Athy's Under 16 G.A.A. team County Champions 2022

Athy’s young footballers won the under 16 Division A County Championship final last week. The team captain was Dara English, grandson of my much missed friend and former Urban Councillor, Frank English. Dara unlike his grandfather who never featured on a Gaelic football team was good enough to play on the minor winning team which defeated Clane in the Minor A Championship Final the previous week. He played corner back on the minor team and filled the full back position for the Under 16 final. There is footballing blood in the English family veins, for Athy’s 1937 County Championship senior winning team featured Dara’s great grandfather, Tommy in the left corner back position. Tommy Buggy he was called, reared as he was by a family of the same name but in fact he was Tommy English and is shown in the photograph lying in front on the right hand side. I am told that the last time Athy’s under 16’s won the County Championship was 48 years ago. This year has been a very successful footballing year for the underage footballers from Athy Gaelic football club. The mentors for the under 16’s team are Barry Dunne, Colm Byrne and James Eaton who can rejoice in a club success with links stretching back over 85 years ago to what were the glory days of Athy Gaelic Football and a time which saw Athy senior teams win four County Championship finals between 1933 and 1942. Dara English visited his grandfather’s grave following the County final and in the second photograph is shown with the champions cup at Frank’s last resting place. The two photographs showing footballers three generations apart signal the importance of Gaelic games in our family lives and of our shared memories of the past.