CUMANN NA MBUNSCOL NÁISIÚNTA
National A.G.M.2004 (Kerry)
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CUMANN NA MBUNSCOL NÁISIÚNTA |
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National A.G.M.2004 (Kerry) |
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GENERAL MEETING SEPT. 27th. 2003
The General Meeting of Cumann na mBunscol Náisiunta was held in St. Patrick’s College of Education, Drumcondra on Saturday, 27th September. Cathaoirleach Jim O’Reilly welcomed all the delegates.
Ø A presentation on G.A.A. in London Schools was made by Patrick Morrissey.
“As Chairman of the London Schools’ Board, I would like to set up a London Cumann na mBunscol and model ourselves on your structures. We want to be school driven rather than club driven. The London Minor Board supports us and we also receive sponsorship from a stationary company. We have our own coaching scheme and we have links with Strawberry Hill as students from this college coach the children in our schools. We have 24 schools involved in Gaelic football, 6 of which also participate in hurling. We run competitions twice yearly and we invite schools from other parts of Britain to take part. We also visited Cork this year as part of their centenary celebrations. Gaelic Games in Britain are in their infancy stages. All we ask of you is friendship, empathy and advice.”
Ø The minutes of AGM 2003 were distributed. Their adoption was proposed by Jim Dempsey ( Wexford) and seconded by Frank Reidy (Meath )
Ø Allianz Withdrawal of Sponsorship
Buntus:
Buntus kit bags still had no GAA equipment included in them. It was proposed by Liam Weir and seconded by P.J. Fitzpatrick that Cumann na mBunscol Náisiúnta demand a meeting with the Irish Sports Council.
v CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS
AGM in Sligo :
Since our AGM in Sligo, Cumann na mBunscol has continued to provide Gaelic Games activity for Primary School children at many levels. May I at this stage again thank Cumann na mBunscol Sligeach for their efficient and capable hosting of our AGM.
McDonald’s Catch & Kick Scheme:
At national level, the McDonald’s Catch & Kick Scheme enjoyed a successful debut. While the exhibitions in Croke Park provided a platform for Cumann na mBunscol to parade the skills in front of large crowds, the main thrust of the scheme was coaching. We are awaiting feedback from counties to see the fruits of the scheme and it’s imperative that counties fulfil this important element of the scheme. This year Lift & Strike will be introduced and talks with Croke Park will begin shortly. Our thanks to all county co-ordinators who did a trojan job.
Handball:
Our two National Handball days took place in Croke Park in March and the standard was as high as usual. The catering will have to be reviewed and this will be dealt with shortly. Our thanks to Malachy McGeeney who continues to co-ordinate this scheme.
INTO/GAA Mini-Sevens :
The final Sunday of the INTO/GAA Mini-Sevens takes place tomorrow. Many thanks to Timmy Maher for organizing the whole event with his usual efficiency. Our thanks to Seán Rowley, President of the INTO,for his encouragement every Sunday. Thanks also to Seán Ó Ceallaigh, the President of the GAA, for taking time out of his busy schedule on All-Ireland Final Days to attend Mater Dei and address parents, teachers and players. Sincere thanks to the loyal teachers from Dublin who help Sunday after Sunday. Moira Graham from Croke Park continues to provide vital back-up while Jerry Grogan provides great publicity on match programmes. Last but not least many thanks to “The Red Army” , the young people who help every Sunday and perform their duties with great efficiency.
Provincial level :
At provincial level, I’m delighted to say that exhibition games take place at senior championship games in all four provinces. This is a wonderful opportunity for Primary School children to parade their skills before large appreciative audiences. I hope that these games will continue and grow in popularity over the coming years.
County level :
At county level the various leagues are now in full swing. I would ask all counties to provide proper meaningful leagues in all codes for our children. For two counties this is a very special year. Coiste Sciath na Scol are celebrating their centenary and I congratulate them on the publication of an excellent book entitled “ An Dá Sciath “ Dublin are celebrating their 75th. Anniversary and I had the opportunity of attending a weekly meeting last Monday night. I was able to see at first hand the excellent programme of games that are being organized there.
Allianz :
However it’s not all good news for us as Allianz have terminated their sponsorship with us in the last few days. One of the reasons stated was that many of our units did not use their name or logo when reporting activities in the media. I feel sorry for the counties who diligently adhered to guidelines but many units made very little effort to give our sponsors due recognition. While we will actively seek new sponsors, we need committment from all counties to help our very efficient PRO, Jerry Grogan, in generating proper recognition for sponsors.
Roadstone Awards :
I thank all units for entering the Annual Roadstone Awards and I would like to thank Eamonn Mullen for his trojan work in this scheme. I’m looking forward to another great night in November.
I would like to thank all my fellow officers for their help and dedication since the AGM.
Finally next year’s AGM is now on Saturday, 28th. February, 2004 in Tralee, in God’s own kingdom.
v SECRETARY’S REPORT
v ROADSTONE AWARDS:
Ø The Roadstone Banquet would take place at the Berkeley Court Hotel on Saturday, 29th. November. Tickets for the Roadstone Banquet were €40.00 and Jim urged counties to send at least two representatives to the Banquet.
