Senior
In the first round of the County championship we play Thurles Sarsfields in Holycross on this Saturday, 25th July at 3.00pm. The game will be live streamed. There will be a log on link on the Tipperary GAA website with a paywall subscription of €10. Our social media will provide further information on this.
Due to government restriction on attendance, the club received only 30 tickets for this game which were allocated to the team and management. We regret that we were unable to facilitate our loyal supporters on this occasion.
Minor
In the first round of the championship we were overpowered by a formidable Ballina outfit in Toomevara. The players must dust themselves down and rebound from this reverse when they take on Kiladangan in Borrisokane on this Wednesday, 23rd July at 7.00pm.
Juvenile Fixtures
On this Thursday, 23rd July our U14 hurlers are at home to Borris-Ileigh at 7.30pm while on the same evening our second U12 team travel to Roscrea to take on the home team at 6.45pm.
Charley McLoughney RIP
Charley McLoughney was born in Coolagorna, Ardcroney in July 1942. He attended the local national school and headed to St. Flannan’s for his secondary education. As a fifteen-year-old Charley won Harty and All-Ireland Colleges medals in 1958 on a side that included club colleague Joe Williams. He emerged on to the MacDonaghs senior team in 1960 and while he didn’t feature in the North final loss to Toomevara he nailed down a starting berth for the County quarter-final victory over Marlfield. Charley kept his place for the semi-final where Toomevara recorded a four-point victory before going on to capture the Dan Breen.
That great Toomevara side proved to be a stumbling block for MacDonaghs in the early sixties with the Greyhounds recording North semi-final victories in 1961 and 1963 and depriving Kilruane of the title in the 1962 final. Charley and his colleagues preserved and were duly rewarded when Len Gaynor led MacDonaghs to victory over Lorrha in the 1965 final. Charley lined out at centre-forward on that team with his brother Tom wearing the number fourteen jersey. Although on the losing side in the County semi-final against Thurles, Charley gave an impressive display on Tony Wall and was called on to the Tipperary panel for the National League. He captained the Tipperary team that played Wexford in the first match played in MacDonagh Park, Cloughjordan in May 1966. He continued playing club hurling until 1970.
Charley was a fearless competitor in an era where few prisoners were taken on the hurling field. In his regular position of centre-forward he came up against some great centre-backs who were plying their trade in North Tipperary. Charley retired at a relatively young age but retained more than a passing interest in the fortunes of MacDonaghs. In recent years he had the pleasure of seeing his grandchildren continue the family tradition in the black and white jersey.
Greyhounds were Charley’s abiding passion. He was a familiar figure in the Markets Field, Limerick where he turned out a few winners. Charley had the honour of breeding the winner of the English Derby in 1982. He sold a dog called Liosgarbh Strand to an English buyer and that greyhound, running under the new name of Lauries Panther, claimed the coveted title. It was a proud moment for Charley when he was present in the White City Stadium, London to witness the dog he bred justify 6/4 favouritism in the Blue Riband of greyhound racing. It was Charley’s one and only venture outside the Emerald Isle.
As a mark of respect, the tricolour flew at half-mast in MacDonagh Park. His coffin was draped in club colours and at his funeral three generations of MacDonaghs members, including his comrades from the 1965 team, walked in silent tribute as Charley made his final journey to Ardcroney Church.
Sympathy to his wife Nora, sons Shane, Cathal and Enda, daughters Yvonne and Ciara, brothers Paddy and Tom, sister Alice and extended family.
Sympathy
The club extends sympathy to the Gaffney family, Grawnorish, Cloughjordan on the death of Sally Gaffney (née Boyle),
