Na Fianna Nuacht Thank YOU! Sincere thanks to everybody who was involved, helped out and attended last week’s Christmas Market and Panto. It was a huge success and it was great to see such large numbers passing through the club. Whether you helped out with the set up preparations or the dismantling operation, or played a part in the panto either on or off stage, or volunteered for stewarding, or told your friends and family about what was happening or if you made it to Na Fianna to witness the fantastic seasonal sights…..your Club is very grateful to you. Prince Charming, sometimes known as Stephen Behan, penned a letter of thanks on behalf of the cast of Cinderella and the sentiment expressed by Stephen is shared by all at Na Fianna…….read on. A message from ‘Prince Charming’ The Panto curtains have closed for the last time, the sets have been disassembled, the floor is swept, the chairs are stacked and the make up has been wiped away. I’ll have to be honest I was actually getting used to the make up..... The feedback has been overwhelming, the support on the three shows fantastic and on behalf of the cast, I am writing to you to simply say thank you. Your kind comments have been uplifting to say the least and has made all the hard work worthwhile. When we started rehearsing three months ago, (our director would use the term ‘rehearsing’ at that stage very loosely), we had no idea if the panto would even be on for two shows, never mind three! The support from you has been amazing from the very start, within a few weeks of announcement we had to add another night as the demand was so high. This drove us on to work even harder to deliver the best possible show. There were rehearsals in the club, various houses, the school, we even rehearsed in the dressing rooms a couple of nights. A special thanks from us must go to to our fantastic director, Aine Clerkin, for her superb direction and most of all for her patience, trust me she needed a lot of it!!! There are so many people to thank, from Niall and Niall and the rest of the backstage team, to Aine, Sheila, Mary and Marie with costumes, to Colm for music and Dessie for sound and to the dozens of others who helped out in various tasks that are too numerous to mention.

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Na Fianna Nuacht Most of all the cast would like to thank our producer, Cormac O Donnchu, for everything, without him the panto simply would not have happened! Cormac brought us together at the start and drove us from the word go. No obstacle was too big or too small (he even carried Dandini on his back at one stage) and Cormac provided everything that was required to put on a great show, so Cormac, we thank you. When the dust had settled after the last show on Saturday, I finally had a chance to get to see the market on Sunday afternoon. The buzz around the club was incredible, everyone was smiling, even the volunteers who had been there all night! To Brendan Roddy, Karen Fox and the Market Committee, to the Maintenance Committee who worked so hard in ensuring the club looked its best, and to the huge team of volunteers who gave their time, all I can say is well done on organising a fantastic event for the club, one that is sure to get bigger and better every year. While the main objective of the market and panto was as a much needed fundraising tool for the club, I think it has been so much more than that. It is a testament of what this club is about, when we come together to focus on one goal we are unstoppable. Sport brings us together, but it is the people within the club that keep us together as a community. The slogan, ‘One Life, One Club’ has never been more relevant to me than this past week. Long may it continue. To each and everyone in the club, thank you for helping make this a truly magical Christmas at Na Fianna. Sincerely, Stephen and the rest of the cast.

2014 Calendar Now on Sale The 2014 Na Fianna calendar, now on sale, is a great memento of yet another great twelve months of activity in Na Fianna and is packed with photographs showing another busy year on Mobhi Road. At only €10, the calendar not only represents great value but also serves as a good fundraiser for the Juvenile section. Calendars on sale throughout the club.

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Na Fianna Nuacht Weekend Action Best of luck to both U-21 football teams in Championship finals in Sunday’s double header in O’Toole Park. Our A’s play Ballyboden St. Endas at 11am and our B’s play Clanna Gael Fontenoys at 1pm. The lads are looking for a big Na Fianna support and it’s going to be a great occasion for the club fielding two teams in finals. With bus routes 9 and 83 passing the door, only good excuses will be accepted for not turning up for the lads. Good luck also to Minor B hurlers in their MHL4 final against St Vincents at 11am on Sunday in Mobhi Road. Full fixture list on website, best of luck to all teams and all support welcome.

Minor Football League Winners

Congratulations to our Minor B footballers, pictured above, on their Div 3 league final win against Whitehall Colmcilles on Sunday.

