grandson , Baltinglass and Wicklow keeper , Mark Jackson . Mass for Bridie will be on Wednesday next .

We also send our deepest condolences to John and Irene Walsh on the sudden passing of Irene’s Mam. May she rest in peace.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 03/09/2024 Graham Keogh 03/09/2024

Club Notes 25/08/2024

Good evening. Congratulations to all the students who received their leaving cert results this week. We hope that all your hard work has paid off.

And wishing all the secondary students the very best of luck as you all return to school. This can be a very daunting time for some students so if you see anyone struggling please show them a little bit of support.

There is still plenty of football to be enjoyed with the championship in full swing. Thanks to everyone for all the support shown.

Senior men

The lads were back in Aughrim today (Sunday) against a very strong An Tochar.

We started off well going in at halftime in the lead. Blessington 1-05 to An Tochar 0-03. The lads came out for the 2nd half and it was pretty much neck and neck. But unfortunately we were beaten by 2 points. Final score Blessington 2-09 to An Tochar 2-11. The lads go on to face St.Pats next Saturday @6pm in the last match of the group stages. Sending best wishes to Anto Mc.Loughlin and Conal Gallagher who were both injured in today’s game.

Junior A

We met Baltinglass on Friday evening last in the junior A championship on a perfect pitch in Dunlavin , although the same could not be said of the weather .

Despite the eleven-point winning margin for Baltinglass , we played to the end in a game where we had overall at least sixty percent of the possession . The old cliché of goals winning games was clearly true in this game . Baltinglass unusual for a junior team played at least twelve players behind the ball for the entire game , catching us on the break and we were unable to break through their defence at any stage of the game .

We started brightly with Ruairi Finan kicking two points , one from play and one free . However , although for the rest of the halve we kept taking the game to Baltinglass , we failed to score for the remaining twenty minutes , kicking half a dozen wides and another halve a dozen efforts falling short . Baltinglass led 2.5 to 0.2 at halve time , our highlight being a superb save on fifteen minutes from our keeper , Adam Williamson .

Right through the second halve , try as we might we could not reduce the deficit . On each occasion that we responded with a couple of points Finn Behan two , and singles from Aaron Keogh , Sean Byrne and Ruairi Finan , Baltinglass nicked a goal with breakaway efforts , it finished in defeat 0.7 to 4.6 , in a game where we rued hitting thirteen wides over the hour ( Baltinglass hit two ) and failing to create any goal chances .

We send our best wishes to Conor Richardson , injured in the first halve and in hospital overnight in Tallaght .

Blessington : Adam Williamson, James Dooley , Terence Punsielle , Killian Bailey , Dylan Friel , Luke O’Brien , David Williamson , Sean Byrne (0.1) , Aaron Keogh (0.1) , Finn Behan (0.2 , 2f) ,Ruairi Finan (0.3 , 1f) , Kevin Cooney , Conor Richardson , Thomas Fisher , Thomas Walsh : Substitutes : Padraig Quinn , Sean Ellis , Stephen Kitt

Minors

The minors were at home last Monday evening in their championship game against An Tochar. Well done on your win, Final score Blessington 1-10 to An Tochat 1-06.

U15A

Big win for our U15’s in round 3 of the A championship at home to Arklow on Wednesday evening. We were down numbers and had the bare 15 on the night but the lads were brilliant from start to finish. Next up away to St pats in a week’s time.

Final score Blesso 4-11 to Arklow 1-02

U13 C championship

Blesso vs Carnew

Short a few regulars we knew it was going to be a tough game this evening. Playing against the strong wind, we needed to ensure every attack we made mattered while also working hard to dispossess, turn over the ball and pressure the opposition every chance we had. Defensively the team were on fire this evening . Attack wise we worked some lovely combinations taking scores when they were on and recycling possession when we needed to.

Half time score we led 2:05 to 1:04.

Second half we knew we needed to keep clean sheet while also attacking in numbers . The teams constant running for one another was clear all over the pitch. This was a great team performance where the scores were spread across all our forward line.

Final score 4:14 to 1:08

Thanks to all parents for supporting this evening.

Thanks to u11 lads for stepping in , Josh, Tomas and Darragh.

Next up Kildare championship Friday

U12 Kildare championship

Blessington vs Rathangan

The two teams met in the league in what was a tight affair. Today was no different.

Blesso playing against the wind, working the ball nicely and taking some lovely points. Leading 4 points to no score after 15 minutes.

Rathangan kicked into gear and started to take some nice score . Blesso switched off 3 times late on in the half and conceded 3 soft goals. Half time score 1:04 to 3:07

Second half we started strong scoring a goal straight from throw in . Nip and tuck between 2 evenly matched teams . At times playing some lovely football . Unfortunately we ran out of time this evening.

Final score Blesso 3:10 Rathangan 5:10

Few word exchanged between players at end which left a sour taste. Explained in the huddle at the end , championship football is not supposed to be easy, and if they really wanted another shot against them we need to win our remaining games and meet them in the Final .

