It was a very busy weekend on the pitches for many of our very young players.  Our Under 8 boys football team had their first official game and our girls had matches against Fingallians and Beann Eadair.  Many thanks to LogMeIn.com and Stephen Duignan for their continued sponsorship of our Juvenile Section.

Registration and membership fees are due for all players.  It's important to stress again that insurance against player injury costs only applies if membership and registration is completed.   Payment can be made through our club website and can even be paid in instalments over four months.

The club lotto jackpot was €1,700 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 2, 10, 23.  There was no jackpot winner.  The €50 Lucky Dip winners were Deirdre O'Hagan and Susan Ryan.  Next week's jackpot will be €1,800.

Our new Minor Girls football team had their first game on Saturday, in some terrible conditions, against a strong Na Fianna team.  Congratulations and well done to all the girls.

Just before the minor girls' game we saw a great performance from the Under 13 girls in their Division 2 football match against Na Fianna.  The Under 13 Camogie team matched the footballers with a great win, in atrocious conditions, against Castleknock, with a score of 7-03 to 2-01. 

The adult hurling team played and won a challenge game against St Maurs on Saturday.

Next Saturday evening will be a big night for Niamh Rafferty from our Nursery section, as she has been chosen as the team mascot for the Dublin team and will lead out the teams at the next Spring Series fixture in Croke Park. Tickets will be available on the day -  Adults: €15 – Stand & Terrace, Juveniles: €5 – Stand​.  Dublin Hurlers v Cork – 5pm, Dublin Football v Tyrone – 7pm

Special mention goes out to PJ Murray who refereed his first inter-county fixture on Saturday in Tinahely Co. Wicklow.  The fixture was a Minor Girls Leinster Championship game between Wicklow and Carlow.

Congratulations to the coaches from St Finians who, after 7 weeks, completed the Award 1 coaching course.  

The Fantasy Cheltenham competition is being run as a fundraiser again this year.  Tickets are available from the Club Office or from Committee members.  Entries must be completed and returned to the office by Wednesday evening.

The club will be participating in the Swords St Patrick's Day Parade again this year.  It is hoped we will have representatives taking part from every team in the club. 

The Club Lotto jackpot was €2,000 this week and the numbers drawn were 4, 6, 15, 24.  There was no jackpot winner.  The €50 'Lucky Dip' winners were Matt & Conor Ryan and Charles McDonagh.  Next week's jackpot will be €2,100.

We had a great turnout for the St Patricks Day Parade and lots of fun was had by the many children and parents who took part. Special thanks to Nick Collier, for the provision of the truck for our float, and Sean Halpin, the club's Irish Cultural Officer, for organising a fantastic day, both at the parade and afterwards in the Clubhouse.

On the fields this weekend we had some excellent performances from our Under 12 girls' football team, Under 13 girls' football and Under 13 camogie. The U12 team manager Warren Hanley reported "Today we won 5-08 to 1-03 against St Brigids, bringing our record to 26 wins and 2 losses. A massive well done to our newest player Shannon Britnell who played brilliantly".

Well done also to our Under 15 football boys who had a huge win on Sunday morning against Ballyboden St Endas.

The lotto jackpot was €2,300 and the numbers drawn were 1, 2, 5, 17. There was no jackpot winner. The €25 lucky dip prize winners were Margaret Meehan, Ursula Willis, F Donnell and Alex Dayman. Next week's jackpot will be €2,400.

The Club Lotto jackpot was €2,400 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 6, 15, 18. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 Lucky Dip prizes were Harold Hainsworth, Marie Brennan, Matt & Conor Ryan and Andrew Murphy. Next week's jackpot will be €2,500.

The Under 8 boys team played in their first football medal blitz in very wild conditions in Malahide Castle on Saturday morning. 23 brave players took on both the weather and teams from Na Fianna and St Sylvester's. The boys showed their full range of skills and kicked some great scores. Fantastic skills and great teamwork were on display in all sections of the park. Contact Ian Fahey if you would like to join - for boys born in 2007

The Easter Camp for boys & girls aged 4-12 years is coming up in the week after Easter. Places can be reserved using our on-line facility on our home page: http://www.stfinians.com.

