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

2024

Good evening. All the schools have finished now for the summer holidays but there is still loads going on within the club to keep everyone busy. Have you booked your childs place for the Kellogs Cul Camp starting next Monday 8th July – 12th? There are still a few places available so book now to avoid missing out gaa.ie/kellogsculcamps. This camp is open to everyone in the community and not just club members. Looking forward to seeing you all next week.

We had both the girls and boys from Blessington GAA representing Wicklow in the Feile competition at the weekend. Again we thank everyone who kindly sponsored and supported both teams. Here are the reports from the team managers Wes and Barry.

Boys National Feile 24

What a weekends football our U15 boys team gave us in the All Ireland Feile competion in Castlerea Roscommon .

We were in Div3 and grouped with St Lomans ( Westmeath ) Moyle rovers ( Tipperary ) Magharcloone ( Monaghan )

First up was a tough game v St Lomans , Lomans were hot favourites after winning the last 3 Westmeath Feile’s . Our lads were on top form from the off and delivered a huge performance to come away with a 6 pt win .

Next up was Moyle Rovers . We knew a win here would mean we would top the group , We were slow to start and it was a dogged game and the Tipperary outfit were hard to shake off , Mid way through the second half we lost our captain and key player James Mc carney to a nasty shoulder injury .. we missed a couple huge chance to push out our lead and suffered the ultimate sucker punch of conceding a last minute goal with the last kick of the game which meant the game finished in a Draw , Tough result to take after leading through out .

Our final group game saw us play Magharcloone , A draw would mean we would make the cup semi finals . As the heat sored injuries and cramp were setting in and their was tired bodies everywhere , The lads battled hard and lead 4-3 at half time in a hard hitting game . Magharcloone pushed on in the second half and edged in front . Knowing a draw would see us through Blesso pushed to get back into the game but we came up just short loosing by 2pts .

As a group of coaches we can only be immensely proud of these young men and how they carry themselves and represent our great club and we commend them on the efforts they gave for the blue & white jersey all weekend .We showed we are a match for anyone when we are at the top of our game .

It was not our day but memories of lifetime were made . Further bonds built and experience gained. Huge thanks to all the parents for the fantastic support and what an enjoyable night everyone had together afterwards in the Hudson Bay hotel .

Final step on this memorable weekend was a visit to Bay-sports water park where everyone had a blast ..

A huge thanks to everyone for the huge effort with sponsorship and all the work that went into making it the weekend it was and to our main sponsor Monadnock construction with out all of this we could not of had the weekend we had .

Girls national Feile 2024

What a brilliant day our u15 girls had on Saturday! We set off on our long journey west from the club grounds at 7am, having arrived in Clonberne the girls got off the bus on great spirits, we unfortunately came up aginst very strong opposition in Portlaoise, Ballinderry and Clonmel, following the group stage we went into the shield competition where after an incredible match against Walterstown, came up just short losing by 5 points! The girls were an absolute credit to the club for their determination, never give up attitudes and their behaviour and manners which was commented on and complemented by the referees, we as coaches are extremely proud of the girls and thank them for their commitment and brilliance throughout the year, we would also like to thank our large travelling support who travelled over to cheer on the girls, lastly we would to thank all our generous sponsors and our fundraising committee for all your support and work, the future is bright for Blesso!

U10 Boy’s

It was a great evening of football against Stratford Thursday gone. We made a Lazurus like recovery from the first game a few weeks ago. Lazurus was a great man, but he couldn’t kick points like the Blessington U10s.

Ladies Football

Tough day at office for our Under 16 girls on Friday evening. They came up against a strong, well prepared AGB team in the league tonight in Blesso.

Loads of learnings to take from the game and we go again. Well done as always girls for the

efforts.

U14 Blue

Our u14 blue team travelled to Bray last Sunday afternoon to play their final game of the league. This was a very one-sided game, as Bray were missing a few players. Blessington put the pressure on very early with a very quick goal, that set the tempo for the rest of the game. Even though Blessington won the game comfortably there is still things to work on for the championship. We would like to thank the parents and supporters who travelled to all our league matches, and we look forward to the upcoming championship

Irish Culture

On Tuesday 25th June 2024 Nóirín Ní Aodhagáin Caomhanaigh and Pat Molloy attended the meeting of Irish language officers with with six Kildare clubs. Blessington GAA are the only Wicklow club to attend. The meeting was chaired by Seán De Paor from Glór na nGael and was held in Rathcoffey GAA. The meeting focused on what clubs are doing with regards to participation in The Joseph McDonagh Foundation and Networking. The next meeting will be held in Two Mile House on Tuesday 24th September 2024.

Ar an Máirt, 25 Meitheamh 2024, bhí Nóirín Ní Aodhagáin Caomhanaigh agus Pádraig Ó Maolbhuaidh i láthair ag an gcruinniú d’oifigigh Ghaeilge le sé gclub Chill Dara. Is iad CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín an t-aon chlub as Cill Mhantáin ar fhreastail siad orthu. Seán De Paor ó Ghlór na nGael a bhí ina chathaoirleach ar an gcruinniú agus bhí sé ar siúl i CLG Ráth Cobhtaigh. Dhírigh an cruinniú ar a bhfuil ar siúl ag clubanna maidir le páirt a ghlacadh i bhFondúireach Iósaf Mhic Dhonncha. Beidh an chéad chruinniú eile ar siúl i dTeach an Dá Mhíle Dé Máirt 24 Meán Fómhair 2024.

Ag cruinniú Fóraim Chill Dara den Fhondúireacht i gclubtheach CLG Rath Chobhthaigh bhí, ó chlé: Leo Ó Seanáin (CLG Baile an Mhuilinn), Séamus Ó Mídheach (CLG Ard Cloch), Rachael Uí Bhaoill (CLG Teach an Dá Mhíle), Pádraig Ó Maolbhuaidh (CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín), Nóirín Ní Aodhagáin- Caomhánaigh (CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín), Rita Ní Dhubhaill (CLG Maigh Nuad), Paddy McGovern (CLG Rath Chobhthaigh), Eoin Ó Ceanainn (CLG Baile Éilís) agus Seán de Paor (Oifigeach Forbartha)

Kaleidoscope Pop Up Gaelteacht

We had two fantastic days Kaleidoscope Family Festival where we held our first ever Pop-Up Gaeltacht. We had sunshine and showers but it didn't stop the cúpla focail a labhairt. Thanks to Emma Gilheany , Aoife Mescall, Martin Shannon, Mairín Higgins, Sinéad, Patricia, Pat Conlan, Eoin R and his pals for volunteering. We will be back next year, bigger and better.

Wicklow News

The launch of the upcoming Championship was held in Echelon Park on Friday evening along with the official opening of the new warm up area. Thanks to everyone who turned up on the night and we take this opportunity in wishing our 3 adult teams the very best of luck in your games. We hope to see as many as possible make the trip to Aughrim to support these fantastic bunch of lads.

A tribute to Nuala Haughian by Michael Sargent

Blessington GAA delegate Michael Sargent paid a warm tribute to the late Nuala Haughian of Kilbride GAA Club at Monday’s evening’s county board meeting in Echelon Park Aughrim.

Mrs. Haughian, mother of 15 children including Kilbride GAA Club Chairman and Wicklow referee Diarmuid Haughian, passed away unexpectedly at Naas Hospital on Tuesday 18.

Speaking to delegates in the meeting room in Aughrim, Michael Sargent said that Mrs. Haughian was a “formidable and feisty lady” and a “wonderful friend”.

“Known to lots of us as Mrs. H, Nuala was a formidable and feisty lady, a wonderful friend,” he began.

“Kilbride village (to where Nuala and her late husband Paddy came in 1969) was the pride of her life, as was her local Kilbride GAA Club, where herself and son Diarmuid have done such tremendous work on pitch developments in recent years.

“In fact, Nuala had spent Sunday 16 June at the local field day catching all in sundry for a raffle where she raised €1700. Son, Diarmuid of course is a well-known referee in Wicklow GAA.

“Nuala has been at the heart of all community developments and social initiatives over the past forty years.

“A founder member of Blessington & District Forum and a constant member over the intervening years, Nuala attended the monthly Forum meeting on the Monday evening before her untimely death next day.

“Blessington and Kilbride GAA clubs were the principal early beneficiaries of Nuala’s great energy as all eight boys played for the St Bridget’s combination of Blessington and Kilbride. There were great games, great memories and Mrs. H was a big part of all of it, supporting, cheering, transporting in her minibus and keeping order.

“Nuala and her late husband raised 15 children, eight boys and seven girls and all fifteen were able to travel home from distant parts for the funeral mass on Saturday last.