Hard work and we will get our rewards.

Thanks to all the parents for coming out , thanks to u11 for stepping up , Cian, Josh, Darragh and Tomas.

Thanks to Liam Cullen for stepping in to ref short notice . Training next week with championship again the following week.

U7’s

Our U7s played a blitz at home on Saturday morning against Hollywood and Dunlavin in the Wicklow League. 3 great games with great skills on display. Well done to all the lads

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Well done to our U16 girls on Thursday evening. A miserable evening for a training session but the girls put in the graft in the rain and finished off with some Yoga and Meditation ahead of championship, kickoff next Thursday.

Our u14 blue team had our first Div.1 championship game against St. Nick’s last Sunday afternoon. We were playing against the wind in the first half and it took a few minutes to get a score on the board. The girls kept the ball in hand and worked hard to get each score. When St. Nicks got down the field the Blessington backs overturned them and worked the ball back up to the forwards. Mollie and Emily both saw the back of the net which gave the team a great boost. The final score was Blessington 4-12 to St. Nicks 0-7. There was a few players in contention for POTM, Skye, Abby Leah and Hannah, but Clodagh was unbelievable today and takes the honour. Our next match is away against An Tochar on the 1st September.

Irish Culture and Language

Intermediate Irish classes.

There are just a few places left in the Blessington GAA Intermediate Irish Class which will commence on Wed 4 Sept to 9 Oct 8pm - 9pm in the clubhouse. Please contact Noreen on 087 2858375 to register. It costs just €10 to attend all 6 classes.

Irish storytelling for children

Blessington GAA will host FREE Irish Storytime for Children in Blessington Library on 28 Sep, 12, 26 Oct, 9, 23, 30 Nov, 7,14 Dec. 1pm - 2pm. Suitable for children aged 4 - 8 years old. Please text or What's app Noreen on 087 2858375 to register your childs name to attend. This programme has been part-funded by the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha and Blessington GAA.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 21/08/2024 Graham Keogh 21/08/2024

Club Notes 18/08/2024

Good evening.

Just a word of thanks to all the volunteers and coaches that turn up week in week out for the good of the club. Your time and commitment does not go unnoticed and is very much appreciated. Also a huge thanks to all of our sponsors who continue to support our teams and club.

Our club lotto has reached a massive €13,400 and the draw will take place this coming Tuesday. Tickets are available on the club website at blessingtongaa.ie/lotto and also in Next Door Shop Hennessy’s.

Senior Men

The lads head back to Echelon Park Aughrim next Sunday where they face An Tochar. Throw in is at 3.30pm. All support is very much appreciated.

Junior A

Junior A team faces Baltinglass in their next round of championship this Friday in Dunlavin. Throw in at 7.30pm

Junior B

Our Junior B team put in a huge effort in Avondale on Thursday evening last going down to 0.12 to 0.9 to the home side . There was a big difference between the sides in terms of experience , we were delighted to field so many young players up from minor( some others on holiday ) as against an opposition fielding few , if any . On the evening we were short a couple of experienced players such as Cormac Roe , Alan Ellis , Bryan Carroll and Danielus Sarkauskas , while David Phibbs and Thomas Walsh deserve congrats on moving up to junior A .

Nevertheless , the lads gave a great effort right through , behind 0.7 to 0.5 at halve time , the deficit was down to one point with fifteen minutes to go , however , the goal we needed proved elusive as we sought to level the game towards the end .

This being our first year up from junior C was always going to be a challenge , however , we have already laid a base in junior B .

Squad : Ben Carroll Daniels , Peter O’Connell , Damian Breen , Killian O’Reilly , Stephen Byrne , Stephen Flanagan , Fionn O’Donovan , Sean Mescal (0.2) , Barry O’Donovan , David Breen , Darragh Cantwell , Conor Mc Donald , Conor Dolan (0.7) , Jonathan Behan , Cian Long , Matthew King , Leon Templeton .

Minor Boys

Minors are at home on Monday evening in their 4th round of championship against An Tochar. Throw in at 8pm. Best of luck to you all.

U15 Boys

The boys take part in the 3rd round of championship on Wednesday evening at home against AGB, Best of luck everyone

U7 Boys

Our U7s travelled out to Kildangan on Saturday morning in the Kildare League. Brilliant performances from the lads with some great scores, tackling and passing. Thanks to all for travelling and to Kildangan for hosting.

Ladies Football

U12 Girls

Our u12 girls we’re invited to take part in a Blitz in Carragh GAA on Saturday the 17th...It was a fantastic day and a serious spread for all 250 girls and Families!!!!

Our girls were brilliant played great football and they loved every minute of it!!!

U10 Girls

Great day in Caragh, the girls were incredible both on and off the pitch...they played their socks off and played fantastic football...coaches are extremely proud of each and everyone of them...thanks to the parents for all your help and support today...