Our adult hurlers were in action this weekend with mixed results. The first team lost at home to Plunketts and the second team had a great win, away from home, against St Pats in Donabate. The highlight of the win was a first half hat-trick for Johnny Walsh.

Our young girls' teams continue to have success in both football and camogie. This weekend saw our Under 11 camogie and Under 12 football girls record great wins.

The Club is holding a Cake Sale on Saturday 18th of April and request parents/members who can provide cakes to contact Caroline Savage on 087 2388098.

Our Under 13 boys will be taking part in an international tournament in Madrid in October. As part of fundraising for the trip, the team's parents will be running a Quiz Night in Peacocks on Friday, 10 April. Doors open at 8pm, with quiz starting at 8.30pm. €10 at the door. All are welcome.

The St Finians Golf Classic in Forrest Little on May 8th is open for team bookings. Teams of four cost €200 for golf and dinner. Please contact Tony McDonagh on 086 8527529 to reserve a slot on the timesheet.

Please remember to get all outstanding membership fees paid this week.

The club lotto jackpot was €2,500 this week and the numbers drawn were 5, 10, 17, 19.  There was no jackpot winner.  The €25 lucky dip prizewinners were:  Declan Brennan, Adam Hender, Irene Whelen and  Kay Tobin.  Next week's jackpot will be €2,600.

The St Finians Golf Classic is coming up on May 8th, in Forrest Little GC.  Please contact Tony McDonagh on 086 852 7529 to book a slot on the timesheet.

The U13 boys team's parents will be running a Quiz Night in Peacocks on Friday, 10 April.  Doors open at 8pm, with quiz starting at 8.30.  €10 at the door.  All welcome.

The Club is holding a Cake Sale on Saturday 18th of April and request parents/members who can provide cakes to contact Caroline Savage on 087 2388098

Please remember to get all outstanding membership fees paid this week. 

The season is in full swing now with matches in all codes and age groups, both at weekends and midweek.  Details of all fixtures and results can be found on our website www.stfinians.com.  Membership fees can also be paid through the website.

The Junior football team went away from home to Liffey Gaels on Sunday morning and came away with a remarkable win, when they were scored 2-02 in injury time at the end of the game, to snatch victory by 4 points. The win keeps the team in joint 2nd place in the league.

More good news from our U13 girls beating Oliver Plunketts last Thursday to go top of Division 2 with only one match to go.  

After their great win against Parnells last week the Adult Camogie team have an important fixture at home on Tuesday versus Crumlin at 6.45pm and would welcome a large home support turnout.

The U13 boys had their first league game of the season on Saturday and the lads won by the narrowest of margins versus St Maurs.  On Sunday ten of the boys took part in the Dublin Development Squad blitz, where they won 2 of their 3 matches in atrocious conditions. 

The Executive Committee announced two changes in personnel with Kieran O'Donohue appointed Vice-Chairman and PJ Murray assuming the role of Referee Coordinator.

The timesheet for the Golf Classic on May 8th is available by contacting Tony McDonagh on 086-852 7529.

The Lotto jackpot was €2,600 this week and the numbers drawn were 2, 3, 8, 16.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were P Murray, Sue Kiernan, Tony Mc Dermott and Rita Gilligan.  Next week's jackpot will be €2,700.

The Club hosted a Cake Sale on Saturday last, which proved to be a huge success, thanks mainly to the many parents and members who donated beautiful cakes.  The fundraising committee were delighted with the turnout to support the event, which created a great atmosphere in Clubhouse.  

The next fundraising event is the Golf Classic on May 8th in Forrest Little.  Please contact Tony McDonagh on 086 852 7529 to book any of the slots left on the time-sheet.

Our Under 12 girls continued with their remarkable run of wins when they beat Beann Eadair by 7-11 to 0-00, taking their record to 30 wins from 32 games in the past two years.  Team mentor Warren Hanley is rightly delighted with his team's performance.

The adult hurling AHL9 team play in Ridgewood at 7.15pm tonight (Monday) and hope to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.  All support welcome.

