Published on: 14-Jan-2010
2009 was a great year for the club both on and off the field. The senior footballers narrowly missed out on winning the division 2 league title but their disappointment was short lived when they gained promotion to the top table of Dublin club football through the play-offs. The seniors also caused some ripples in the Senior Football Championship where they forced the muched fancied Ballymun Kickhams side to a replay where they just fell short. Stephen Cluxton was again one of Dublin's brightest stars in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Pat Gilroy's men. We reached 4 Adult Championship finals.....2 junior football and 2 junior hurling finals, winning 2 both victories will live long in the memory for the players, management and members. Our minor footballers won their league so the future is looking bright. While our senior ladies reached the championship semi final and provided 3 players to the Jackies All Ireland Final team in Avril Cluxton, Niamh McEvoy and Lindsay Peat. On the Juvenile front we have appointed Declan Power as Development Manager and reached record levels at the Summer Camps, with over 200 boys and girls per week attending over 2 months. Our pool teams are going from strength to strength, providing a couple of members at international level.
Off the field we are about to begin the biggest development in our proud 116 year history. The proposed development will give the club the following new facilities in the heart of our catchment area of Coolock/Artane.
- 2 all weather pitches, 1 for adults and 1 for Juveniles.
- 1 full size sand-based grass pitch.
- A hurling and handball wall.
- New state of the art modern clubhouse.
- The new facilities will include a sports hall with championship size basketball court with retractable seating for 600 spectators
- A fully equipped gym, with sauna/steam rooms, a sports therapy centre, and a suite of fully furnished changing rooms.
- The GAA club's public areas will include a reception area, a bar, lounge, games room and a large function room.
- A suite of community meeting rooms will be located at ground floor.
- There will also be parking for 180 cars.
This project if it proceeds as planned will be of enormous benefit to all the members of An Cumann Parnell, the residents of Coolock/Artane and surrounding areas. This development will allow us with one bound to move into the 21st century by providing the kind of facilities most GAA clubs can only dream about. It will re-invigorate and renew Coolock village and help foster a greater sense of community spirit and unity in the Coolock/Artane area.
At present our club plays a vital role in the community, through its vibrant juvenile section (12 teams) and also through its adult teams for men and women in football, and hurling. With it's the new facilities the club will be able to expand its youth sections and enable young people to play and enjoy a range of sports in a modern and safe environment, be it on the all weather floodlit pitches or in the new state of the art sports hall.
This development will allow Parnell's to become one of the biggest and the best in the county, if not the country. But the club's ambitions are not confined to the playing fields. The public areas of the club will allow local clubs and societies to hold meetings in a relaxed and modern environment. The hope in the future would be that the club would be in a position to facilitate more community based groups and activities in the various meeting rooms and the well appointed function room.
Club chairman Frank Gleeson said " We want An Cumann Parnell to become one of the biggest clubs in Dublin and if this project proceeds it will be the most important development in the Coolock Artane area in decades ,consolidate the club in the heart of the community and provide access to top class facilities for a wide variety of associations and clubs.The club draws its strengths from the local community and we want all residents to be proud of what can be achieved and to make our club a role model for other communities".
On the social scene the club has become the hub of the social scene for many members this is no fluke it is down to the vision, drive and planning of Peter Tiernan our Bar Manager and his staff. This year saw the introduction of Play your Cards Right, Karaoke, Poker plus much more. We also had a recent membership drive which has been a tremendous success and shows the value the club has in the area.
The Club would like to take this opportunity to thank our many generous sponsors for their continued support. We look forward to strengthening these relationships through what should be an exciting 2010!!
P.R.O. Paul Rigney
paul.rigney2@mail.dcu.ie