Irish language and culture

Blessington GAA have received funding from the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha (Joe McDonagh Foundation) and this is part funded by Blessington GAA to host a series of "FREE Irish storytelling for children" between the ages of 4 and 8 which will be held in Blessington Library every two weeks commencing Sat 14 September to Sat 14 December 2024 from 12 noon to 1pm. This event is open to all children in the community but numbers are limited for each session. Please contact Noreen on 0872858375 to book a child's place. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Wicklow News

Wicklow U16

Well done to Wicklow U 16 lads with Blessington well represented by Jack Murray, Daniel Smith and Cillian Behan, Following back to back wins V Limerick and Tipperary Wicklow played Kildare in the O'Donovan Shield final on Saturday 17th in Blessington and came away with a 1 point win, well done to all and best of luck to all going into Minor championship.

U14 Wicklow Blue team

Congratulations to the U14 Blue team who won Jim Power Cup in Dungarvan yesterday. Well done to the Blessington players involved.

Condolences

The club offer their heartfelt condolences to Lisa Charles and her family on the sad passing of her Dad Pat Delaney.

May he rest in peace.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 21/08/2024 Graham Keogh 21/08/2024

Club Notes 11/08/2024

Good evening. We’ve had some nice sunshine over the past week, so just to remind everyone of the SunSmart pilot scheme that the Healthy Club Team are taking part in. We have two SPF 50 dispensers situated beside the Brew Container and outside the clubhouse. We ask you to scan the QR code attached and take part in a very short survey. It is hoped that if the dispensers prove to be popular that this initiative will be rolled out nationwide. Thanks in advance for your support.

The club will hold a Sports Direct Grassroots Minor blitz on Saturday 24th August 10am-2pm. We have teams taking part nationwide and we look forward to welcoming them all. Save the date and we will have more details in the coming days. It promises to be a fantastic day and hope to see as many as possible there.

Thanks to all who turned out on Wednesday evening to surprise Olympic Star Erin King at our welcome home celebrations.

Erin was very humbled by the gathering and it’s no less than she deserves. We couldn’t be prouder of the tournament performances she put in, an absolute star. Thank you Erin for the wonderful words and signing autographs for all our future aspiring sports stars. They too want to be just like you some day

The club presented Erin a lovely glass gift and unveiled a sign of the now famous iconic “lift” which will take pride of place in our clubhouse

We look forward to following many more years of success in the green jersey for our Olympic Phenomenon .

Senior Men

The senior men were back in Echelon Park Aughrim on Saturday afternoon against Baltinglass in the third round of the championship. Unfortunately they are carrying a lot of injuries, but all credit to everyone stepping up. The result did not go in their favour and were beaten 1-16 to 0-12. We wish Jordan Mc.Garr a speedy recovery as he suffered concussion at the match.

Also wishing Jack Cotter the very best of luck and safe travels as he heads off for a couple of years. Jack has been a huge presence on the team and he’ll be greatly missed by the team and management.

Junior A

The Junior A team faced An Tochar in Valleymount on Friday 9th August. An Tochar led by 3 at the break 0-08 to 0-05. Blessington levelled with 3 pts in the 2nd half before An Tochar hit the back of the net. Following a brilliant free from the 45 from Mikey O'Toole, An Tochar found the back of the net again. Finn Behan scored a cracker of a goal. We ran out of time and the final score was An Tochar 2-12 Blessington 1-12. Next up is Baltinglass in two weeks time Fri 23 August.

Junior B

The lads were away to Newcastle on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately the result did not go their way . Final score Newcastle 1-11 to Blessington 0-08

U13 C championship

The lads made the long journey to Avondale this evening. We started well and looked as though we were going to dominate, Avondale had other ideas. After leading for most of the first half and some great defending and saves by our keeper. We switched off for a 10 minute spell before half time conceding 3 goals. Losing at half time 4:04 to 1:07.

Second half it was nip and tuck for most of the half, nothing between the teams. When we attacked and looked for goals , the final pass wasn’t quite there or we were fouled and forced to take the point. Avondale very dangerous on the break with a substantial size difference in their forward line , we struggled to contain. Overall good competitive game , after going on a winning streek recently, this is a positive set back as we learn more in defeat. The lads disappointed but we needed to remind them this is our u12 team playing against u13 teams.

Next game Friday night , great opportunity to put things back on track

Thanks to all parents who travelled out, thanks to our u11 who helped us out again tonight. Cian, Tomas, Ewan and Daragh

U12 pathway league

Blessington vs St Nicholas

We started slow and before we knew it, we were losing 1:02 to no score .

Started to win primary ball and then there was no stopping us. Moving the ball from defence to attack and taking our scores. Starting to take our goals with some great pressure on their kick outs and team work combinations we kept the pressure on. When St Nicks broke through we defended in packs forcing turnovers . Halftime score we had a big lead.

Second half we made a few substitutions and positional changes to ensure everyone had max game time. Overall a great performance by all and great to get back to winning ways.