Our Senior 7 Camogie team play Erins Isle on Tuesday evening (21 April) at 7pm in River Valley.  Get out and support the girls as they are going well in the league.

The lotto jackport was €2,700 this week and the numbers drawn were 6, 12, 17, 22.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 'Lucky Dip' prizes were Olwyn Branningan, Fintan Lawlor, James Devlin and Ross Hainsworth.  Next week's jackpot will €2,800

In a busy week of fixtures there were good wins for our Adult Camogie team and Junior hurlers. The Adult Camogie team remain top of their Senior 7 league after a win against Erins Isle on Tuesday evening, while our Junior B hurlers had a 4 point championship win over St Monicas on Sunday morning.

The Club Lotto jackpot was €2,800 this week and the numbers drawn were 13, 14, 16, 18. There was no jackpot winner. The €25 prizewinners were Liam & Margaret Curran, Eamonn Murphy, Ciaran McGovern and Heidi Molloy. Next week the jackpot will be €2,900.

There are still just a couple of slots left on the time sheet for our Golf Classic on May 8th in Forrest Little. Contact Tony McDonagh on 086 852 7529 to book a slot.

Congratulations to the Dublin Senior footballers who won the Division 1 Allianz League title, for the third year in a row, when they defeated Cork in Croke Park on Sunday.

Bingo, Bingo, Bingo!

This week is all about BINGO!!! The Club is launching the latest fundraiser this Friday (15/05) in Peacocks Function Room.  The first number will be called at 8.30pm (sharp!) so please spread the word and come over for a fun night and a chance to win some of the €1,500 prize money.  Why not bring friends and relations too, make it a regular Friday night thing?  It’s €10 for a book and Pat Farrell will be calling the numbers​ this week. 

Championship 

Our Intermediate footballers played their first round championship match last Saturday, with a great win against Lucan Sarsfields.  There were great performances all over the field, with the final score being 2-10 to 1:09.  Next up our adult hurlers have their championship match versus Clontarf, at home in Ridgewood at 7:15 PM on Wednesday evening.  Let’s have a big turnout to support the lads.

Once again we must highlight the performances by our Under 13 girls. The football team drew their match against Clontarf on Satuday, in what was a thrilling game, with fantastic home support. Emma Howe stopped a Clontarf penalty late in the game to save the draw and they now play Oliver Plunketts on Thursday in River Valley at 7pm, in the play-off to decide promotion to Division 1. Let’s ensure they have lots of support. The U13 Camogie team also had a great win against Cuala on Sunday morning, a result which makes it almost certain they have won Division 2. Well done girls and mentors.

Our Under 7 Academy played a series of games on Saturday morning at Trinity Gaels and reports of some great skills and fun were received.

The Summer Camps dates have been released, with four different weeks being available, for all levels of boys and girls ages 5 to 17 being catered for. The application form is available from the ‘Downloads’ section of our website or by contacting the office on 01 813 2656.

Friday Bingo continues to grow in popularity and we remind members to spread the word among friends, family and neighbours. With the bank holiday weekend coming up we need to see some new faces this week as some of the ‘regulars’ may be away for the weekend. There’s €1,600 to be won so get yourself organised to come along to Peacocks for an 8.30pm (sharp) start.

The Club Lotto jackpot was €3,200 this week and the numbers drawn were 6, 8, 16, 17. There was no jackpot winner. The €25 lucky dip winners were Deirdre Ni Dhubhgaill, Declan Murphy, Mick Ryan and The Six Pups. Next week’s jackpot will be €3,300.

Under 13 Girls Football

The highlight of the past week has been the performance of the Under 13 girls in their match against Oliver Plunketts.  With promotion to Division 1 on the line, the girls knew that a place in the top division would be their's if they avoided defeat.  In what was a very exciting match, particularly when their opponents drew level with a goal in the final minutes, the girls hung on to secure the point necessary to put them top of the table.  Congratulations to all the girls and their coaches, Sean and Conor, they have put in a lot of effort this year and it has rewarded with their results on the field.

