Happy 50th birthday to Milltown as a Senior club

By NOEL CARNEY MILLTOWN G.A.A. Club can look back with satisfaction on the past 2011 season after achieving success on and off the field at various levels in men's and ladies' grades and at under-age levels, while on the administration side a successful fundraising draw with a car as first prize was held to alleviate much of the debt that accrued from updating the facilities that will now benefit both the present and coming generations. However, all at the club will soon be casting their minds back much further to a time before any of the players and most of the officials were born. On Friday two weeks, January 20 a grand celebration to mark Milltown's unbroken run of fifty years as a senior club â€â€ only Tuam Stars can beat that record â€â€ will be held at the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris and it is shaping up to be the greatest social event in the club's history. While some of the ambitious and far-seeing men who founded the club in its current form have now passed to their eternal reward, as indeed have some very influential players of that era and later ones, the occasion will see the coming together of many more members and an unforgettable night of nostalgia and a recalling of past times is guaranteed. The glittering occasion will feature many illustrious guests including outgoing G.A. A. President Christy Cooney (Cork) who made such an impression when he led the tour of Croke Park for Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and other dignitaries from home and abroad last year. Gaelic football had been played in Milltown in the late 1800s and afterward in the first half of the twentieth century, but it was on an unorganised and spasmodic basis and many fine local exponents of the game were forced to ply their trade with neighbouring clubs such as Dunmore, Garrymore and Tullinadaly. The revived Milltown club can be dated to 1953 and after initial success at different levels they made the big break-through to the top grade in 1961. Their Junior team captained by Billy Kelly (from Parkroe, and now of Salthill), won the North Board title in convincing fashion â€â€ and they then made history in the grade, twice (unexpectedly) in the one campaign as their county semi-final opponents from the West didn't field a team and Milltown's next outing was against Ballinasloe in the county final, easily won by Milltown, 6-8 to 1-2. Astonishingly though, the West then came alive and Milltown had to play Clonbur, but they won it 0-10 to 0-2 and that was that. The re-fixture was played on New Year's Day 1962 and to Milltown's amazement it became the first G.A.A. result announced on RTE Television that night, a mere couple of hours after the station was officially opened. Subsequently, the Milltown club went on to win two County senior titles and several more at other levels including a fantastic three-in-a-row of under-21 'A' Championships and many club members have represented county, college and university with great distinction. Those and many other great days and other more distant memories will be recalled at the McWilliam Park Hotel on January 20th. With Milltown men and women coming from all over the country and some from abroad it will a wonderful night of reminiscing and celebrating. There are also exciting plans to put the club history into print. More about that to follow in the coming two weeks. Would readers know, for instance, that Milltown legend Noel Tierney once lined out as goalkeeper in a senior championship match but when things were not going the team's way he switched outfield, played out of his skin and turned the game into a victory. Who is Milltown's 'most capped' player as regards senior championship appearances? Be prepared for a surprise. Who is their leading scorer? Social tickets are currently available from any member of the Milltown GAA Club Finance Committee or via any Club official.