Thanks to the big crowd of parents for coming out and cheering on the team .

Thanks to the u11 lads for stepping in- Cian, Tomas, Josh, Ewan, Darragh and Rian all played great and fitted in nicely.

Blesso U8s and U9s were welcomed to sunny Stratford for a mini blitz with Stratford/Grangecon and Dunlavin. A good test for the lads with 3 good matches played. Thanks to Stratford for hosting and to parents for travelling.

Our U7s were out on Saturday morning playing in a blitz with Startford and Dunlavin. Well done to all the lads, there all making big improvements every week with some great skills on display.

Ladies Football

Senior Ladies

Our Senior Ladies had a disappointing start to our Championship,losing by 2 points to a well drilled St.Pats team in Wicklow Town.

Disaster struck minutes before throw in when Robyn went over on her ankle on a very uneven,lumpy dangerous pitch!!!!

Resulted in a broken ankle for our young star,which knocked us all before the game even began!!!

Two more of our players had injuries during the game due to the condition of the pitch!!!!

The girls battled hard, never gave up, we didn't play to our full potential, but we reset and go again in 10 days to Baltinglass at Home!!!!

No gripes, On the day we were beaten by a better team, somthing has to be done about the pitch it's lethal and we learned the hard way!!!!

We wish Robyn a speedy recovery, we're all here to support her through the next couple of months!!!

U14 Girls

The U14 girls kicked off their Div C Championship campaign with a visit to Greystones. Eire Óg started off strong but our girls dug deep in very warm conditions with Emma V hitting the crossbar before finally getting on the score sheet in a very exciting and close match.

The 2nd half brought more of the same but Eire Óg scored a late goal followed by a couple of unanswered point to get the win. A disappointing result but coaches are so proud of the attitude and teamwork displayed by the great little bunch. POTM is difficult to choose but goes to Sophie.

Blesso 5-4 Eire Òg 6-5

Irish language and culture

Blessington GAA have received funding from the Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha (Joe McDonagh Foundation) and this is part funded by Blessington GAA to host a series of "FREE Irish storytelling for children" between the ages of 4 and 8 which will be held in Blessington Library every two weeks commencing Sat 14 September to Sat 14 December 2024 from 12 noon to 1pm. This event is open to all children in the community but numbers are limited for each session. Please contact Noreen on 0872858375 to book a child's place. Places will be offered on a first come first served basis.

Well done to Fionn O’Donavon, Aaron Keogh and Rob Grassic for taking part in the Getting Fit For Equality which took place on Saturday in Croke Park. Looks like we might have 3 new reqrutes for the Healthy Club Team.

Get Well Wishes

We continue to send our very best wishes to our good friend Mary Finnegan (little Nan) who is in Hospital. We wish you a speedy recovery.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 05/08/2024 Graham Keogh 05/08/2024

Club Notes 04/08/2024

Good evening. Hope you are all enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend. As we are in full swing of the championship for all teams we would like to thank everyone for the support shown so far. It’s very much appreciated that supporters take the time to travel to all the away games and to see the blue and white in the stands gives the players a massive lift. A special mention to Alan Bruce who has been kept busy taking photographs of the teams and putting reels together, again this is very much appreciated.

Thanks also to Dave Greville and Heart Healthy Solutions for providing the teams with new first aid kits and supplies. The club really appreciates it.

Our Senior Ladies would like to thank everyone who supported our “Guess the Score” competition for the All Ireland Final.

Congratulations to our Winner Lauren Edgeworth.

Senior Men

The lads had a bit of a break in games but it was back to business on Saturday as they headed to Baltinglass to take on Kiltegan in their 2nd round of championship. It was neck and neck the entire game with both teams level on 1-07 at halftime. The 2nd half was pretty much the same with the game finishing a draw at the full time whistle. Final score Blessington 2-14 to Kiltegan 2-14. Scorers for Blessington: Kevin Quinn 0-05, Anto Mc.Loughlin 1-04, Mikey O’Connor 1-03 and Dan Silke Fetherston 0-02

The team head back to Aughrim on Saturday 10th August and they face Baltinglass in the 3rd round. Throw in is at 4.30pm

Junior A

The Junior A team faced Kilmac in the third round of the Championship in Laragh on Sunday 4 August. Kilmac are the favourites in this group and they showed their form by leading 2-9 to 0-4 at half time. Blessington had a better second half but there was no stopping the opposition. Final score Kilmac 2-17 to Blesso 1-6. Next up is An Tochar in Valleymount on Fri 9 Aug at 7.30pm.

Scorers were Peter Manning 0-01, Mikey O’Toole 1-03, Finn Behan 0-01, Thomas Walsh 0-01 .

Junior C

Our Junior B lads hosted Donard/Glen on Thursday. Well done lads on a great win. Final score Blessington 2-10 to Donard/Glen 2-08.