Fun Day

A date for your diary is the St Finians Club Fun Day, which will take place this year on Saturday June 20th from 1pm to 5pm in the park in River Valley.

Competition Winner - ESB Official Energy Partner to the GAA - Staff Fund

We have been awarded a prize of €1,500 from the ESB Official Energy Partner to the GAA - Staff Fund.  Many thanks to club member Mark Degnan and ESB staff member Paddy Mulvey for the nomination and submission.   

Lotto Results

The jackpot this week was €3,300.  The numbers drawn were 2, 4, 12, 19.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 ‘lucky dip’ prizes were Tony Dervan, D O’Gorman, Phyllis Cervi and The O’Donoghue Family.  Next week’s jackpot will be €3,400

Summer Camps

Online booking of places in the four Summer Camps will become available later this week on our website homepage at www.stfinians.com.  Application forms can also be found in the 'Downloads' section of our website.

Massive congratulations to the Under 13 Camogie girls, who completed a remarkable league season with their tenth straight victory, when they  beat Good Counsel on Sunday morning.  The result means the girls finish top of the league and can look forward to Division 1 camogie next season, a fantastic achievement.  A lot of the girls will also be playing in Croke Park and Parnell Park this week, representing The Holy Family, SNS.  We wish them luck.

The U13 boys also had a busy and successful hurling week.  Playing O'Dwyers on Wednesday evening, they won with a couple of well taken 2nd half goals.  On Saturday, the lads had a excellent winning performance in the Valley against Naomh Fionnbarra, keeping the opposition scoreless in the second half.  Well done to Matthew O'Toole, Conor Kavanagh, Liam Kiernan and Fiach Comber, who all made it through to Dublin football development squad.

Our adult footballers had mixed fortunes this week.  The Intermediates lost a tight championship match on Friday against Ballyboden St Endas, while our Juniors had a great championship win, away from home against Castleknock.  The match was very close all the way through, with never more than a point in it, until a well worked team goal with ten minutes to go was blasted home by Ciaran Cummins, to give a two point victory to St Finians.

Places in the Summer Camps are filling up fast.  The online booking facility is available from our home page on www.stfinians.com.  

The annual Club Fun Day will take place this year on Saturday June 20th from 1pm to 5pm in the park in River Valley

The club are having a fundraising clothing collection next Saturday June 13th, so why not go through the wardrobes and drawers and prepare your donation for next Saturday.  Bags can be dropped at the Clubhouse on Monday to Thursday 7.30pm to 9pm or on Saturday from 11am to 1pm.  Please donate:

• ​All your clean unwanted clothes (in any condition),

• Bed linen, pillows, towels

• Shoes, bags and belts

• Soft toys

Remember to drop your receipt in the box in Supervalu Boroimhe if you spend more than €40, as it will help win us over €2,000 in training equipment for our juvenile teams.

The lotto jackpot was €3,400 this week and the numbers drawn were 1,7, 14, 23.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 'lucky dip' prizes were Eamonn Murphy, Bernard Keneally,  James Lawlor and Dwayne Price.  Next week's jackpot will be €3,500.  Remember, if you missed out getting your lotto this week, you can buy an on-line subscription to the lotto draw on our website homepage and never miss a week again.  You can even send a gift subscription to friends or family abroad,

Our Bingo Night In Peacocks is growing in popularity, with a regular clientèle coming from near and far.  Why not check it out next Friday night as it's only €10 for a book of numbers which gives you 10 chances to win €30 for a line or €70 for a panel.  The jackpot sheet (€5) is up to €650 this week.

Our adult hurling teams were both in action in their respective championships this weekend. Our first team had a loss in their match against St Marks, making their next game in the round-robin series a 'must win' match. The second team were successful on Sunday, in their tie against Kilmacud Crokes. This result continues a good run of form from a team containing a nice mix of experience and youth, best illustrated by our goal scorers being John Walsh and Conor Lennon - for the avoidance of confusion it's Conor who represents youth!

