Night to remember for St Laurence’s GAA
David Kelly, Helen and Stuart Byrne, Florencia and Anthony Kelly All photos: Jimmy Fullam
Last Sunday, St. Laurence’s GAA club held their dinner dance at the Clanard Court hotel. A number of the club’s successes were celebrated over the past 50 years at the gala event.
The club recognised their 2024 U23 Men’s football championship success, their 2024 Senior Camogie league title, the club’s first senior club championship title in 2000 as well as their first Junior Men’s championship title in 1975. The club also first moved into their club grounds in Old Grange 50 years ago.
'Junior' Miley was one of the club members that helped organise the event and he said it was a great success.
"The community came together and remembered the club’s history. It was almost like a history lesson for those in our club. Many people in our club aren’t from the area and moved into our club during the Celtic tiger, so it’s nice to bring past and present together.”
Miley paid tribute to club stalwart John Joe Walsh, who was integral to the development of the club and Miley said it was important that he was recognised on the night.
"It’s a coincidence in a way that the event is taking place on St. Brigid's weekend. I say that because the female side of our club is so important and is brilliant. You look at how successful our camogie for example has been. I want to acknowledge Cecilia White who founded camogie in club. She’s a Clare woman who married up here. She has done a brilliant job with camogie in the club. We have so many great women in our club.”
Miley stated that St. Laurence’s GAA club is in a great position, with numbers only getting bigger. When touching on the club’s U23 success in 2024, Miley believed the competition was huge for the club when it came to retaining players and getting young players to play at adult level.
“We had a disappointing year at senior football level, as we were relegated to intermediate, but a lot of that u23 team will be hugely important to the intermediate side in 2025. Our hurlers are up to Senior B this year in Kildare and that is huge for the club to be a senior hurling club in Kildare.”