Ø We are greatly honoured to have An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern T.D. and President Seán Ó Ceallaigh in attendance at the Roadstone Banquet. We had two new assessors, Martin Breheny ( Independent ) and Jim O' Sullivan
( The Irish Examiner ) and Jim thanked Eamon as Roadstone co-ordinator for all his hard work.
Ø ALL-IRELAND TICKETS:
We were very fortunate to receive the same amount this year and all delegates were delighted with their allocation. Participating counties were very grateful for their generous allocation.
v COACHING GAMES & DEVELOPMENT:
A lengthy discussion ensued in relation to coaching grants. Many delegates wondered what happened to the €10,000.00 coaching grant that was supposed to be sent to counties.
This grant was sent to the Provincial Councils who then made it available as a block grant to the counties in its province. Cumann na mBunscol delegates should raise this matter at their Senior Co. Board meetings.
In Fermanagh, Cumann na mBunscol wrote to Pat Daly to get a breakdown on what money was due to them and they applied to their Senior Co. Board for same. They now have a separate account for coaching.
In Waterford, if clubs put coaches into schools, they apply to the Coaching Games & Development Committee for a grant.
Kerry has a separate account for coaching.
In Leinster the coaching grant is designated for a particular purpose and it is handed out on submission of receipts and proof of work being done.
In Connacht the money was pooled together but counties were not consulted about it.
Everyone felt that there should be a separate account for coaching so that it would not get lost among the other grants.
Margaret should get letter from Pat Daly clearly defining how the various categories of grants should be used.
Eamonn Mullen ( Sligo ) requested counties to send on details to him of what is happening with regard to the €10,000 coaching grant.
v MC DONALD’S SKILLS PROGRAMME:
Everyone was delighted with the McDonald’s Catch & Kick equipment and they were looking forward to the Lift & Strike equipment next year. Many were unsure about the level of club/school tie-up eg.
How many coaches going into schools?
How many sessions?
Who conducted the sessions?
It seemed that some clubs were availing of the coaching grant.
v P.R.:
Ø A second supplement of Cúl 4 Kidz was made available by The Irish Times recently and another would be printed at Christmas time. The children received this magazine and a free copy of The Irish Times for 50c but it had to be ordered through the school. Cumann na mBunscol had an input and a letter should be sent to The Irish Times congratulating them on this new venture.
Ø Cumann na mBunscol also had an input in the Lyons Tea G.A.A. Promotional Pack. If schools collect 2,500 tokens in a year, they will receive a set of jerseys for their school.
v HANDBALL
A change of dates had been agreed for the handball as it helped relieve the pressure during the last term which was already a very busy term.
County Finals to be played before the end of December, 2003.
Regional Finals to be played before mid-February, 2004
March 27th at 10.30am Girls under 11 singles and doubles
March 27th at 1.00pm Girls under 13 singles and doubles
April 3rd at 10.30am Boys under 11 singles and doubles
April 3rd at 1.00pm Boys under 13 singles and doubles
Ø Jim thanked handball officer, Malachy McGeeney for all his hard work and Malachy hoped to have a table of the number of participating schools in Handball in each county for next year.
v MINI-SEVENS;
It was Timmy’s eighth year as National Co-Ordinator and he thanked the county organizers and regional hosts for all their efforts. The Mini-Sevens took place at half-time during the minor game. There is still great enthusiasm for the Mini-Sevens and there is always a great demand for tickets. The following receive free tickets:
Parents 2 tickets
Child 1 ticket
He received a great response this year as only two counties didn’t respond. He received many thank you letters from participants and he would like to thank Moira Graham for all her help. Many thanks to Seán Ó Ceallaigh who spent forty-five minutes with the children at the All-Ireland Hurling Final.
P.J. Fitzpatrick ( Clare ) congratulated Timmy Maher on his organisation of the Mini-Sevens. A parent from Clare said that her child was treated like royalty on her visit to Croke Park.
Sinead Ni Chrean Loinsigh (Wicklow) thought it would be a lovely idea if children could receive video coverage of their visit to Croke Park.
Jimmy O Riordan (Wicklow) said that it should be made clear at the start of the Mini-Sevens that if a school won two county finals, that they must opt for one code over another.
v COISTE GEARAIN:
Michael Weed ( Donegal ) was delighted to see that a Gearán Committee had been formed as it was long overdue. We need our own rules and it was hoped that this committee would come up with some suggestions and recommendations for the Coiste Gearáin in each county.
v WEBSITE
Recent developments concerning Cumann na mBunscol should be updated regularly to keep members informed about recent happenings.
v Jim thanked Margaret for a very comprehensive report.
v The adoption of the secretary’s report was proposed by Seamus Fitzgerald (Waterford ) and seconded by Gerry O’Meara (Dublin).
v TREASURER’S REPORT
The adoption of the treasurer’s report was proposed by Liam Weir (Munster) and seconded by Joe Donnolly ( Fermanagh )
Liam Weir ( Munster ) expressed concern over the Hurling/Helmet subsidy. The grant had remained static whereas the cost of helmets and hurleys had increased dramatically. This matter should be raised at Central Council.
The repair of helmets was also a concern for delegates as now the helmets have to be returned to the factory for repairs. This has to be done for insurance purposes.
Marett Smith ( Longford ) wondered if there was any opposition to McDonald’s as sponsors as we are supposed to encourage healthy eating policies in our schools. There was no objection as children only go to McDonald’s occasionally for a treat.
That concluded the business of the meeting