We must congratulate the girls from Holy Family SNS who managed to win both of their camogie and fooball finals in Croke Park and Parnell Park this week. This completed a remarkable couple of weeks for most of the girls, who were also part of St Finians league winning Under 13 girls' teams.

The next event of the Club calendar is the Summer Fun Day next Saturday, June 20th. The fun starts at 1pm, with all the usual games and challenges. Entry is free and fun is guaranteed.

The summer camps are open for booking through our website homepage (www.stfinians.com) or by completing and returning the application form (available from the downloads section of our website).

The club lotto jackpot was €3,500 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 13, 19, 22. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 'Lucky Dip' prizes were Emer Harmon, Stephanie O'Hara, Betty Cashin and Maura May. Next week's jackpot will be €3,600. Lotto envelopes are available in many of the shops in River Valley, in our clubhouse and online through our website.

Our Friday Bingo in Peacocks continues to grow in popularity and all members are asked to spread the word among neighbours, friends and relations. The first number is called at 8.30pm and we have everyone on their way home by 10.30pm. Bingo books cost €10 for 10 games and prizes are €30 for a line and €70 for a panel. The jackpot sheet (€5) gives a chance of winning €750.

Our Annual Fun Day took place on Saturday last and, as its name suggests, lots of fun was had by everyone who attended.  The weather played its part in what was a lovely day, with hundreds of children and parents taking part in games, listening to music and enjoying picnics in the Park.  Such a great day takes a lot of effort to put together and special thanks go to Paul Dever and his many volunteers for organising such a brilliant, fun filled day.  We must also thank James Devlin and the Leinster GAA board for organising and providing the inflatable pitch.  The Dublin Meat Company and Peacocks Steakhouse also deserve a mention for providing food for the many hungry bellies during and after the day’s activities.  Lot's of photos are available on the St Finians Facebook page

Bookings for the Summer Camp can be made using the on-line link on our website homepage or by dropping into the club office.  It's vital, for planning purposes, to complete the booking procedure as far in advance as possible, as places can only be guaranteed if registration is completed at least one week in advance of the camp.  The first camp is the Kelloggs Cul Camp on July 6th.

The Club Lotto jackpot was €3,600 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 6, 10, 23.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 ‘lucky dip’ prizes were: Brian Howe; Catriona Donnelly; Nicky Dylan and Callum; Emma Reilly.  Next week’s jackpot will be €3,700.

It was a good week for the adults hurlers in the club, with both teams recording wins. The Junior B team had a win against Realt Dearg on last Thursday, keeping their good form for the season going. The Junior A team had a good win in midweek over St Vincents and followed up with a win over Trinity Gaels on Saturday evening. Well done all.

Our Under 10 boys went on there mid-year trip to Croke Park yesterday. They visited the museum and then went to the Dublin v Kildare game, where they were treated to a feast of 'beautiful football'. A great day was had by all.

The bookings for the Summer Camps are coming in thick and fast. It's vital for planning purposes to complete the booking process for the Kelloggs Cúl camp early this week. Otherwise places cannot be guaranteed. On-line registration can be completed through the club's website home page (www.stfinians.com), or by completing the registration form (here) and returning it to the office.

We have been offered a space to sell our Lotto tickets in Boroimhe Shopping Centre next Saturday July 4th from 11am to 6pm. This is an important opportunity to raise funds for the club and it requires volunteers to do one hour each at the desk. We need some volunteers to fill all the slots so please contact Grace Murray on 087 265 9400, as soon as possible, if you can spare an hour for the Club on Saturday.

The Lotto jackpot was €3,700 this week and the numbers drawn were 9, 11, 12, 14. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 'lucky dip' prizes were: Alan Delaney, D Daniels, Lorraine May and Jim Conway. Next week's jackpot will be €3,800

The lotto jackpot was €3,900 and the numbers drawn were 4, 11, 17, 20.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 ‘lucky dip’ prizes were A Sandelana, Derek Deegan, Joan O’Grady and Coco.  Next week the jackpot will be €4,000.