Scorers: Thomas Walsh 1-01. Cian Long 0-02, Conor Dolan 0-01, Bryan Carroll 0-06 and Jonathon Behan 1-00.

Next match is away to Avondale in Avondale on Thursday 15th August, throw in at 7.30pm

Minor

The minor lads are away to Michael Dwyers on Tuesday 6th August in Stratford. Throw in at 8pm

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Well we had the final game of the Under 16 League on Thursday in Blesso, the girls came up against a strong Rathnew team. A great game of competitive football ahead of the up and coming championship at the end of the month. To field two teams at Div 1 & Div 3 throughout the league wouldn’t have been possible without hard work from the girls and management and the super help from the U14 squad. Hats off to everyone. The girls came away with a win and a lot of happy faces left the pitch with soaked faces after putting in a hard shift. Well done to each and every one of them. Too hard again to pick POTM but we mention Meabh Doyle for doing a super job in goal and Leah for scoring a well worked team goal. Huge thanks to all the supporters today ye were Brillo Fantastic performance and on we go with champo prep.

All Stars Cul Camp

The inclusion Cul camp took place last Monday and Tuesday with 24 children taking part. This is our 3rd year to host the inclusive camp and are so proud of how much it has grown over the years. The children that took part were not just from Blessington but the wider community and also Kildare. The fun that everyone had over the 2 days is so hard to describe so if you take a look at the video that we put together the smiles on everyones faces tells it all. Thanks so much to all the helpers and volunteers who made this camp possible. There are too many to name individually but everyone knows the part they played.

Next stop is to Croke Park on Tuesday 6th August to take part in the inclusive Go Games. We are really looking forward to this event. Again keep a lookout on our social media pages for all the photos.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 05/08/2024 Graham Keogh 05/08/2024

Club Notes 28/08/2024

Good evening, we start off by wishing all the Wicklow athletes the very best of luck in the Olympics which are on in Paris. This afternoon there was brilliant stuff from our very own Blesso woman Erin King. Victory for Ireland over South Africa in the ladies 7’s, final score 38-0. Well done Erin you’re doing our club and the community proud. To everyone who has family or friends taking part in the games we wish you all the very best of luck.

Senior Men and Junior A

Both teams are back out in Championship next weekend. Senior Men are in Blatinglass on Saturday 3rdAugust at 6pm against Kiltegan and Junior A are out on Sunday 4th in Laragh against Kilmac at 1pm. Come out and support both teams if you can.

Junior B

Newtown were the visitors on Thursday night last in the second round of the junior B football championship , where we held on to win in the end by four points , 1.13 to 2.5 .

We had to wait until fifteen minutes into the game for our first score , a point from midfielder David Johnston . We probably edged first halve possession , but only led six points to three at halve time .

We kicked three early second halve points from substitutes Jonathan Behan (2) and Ciaran Mescal , however , Newtown were back in the game on ten minutes with a goal and a point . However , full forward Conor Dolan restored our lead with a goal a minute later . Thereafter the final fifteen minutes were end- to -end , we held on with points from David Breen and David Phibbs (2) .

Squad : Ben Carroll , Peter O’Connell , Çormac Roe , Damian Breen , Stephen Flanagan , Peter Manning (0.1) , Fionn O’Donovan , David Phibbs (0.2) , David Johnston (0.2) , David Breen (0.2) , Alan Ellis (0.1f) , Daniel Sarkausas, Cian Long , Conor Dolan (1.2,2f) , Thomas Walsh , Substitutes , Jonathan Behan (0.2) , Killian O’Reilly , Conor Mc Donald , Ciaran Mescal (0.1) .

U15 A championship

Blesso 1-13 V Kiltegan 2-03

Great second half performance from our U15’s to record a good win in the 1st rd of the A championship . Well done Lads .

U13 C championship

Blessington vs Eire Og

Missing a few regulars a number of the u11s stepped up to help us this evening .

Great start by the lads we scored goal with first attack. Pressure all over the pitch we dominated kick outs and started to kick some nice scores but still hitting a number of wides . The lads were a little complacent. Eire Og score a goal after a break away and that switched us back into gear.

Half time score leading 2:08 to 1:05.

Second half made a few changes , the rain came down and made it sloppy for both teams. The lads worked so hard in defence and attack with some nice combinations between our u12 and u11 players which was great to see.

Full time score Blesso 4:14 Eire Og 2:08

Thanks to all the parents for supporting and cheering us on in that nasty weather .

Thanks to Eire Og for travelling down on that long drive.

Special thanks to all the u11 who had to step up this evening , Josh, Tomas, Cian, Finn, Ewan and Callum. Great performance from everyone of them . Bring on the next game.

U8’s Boys

The U8s had a good run with Two Mile House this week in the North Kildare League Go Games. Great skills and determination on show with the lads increasing confidence on the ball clear to see. Thanks to TMH for travelling out.

