New ladies club Cill Óige gets off the ground

Rosemount and Castledaly have once again joined forces with the recent establishment of Cill Óige Ladies Gaelic Football Club.

The formation of the club follows the link-up between Castledaly and Rosemount under the Cill Óige banner at underage level for boys.

April 26 was a red letter day for so many sporting clubs and organisations, with collective underage training allowed to resume due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. But the date has even more special significance for Cill Óige LGFA who held their first ever training session for underage players in Rosemount GAA grounds.

Considerable work was carried out behind the scenes to get Cill Óige off the ground, with numerous online meetings held before the club was affiliated to Westmeath LGFA.

Many female players from the Rosemount and Castledaly areas have played for Moate over the years, but it was felt that a new club was needed to cater for the growth in the number of footballers at underage level.

“It is fantastic news for the girls and young ladies of our communities who wish to play football with their local club. We plan on fielding teams at all grades, including U12, U14, U16, U18 and adult,” said a spokesperson for Cill Óige LGFA.

Is fearr cairde ná ór (friendship is worth more than gold) has been chosen as the club motto and in addition to providing sporting opportunities for players, the club is keen to foster a strong sense of community spirit.

“We have received incredible support from everyone in our local communities over the last few months in the effort to start our club. So many people are putting up their hand to help, including parents, coaches and players,” continued the spokesperson, also thanking Rosemount GAA and Castledaly GAA clubs for their backing.

“Any girls and ladies in the locality are more than welcome to get involved in the club. If you are a current, new or former LGFA player, we would encourage you to get in touch and come join in the fun with Cill Óige LGFA.

"We are delighted to see a lot of former players coming back to play, and our main aim is to enable more girls to play the game. The various teams have been doing their own bit of training individually or in virtual team challenges or training over video calls.

“After a long winter and with the easing of restrictions imposed by Covid-19, we are delighted to see the return to training for our underage teams,” the Cill Óige spokesperson added.

Cill Óige LGFA is always happy to welcome new players. Anybody interested in getting involved is asked to contact Joe Sheerin on 087 2472389 or Joe Farrell on 087 7590902.