This week saw the first of our Summer Camps, the Kelloggs Cul Camp, which was attended by a big numbers of children.  Despite some bad weather at the start of the week, it turned fine and much fun was had by the children and their coaches.  The ‘Advanced’ Camp is on this week for boys and girls aged 13-17 years old.  There will be a presentation on Wednesday (12 noon) at the camp by Dublin Senior footballers Dean Rock and Niamh McEvoy.

Congratulations to the Dublin Senior Footballers and Hurlers on great wins over the weekend.

Two further camps take place later in the summer, starting on 17th and 24th of August.  Places can be booked through our website homepage www.stfinians.com.

Gift vouchers are available from the Club Shop if you are looking for the ideal birthday present for the GAA star in the family.  A full range of club tracksuits, shorts, shirts, socks, helmets and hurls are available and by giving vouchers you are also supporting the club.

Both of our Adult hurling teams had good wins during the week.  The first team beat Ballyboden on Wednesday evening and the second team had a good win over Whitehall on Thursday.

We need a few volunteers to give one hour of their time to the club on Saturday next (August 1st) when we have our lotto selling point in Supervalu Boriomhe.  Please send a quick text to Kieran on 085 788 5935 if you can spare an hour to man the desk in Supervalu.  We are there from 11am to 6pm so we need 7 people to do 1 hour, or split an hour with a friend and do only 30 minutes each.  Please help out as it's a great opportunity that has been given to us by Supervalu and it's not fair to just leave a small number of people to cover all the hours.

The lotto jackpot was €4,100 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 17, 21, 22. The jackpot was not won. The €25 'lucky dip' winners were Collette and Tony Kiernan, Mary White, Bettty Cashin and Noel Murphy.  Next week's jackpot will be €4,200.

The Friday Night Bingo jackpot is now €1,050, with lots of cash prizes to be won each week.  First numbers get called at 8.30pm each Friday upstairs in Peacocks.

The next Summer Camp is on August 17th for boys and girls aged 5-13 years.  Bookings can be made through our website homepage www.stfinians.com

Well done to our Junior B Adult hurlers who had another great win during the week. The win keeps them in the hunt for the AHL9 league title, which is a fantastic achievement considering it's their first year together.

Many thanks to Fingallians GAA for the invitation to their Under 10 football tournament. Our under 10 team played teams from Meath, Kildare and Sligo and the players had a great day.

The next Summer Camp, for boys and girls aged 5-13 years, starts on Monday 17th August and it is vital to book a place in advance. The registration form is available from the downloads section of our website (www.stfinians.com) and it is also possible to pay for the camp through the link on our homepage. There will also be another camp, for the same age group, starting on the following Monday (Aug 24th).

Ticket applications for the All-Ireland Football Semi-final between Dublin and Mayo (Aug 30th) will be accepted from fully paid-up members , by email to stfiniansgaaclubswords@gmail.com or by phone on 01-813 2656. Details regarding prices and cut-off dates will be sent out later this week.

The lotto jackpot was €4,300 this week and the numbers drawn were 6, 9, 11, 24. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 'lucky dip' prizes were Siobhán Ní hAodha, Jim Sullivan, Jeremiah Murphy and Con Murphy. Next week's jackpot will be €4,400.

Our Friday Night Bingo continues to grow in popularity and the jackpot is now up to €1,100, The first number gets called at 8.30pm in Peakocks Function Room.

Our adult Camogie team had a great win during the week against Cuala, their closest rivals in Senior League 7.  The win keeps them top of the league, with only two rounds of fixtures to go.

Congratulations to our flying fit over 35's team on winning the inaugural Noel Moore Cup hosted by Naomh Barrog.  The biggest compliment to the lads was that the organisers requested we forward on the birth certs of Greig Donnelly, Aidan Morrissey, Ross Hainsworth & Joe Greene!

The Under 15 footballers had a great away win against Ballyboden - St Endas on Saturday.  Stand out performances from Brian Lynch in goal, Jack Dempsey in defence, Brandon Caffery and Carl Gerrard in the forwards.

The Summer Camps are back this week for boys and girls aged 5-13.  The final camp takes place on Monday 24th and can booked on-line through our website home page www.stfinians.com.