Ladies Football

Blesso Under 16 girls played Clara on Thursday tonight in Blesso in the league. A brilliant game of competitive football played in a lovely spirit by each and every one of the girls. The game was preceded by a minutes silence as everyone stood together with Clara to share their grief after losing one of their shining lights this week Clodagh. We send our love and prayers to all at this very sad time for all.

The first half was end to end and everyone played their hearts out. Breaking up ball and winning possession, half time came and Blesso were down by 1 point. Clara came out in the second half with the wind in their tails and pulled away to win the game. Didn’t stop the Blesso squad of 18 working till the end and they came off the pitch after giving it socks throughout.

Hard to pick POTM but 2 girls stood out tonight and their confidence is rising so fair play to Emily King and Kiera McNevin. Special mention to Emma and Jessie for stepping into goal- absolutely brilliant girls. Thanks again to our U14’s, unbelievable work rate from ye all. The supporters ye have been brilliant for the girls so thanks a million. We go again Saturday for our next game. Heads up to all as tonight doesn’t feel like a loss , it’s feels like great teamwork and fair play from both teams.

Blesso U16 girls played their final game of the league on a Sunny Saturday afternoon out in Greystones v Eire Og. The girls hit the ground running and clocked up some great scores on the day. The girls came away with a well deserved win after displaying some great play throughout. With the bare 16 on the day the girls worked really hard in the heat so a swim was on the cards when we were out that far. Well done to each and every one of them. POTM today goes to Abby ,well done girls. Thanks to everyone for the support

Healthy Club

The Healthy club section is looking for interested people to take on the Green Clubs program. If any of this interests you please contact myself or Michelle and we can point you in the right direction. The HCT have already received the gold standard award and next we’d love the bring The Green Flag to the club. Thanks in advance ,Healthy Clubs can also implement sustainability actions as part of their Healthy Club Programme journey. Find potential actions in the Green Club Toolkit, at designed specifically for the challenges and realities of volunteer-led Gaelic games Clubs. Not sure where to start? Visit the interactive Green Club map for ideas! The GAA is a recognised UN Sustainable Development Goal Champion.

Blessington GAA are delighted to announce that our All Stars were the Wicklow winners in the Texaco Support for Sports competition. Thanks to everyone involved with putting the application together and to the volunteers Karen, Rachel, Declan and Ella who run this fantastic group. Well done also to David Doyle for putting the video together. The prize of €5,000 will go towards the new Sensory Room which will be coming very soon.

All Stars

Our inclusive Cul camp takes place Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th July. We are looking forward to seeing our regular Sunday morning crew and also in welcoming some new faces. Thanks to all the volunteers taking part in the 2 day camp. Keep an eye on our social media pages for all the fabulous photos.

Blessington GAA would like to congratulate Eoghan Fitzgerald for playing in the half time game on All Ireland Final today. Eoghan plays with our u12 team and is one of the brightest talents in Wicklow with a big future ahead of him.

We are all proud of you, hope you had a great day .

Best Wishes

We send our best wishes to Mary Finnegan ( Little Nan) who is currently in hospital and wish you a speedy recovery. We need to see you waving the Blesso flag for the championship.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 23/07/2024 Graham Keogh 23/07/2024

Club Notes 21/07/2024

Good evening. The draw for the All Ireland Hurling final and the football final was held on Tuesday evening. Thanks to Sports Direct for kindly sponsoring the tickets. Well done to the winners Tommy McDonnell, Grace McGarr and Adam Smyth won a ticket each to the All Ireland Hurling final……Kevin Cooney, Adam Williamson and Kevin Foster won a ticket each for the football.

On Saturday our senior men’s team held their fundraising event with some of the proceeds going to our own All Stars and their quest to obtain and kit out a sensory room for the children. They meet every Sunday morning with the fantastic volunteers on our Astro and sometimes they can become quite overwhelmed with the noise and activities that a sensory room is a perfect little hub for them to sit and play quietly.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support the lads who were absolutely brilliant completing challenges against each other in Cycling and rowing. The lads Eamonn and Jordan from Brew 21 and All in Fitness also took part in the event and we thank them both so much for all their help with organising and for the loan of the gym equipment.

Thanks also to everyone for your very generous donations and it’s not too late as our go fund me is still open for another few days https://gofund.me/1b8a634a

Minor

The lads are at home on Monday evening hosting A.G.B. please show the team and management your support. Throw in is at 7.30pm

U7’s

The lads travelled to Baltinglass on a very wet Saturday morning. Well done to you all on a great effort.

Ladies Football

Under 16 girls were out again in the league on Thursday in Blesso. St Pats made the trip from Wicklow town as the opposition. What a game. End to end. The teams went in at half time level. Zane in goals and Our defence worked so hard in the first half to keep the St Pats girls at bay, some fantastic players there. Amy, Cria Mollie Elizabeth Layla and Eabha and Hannah worked their socks off and it paid off- may feel like ya didn’t at times but by god ye kept them quiet in front of goal.

