Monday, January 20th
Dinner Dance: The Allen Gaels / St. Francis Ladies 2025 Dinner Dance will be held in The Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon on Sunday, February 2nd. Tickets are now on sale at €50 each. Doors open at 6.45pm and dinner commences at 7.30pm. The following presentations will be made on the night: St. Francis Ladies league & championship medals, Minor, Junior & Senior Ladies Player of the Year, Junior & Senior Men’s Player of the Year, Mothers and Others Player of the Year and Club Person of the Year. The following day, Monday February 3rd , is a Bank Holiday so hopefully there will be a good attendance for what should be a very enjoyable and memorable night.
Fundraiser: Following a club charity game which took place on St. Stephen’s Day, a cheque for €2,000 was presented to the Smith Family to help with ongoing medical bills for newly-born baby Harrison. Well done to the Allen Gaels & St. Francis players for organising and participating in this very worthwhile event. We send our prayers and best wishes to Baby Harrison.
Tony McGowan Run: This year’s Tony McGowan Run takes place on Sunday, February 16th with the Half-Marathon commencing at 10.00am, the 10K race at 10.30am and the 5K event at 10.45am. Over 1,400 participants are expected to take part. The Half-Marathon and the 10K races are sold out but there are still some places available in the 5K race. Of course, the event is also open to walkers. The proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Baby Harrison Smith Fund. This is a huge event and the club is appealing to anyone who wishes to volunteer their services in the areas of catering, stewarding and traffic management, to contact the committee with your details.
Leitrim Ladies: It was the clash of champions last Sunday in the opening round of the Lidl LGFA National League Div. 4, when All-Ireland Intermediate champions, Leitrim, hosted All-Ireland Junior champions, Fermanagh, in Kiltubrid. However, the Fermanagh girls proved much superior on the day building up a healthy first-half lead. This was a much changed Leitrim team with several of the All-Ireland winning stars not available. Despite a pair of second-half Leitrim goals, the Fermanagh ladies ran out winners on a score line of 3-13 to 2-09.
Monday, January 13th
Club Lotto: The first draw of 2025 took place last Tuesday evening, Jan. 7th. There was no winner of last week’s jackpot of €4,000. Congratulations to our Christmas Draw winners, John Reynolds (Arigna), Josephine McTigue, Emer Lynch (Corryard Wood), Declan Lynch (Rooskey) & Donncha Lynch who win €200 each. Prizes may be collected in Hegarty’s Centra from Thursday following the draw. This week’s jackpot will stand at €4,100. Many thanks for your continued support and to those businesses who stock our Lotto envelopes.
Every Step Counts: Allen Gaels will take part in the Irish Life MyLife Every Step Counts Challenge 2025. The Challenge began on January 8th and runs until February 12th. The minimum goal of this challenge is to collectively hit at least 4,000km and be entered into the Connacht provincial draw. The more participants we have within our community, the faster we will hit that target – last year we hit it in one day. You can participate in the Challenge by downloading the MyLife app.
Club Members Draw: The following winners have been selected through Foireann using a random number generator and have won the following prizes in our Christmas Club Members Draw, Gareth Higgins (Jinny’s Voucher), Kathryn McGreevy (Bellz Voucher), Sharon McGourty, Ballinaglera (Gunpowder Gin), Alan McKeon (Bottle of Brandy), Cathríona McGourty (Bottle of Whiskey), Barta Orawiec (Bottle of Vodka), Aidan McKeon (Boxed Wine Set) & Patricia Keane (Box of Biscuits).
Wedding Bells: The club extends its warm congratulations to Aidan Heron on the occasion of his recent wedding in Perth, Western Australia. Aidan has always been a staunch supporter of Allen Gaels and Leitrim GAA over many decades. We wish Aidan and his new bride, Cheri, every happiness as they begin a new chapter in their lives.
Club Meeting: A club meeting will take place in the clubhouse at 8.30pm on Thursday next, January 15th. Please make every effort to be in attendance as important decisions will have to be made for the club going forward.