Veteran Players Group

	Committee: Chairperson - Tom Doyle 087 9110555 Secretary - Mgt Doyle 087 83880018 Enda Smyth, Jim Treacy, Luke Hayden, Carmel Gibson, James Whelan, P.J Kavanagh.
	Veteran Players Group Facebook Page

The photographs featured here are from the 1960s

The Clonegal/Kildavin Veteran Players Group was formed in May 2013 to organise a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first of the winning of Under 14 schools Gaelic Games County Championship. The combined schools of Clonegal, Kildavin and Parkbridge won both Hurling and Football titles in 1963 under the management of Clonegal School principal Ben Mulhall.

In the following years 1964,65,66,67, and 68 the combined schools went on to win three huring and three football titles.
This Golden era was celebrated at a function in the Talbot Hotel Carlow on 19th of October 2013.

The group were so overwhelmed with the support it received for this venture that the project ended with surplus funds.
It decided to remain together, with the intention of trying to develop community activity.

In its short existence it has set up a community office in the Kildavin/Clonegal GAA Club rooms in The Spellman Park, Kildavin. It prints the tickets for the local lotto run jointly by Kildavin Clonegal GAA and The Ben Mulhall Memorial Park Association, contributing to a reduction in the ticket production costs. It has also printed leaflets and tickets for a number of community groups.
The group has also engaged in a number community based projects. It has ran a number of drama summer schools for Primary school kids. It has run an exhibition of old photographs and documents relating to the community. It ran an information evening around services available from state agencies, with guest speakers from a number of government bodies .
The group has found its niche it is celebrating and recording, the history of the community. Its first event was to celebrate sporting success at under 14 level and it went on to celebrate a Golden Decade in Camogie, again at under 14 level, including one All Ireland title won in 1995.It organised a very successful commemoration of the 1916 rising as experienced in the area. It commemorated the centenary of the first Gaelic Football Championship that came to the Parish in 1919.

Once again in 2021 we gather virtually to remember those honoured on the Memory walls in The Ben Mulhall Memorial Park and the Spellman Park Kildavin. We thank Fr. Liam Lawton for giving us permission to use his beautiful musical composition "There is a Place".

click or tap on the image below to view the 2021 virtual commemoration

Verteran Players Group has now six publications under its belt. "Lest We Forget" and " A Backward Glance" both of which harvested the lived experiences of older members of the community. “Walk in My Shoes” Looked at the changing nature of how livelihoods by people over several decades. “For The Honour of the Little Village” told the stories of several retired GAA players across the three counties of Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow “A Historic Team for A Historic Time” tracks the story of the 1919 Championship winning team and the society of the time in which it operates and “Golden Memories” a book of local photographs.

Currently the group is preparing a time capsule to contain commentary on the Covid 19 Pandemic and relevant memorabilia.
The contact details of the group officers are on this page and they would be glad to hear from anyone who wants to engage with them. They can also be contacted at maggie1980@live.ie

Photos of the launch of "A Backward Glance" - click on the image below

Photos of the former Camogie Players Dinner Dance - click on the image below