We have our annual raffle for our All-Ireland Finals tickets.  There will be two draws for a pair of Hogan Stand tickets, one draw for the hurling final (Galway vs Kilkenny) and another for the football final.  Tickets are €5 each and each ticket bought will be in both draws.  Tickets are available from any committee member.

The lotto jackpot was €4,400 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 9, 11, 23.  There was no jackpot winner.  The €25 lucky dip winners were Liz Fagan, Betty Cashen, Gavin Moore, Jennifer Ryan.  Next week's jackpot will be €4,500.  

On Sunday morning, the Junior footballers secured a spot in the Dublin Junior Championship 'D' county final, with a narrow victory over our near neighbours St. Margarets.  In what was a tight match, St Margarets got off to a good start and had a three point lead at half time.  The second half started well for St Finians and we dared to dream about being in the final when Conor Lennon scored the only goal of the game after a flowing attacking move.  It was nip and tuck all the way through the second half and we were still level right up to the final three minutes, until points from Jack Murray and Joe Greene secured a two point victory for the lads.

Many thanks to Paul Dever, James Devlin, the many mentors and senior players who made the first of our 'Bring-a-Friend' Mini-Leagues & Coaching a great success.  Next Saturday it will be the turn of the camogie girls, from 10am in River Valley.

Congratulations to the Dublin Senior Footballers who secured a spot in the All-Ireland Final on Sept 20th.  Ticket applications for the final can be sent, by fully paid-up members, to stfiniansgaaclubswords@gmail.com or ring the office on 01-8132656.  Due to the short time left before the final, applications for tickets must be submitted before this Wednesday (9/09/15) at 9pm.

You can still win a pair of tickets for the All-Ireland Football Final by buying a raffle ticket for €5.00 from any committee member or team mentors.  

We have to thank everyone who participated in the SuperValu Kit for Kids promotion in SuperValu Boroimhe, as we received our full set of balls, bibs, bags and training equipment from Donal O'Ciobháin (owner) of SuperValu Boroimhe.  Donal put on a lovely reception, with food and drinks for everyone who attended the presentation of the equipment.  Club Chairman, Barry Shelly acknowledged the support we receive from Donal and thanked him for nominating our club and River Valley Rangers to be the recipients of the training equipment under this promotion.

The Lotto jackpot was €4,700 this week and the numbers drawn were 3, 7, 11, 24.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were Ross Hainsworth, Fiona Daly,  Barry Barker and Debbie Cullen.  The jackpot next week will be €4,800.  Friday night bingo continues to grow in popularity and we had great excitement last Friday when the jackpot of €1,300 was won by one of our regular players.  

It has been a busy week and also there's lots to mention about what's coming up in the next seven days, culminating in the All-Ireland Senior Football Final between Dublin & Kerry.

The adult hurlers had a great win over St. Judes on Saturday evening, which keeps the lads in with a chance of getting involved with promotion play-offs.

There were 90 children at the nursery on Saturday morning and this was the first time most had tried GAA. The Club would like to say a massive thank you to all the parents and coaches who made it a brilliant morning for all.

Our Under 11 girls' football team had their first game on Saturday vs Skerries, in a brilliant match which ended in a draw. A big thank you to Paul Timothy, Alan Ryan, Fiona Cronin and Liz Fallon for taking on this new team.

The pre-All Ireland Juvenile Camogie day took place Saturday morning. It was another very successful day for the camogie section of the club with a good exhibition of skills. Thanks to Nuala Halpin and James Devlin for organising the day.

'Bring-a-Friend' Football mini-leagues and coaching

Our pre-All Ireland Juvenile Football skills and mini leagues Bring-a-Friend day will take place next Saturday from 12 noon to 3pm. All our welcome.

Up For The Match

We just got exciting news that RTE wish to come to our club this week to do an item for the "Up For The Match" program. The producers of the show will be visiting on Wednesday evening at 5pm and want to see lots of members, decked out in their county colours, to discuss how they are supporting their county in the upcoming All-Ireland Final.