“Nuala’s passing leaves a large void in the Haughian family, while the Kilbride Blessington area has lost an iconic figure, there won’t be the likes of Mrs. H again.

Our sympathies to Eilis, Aine, Mairead, Sinead, Nuala, Sheila and Grace and to the boys Sean, Cathal, Ciaran, Hughie, Niall, Cormac, Eamon and Diarmuid,” he added.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh an aimn dilís.

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 24/06/2024 Graham Keogh 24/06/2024

Club Notes 23/06/2024

Good evening. We are into the week of the big build up to the Feile competition taking place next weekend 29th June in Connaught. We are very privileged to have both the girls and boys teams taking part by representing Wicklow in the finals. Again we would like to thank everyone who has supported them in their fundraising campaign to date. The player profiles are been introduced through our social media pages and will continue throughout the week.

Wishing both teams and management the very best of luck in the competition and we hope you get to make unforgettable memories too.

Healthy Club

Well it looks like the summer might have eventually arrived and once again we remind you of the 2 sun dispensers that we have within the grounds. These are situated outside the clubhouse and beside the Brew container and both contain a SPF 50 for your use.

This is all part of a pilot scheme been rolled out by SunSmart and Healthy Ireland. If you notice that they are empty please notify any member of the executive committee so they can be replaced.

We’d also remind you to scan the QR code and take part in a very short survey please.

With health and safety in mind we need to remind everyone that there are NO dogs allowed within our grounds, exceptions being assistant dogs.

This is purely for health and safety reasons and it’s not meant as a personal vendetta towards dog owners. Please respect this notice and a reminder too that we are all volunteers within the club and if you somehow fail to see the sign on your way into the grounds please be mindful that the person who brings it to your attention is only following club policy. Thank you in advance of your cooperation.

Minors

The lads continue their player pathway campaign tomorrow evening (Monday) as they take on AGB at home. Please show your support for the team and management. Throw in is at 8pm.

U15 Div 1 semi final

Blesso V St Pats

The lads battled to a hard fought win v a very good St Pats team , loosing at Ht the Blesso lads produced a great second performance while missing a few 1st team players away on Holidays .. Huge thanks to U14 players who keep stepped up and were exceptional on the night .

Focus now turns to the National Feile in Roscommon where this outstanding group will now represent the County Next Weekend 29/6/24 ….

Final score

Blesso 2-15 v St Pats 1-06

U13 C Champioship

Blessington vs Aughrim

What a performance from this team. From the first whistle to the last the lads tackled everything forcing turnovers all over the field. Everyone of the lads this evening worked so hard for every ball and when in possession we moved the ball picking out the man everytime. It was a joy to watch the lads playing so well and leave the grounds this evening with a smile on their faces.

Easily our best performance of the season.

Final score 5:13 to 0:12

Next up Laragh Monday night, next round of the championship.

Thanks to everyone who came down to support.

Thanks to the u11 lads ( Darragh, Ewan, James, Tomas and Cian) who helped us out tonight and everyone played their part

U7 Boys

Well done to the U7 lads on Saturday morning up against Donard in the Wicklow league. Another great performance. Improvements every week. Happy birthday to two of our players Max Murphy and Adam Clarke, hopefully they have some energy left to celebrate after the games they played.

Ladies Football

U14 Girls

The U14 had a tough match yesterday against a strong Baltinglass.

Balto took the lead with a couple of early goals and although they fought hard to come back towards the end of the 1st half with a couple of goals from Captain Darcy and Emily, Balto pulled away again in the 2nd.

Thanks to Pinks for helping out.

U10 Girls

Well done to everyone who took part in the girls blitz on Sunday. Everyone had a super day. Thanks to the coaches for organising and to all the parents who helped out on the day.

G4 Mothers

G4 mother’s had a challenge match on Thursday night against ballyboden wanderers.. what a great evening of football from the girls, thanks to Kevin Gilmore for reffing the game, and thanks to Brona and Michelle for the lovely spread afterwards in the club house ..

New players always welcome ..training every Wednesday 7:30-8:30, 25 years up.

All Stars

Another super morning for our All Stars who travelled St Kevin’s GAA club in Rathcoffey for St Kevin’s & Caragh Blitz.

The sun was shining and spirits were high! We met up with our All Stars friends from St Kevin’s & caragh,Naas &Maynooth and Clara.

The morning kicked off with some warm up exercises and activities followed by 5 aside matches.

Great fun and lots of laughs, and lots of cracking goals from our fantastic All Stars!

There was plenty of penalty shootouts with Kildare County players.

The All Stars were presented with Medals and goodies bags from the Kildare County Players.

Many thanks to Sinead Heneghan and all the coaches from St Kevin’s & Caragh All Stars Club for fantastic and very well organised morning.

Condolences

The club as a whole wish to offer their heartfelt condolences to the Haughian family on the sudden passing of their mother Nuala.

Thinking of you all and everyone from Kilbride GAA Club, Co Wicklow at this very sad time

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-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 24/06/2024 Graham Keogh 24/06/2024

Club Notes 16/06/2024

Good evening. Thanks so much to everyone who took part in the mini Feile fundraisers over the last week. We have 198 people in the U.S. Open Golf and will announce the winners first thing tomorrow. Also on Saturday both teams and coaches held a carwash at the fire station and thanks to everyone who supported. The first prize of the Karcher power washer went to Jason Mc.Carthy, and the Nespresso coffee machine was won by Michelle Richardson. The Wicklow jersey was won by Colum Smith and numerous other prizes were raffled on the day. Again thanks so much to everyone who supported this.

Also a huge thanks to Alan Bruce who has been so generous with his time to the club. Alan was on hand all weekend taking tons of photo’s and creating memorable reels for us and just to let Alan know how much we appreciate his time and effort.

U13 Boy’s

Well folks, we had a super win this morning against Clara Gaels under 14 team - playing a team a year older, and a bigger team the lads got stuck in straight from the start. We went in 1 point down at half time, but some super football played by everyone, from Goalkeeper, to defenders, through the mid field and finishing with some super team scores up front, we ended up winning by 13 points, on a scoreline of 4-15 to 4-05. Great performance by each and everyone this morning. Well done to all.

U12 Boys

North Kildare league

Kildare u12 spring league

Final game in Kildare league this evening

We travelled out to Raheens.

Started well and working the ball nicely and getting into some nice scoring positions.

We tended to switch off on kick outs and paid the price where Raheens won their own kick out again and move the ball nicely up the field finishing with a nice goal . Half time 1:02 to 0:2 points .

Second half we struggled to get going . Conceding territory and possession far too easy. We picked up a couple of injuries and we had the bare 15 so we struggled at times. We scored some Nice scores near the end however the damage was already done.

Final score 4: 07 to 3:04.

This was our final Kildare game from the spring season and was great to have so many competitive games. With everyone getting game time . 15 aside was a real eye opener for the lads but great that we can compete with Kildare strongest teams.

Now we move our focus to Wicklow championship

Thanks to all who travelled out to support.

Thanks to Conor, Rian and Ewan for stepping on to help the lads.

U8 Boys

The U8s boys welcomed Naas GAA to Blesso with the lads playing 3 cracking matches. Brilliant skill and pace on show, but what stood out more was the great attitude and sportsmanship on both sides and the positive support from the sidelines. Well done to a great bunch of lads and thank you to Naas for travelling.

U7 Boys

Our U7s played 3 games against two mile house yesterday morning. Great to see the lads passing the ball around with some great tackling and scores being taken. Well done to all the team and a big thanks to twomilehouse gaa for hosting and for the well deserved jellys at the end.

Our U7s played Hollywood on Thursday evening. We had 3 games with some great scores and skills on display. Well done to all the players.

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Our U16 girls are putting in a savage effort at training week in week out. Well done girls and thanks to the coaches for the endless hours they put in. Keep it up everyone.

U14 Pink

What a super performance on Thursday evening for the U14 Pink team, best performance so far, away to Coolkenno.

Everything just clicked for the girls and they worked hard for each other from the start to the final whistle.

Led out by Captain Amelia, they dominated both half’s. Very hard to single out one player for POTM but it has to go to Emma V for notching up an incredible 5-2 on the board.

All Stars

Blessington GAA All Stars hosted Bray Emmett’s GAA Club on Saturday morning for our Annual Sports day.

The morning kicked off with lots of fun games and bubbles, the children enjoyed our brand new parachute, they participated in some warm up exercises with Conor Richardson from All in Fitness and Daniel our very own All Star.

All the games were specifically designed to engage and stimulate the children. It was hugely successful morning for all our fantastic children who enjoyed all the fun and games.