The girls came out at half time yet again with the wind in their sales and pushed on to come away with the win, midfield pair up of Lauren and Clodagh, fantastic, forwards Madison Meg Emily Leah Ella Chloe Thea and Grace, unreal. Well done to all our players from start to finish. Ye were absolutely brilliant and it’s amazing how the little bit of confidence in a short space of time can make a world of a difference. All the happy faces in the pic will tell it’s own story. We’re so proud of ye as always. Your attitude is Brillo. Thanks so much to the Quinlan duo for all the help tonight- Nessa and Paul, a huge thanks. “Once ur in ya can’t get out” fair play yet again to the super support for the kids on the sidelines makes a huge difference for them.

We Rock on now to Wicklow town on Saturday for the next Divison game. See ye all then.

Well done to Blesso U16 Girls who faced St Pats in Wicklow town on Saturday evening. A long trip to take for a 5pm throw in. Led out by joint captains Leah & Amy, The girls came up against a strong St Pats team who played some great football. Our girls worked hard to the final whistle but it wasn’t to be their day. Hard to pick POTM, but two girls have to be called out for their sheer determination throughout, Megan and Hannah- super girls.We move on to next Thursdays home game in Blesso. Thanks to everyone again who travelled to support. Very much appreciated. Heads up girls ye are brilliant.

All Stars

We will have our inclusive Cul Camp Monday and Tuesday for the amazing All Stars. We are looking forward to welcoming children from Blessington and the wider community. Plenty of photos to follow.

Healthy Club

Wicklow news

My apologies as I forgot to include last week

Well done to Wicklow U16s on an excellent win over Limerick in Aughrim on Saturday 13th, special mention to Blessington lads Daniel Smith, Cillian Behan and Jack Murray, future Blessington stars. Excellent refereeing by our own Barry O'Donovan.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 23/07/2024 Graham Keogh 23/07/2024

Club Notes 14/07/2024

Good evening. Thanks to everyone who braved the weather during the week and attended our Cul Camp. There was plenty of fun and games throughout the week and it didn’t seem to bother the kids at all. Well done to all the coaches and helpers too your time is very much appreciated.

This year we have 3 All Ireland Hurling tickets and 3 for the Football Finals. Draw will take place this week for the Hurling and we thank our sponsors Sports Direct for funding this draw. Keep an eye on our social media pages for the announcement of the lucky winners.

All roads let to Aughrim today as the adult championship season got under way. Thanks to everyone who made the trip across to support the teams, your voices were all heard from the bank. Great support as always.

Senior Men

Last year’s county champions were in action against Tinahely in the 12 noon throw in. Blessington were down 2 points at halftime, with us making 1 change going into the 2nd half. If was a better performance in the 2nd half and thanks to our brilliant goalkeeper Rob who saved a penalty. The lads ploughed on and a last minute penalty scored by Kevin Quinn saw them draw at the final whistle. Final score Blessington 2-08 to Tinahely 0-14.

There’s a few weeks gap before the next match that takes place on Saturday 3rd August in Baltinglass against Kiltegan. A reminder will go out that week.

On Saturday 20th July the team hold their fundraising event. This will take place like last year outside Dunnes Stores Blessington and with our friends at Brew 21 main Street Blessington from 11am-4pm. This year the lads chosen charity to donate some of the proceeds to is our own Blessington All Stars and their bid to obtain a new sensory room. Further details are available on our go fund me page https://www.gofundme.com/f/senior-mens-team-and-all-stars?

Junior A

Our Junior A team were also in Aughrim for their first round game against St.Pat’s. This match took place at 3.30pm so it was a long day for some of the players who are on the senior panel and also for the supporters. There was plenty of sambos being handed around the bank to keep everyone fuelled for the afternoon.

The lads were only a point down at halftime and kept the pace all through the 2nd half drawing with St’Pat’s. Final score Blessington 1-14 to St.Pat’s 1-14. Well done everyone.

Minors

The minors had their first championship match away to Eire Og last Monday evening. They had a fantastic win away and were also presented with new jersey’s sponsored by Sports Direct

Ladies Football

Well our U16 girls travelled to Pearse Park in Arklow on a miserable Tuesday evening to face a strong AGB Team. Some great play from both teams, slippy surface meant the ball was all over the place at times. The girls were absolutely brilliant and worked so well together and fought for every ball out there. Some chances in front of goal went astray which saw us going in at half time 7 points down. A good chat at half time and the girls went out buzzin, took chances and created some super play. We’re so very proud of them to come away with a win at full time, thanks to AGB for a really good competitive game. 18 girls travelled out and 18 girls played their little hearts out. Well done to each and every one of them. POTM today goes to Megan Mulhall- her confidence is growing all the time and it certainly showed today- well done Meg. Credit has to go to Abby and Kiera for stepping into goals for us- fantastic altogether. Again to all the U14 girls who continue to help us out- we’re very grateful. We go again now Thursday for the next game and hope to continue the great teamwork and team spirit. Thanks to all who travelled out to support- by jaysus tat road to Arklow is endless- but very worth it tonight for the girlos.