Christmas Shopping at Na Fianna Na Fianna Christmas presents and stocking fillers! We have a range of terrific stocking fillers for sale in Seffie's Hurley workshop.Choose from mugs, pens, notepads, cute keyrings, hurley and sliotar sets etc. Seffie is open this Saturday from 9am to 1pm and from 9.30am to 5.30pm Thurs and Fri with late opening til 9pm Thurs night in the run up to Christmas. Club shop open each Sat 9am-1pm and Tues and Thurs nights 7-9pm. New stock expected this Saturday! Na Fianna Nuacht 13ú Nollaig 2013

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Na Fianna Nuacht

Some of the great range of Christmas stocking fillers on sale in the Hurley Shop this Christmas

U-16 Girls Christmas Outing Na Fianna’s U-16 girls football and camogie teams had a lovely day out last Saturday as they now relax after busy and successful seasons. First a group went ice skating in Swords with Shauna Halpin in particular showing off skating skills while some of the others needed extra tuition from the friendly male skating coaches ! After that, the whole group met up in Blanchardstown for a meal in Captain Americas with a total number of just under 40 including mentors and players. Medals and trophies were handed out, but the highlight was the presentation of Christmas jumpers and specially made team calendars from the girls to all the mentors. Great way to finish the season and we now look forward to a successful minor season in both codes.

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Na Fianna Nuacht St. Stephens Morning in Na Fianna To help with the post-Christmas Day blues, the Club is going to host the first ever 1-8 Hurling/Camogie Challenge on Stephens morning between 10.30 am to 12 noon. The plan: To start in the car park, score a point in each of the 8 goals around the club in a set sequence, with some hazards on the way around and finish by scoring a goal in the mini goals set up in the car park. The Teams: Teams will be made up of 3 Players. Players are recommended to be over 12 years of age. Players will be given a handicap before their round depending on their gender, age and ability, i.e. Underage Camogie players will have a higher handicap than their Hurling counterparts. All adult players will be playing of scratch. (Ideal team will contain an Adult, a CCC2 player and a CCC1 player, to benefit from the handicap system, but there is nothing stopping any combination of players on a team). Puck Off Time: Stephens morning between 10:30am and 12. Timesheet will be kept in Seosamh Breathnach Hurley Repairs workshop. Call in or contact Seosamh on 0863479371 or Dermot Moran on 087-2319336. It will take 30 minutes to complete the challenge. 2 teams will set off together and mark each other’s scores. Cost: €9 per team of 3. Rules: To enjoy the Morning. (More technical rules will be applied on the morning). Prize: There will be a prize for the team to complete the challenge in the least amount of pucks. Refreshments: There has been a mention of hot refreshments being served after the Challenge.

St. Stephens Afternoon in Na Fianna Team names are now being taken for the annual Na Fianna St. Stephens Day Seven a side tournament. An established fixture in the club’s calendar, Team Handsome going for three in a row, will be the ones to beat. If you think your team is up to it, get your names to Ciara 087-9478304 as soon as possible. Na Fianna Nuacht 13ú Nollaig 2013

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Na Fianna Nuacht Fundraising Opportunity A novel post-Christmas fundraiser is being offered if anyone would be interested in taking it on and leading the charge. Last January, the Intermediate Hurlers advertised a collection service for old Christmas trees and made a nice few euro from it. For €5 the lads collected trees from houses, by appointment, and brought them to the recycling centre, saving people hassle and pine needles. With a bit of advance planning this could be a good fundraiser. Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Róisín in the office, [email protected] , and your details will be forwarded for more info.

…and finally Best wishes to Club GPO Colm Crowley who leaves Na Fianna to take up a similar position with Cork County Board. Colm in his time with us has done an excellent job in the role and will be sorely missed by all. While it’s true to say that Na Fianna’s loss is Cork’s gain, we send every best wish to Colm for the future and say a genuine thanks to him for all his work here. Go n-éirí an bothar leat a Choilm.

Comhbhrón Sincere sympathies are extended to the Garvey family of the Sunnybank Hotel on the passing this week of long time Na Fianna supporter Peter. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Fógra Tabachtach The objective of Na Fianna Nuacht is to communicate as much club activity as possible however it is important to note that all items for inclusion in either Club Notes or Na Fianna Nuacht are reported to

[email protected] or texted to 087 9250697 by Sunday evening. With a membership of 2700 and approx 100 teams now competing it is difficult to ensure all club activity is reported upon – Do not assume that your team’s activity is already known to Na Fianna Nuacht or that someone else has reported it. When errors or omissions occur it is the policy of Na Fianna Nuacht to correct these in subsequent issues when they are reported to [email protected]

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