The All Stars sports morning ended with a presentation of goodie bags that were given out by our club players and coaches.

Thank you to Bray Emmets All Stars and their families for travelling to us this morning, its always great to see you!!!

And a million thanks to our own All Star children and their families who joined us this morning and every Sunday morning, we are so lucky to have you in our club.

Monday

A magic morning of football up in the pitch today for the 2nd class Cumann na mbunscol blitz. Blessington GAA welcomed Valleymount, Kilbride, Educate Together, Gaelscoil na Lochanna, and St Mary’s JNS. Thanks to Cormac Noone for coordinating the event. 163 children participated they were a credit to their schools and parents. Well done to the 8 teenagers who refereed the games. Thanks also to the teachers/SNA’s and parents/coaches who made this happen. Cill Mhantain Abu!

Maidin draíochta peile a bhí ann inniu do rang a 2 i mblitz gCumann na mBunscoil.

Thug CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín cuireadh do Móin an Bhealaigh,Cill Bhríde,Educate Together,Gael Scoil na Lochanna agus S.N. Naomh Mhuire. Míle buíochas le Cormac Noone as an ócáid a eagrú. Ghlac 163 páiste páirt agus ba mhór an ómós é seo dá dtuismitheoirí agus dona scoileanna. Maith sibh a reiteóirí.

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na múinteoirí,cuntoirí ranga,tuismitheóirí agus na treanálaithe as a gcuid oibre.

Healthy Club

What a great turnout on Wednesday morning for our second Safe Talk Training in Blessington.

Thank you to those of you for showing up to take part in the training.

Thank You to our Hse suicide prevention officer and team for working with us.

Thanks also to The Blessington Forum for working together and creating the video which was released on Wednesday. You can watch the 2 minute clip here https://youtu.be/3vFQlAFdWdc?si=4_eeQaTFRK_LGuHo

G4Mothers

This amazing bunch of women took part in the Leinster blitz held in Bray on Saturday. Needless to say they had the best fun day out with plenty of laughs and football played on the day. Well done to you all.

Irish language and culture

The Cros Bhaile Coimín Coiste Gaeilge agus Cultúir have been invited to participate in this year’s Kaleidoscope Festival. We will have a pop-up Gaeltacht on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June 12:00 to 18:00. Looking forward to it. If you are around, why not drop by for a cúpla focal!.

Tá cuireadh tugtha do Choiste Gaeilge agus Cultúir Cros Bhaile Coimín páirt a ghlacadh i bhFéile Kaleidoscope na bliana seo. Beidh pop-up Gaeltacht againn Dé Sathairn 29ú agus Dé Domhnaigh 30ú Meitheamh 12:00 go 18:00. Ag súil go mór leis. Má tá tú thart, cén fáth nach dtiteann tú le haghaidh cúpla focal!

Wicklow News

Hard luck to the senior team who were beaten by Down in the Taitleann Cup semi final. You had a great run and well done to our club players Kevin Quinn and Craig Maguire who both played fantastic. As a club we are all very proud of you.

Well done to the Wicklow masters who beat Leitrum/Longford in the championship in Blessington on Saturday.

Congratulations to Aoife Cullen and Aibhe King both from Blessington, who made their senior debut last week against Tyrone.

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 24/06/2024 Graham Keogh 24/06/2024

Club Notes 02/06/2024

Good evening. We hope you are enjoying the June Bank Holiday weekend. Our senior men and senior ladies took part in the Killarney 7’s competition in glorious sunshine this weekend. Both teams played fantastic and made it out of their respective groups to head into Sunday morning’s ¼ finals. Unfortunately both teams were only marginally beaten which put an end to their tournament. Thanks to everyone who travelled to Killarney to support them both, it looked like it was a brilliant weekend.

We would like to wish all the students that are sitting exams starting on Wednesday the vey best of luck. Remember to keep calm and don’t over stress.

Junior A

The lads hosted Rathnew on Friday evening. Great win for the lads. Final score Blessington 3-09 to Rathnew 1-09.

Junior B

The lads were at home against Kilbride on Thursday evening. Well done on a super win. Final score Blessington 3-12 to Kilbride 1-06

U15 Div1 League

Our U15’s faced Tomafinogue at home in the last group game of the league.

It was a mixed performance overal, A lot of missed goal chances but some nice long range scores taken at times too. The win see’s us qualify for the league Semi final in the coming weeks , so loads to work on in training as we build up to the National Feile in 4 weeks time & league Semi final.

Final Score Blesso 5-16 to Tomafinogue 0-2

U13’s

U13 C Championship on Thursday evening Stratford vs Blessington .

A gutsy performance by the lads tonight and didn’t get the rewards they deserved.

A close opening half and we went in level at 1-4 apiece. The lads played well but we knew they had more in them. Goal by Nicholas, 3 points for Olly and 1 for Noah Flynn. This was only a 20 minute half, 10 minutes shy of the regulation 30 mins.

We started the second half strong. Some great performances all round the pitch. Couldn’t name anyone in particular as it would be unfair to leave anyone out. 3-1 scored by Eoghan and a disallowed goal by Daniel.

Difficult environment for the lads to play in with alot of distractions. It’s an unjust result on the boys and very hard to stomach. Chin up boys, we go again.

Very proud of the effort and performance.

Final score Stratford 4:06 Blessington 4:05

Thanks to Cian and Thomas from the U11s. Two big games by both of you.

U9’s

The boy’s had a brilliant day in Moorefield club U9 Festival of Football on Saturday, there was some serious football played, loads of craic and more importantly loads of memories made! Well done everyone who took part.

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Well our Blesso U16 girls took the long trek out to Carnew on Thursday evening to compete in their first game of the division 1 league. A good start for the girls against a strong and physical Carnew Team. Led by captain Cria Cullen the girls put in a savage shift and came away with the win. Great to get a good game under the belt for the girls they all done really really well and should be very proud of themselves.

Niamh Brennan was a work horse tonight and comes away with POTM. Thanks to all who travelled out.

We go again Tuesday- Div 3 game at home v Clann na Gael. Enjoy the long weekend.

U14 Blue

Last Sunday afternoon our u14 blue team travelled to Arklow to play a very physical and tough AGB team. We made lot of mistakes and let AGB in for a few scores, we got a few goals to get in front at half time. In the second half AGB came out strong and push our girls to the limit. 3 quick goals put AGB back on top, we pulled back to within a few points but ran out of time.

Our girls battled hard but came up short. There was alot of disappointed faces after the match but we will learn from our mistakes and continue to improve. Keep the heads up girls.

All Stars

Fab morning of fun at All Stars. Our all stars team are looking forward to our two big days coming up in June.

On Saturday, 15th of June, from 11 to 12, we will welcome some other all stars teams and coaches from Wicklow to take part in a fun all-inclusive sports day. Kiddies can bring along family or pals on the day.

On Saturday, 22nd of June, our fab all stars will represent Wicklow in an all Stars Leinster fun day blitz at Saint Kevin’s GAA in Kildare .

Also our inclusive Kellogs Cul camp sold out within the hour of going live. If your child missed out on a place please contact Karen on 086 892 4292 asap to join a waiting list.

Healthy Club

Our club with thanks to the Healthy Club Team have been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme sponsored by the HSE and Sunsmart where we will provide information on keeping safe in the sun. We now have 2 sun scream dispensers with SPF 50 for everyone’s use all we ask is you scan the QR code that’s on the board and take part in a very short survey, this will provide feedback with the hope of these dispensers being provided to all clubs throughout the country. These dispensers are located at the clubhouse and at the Brew21 container.

Positive mental Health

Our next training day for Safe Talk will be held in Blessington GAA club house June 12th @ 9.30am -1pm. This training is for adults over 18years old, and is open to anyone in the community.

If you would like to be suicide alert and have the tools to talk to anyone who may be suicidal please register for this training and be part of our Blessington champions.

https://bookwhen.com/dublinsouth-kildare-west-wicklow...

Summer Jobs ! If you are turning 18 this year and you’re looking for Summer Work. Why not get involved in Coaching at our Kellogg’s GAA Cul Camps 2024.

Link below to Apply

https://forms.office.com/e/cTfUCu9CAW

Kelloggs GAA CulCamps aren’t just for club members – anyone can get involved and learn to play GAA and have great fun along the way! Register now gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps

Wicklow News

Senior Football

Tailteann Cup Group 3 Round 3

FULL TIME

Wicklow : 0-15(15) V Carlow : 10-9(12)

Wicklow go through to preliminary quarter finals against Leitrim next weekend more details to follow.