Under 16 girls were out again on Thursday night- this time, a home game against a strong and physical Tinahely Team. A brilliant match from start to finish and just what the girls needed, both keepers were kept busy throughout, thanks to Tinahely for travelling . Each girl really looked like they enjoyed themselves playing the game. The girls went in at half time 2 points down and came out in the second half to claim the win at the final whistle. Each and every one of them stood up to the plate and knocked it out of the park, they wore their jersey with pride which makes the coaches, the club and all the fab supporters so proud. Well done girls- we go again next week with two more games in the league.

Thanks to Tommy O for adding that little bit of entertainment at half time with a slow cycle across the pitch- “only in Blesso”

Well done to U14 Blessington lads who played for Wicklow on Saturday morning vs Carlow.

Conor Murphy, Wayne Nolan, Evan Quinlan, Barry Smith & Rian Elliott. Well done lads, the club is very proud of you all.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie

Graham Keogh 11/07/2024 Graham Keogh 11/07/2024

Club Notes 07/07/2024

Good evening. Our popular Kellogg’s Cul camp starts tomorrow from 10am-2pm, while we can’t promise good weather we can certainly promise that the kids will have a great time.

Don’t forget to pack for all eventualities including, raingear, hats, and sun cream(because I’m optimistic),packed lunch and plenty of drinks. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow.

Senior Men

The lads will start their championship campaign in Echelon Park Aughrim next Sunday 14th July with a throw in time of 12noon against Tinahely. Looking forward to seeing the Blesso support in Aughrim as always.

The lads were out with the Tidy Towns on Saturday morning and they thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement. As well as this they hold their fundraising event on Saturday 20th July. This will take place like last year outside Dunnes Stores Blessington and with our friends at Brew 21 main Street Blessington from 11am-4pm. This year the lads chosen charity to donate some of the proceeds to is our own Blessington All Stars and their bid to obtain a new sensory room. Further details are available on our go fund me page https://www.gofundme.com/f/senior-mens-team-and-all-stars?

Junior A

The Junior A team also begin their championship campaign on Sunday 14th July in Echelon Park Aughrim with a throw in time of 3.30pm against St.Pat’s. Wishing you all the very best of luck. Keep an eye out for Tommy O’Hagon who has promised to bring a picnic of sambo’sand a few flasks to keep everyone fed on the day.

Junior B

The Junior B championship starts on Thursday 18th July at 7.30pm and their first game takes place against Baltinglass away. Again we hope to see as much Blesso support behind all the teams.

The lads hosted Kilbride on Friday evening in the Sean Duffy memorial Cup and were delighted with the win to keep the cup safe again in Blessington. Thanks to Kilbride for travelling over and to Hennessy’s bar for hosteing the refreshments afterwards.

Minors

Our minors start their championship campaign tomorrow with an away match against Eire Óg. Let’s get behind the team and management by showing them a huge Blesso support.

U9’s

The boy’s had a super morning on Saturday for their Go-Games with Valleymount and Dunlavin. Some great skills been shown on the pitch. Well done to everyone.

U7’s

The lads also had Go-Games against Valleymount and Dunlavin on Saturday. It is so good to see the skills of these little lads develop. Well done everyone.

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Well done to the Under 16 girls who played a stormer in the 2nd half against a strong Coolkenno team away on Monday evening. The girls came up short in the end but worked their socks off and loads of positives to come from the game. Fair play to Julie who stepped into goals and made some savage saves. Well done Julie and to all these brilliant girls. Keep on going and the rewards will come.

U16 girls were absolutely amazing in the first half against a very strong An Tochar side on Sunday afternoon in Roundwood. Thanks to An Tochar for a good challenging game. With one score in it at half time our tails were up.

Momentum slowed down in the second half and the heads went down a little bit but we can work on that. Loads of positives to take from the game.

Thanks so much to all the girls who stepped up from 14’s with a lot of players missing. Ye we’re all fantastic and slotted in perfectly.

POTM goes to Daisy Lindsey. Unbelievable performance. Well done to you all ,doing your club proud as always.

U14 White

The girls were presented with their new training gear kindly sponsored by Heart Safety Soloutions. Thank you

Condolences

Sincere condolences to Saragh , Jack, Molly and Christy Broe on the passing of Saragh’s Mam Maureen Kenny. Our thoughts are with you all at this sad time

Sympathy to Byrne family on death of Dessie Byrne formerly of Main Street. He has been living in England for a number of years. Funeral arrangements later. The Byrne's formerly owned the pub now known as the Ramblers Rest

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our new Tik Tok account Blessington GAA Club.

For all thing LGFA related you can contact Olivia on 086 030 8395 and for everything else football or club related you can contact myself Lisa on 086 376 7534 and pro.blessington.wicklow@gaa.ie