ANDY EIFFE the man who started Ratoath/Rathbeggan
Community Games over forty years ago was
remembered when the athletics
competitions took place recently at the Ratoath Athletic club track in Jamestown.
Since Community Games started in Meath in 1971,
Ratoath /Rathbeggan have been ever present and today it is one of the best
organised areas in the county giving children up to the age of 15 an
opportunity to participate and represent their area in a wide range of sporting
and cultural activities.
During his lifetime Andy Eiffe made a huge
contribution to the sporting and community life of his beloved Ratoath. In his younger days Andy was a great athlete and
was a Meath 100 yards champion as it was then. He also played GAA with Ratoath.
Andy really came into his own a sports organiser/ administrator. He was mentor to generations of young GAA
players in Ratoath. He was a Director/Secretary of a Ratoath Development company which brought soccer, GAA & Pitch
and Putt together at the Codliss on the Skyne Road. As well as bringing Community Games to Ratoath
he was also one of the founder members
in the early 1970’s of an athletic club in Ratoath called Oliver
Plunketts which is the forerunner to the current Ratoath Athletic Club. Later
he was instrumental in purchasing the land at Brownstown for the GAA club where
their great facilities are now located.
Community Games and ANDY EIFFE were a perfect fit. In
the early days of the games in Ratoath under Andy’s stewardship there was a great
success for Ratoath children at both county and national level. Among those who
were successful were Andy’s two sons Sean & Brian. Sean was a great GAA
footballer and represented Meath at minor and junior level. Brian was a serious runner and won national
titles in the 100 meters at various age
levels in community games. He later was an international standard sprinter in
the 1980’s.
Andy died in June 2000 but he has left a massive
legacy of community involvement and achievement. Tragically less then eighteen
months after his own death, Andy’s eldest son Sean was killed while working as
a member of An Garda Siochana as a
Detective Sergeant on duty on an operation at Abbeyleix, Co Laois. The GAA
grounds in Ratoath are named after Sean.
Andy would have been very proud of the numbers and the
standard of the 2014 community games athletics competition. This group will be
the strongest in years representing Ratoath/Rathbeggan in county finals in
Cushionstown in June. The rise in the
standard of athletics reflects the rapid growth and great coaching provided by
Ratoath Athletic Club. The club is flourishing and is now has the largest
membership of any sporting club in the area for children under 16.
There huge numbers in the younger age group with a
4,5and 6 categories with many of the participant’s athletic debutantes. In the
girls events the most competitive race of the night was the girls under 12 100
meters where Ella Healy prevailed in a great race. Aimee Doherty was a pillar
to post winner in the 600 meters at the same age group. Also at this age group
Emma Scattergood and Aoife Rutherford
won the long jump and ball throw
events respectfully. Laura Kelly had a double in the under 10’s winning
the 100 & 200 meters. There was
fierce competition in the under 14 age group also. The versatile Karen Hayes took 800m and then
doubled up in the Puc Fada. Emma Coroner also doubled up at this age group
winning gold in the hurdles and long jump. Lara Power took gold in the Shot
Putt and last year’s community games national under 12 100 meters champion Ivie
Okomo won the u 14 100 meters although she was pressed hard right to the line
by Aine Cooney. It was great to see such large numbers of girls in the under 16
age group where Katie Lewis took the 100 meters and Aine O’Connor looked very
impressive winning the 1500 meters despite very bad weather conditions which affected
the end of the programme.
The overall impression - dare one say it - of the boys competition, was that it
was not quite as competitive as the girls. Normally in Community Games the
competition tapers off in the older age groups. In the under 16 boys this was
certainly not the case with a dead heat in the 100 meters between Brian Kieran
and Peter Kilgannon. The 1500 meters was a through run race in dreadful weather
conditions where winner Philip Marron
looks a real prospect although the runner up Alex Hunter kept him honest with
his usual doughty display. Matthew Buckley
dominated the under 14 category with three golds and was especially impressive
in the 100 meters. Tom Kilgannon
dominated the under 12 age group also
with 3 victories. Special mention to Sean Murphy who won the Puc Fada.
This lad pucked the sliother 90 meters
(where the ball stops) - not bad for an
eleven year old. Stars of the future
could have been unearthed in the under 10 and under 8 age groups with Kyle
Witter with three wins at under10 and
Cian Maye with two wins at under 8. Sean
Buchanan won the under 12 ball throw while at under 14 Krisada Cooke took the honours in the Shot Putt and Dara
Casey emerged victorious in the Long jump.
It was a great night of Athletics at the Jamestown
venue. The Community Games committee remembered ANDY EIFFE with a short
ceremony during the competition. A citation was read and presentation from the
Community Games Children of 2014 - represented
by Katie Doherty and Tom Kilgannon - was
made to Andy’s wife Alice who was
accompanied by her daughter Meave Flood.
Ratoath /Rathbeggan Community
Games 2014
Girls Results- Girls U4-1.