Wicklow Masters

The Wicklow masters team play Laois in Blessington next Saturday at 1pm. Come along and show your support for the Blessington men on the team, Barry O’Donovan, Alan Ellis and Jonathon Behan.

U14 Blessington lads played Meath in Abbotstown, Wayne Nolan, Kayden McMahon, Oisín Pender, Wil O’Connor, Evan Quinlan, Rian Elliott, and Noah Tyrell.

Condolences

Our sincere sympathies to player of yester year Hally Lyons on the passing of his wife Mary ( Carmel ) on Wednesday last and to children Linda , Jacinta , Dave and Chris , Chris played all his under age football with us before work commitments took him to Waterford . Funeral mass was on Saturday in Eadestown .

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 26/05/2024 Graham Keogh 26/05/2024

Club Notes 26/05/2024

Good evening. Lots of positives this week within the club. Congratulations to all the students who graduated from TY and 6th year during the week, wishing you the very best of luck in your upcoming exams.

We introduced both the Boy’s and Girls Feile teams that will go on to represent Wicklow in the national finals on the 29th June. The Boys will travel to Galway while the Girls head to Roscommon. These are 2 fantastic teams that we as a club are so proud of. Thanks to all the coaches and volunteers for all the work that you have put in to this competition so far. Thanks as always to Alan Bruce for the super photographs and to Monadnock Construction and Sports Direct for their ongoing support.

Both teams will hold mini fundraisers in the coming weeks and we thank everyone in advance for your support.

Well done to our club players Molly, Sophie, Amelia, Holly, Aoibheann, Siofra and Doireann! Fantastic achievement for the U13 Girls Basketball team who won bronze at the Cairn Community Games National Finals on Friday.

The girls came up just short to a strong Kerry team in the semi-final who went on to win the final while the Lakeside Girls played a great play-off game against Monaghan and came out winners 29-15.

Massive Congrats Girls Bronze All Ireland Medals what a super achievement.

Also well done to all the players who joined the panel for the Wicklow minors and the development teams on Satuday.

Minors included James Phibbs, Patrick Small, Connor O’Toole, Ronan Smyth, Oisin O’Connell and Max Keogh

For U15’s we had Jordan Dempsey, Rian Keogh, James Mc.Carney, Fiacha Duffy,Oisin Quigley and Oisin Kelly

And the 14’s had Will O’Connor, Noah Tyrell,Kayden McMahon and Oisin Pender & Wayne Nolan.

Your coaches are very proud of you all.

Senior Men

The lads had a fantastic match against Avondale last Tuesday evening with a very impressive win. Final score Avondale 2-08 to Blessington 4-14. This was Blessington’s last game in the league with all thoughts now on the championship which starts in late July.

The team along with the senior Senior Ladies will travel to Killarney this Bank Holiday weekend to take part in the Killarney 7’s tournament. Wishing them both the very best of luck. We will keep up updated on matches and results from both teams throughout the week end.

Junior A

Junior A team were away to Dunlavin on Sunday morning. Well done on a brilliant match. Final score Dunlavin 2-09 to Blessington 2-10

Juvenile Boy’s

U12’s

Kildare u12 league this evening

Blessington vs Rathangan

We started slow this evening, and before we knew it Rathangan has scored 2 goals . We slowly came into the game and worked hard, however at times we were switching off and giving up chances to the opposition.

Slowly we picked our points and dominated for 15 minute period but couldnt get our shots off with Rathangan crowding us out forcing turnovers. Lucky enough we score a nice goal before half time . Taking the lead 1-06 to 2-01.

Second half started and we struggled to win primary ball. The lads heads were dropping and we struggled with them picking their scores and at one stage we were 6 points down. 15 minutes in it was like a switch.

The lads changed we were winning kickouts winning turn overs , blocks, coming out of defence , and moving the ball forward. We got level .We won next kick out, travelled the length of the pitch and score the goal we needed. Followed by a point, taking 4 point lead into last 2 mins. Rathangan worked the ball up the field and after a scramble they scored a goal via a deflection that was going wide. Leading by one . We had a chance for a goal but went narrowly wide, one last attack for Rathangan and lads put the body’s in the way stopping them get a shot off , the ball broke we cleared and the final whistle went. Great way to end the game after a slow start and nice preparation for these lads firstever championship game on Monday vs Stratford.

Thanks to Cian, Kian, Tomas, Josh for stepping up from u11. Thanks to all parents for cheering them on. See you all next week .

U11 Boys

Well done to our under 11 side who with the bare minimum travelled to rathnew and put in an excellent team performance battling and working hard for each other from start to finish , some excellent execution of skill sets that we have been working hard on in training and a well deserved reward from it tonight . Great to see so many blocks in one game which showed the level of heart and work rate . A special mention to Cian maguire who covered every blade of grass and tackled every player on the opposite team and maybe even one or 2 of his own

U9’s

We hosted Valleymount & Kilbride in the U-9 Wicklow Go Games at home in a sunny Blessington Gaa Club.

Big thanks to Aaron & Sheena for looking after referring duties

U8’s

Blessington U8s travelled to Celbridge for a mini blitz playing 3x13 minutes matches. Great matches, very competitive with good attempts made at pickups and lots of good skills on show. Go Games ethos was observed by all. Thanks to Celbridge for hosting and to the players and parents for travelling.

U7’s

Great evening for the U7 blitz with Valleymount and Kilbride on Tuesday evening. Some great skills on display over three games. Well done to all the kids involved.

Our U7s were out again on Saturday morning V Two Mile House in the Kildare league. A great performance from these super little bunch of lads.

Ladies Football

Minor Girls

Minor girls played their final game in the league campaign in Blesso tonight against a strong An Tochar side. . By far their best game yet. Well done to all the girls for their commitment in all the games and we the club thank you for that. There was a good few laughs ang giggles along the way and that’s a big part of it. Thanks to everyone that dug in and helped out throughout all the games, ye know who you are.

Finally the evening was capped off with chip buttys in the clubhouse- Ta se go hiontach, thanks Nessa ,best of luck to all the girls in their retrospective league and championship campaigns

U16 girls

Our Under 16 girls headed to Ashford on a sunny Saturday afternoon to play their Div 3 game. A tough start to the game against a strong Ashford team, the girls certainly didn’t do themselves justice and looked like they had been out disco dancing half the night.

Second half our girls got a second wind and played their little hearts out, much better performance from each and every one of them. Super well done to Charlie and Emily on their debut, they were brilliant. All the training sessions are paying off. Our superstar goaly Zane made some savage saves in the first half and ended the game out field and got a goal for all her hard work. Fair play to Eabha for covering the goal in the second half.

Well done to all the girls- when they put their mind to it, they are mighty.

Blesso Abú

U14 Pink

The U14 Pink team had a Very tough and physical match last weekend, we’re very proud of how the girls played and also how they behaved, not retaliating or reacting.

The score didn’t reflect how well we played, we were unlucky in front of goal a few times, losing by 8 pts.

Hard to pick POTM but Captain fantastic Holly has to get credit for her work rate.

So proud of this bunch.

U14 White

The U14 whites headed to Laragh last weekend for a very tough match v Clara in very warm conditions.

Clara was the better team in the first half with a few unanswered scored.

Our girls battled hard with a much better 2nd half but the gap was too much to close.

Well done for working so hard in tough conditions

Healthy Club

Positive mental Health

Our next training day for Safe Talk will be held in Blessington GAA club house June 12th @ 9.30am -1pm. This training is for adults over 18years old, and is open to anyone in the community.

If you would like to be suicide alert and have the tools to talk to anyone who may be suicidal please register for this training and be part of our Blessington champions.

https://bookwhen.com/dublinsouth-kildare-west-wicklow...

Summer Jobs ! If you are turning 18 this year and you’re looking for Summer Work. Why not get involved in Coaching at our Kellogg’s GAA Cul Camps 2024.

Link below to Apply

https://forms.office.com/e/cTfUCu9CAW

Kelloggs GAA CulCamps aren’t just for club members – anyone can get involved and learn to play GAA and have great fun along the way! Register now gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our Tik Tok account starting as soon as Craig stops coming up with excuses for the delay. 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 26/05/2024 Graham Keogh 26/05/2024

Club notes 19/05/2024

Good evening. There was a great community spirit on Saturday morning with both the senior men and senior ladies helping the tidy towns with the big community clean up. It was great to see everyone getting stuck in and the feedback from the tidy towns committee was hugely positive. The town looked fantastic by the time you all finished.

Senior Men

The lads are away to Avondale on Tuesday evening at 8pm in their last game of the league. The very best of luck to you all and well done to you all for coming out on Saturday morning to help with the community cleanup.

