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Russell Park Academy yielding Spectacular results - Sat, 22 May 2004

While a lot of the headlines from St Brigids Senior Football teams march to their recent Dublin and Leinster Championship wins have been grabbed by the Gallagher cousins , a closer look at the team and squad shows a totally different story.

12 of the Dublin and Leinster winning starting teams have played with the club since U-10 , a remarkable fact that not many GAA clubs around the country could emulate ? 80% of your Senior team playing with the club since they were 8 or 9. This fact should be highlighted instead of the negative headlines St Brigids have received on the GAA websites and National Press recently about imports. It is ironic too to see Club Captain Jason Ward being called an import and a Leitrim man when in fact he went to Saint Francis Xaviers school in Castleknock and played with the club since he was 8.

Dublin players Peadar Andrews, Barry Cahill, Declan & Martin Cahill along with current All Ireland u-21 Dubs winners Declan Lally and Jonnie Noonan all began their football careers in the famous Russell Park Academy. Add in the two Keanes , Keith and Paul, Dublin 2003 player of the year Mick Galvin, and the promising Graham Norton , Kevin Bonner and the picture tells its own tale.

This is a story of hard work by many great people who had great foresight and gave hours of their time to begin and implement one of the biggest and strongest underage programmes ever seen by a GAA club in Ireland. An innovative approach taken in conjunction with the local schools saw an under 10 schools league being run ever week from the early 1980?s in Russell Park. What started out with 2 Teams in 1981 (approx 40 children) developed into 18 teams at its peak in the early 90?s.(approx 300 children).

With the U-10 A and B finals providing the highlight for many a child and teachers bragging rights for the year the competition around Dublin 15 reached Fever Pitch at times. The inaugural league was aptly won by Naomh Brid of Blanchardstown and new schools were welcomed in nearly every year with Laurel Lodge ,Corduff and Mulhuddart providing two teams at times. Add in the traditional powerhouses of Saint Francis Xaviers, Scoil Brid Blanchardstown, Saint Brigids Castleknock, Scoil Oilibheir and Clonsilla , the picture is near complete.

Its great to see that some of the more recent graduates from the Russell Park Academy Declan Lally and Barry Cahill (both Dublin Senior footballers) have not forgotten their roots and where it all began. Barry spent the last two summers at St Brigids Summer Camps (which were a huge success) while Declan has spent some Saturday mornings at the club Nursery recently in Beech Park.

Not Surprisingly after such a strong beginning the nursery continues to go from strength to strength and is held every Saturday from 10.a.m. to 11.00 a.m at the school in Beechpark Avenue under the excellent stewardship of Seamus Brannigan and a team of devoted volunteers . All children from school going age upwards are welcome to come along and learn the skills of hurling and football in a fun atmosphere. 

And so , while a lot of success on the field this year has rightly gone to the excellent management duo of  Paddy Clarke and  Gerry McEntee , many of the senior squad and Brigid's supporters know the people who helped this great journey all those years ago. We should not forget them in what has been a brilliant year for the Castleknock and Blanchardstown Club.

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