Sienna McCarthy 2. Doireen O’Sullivan 3.Megan Lane: Girls U5 – 1.Cara O’Neill;
2. Daisy Mae; 3. Sarah Murphy; 4. Erin Grace; Girls U6 – 1. Ava Scarrett, 2.
Melissa Connolly, 3. Rachel Hyland, 4. Louise Byrne;Girls U8 1.Katie Doherty
2.Molly Kearns 3.Erin O’Reilly 4.Caroline Byrne; Girls U8 80 m-1.Katie Doherty
2 .Kate Raftery 3.Erin O’Reilly 4. Molly Kearns & Emily Malone; Girls U10
100m -1.Laura Kelly 2.Bronagh O’Sullivan 3.Ava Fay 4.Aibha Forde; Girls U10 200m-1.Laura
Kelly 2.Laura Smith 3.Niamh Murray 4.Ciara Coroner; Girls U10 60m
Hurdles-1.Eilis O’Farrell 2.Bronagh O’Sullivan 3.Laura Kelly 4.Laura Smith;
Girls U12 100m -1.Ella Healy 2.Aoife Rutherford 3.Emma O’ Connell 4. Aimee
Doherty; Girls U12 600m -1. Aimee Doherty 2. Ella Healy 3.Emma Scattergood
4.Molly O’Toole; Girls U12 Ball Throw-1. Aoife Rutherford 2. Molly O’Toole
3.Matilda Ruhan; Girls U12 Long Jump-1. Emma Scattergood 2. Laoise Murphy
3.Orla Hayes; Girls U14 100m -1.Ivie O’Kome 2.Aine Cooney 3.Emma Coroner 4.
Lara Power; Girls U14 800m-1. Karen Hayes 2. Kate Smith 3.Maria Rogers 4.Sophie
Dunne; Girls U14 Shot Putt-1. Lara Power 2. Karen Hayes 3.Nicola Breslin
4.Rachel Doherty; Girls U14 Long Jump-1. Emma Coroner 2. Karen Hayes 3.Lara
Power; Girls U14 Long Puck-1. Karen Hayes 2. Aoife Kelly 3. Rachel Doherty;
Girls U14 80m Hurdles-1. Emma Coroner 2. Lara Power 3. Maria Rogers 4. Aine
Cooney; Girls U16 100m -1.Katie Lewis 2.Aine O’Connor 3.Kate Byrne 4. Lauren
Kelly; Girls U16 1500m -1. Aine O’Connor 2. Jennifer Bradley 3.Alba Walsh
Boys Results - Boys U4 – 1. Michael
Murray, 2. Jacob Brady, 3. Max Wyatt, 4. Cillian Owens & Matthew Maher;
Boys U5 – 1. Sean O’Sullivan, 2. Adam Forde, 3. Ben, 4. Luke Rafferty; Boys U6
– 1. Dennis OLara, 2. Matthew Lynch, 3. Sennan Lynch, 4. Cormac O’Flaherty;
Boys U8 60m – 1. Cian Maye, 2. Fionn
Heffernan, 3. Louis Finglas, 4. Jack Kelly & Aaron Bisselle; Boys U8 80m –
1. Cian Maye, 2. Fionn Heffernan, 3. Louis Finglas, 4. Robert Hayes; Boys U10
100m – 1. Kyle Witter, 2. Michael O
Hoka, 3. Christopher Dunne; Boys U10 200m – 1. Kyle Witter, 2. Sam Carey, 3.
Christopher Dunne; Boys U10 60m Hurdles – 1. Kyle Witter, 2. Cian Crawford, 3.
John O’Connell, 4. Christopher Dunne; Boys U12 100m - 1. Tom Kilgannon, 2. Brian Kiely, 3.
Brandon Barnes, 4. Oisin Kelly; Boys U12 600m – 1. Tom Kilgannon, 2. Oisin
Kelly, 3. Fionn Drummond, 4. Tony McCann; Boys U12 Long Puck – 1. Sean Murphy,
2. Will Lanigan, 3. Sean Goggan; Boys U12 Ball Throw – 1. Sean Buchanan, 2. Tom
Kilgannon, 3. Oisin Kelly, 4. Will Lanigan; Boys U12 Long Jump – 1. Tom
Kilgannon, 2. Fionn Drummond, 3. Oisin Kelly; Boys U14 100m – 1. Matthew
Buckley, 2. Krisada Cooke, 3. Dara Casey, 4. Fergal Kilgannon; Boys U14 800m –
1. Matthew Buckley, 2. Harry Bailey, 3. Dara Casey, 4. Fergal Kilgannon; Boys U14 80m Hurdles – 1. Matthew
Buckley, 2. Krisada Cooke, 3. Dara Casey; Boys U14 Shot Putt – 1. Krisada
Cooke, 2. Evan Maher, 3. Daniel O Hoka, 4. Ross Healy; Boys U14 Long Jump – 1. Dara
Casey, 2. Krisada Cooke, 3. Tomas Brady; Boys U16 100m - 1. Brian Kiernan & Peter Kilgannon, 2.
Stephen Shaw, 3. Gareth Doyle & Paddy Petrovich; Boys U16 1500m – 1. Philip
Marron, 2. Alex Hunter, 3. Peter Kilgannon
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