The team will also travel to Kerry on the June bank holiday weekend to take part in the Kilarney 7’s. More details to follow.

Minors

Big thanks to Dynamic eventsie for sponsoring a new set of jerseys for our minor team. Steven Bohan of Dynamic Events was on hand to present the jerseys to team manager Jimmy Mulhall. Best of luck for the year ahead lads.

The lads travel to Tomnafinogue on Monday evening for their player pathway league. The best of luck to you all.

U 15’s v St Kevin’s

Our U15’s were back in league action tonight after a hectic weekend at Feile , We were down a few first teams varying inj’s , The lads were slow to start & missed a lot of good opportunities but stuck at it & ground out a good local derby victory over St Kevin’s .

Final score :

Blesso 6-08 St Kevin’s 1-10

The U7s travelled out to Nurney yesterday evening in the Kildare league. Some great passing and skills on display. The lads are showing a massive improvement every week. Well done to all. We go again Monday in the WW league.

Ladies Football

Senior Ladies

Our Senior Ladies had a great win over St.Pats on Saturday evening at home.Brilliant performances all over the pitch,a big well done to Ciara O'Neill on her Senior debut an scoring a lovely point!!!

Very hard to choose a POTM as all the girls were brilliant but Aoibhinn Bailey got it on the day!!!

Well done to the girls and management who supported the Tidy Towns on Saturday morning!!!

U14 pink team had a surprise match yesterday v Newtown. Fair play to the girls for putting in a great performance

Once they found their feet they dominated for the whole match winning 6-05 to 3-07

POTM goes to Isabella Harte who fought for every ball and worked her socks off.

The u14 blue travelled to Tinahely on Thursday evening for the third round of the league. Blessington got off to a blistering start and built up a few scores to take the lead. It was end to end throughout the game with Tinahely showing some fight in the second half to push Blessington close. In the end Blessington finished triumphant, winning by 3 points.

U14 Blue

Our u14 blue team were away to An Tochar on Saturday afternoon. We started quite slow and by half time we were down by 5 points. During the break the girls realised they needed to up their game, they knew their mistakes and where to fix them. We started the second half at a blistering pace with 3 goals from Mollie and 3 from Lucy gave us the lead, and the girls kept pushing to put scores on the board. The end result was Blesso 8-11 An Tochar 6-9. Coaches are very proud of the way the girls performed in the second half. There was so many players that deserved player of the match but we can only pick one. POTM goes to Dara Cullen, who’s drive to get the ball and reading of the game were brilliant.

Scorers:

Lucy Keely 4-2

Mollie Daniels 3-0

Grace Behan 1-5

Thea Smith 0-2

Kate Hill 0-2

The Academy

The academy had a great session on Friday evening. Great weather great numbers .

Thanks to the winning Feile teams boys and girls . The kids loved seeing the boys and girls with their trophies.

Thank you to the teams for coming down to help out. See you all next week

Healthy Club

Positive mental Health

Our next training day for Safe Talk will be held in Blessington GAA club house June 12th @ 9.30am -1pm. This training is for adults over 18years old, and is open to anyone in the community.

If you would like to be suicide alert and have the tools to talk to anyone who may be suicidal please register for this training and be part of our Blessington champions.

https://bookwhen.com/dublinsouth-kildare-west-wicklow...

Wicklow News

Wicklow hosted Laois in round 2 of the Tailteann cup today. Hard luck to you all being beaten by 1 point.

Summer Jobs ! If you are turning 18 this year and you’re looking for Summer Work. Why not get involved in Coaching at our Kellogg’s GAA Cul Camps 2024.

Link below to Apply

https://forms.office.com/e/cTfUCu9CAW

Kelloggs GAA CulCamps aren’t just for club members – anyone can get involved and learn to play GAA and have great fun along the way! Register now gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps

Condolences

Our sympathies this week to the Sargent family , Rita , Sean , David , Dermot and Noel on the passing yesterday of their mother , Pattie . Pattie was wife of the late Jim Sargent( died 2019 ) and sister-in-law to Christy Sargent ( died 2012 ) . Mass for Pattie will be on Wednesday at 11.30 at Crosschapel .

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our Tik Tok account starting as soon as Craig finishes his thesis and summer exams. 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 26/05/2024 Graham Keogh 26/05/2024

Club Notes 12/05/2024

Good evening. What a fantastic weekend for the club with being asked again to host the Boy’s Feile competition .The pitches were in excellent condition and we thank the pitch committee for all their hard work. To Tommy and the CE guy’s for helping with all the preparation.

U15 A Feile

Now that the Dust has settled on an unbelievable days football and an incredible achievement for this group of young men . 2024 Wicklow U15A Feile champions..

1st up was old rivals AGB this was a very tense & tight match with very little between the 2 sides at the end .. Although we dominated possession we were leaving a lot of scores behind and it kept Arklow in the game .. But a big turning point was James Mc carneys goal which gave us some breathing room , And huge moment was Ryan Sargent’s top class save near the end , Alfie Mc has a savage game too dominating at full back .. But when the final whistle blew we knew how important this 1st result was ..

Blesso 1-2 AGB 3pts-

Next up was Kiltegan again it was tight at the start , both teams kicking good scores but after a quick HT chat the lads kicked on and played some slick football and a Goal from Aaron Cantwell and some good scores from Conor Fitz to go with his tremendous work rate throughout . Fiacha Duffy was superb as well ..

Blesso 1-10 kiltegan 2pts

After a break between game 3 & 4 up next was an unbeaten St Pats team and we arguably produced are best performance of the day .. We dominated from the start and controlled the game throughout , Again this teams insane work rate and togetherness shone through .. Oisin Kelly was MOTM and his football brain was a joy to watch , when the chips were down Dylan callaghan stepped up with 4 of the 6 scores in this match

Blesso 6pts St Pats 1pts

Our last game was a local Derby against St Kevin’s , Both teams had picked up inj’s along the way and bodies were tired , Kevin’s started the better but after initial poor start these Blesso lads knew what was on the line and started to kick into gear, A first half goal from James Mc carney was a turning point and the performance of Oisin Quigley really stood out .. But Kevins wouldn’t lie down and kept pushing us all the time . The final nail in the coffin came when Rian keogh broke away and fed Callum Jordan Dempsey and he drove hard into the Kevins defence and produced an unbelievable finish to the top corner to seal the victory …

So that was it Blesso had done it and were crowned U15 A Feile champions for 2024 and incredible achievement.

County A Feile’s are not won easy and this was only Blessington’s 5th title in 28 years …..

So we are now Connacht bound at the end of June to represent our Club , County in the National feile.

Huge thanks to our Sponsor Monadnock Construction for their generous sponsorship , Fitting out the full squad & Coaches with new gear , It is really appreciated by everyone involved.

Thanks to Macari Blessington for their extremely generous donation of all the hotdogs and to Gary McCarney & Milis for the amazing muffins. A huge well done to Nessa for all the organising of the day. Thanks to Gillian, Audrey,Lorna & Lisa for looking after the tuck shop and to Paddy O’Donovan and Tommy O’Hagan for organizing the carpark.

As always Alan Bruce was on hand to take some fantastic pictures and we are all very grateful to Alan. Thanks also to our Chairperson Michelle for her continuing support and for helping out with the PA system.

To say the coaches are proud of this group would be an understatement , They give us everything week in and week out .. This is only the start for this fine group of young men winning big competions for Blessington Gaa club.

U15 A Feile champions

Squad

Ryan Sargent , Noah Tyrell , Alfie Mc Donald , Oisin Kelly , Calum Tyrell , Fiacha Duffy , Oisin Quigley , Conor Fitz , Callum Jordan Dempsey , Rian keogh , Luke Deniffe , Evan Quinlan , Kayden Mc Mahon , Dylan Callaghan , Aaron Cantwell , James Mc carney , Sam Byrne , Will o Connor , Brandon Ryan ,Jack Valintine , Sean Curran.

After the Feile competition we welcomed the group of lads from Rosscommon to take part in their massive fundraiser for a very personal cause and Motor Nurone Disease. The challenge was to take 32 kicks over the bar in 32 counties over a 32 hour time slot. They asked if Blessington would provide the pitch for the Wicklow leg and we were only too happy to oblige. Thanks to everyone who stayed around to cheer on the lads and made donations.

Senior men

The lads were at home on Friday evening against Bray Emmetts and had a terrific win. Final score Blessington 0-16 to Bray 0-10. Thanks to Martin Sargent and Brendan McGarr for umpiring. Next match is away to Avondale on Tuesday 21st May.

