For the second time in three years, St. Enda’s has picked up a major communications award from Croke Park.
Our DVD ‘The St. Enda’s Story” which traces the history of the club from 1932, was named as the winner of the 2013 Club Project category in the annual GAA McNamee Awards. Club Chairman John McElholm, Secretary Paul Breen and Treasurer Paul Meldrum will represent the club at the award presentation in Croke Park this evening (Sat).
In the official citation from Croke Park, the judges said: “The strength of the GAA is the community ethos that’s central to the Association’s way of thinking in addition to the high value placed on history and Folklore of our games. These qualities shone through in the best club project award winner – the St Enda’s club in Omagh, County Tyrone. With forensic research back boning a high quality DVD called The St. Enda’s Story, over 20 people were interviewed as part of the documentary tracing the history of the club back to its foundation.
“The outcome is not only a production which captures the personality of the club and its key successes but also a valuable social history of Ireland making this a most worthy winner”.
St. Enda’s picked up a similar award last year for the 2011 ‘St. Enda’s Trail: Galway to Omagh’ Cycle DVD project. Both projects were produced in conjunction with Cyril Kelly of Soupstone Productions, Dromore.
‘The St. Enda’s Story’ is a one hour and 20 minutes DVD production depicting the formation and history of the cub. It features interviews with no fewer than 22 club members, including past and present players and officers, and recreates scenes from the first ever meeting of the club in 1932 and its first ever competitive game.
Amongst those interviewed are Dan McCaffrey who scored the only goal in the club’s first ever minor championship victory in 1946 and repeated the feat in 1948 in the club’s first ever senior championship victory. Dan also recounts a unique memory from the 1947 All-Ireland minor football final where he also scored the winning goal for Tyrone against Mayo, but his biggest disappointment was losing a ‘half crown’ which he spotted on the pitch in front of Hill 16 before the game. With no pockets in his shorts, he decided to bury the coin and retrieve it after the match and “while everyone was going bananas” after the game he went back to retrieve the coin but alas it could not be located!
Others to be interviewed include the legendary St. Enda’s, Tyrone, Ulster and Ireland goalkeeper Thady Turbett who talks about how his club has a special meaning to him and his family, and also Joe McMahon, the first St. Enda’s player ever to win an All-Ireland senior championship medal in 2005.
Copies are now available to buy from the St. Enda’s Clubrooms or Mickey McCrory’s Newsagent ‘News at Six’, John Street. Price £10.