The lads will get together with the tidy towns team this coming Saturday 18th Mayfor a big town clean up. Everyone welcome to come along and help out.

Junior A

Junior A team welcomed Avoca on Sunday morning for their league fixture and were narrowly beaten. Finsl score Blessington 1-16 to Avoca 5-07. Hard luck lads.

Minors

The minors were away to Eire Og Greystones last Monday evening. Well done to the team and management on a great win. Final score Eire Og 4-05 to Blessington 4-20

U12 Kildare League

Tough day for the lads this evening.

Playing St Edward’s a group team from Kildare made up of 3 clubs . They were physically bigger team but we worked hard, and gave a good account of ourselves. On another night we could have got a result, we hit the cross bar and seen their goalie make multiple saves where on another night could have been goals.

One big positive was we kept a clean sheet, no goals where we made multiple blocks and a few goal line clearances because the lads put their bodies on the line when they needed to.

Final score 13 points to 4 .

U12 Kildare league Saturday evening

We travelled out to Sarsfield Newbridge.

Great evening for football, probably the warmest day of the year.

We travelled out with 14 with no subs so the lads were going to have to dig in. 1st half nothing between the teams. We were playing well and dominated the collisions. We conceded a couple of goals and we have 2 chances cleared of the line.

Half time score 2:03 to 5 points .

Second half and we conceded some soft goals early on. We were tired and they had 7/8 subs who were able to freshen things up. We slowly took hold of the half again and picked our scores. Overall we were the better team however we came away with the loss.

Final score 4:06 to 1:09.

The lads disappointed however as we told them , it’s perfect preparation for their first ever championship game on Monday vs Baltinglass.

Thanks to all parents for travelling out,

Thanks to both Cian and Tomas for stepping up from u11 . Bring on the championship.

U8’s

The U8s were welcomed to a sunny Raheens GAA for a great afternoon of Go Games in the NKL

We played mini matches v Raheens and Clane, with the lads displaying great teamwork, they did so well to cover every blade of grass on the pitches in the hot weather. The lads had a fantastic time and we would like to say a big thank you to Raheens for being brilliant hosts and to the lads and parents for travelling

Ladies Football

U16 Girls

Under 16 girls began their Div 3 League campaign tonight in Blesso against a very good An Tochar side.

The girls worked really really hard and it’s great to get the first game done. Few bits to work on but we expected that with the girls coming together. Even though the result didn’t go our way the girls were in good spirits and that was good to see.

Meabh Doyle was like a young one possessed in the game. A well deserved POTM from our captain for the night

A huge thanks to Amy Stynes for stepping up from our U14 girls to play in goal- she was brilliant. Well done girls, we’re all proud of ye as always. We go again at training next week.

G4Mothers

Blessington G4mothers hosted Baltinglass on Friday evening, our first match this year.. what a great evening of football and sunshine.Well done to Rachael, Aine and Paula on their first match and they played brilliant.. a big thank you to Kevin Gilmore for kindly reffing ..the mother’s had a well earned drink in Hennessy’s after wards..

We’re always looking for new people to join in, Training every Wednesday 7:30pm-8:30pm.

Healthy Club

It was great to see both dispensers getting used over the weekend with the beautiful weather that we had and the feedback from everyone was extremely positive. If you notice the dispensers are empty please notify any member of the executive committee so they can be replaced.

Positive mental health Blessington

A massive thank you to our speakers last night and thank you to those who showed up at the launch of our Safe Talk video.

Our next training day for Safe Talk will be held in Blessington GAA club house June 12th @ 9.30am -1pm. This training is for adults over 18years old.

If you would like to be suicide alert and have the tools to talk to anyone who may be suicidal please register for this training and be part of our Blessington champions.

https://bookwhen.com/dublinsouth-kildare-west-wicklow...

We extend sincere sympathies to several families suffering bereavements in the past week.

To Michelle and Darren Behan and family on the death of Michelle’s mother, Bridget (Bridie) Reilly, funeral Mass is on Tuesday next in Saggart .

To Paul Kavanagh and Noreen and family on the death of Paul’s father, James , funeral Mass was on Thursday in Kilternan .

To John and Ann Horan, Deerpark , on the death of John’s brother , Joseph , funeral Mass was on Thursday in Rathgar .

To Denise Geraghty and family , Russboro , on the death of Denise’s mother , Carmel Cahill , funeral Mass was on Thursday in Crosschapel.

To Stenson family on the death of their mother, Irene, funeral Mass was on Wednesday in Crosschapel , Irene’s late husband Richie was a big past supporter of the club .

To John Cullen, John was a footballer in his underage days with Wicklow and St Bridgets ( the then amalgamation of ourselves and Kilbride ) , on the death of his father , Dessie , funeral Mass was on Monday in Manor Kilbride.

Graham Keogh 26/05/2024 Graham Keogh 26/05/2024

Club Notes 05/05/2024

Good evening. Another busy week ahead. We will host the Boys Feile on Saturday starting at 10am. Once again a huge thanks to Macari for sponsoring food for the event. More details during the week.

Senior Men

The lads were away to An Tochar last Tuesday evening. A brilliant performance by the entire team which resulted in a draw of 11 points each. The lads are at home this coming Friday evening against Bray Emmets, throw in at 8pm.

Junior A

The lads were away to Stratford on Sunday morning and put in a great performance. Final score Stratford 0-04 to Blessington 3-07. Scorers were R.Finan 0-04, A. Brennan 0-02, T. Fisher 0-01, A.Smith 0-01,J. Hardy 0-01

Juvenile Boys

U13 Spring league

Blesso vs An Tochar

We started a little slow and it was nip and tuck for first 10 mins. We kicked into gear and started to win the 50/50 balls moving up the pitch and taking some nice scores finishing the first half strong.

Second half started again we worked really hard dispossessing them at every opportunity and turning defence into attack.

Great to see the team work. Thanks to parents for coming out.

Thanks to Ewan and Josh for helping team out as down a couple of players tonight.

Next up match Friday night.

U8’s

The U8s welcomed St. Mary’s- Saggart for a friendly on a lovely bright evening. Brilliant play and teamwork on show, with 4 mini matches played, great for all the lads to get a good run at it midweek .Thanks to St. Mary’s for travelling and for the professional photos taken by one of their coaches.

Blesso Blues Academy

Another great session by this group. No matter the weather they love to be out enjoying themselves. Thanks to the Minor boys and u16 girls for helping out with the coaching.

See you all next week 5:30 to 6:30

Healthy Club

Irish Culture

Our club Irish language and Cultural Officer Noreen Keegan Kavanagh and Irish language and Cultural Committee member Pat Molloy attended an Irish language and Cultural officers meeting in Milltown GAA last Tuesday 23 April 2024. It was nice to meet other clubs in Kildare to find out what they are doing to promote the Irish language within their clubs and community.

D’fhreastail Oifigeach Gaeilge agus Cultúir ár gclub Nóirín Ní Aodhagáin Caomhanaigh agus ball den Choiste Gaeilge agus Cultúir Pádraig Ó’Maolmhuaidh ar chruinniú d’oifigigh Ghaeilge agus Chultúir i CLG Bhaile an Mhuilinn Dé Máirt seo caite, 23 Aibreán 2024. Bhí sé go deas bualadh le clubanna eile i gCill Dara le fáil amach cad atá ar siúl acu chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn ina gclubanna agus ina bpobal.

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our Tik Tok account starting as soon as Craig finishes his thesis. 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 28/04/2024 Graham Keogh 28/04/2024

Club Notes 28/04/2024

Good evening. Our Blesso LGFA Feile team took to the field today captained by Freya Carroll, and knew they would be up against it as there were some fine displays of football on show from all the teams in the Division one Competition.

We were out in a group with Tinahely An Tochar and AGB.

The girls were up against the aul nemesis Tinahely in their first game and lost by a single point- warm up game done and the girls blew it out of the park against An Tochar and AGB to qualify for the semi final against Carnew, a tough game but On they went again and the final lay in wait, again they faced Tinahely. A fine game of football and Blesso came out on top to be crowned Wicklow Feile champs. Way too hard to name a POTM, all 30 girls played their part. The girls who stepped up to do water/ spur on the girls- the supporters we can’t thank you enough. Teamwork and comaradery is what’s it’s all about and these girls have it in bucket loads.

We look forward now to the trip to Connaught. Well done coaches and girls. Be proud,and enjoy the celebrations as the club is extremely proud.

I think everyone will agree Blesso grounds were in tip top shape today so a huge thanks to everyone for all you done, you know who you are- Come on Blesso

Healthy Club

Our club with thanks to the Healthy Club Team have been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme sponsored by the HSE and Sunsmart where we will provide information on keeping safe in the sun. We now have a sun scream dispenser with SPF 50 for everyone’s use all we ask is you scan the QR code that’s on the board and take part in a very short survey, this will provide feedback with the hope of these dispensers being provided to all clubs throughout the country.

Referees

There is a huge shortage of referees in county Wicklow and the ask is on for people to step up and train to become a referee. This includes juvenile all the way up to senior. Full training will be provided and if this is something that you would be interested in please contact us and we will point you in the right direction.

With there being such a shortage of referee’s matches may not go ahead which would be very disappointing. We also ask that All teams and management show their respect to the match officials at all times.

Senior Men

The lads are away to An Tochar on Tuesday 30th April with a throw in time of 8.15pm. The very best of luck to you all.

Juvenile Boy’s

Minors

The lads had a very impressive win away to St.Pat’s last Monday evening. Well done to the team and management.

U12 Kildare league

So tough defeat for the lads today .

Played very well at times and dominated both half’s but we conceded sloppy goals which ultimately had us chasing the game.

Half time score

Blesso 1:05 to St Lawrence’s 3:03 conceding with a long ball into the box on the stroke of half time.

Second half’s we started well and won the dirty Ball but we conceded sloppy goals again.

We fought back and dominated scoring the goals we needed however we ran out of time.

Lads certainly disappointed but we learn and move on.

Final score

Blesso 4 - 05 to St Lawrence’s 5 -04

Well done to the lads who stepped up from the u11. Cian. Josh and Darragh.

We go again Monday night with Home game vs An Tochar

U11

Those who undertook one of the longer trips of the season on a Wednesday evening were rewarded with a fantastic boys U11 match against AGB in Arklow. From start to finish the players put in a fabulous effort in a game that was tough but fair and evenly matched throughout. Next up is a home game against Athgarvan.

Ladies Football

Super stuff from Under 16 girls at training on Tuesday. A beautiful evening in the pitches finished off with a well deserved homemade soup and rolls afterwards.

Keep up the great work girls. Thanks to all the coaches and helpers for their efforts as always

32,32,32 challenge

A group of five friends aged 22/23, Brian Kelly, Eoghan Diffley, Emmet Burke, Ciaran McManus, and Conor Murphy, have embarked on an ambitious challenge. Their goal is to kick points in all 32 counties of Ireland, visiting a different club pitch in each county. The group of young men, including four members from the St Barrys GAA club (Eoghan, Emmet, Ciaran, and Conor), along with Brian Kelly from the Newtown Cashel club in Longford, have decided to take on a challenge to support Conor's mother, Nicola. Nicola has recently received a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease, and the 5 young men are determined to raise funds for her.

Blessington GAA club has been chosen as the Wicklow club to host this challenge. The lads will arrive on Saturday 11th May at approx. 1-15pm and we would love to see as many people as possible turn up and support the lads. More details closer to the date.

Wicklow News

Minor Boy’s

Wicklow minors had a super win over Offaly on Wednesday in the Leinster preliminary quarter final. Well done to everyone involved including the Blessington players and management team.

Minor girls

The girls were so unlucky to be beaten by a point in their Leinster championship C final against Louth. Hard luck to you all.

Well done to Emily Behan and Lucy Keely, from our u14 Blessington team who won the u14 festival of football bronze championship with wicklow, in a terrific final against wexford.

Graham Keogh 28/04/2024 Graham Keogh 28/04/2024

Club Notes 21/04/2024

Good evening. It was so nice to see the shining for the weekend; It was great to see all the activity up at the pitch. Our club with thanks to the Healthy Club Team have been chosen to take part in a pilot scheme sponsored by the HSE and Sunsmart where we will provide information on keeping safe in the sun. We will have sun scream dispensers at the pitches for everyone’s use and these will be in place in the next week or so.

Referees

Junior A

A nice win for Blessington at home v An Tochar on Sun 21 April. 1-11 to 1-09.

Scorers - Mikey OToole 1-5 ( 2 frees ) ,Brian Richardson 0-3,Pauric Quinn 0-1,Cillian Bailey 0-1 ,Thomas Mossy Walshe 0-1

Juvenile Boys

U15 Boys

U15 Div 1 vs St Nicks

Blessington travelled to Dunlavin in Game 2 of the league. It was a very wet night and heavy pitch and the lads battled hard for 60 mins against a tough St Nicks team. We played well in patches but again loads to work on over the next few weeks. The team & coaches would like wish James mc Carney best wish’s after he picked up a nasty injury.

Final score

Blesso 4-11

St Nicks 1-5

U12

U12 Kildare league , we made the long drive to Athy on Friday evening. After a long week we started the game slow conceding goals early . It took the lads 20 mins to get into the game. With a lot of damage already done. We slowly came back into the game just before half time.

Half time score 7:05 to 2:02.

With the lads coming off at half time disappointed they had 2 options, either down tools or get stuck in. We started second half playing the way we know we can, getting stuck in. Winning the dirty ball and driving forward as a team. We outscored them in second half ensuring the lads could hold their heads high. Still lots to work on but lads did themselves proud.

Final score 8:10 to 4:06.

Thanks to all the parents who travelled.

Thanks to Tomas and Ewan for stepping up from the u11.

As a treat we stopped off on the way home for some refreshments

U13 Spring League

Blessington travelled out to Eire Og Greystones .

After the long drive, one would be worried we wouldn’t start strong. This team continues to produce the goods. Playing against a strong wind, we dominated, attack followed by attack continuously ensuring Eire Og were under pressure from the start. When Eire Og did break through we quickly cleaned up loose ball and transitioned to the ball up the field taking the scores. Second half started with the wind behind us and we kept the pressure on for the entire half, taking the win. Well done to everyone. Thanks to all who travelled out.

Next up big game Friday night away to Athy.

U10

Well done to our u10s who put in another solid performance against a dogged Two Mile House side last weekend. Some impressive pick ups under pressure as well as a fantastic work rate from all caught the eye. Great to see them working for each other & coming off the pitch with plenty of smiles & red cheeks. Well done lads ! Easy job for the coaches today Super to have Sean Og back for his 1st match today & thanks to Jack for helping us out when numbers were short.

U8 Boys

We welcomed Eadestown GAA for a friendly match this evening, with a lovely change in weather up in the pitches .A great challenge on both sides, with lads getting chances to practice in all areas of the pitch. Thanks to Eadestown for travelling and to all for the support on the sidelines.

U7 Boys

U7’s Travelled to Ballymore in the Kildare league , Super performance’s from everyone on a lovely sunny Saturday morning.

Well done to all the boys who took part in the Cuman na mBunscoil blitz today in Hollywood Gaa pitches. 12 teams took part with Blessington players represented on the Lacken, St Mary’s and Gaelscoil na Lochanna teams. They were all a credit to their families, schools and club.

Congrats to our own Eoghan.

Who won the County Cumann naBunscol in Ballinakill earlier in the week. He’ll get to play in Croke park at halftime in one of the championship match’s later this year

Juvenile Girls

U14 Girls Blue

Our u14 blue team had a match this morning against Eire Òg at home. We played against the wind in the first half. Emily Behan scored a powerful goal from close range to get us off the mark. Thea Smith racked up some points from free kicks to keep us ahead. Eire Og pulled back with a goal and 2 points to level it up, Thea and Caitlin popped over a few points to get us ahead again, then Eire og slotted 2 goals to go ahead. Lucy and Grace then put away 2 goals just before half time to put us ahead 3-6 to 3-5. The start of the second half blessington had the wind at their backs but eire og struck first with a goal and a point. 2 goals from Lucy and a goal from Mollie and frees from Thea put us back in front. The forwards put alot of pressure on the kickouts which paid off and put points on the board. The end result was Blessington 6-14 Eire Òg 6-6. A great result from the girls who battled hard throughout the match. POTM goes to Thea Smith for her brilliant free taking and general hard work.

U14 White

Another super performance for the U14G White team v AGB this afternoon.

We played against the wind in the 1st half and still managed to lead by a point at half time.

The girls really shifted up a gear playing with the wind in the 2nd half. Some great team play with plenty of support play for each other and getting the basics right, which is what we’re practicing at training. Final score 9-6 to 1-10 with POTM going to Amelia who worked her socks off and was rewarded with some great scores.

Once again very proud coaches.

U14 Pink

The U14G pink team had a tough match last night after a trek down to Rathnew.

Rathnew scored a few goals in quick succession in the first half which would be enough to deflate most teams, but not these battlers!

They came out after half time with their heads high led by captain Hollie Phibbs and fought hard proving to be the better team in the 2nd half but it wasn’t enough in the end unfortunately.

They learned a lot from that match against an opposition that should probably be in a different division and the coaches are very proud with how they never gave up and kept fighting till the very end.

POTM is Emma KH whose fitness showed as she never stopped battling for the whole match.

Gaeilge agus Cultúir.

Míle buíochas ó Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha as the club received a grant of €190. This will pay for a 6 weeks 'Introduction to Irish course' which will start on Wed 17 Apr in the clubhouse 8pm - 9pm. This is FREE to attend to members and Blessington community. The focus will be in 'Conversation Irish'. If anyone is interested in attending, please text/WhatsApp Noreen on 0872859375. There are just a few Spares available and they will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

The club will host a couple of pop up Gaeltachts at Kaleidoscope this year as well as some high-profile games at the pitch.

The club hosted a very successful Scór Sinsir County Final in Kevin's Hall on 22 March and Asia O'Riordan (Amhránaiocht Aonair- solo singing and Sheila Naughton (Aistriseoreacht - Recitation) won a county medal. Sheila and Asia represented Blessington GAA and Wicklow GAA in Oulart, Co Wexford on Sat 6 Apr in the Leinster semi- finals. Asia was in a tough category and, unfortunately, didn't progress. This was her first time to compete in Scór Sinsir and we have no doubt in her ability to progress in the future. Sheila progressed to the Leinster provincial Final in The Downs, Co Westmeath on Sun 21 Apr.

Our Tráth na gCeist county 4 time winners - Pat Brennan, Pat Molloy, Tommy O'Donnell and Declan Reape will represent the club and county in Mullingar on Sat 20 April. Ádh mór oraibh go léir.

Asia O'Riordan was invited to sing the national anthem at the minor match in Aughrim on Sat 13 Apr.

32,32,32 challenge

Condolences

Our sympathies this week to the Flanagan family , in particular to Teresa and Sharon , on the sad passing of Babs Flanagan ( Mearns ) . It’s the end of an era , we will all miss Babs indominable spirit and availability to help at the drop of a hat , and a cheerful outlook to cheer us all .

Babs celebrated her 104 birthday in Naas hospital with family and friends on Sunday 7 April . Babs was born locally at Dillonstown and subsequently lived at the Kilteel Road and stayed at Oak Drive with brother Jack .

The Flanagan family were a big part of the club last century , where Babs’s brothers Barney and Tom were key players . They both played for the club and the amalgam of Blessington and Kilbride known as Liffey Rovers , that was back in the thirties . In the following years Tom and brother Christy were stalwart supporters of the Blues . Babs maintained a keen interest in GAA and a club jersey was part of the Mass gifts at Crosschapel on Thursday last .

Rest in peace, Babs .

You can keep up to date on all club related news across all social media and also with our Tik Tok account starting soon. 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 11/04/2024 Graham Keogh 11/04/2024

Club Notes 07/04/2024

Good evening. We are in the middle of adult league football and already we have our championship fixtures for our Senior men, Junior A and Junior B teams. It’s hoped that the championship will commence on the 2ndweekend of July. We will keep you updated closer to the time.

As we all back to training now all membership fees should be paid in full. You cannot train on the pitches, in the gym or take part in any matches if you are not a paid up member. If you have any queries about this you can contact the club registrar Darren on 087 226 4140. We are looking forward to a brilliant season and we wish every team the best of luck.

Fundraiser

We are absolutely delighted to announce the final tally for our jungle challenge is €50,000 We can’t thank the community of Blessington and all the businesses enough for all the support you have shown to the brilliant contestants. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed in anyway. And last but not least thanks to the super fundraising committee for all their effort and dedication.

Referees

Juvenile Boys

U15’s had a good start to Div 1 with a strong win at home to Bray Emmets

Down a few 1st team players, big thanks to the U14 lads for stepping up.

Thanks to our team sponsors Monadock construction for their continued support.

U13’s

Great performance by our u13 team in the spring league on Wednesday evening vs St Kevins.

The lads worked so hard, with nice scores and teamwork both in and out of possession. The lads didn’t let up and worked to very end ensuring we came away with the win.

Thanks to both Conor and Aaron for stepping in to help the lads.

Thanks to all the supporters

Next up match this Saturday vs Round Towers in the Kildare league meeting 3:30.

U12 Kildare league

Blesso vs Round Towers

What a game , two evenly matched teams. With the wind involved it was certainly going to be a game of 2 half’s . Blesso playing against the wind in the first half, we knew we were going to be under pressure. Struggling to get out of our half against gale force wind and torrential rain where it was difficult at times to even see out the the field . We blocked , tackled everything in sight, half time arrived with Round Towers leading 5 points to 1 .

Second half we kicked on , taking our scores, again this team loves to get stuck in and we tackled everything. We started to get hold of the game and took the lead. Half way in second half , Round Towers scored a goal extending their lead by 2 points. In the final minutes of the half we pushed up on their kick out forcing a mistake and scoring the goal we needed. One final attack for Round towers broke down with our defence refusing to concede . We moved ball into the forwards and took the final score.

Final score .

Blessington 2:05 Round Towers 1:06

Great performance from everyone.

Thanks to all the supporters , they were certainly getting excited near the end.

Thanks to u11 lads (Tomas, Cian, Josh) who stepped in and did a great job as usual.

Thanks to Round towers for travelling down for the game.

Senior Ladies

The ladies were away to AGB today. Final Score AGB 1-14 to Blessington 5.12. Well done everyone.

Academy

The academy Blesso Blues returned last Friday evening from 5pm-6pm. It was great to see everyone again after the winter break, and also a big welcome to all of our new comers. Looking forward to a great season of skills, fun & games. See you all again next week at the Astro at 5pm.

Healthy Club

We are delighted to be one of the chosen clubs that will take part in a sun safe campaign starting soon. We will have sunscreen dispensers located (TBC) for your convenience on our grounds with information on how to stay safe in the sun. More details to follow.

Scor

Comhghairdeas to Sheila Naughton who represented Blessington GAA and Wicklow GAA in the Scór Laighean semi-final of Scór Sinsir on Saturday 6 April in Oulart, Co Wexford. Sheila performed in the Aistriseoreacht (Storytelling) category. Sheila progresses to the Leinster provincial final which will be held in The Downs, Co Westmeath on Sunday 21 April.

Maith thú Asia O'Riordan who performed "Irelands Call" in the Amhránaiocht Aonair (solo singing) category. This was Asia's first time competing at senior level and was unlucky not to progress. She will be back next year to compete again. A great days entertainment but a long drive there and back!

Comhghairdeas le Síle Ní Naughton a rinne ionadaíocht thar ceann CLG Cros Bhaile Coimín agus CLG Chill Mhantáin i gcluiche leathcheannais Scór Laighean de Scór Sinsir ar an Satharn, 6 Aibreán, in Oulart, Co. Loch Garman. Sheinn Síle sa chatagóir Aistriseoreacht (Scéalaíocht). Rachaidh Síle ar aghaidh go dtí cluiche ceannais chúige Laighean a bheidh ar siúl sna Dúnaibh, Co. na hIarmhí Dé Domhnaigh an 21 Aibreán.

Maith thú Asia O'Riordan a sheinn "Irelands Call" sa chatagóir Amhránaiocht Aonair. Ba é seo an chéad uair ag an Áise a bheith san iomaíocht ag leibhéal sinsearach agus bhí mí-ádh air gan dul chun cinn a dhéanamh. Beidh sí ar ais an bhliain seo chugainn le bheith san iomaíocht arís. Lá iontach siamsaíochta ach tiomáint fhada ann agus ar ais.

32,32,32 challenge

Wicklow Football News

It was a great week for Wicklow football with the minors playing against Wexford on Wednesday evening. Blessington was well represented with Patrick Small sharing joint vice captain. Also included in the panel were Max Kehoe ,Ronan Smyth, James Phibbs, Conor O’Toole, and Oisin O’Connell. Final score Wexford 0-08 to Wicklow 0-09.

The U20’s were against Carlow on Wednesday captained by Austin Brennan and had a fantastic win. Final score Carlow 0-7 to Wicklow 3-11. Well done everyone. They will play on Tuesday evening in Blessington. Details on tickets to follow.

The senior team were away on Sunday against Wexford in their championship and again Blessington was well represented . Well done to Kevin Quinn ,Craig Maguire and included in the panel was Dan Cooney. Final score Wexford 1-11 to Wicklow 2-09. Next match is against Kildare in Portlaoise on 14/04/24 at 1.45pm. Details on tickets to follow.