All-Ireland Final Tickets

The raffle to win two seats at the All-Ireland will take place on Wednesday night and tickets for the raffle (€5) are still available from committee members, mentors or the Club Office. The draw to see which members get the chance to buy tickets for the Final will also be held on the same night.

Big night before the Big Match!

Join us in Peacocks function room on Saturday night for a pre-All Ireland Final celebration, where we will also launch our All-Weather Pitch Project. Free admission including free buffet, music and dancing. All welcome.

Club Lotto

The club lotto jackpot was €4,800 this week. The numbers drawn were 12, 17, 18, 22. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dips were Patricia Murray, Sarah Scott, Vivian Ryan, Jimmy & Niall. Next week's jackpot will be €4,900.

What a busy week for the club!  

Congratulations to the Dublin players and management, on their win over Kerry in the All-Ireland Senior Football Final 

There was huge work done getting ready for the All-Ireland.  We had a great turnout on Wednesday, for what was supposed to be filmed by RTE for an 'atmosphere' segment for the News and 'Up for the Match' programmes.  Unfortunately we were let down, at the last minute, by RTE as they couldn't get a camera crew for our time slot.  We explained our disappointment as there were hundreds of supporters who turned out for the event and apologies have been received from management in RTE.

The absence of RTE didn't dampen the atmosphere among the children and parents who came out.  We got lots of brilliant photos and video, all of which have been passed to RTE for possible further use.

All-Weather Pitch Development

We had the launch on Saturday night of a most important club development, the All-Weather Pitch project.  Club Chairman, Barry Shelly, set out the exciting vision for the future of the club to a gathering of members and friends of the club.  The Dublin GAA County Board Vice Chairman, Mick Seavers, also addressed the gathering and encouraged all of the community to get behind making this important project a success.

For further information please click here to see the leaflet explaining what is planned and how it is hoped to raise the necessary funds. To see the launch video on YouTube please follow the link here

Foundation Level Coaching Course

We have a Hurling, Football & Camogie Foundation level coaching course taking place later this week. The Foundation Award is the introductory award for coaches of Gaelic Games.  The course is aimed at beginner coaches and will enable participants to assist a coach in the organisation of activities to develop hurling or football.  To book a place please contact James on 086 4000324 or james.devlin.gpo.dublin@gaa.ie

Venue: St Margarets GAA Club

     Friday 25th September 7pm - 10.00pm 

     Saturday 26th September 2pm - 6pm St Margarets GAA Club

On Pitch Activities

Our Intermediate footballers had a fine win in the league on Saturday evening over St Sylvesters.  Well done to the Under 13 camogie team who continued their excellent year with a great win over Oliver Plunkett's/Eoghan Rua in the 'A' championship on Sunday morning.

The Junior 'D' Football County Final against St Judes is set for Sunday October 4th in O'Toole Park, Crumlin at 2.15pm.   A huge travelling support is expected for the lads playing in the first county final for the club in many years.

Club Lotto

The lotto jackpot was €4,900 and the numbers drawn were 9 12 19 23.  There was no jackpot winner.  The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were:  N Devlin, Brendan Turley, Susan Ryan, Paddy Sheedy.  Next week's jackpot will be €5,000.

There was disappointment for our junior footballers in the 'D' championship county final versus St Judes. We had a great turnout from supporters at the game and we wish to thank John Moore and Dublin Bus for supplying a bus for our supporters.

There was more great success from our Under 13 Camogie team who qualified for the Championship A Shield final after a win over St Judes.

The setting up of a lotto sales desk in Supervalu Boriomhe was a good success on Saturday. Many thanks to the following members who manned the desk for an hour each: Jim Conway, Edel Dunne, Warren Hanley, Liz McKenna, Breege Kennedy, Aine McClean, Mary Murray. More volunteers are needed from each team in order to minimise the time on the stand for each member.

The lotto jackpot was €5,100 this week and the numbers drawn were 1, 4, 11, 12. There was no jackpot winner. The €25 lucky dip prizewinners were: Stephanie Ryan, Eamonn Murphy, Aaron Caul and B Wacy. Next week's jackpot will be €5,200

The Annual General Meeting is set for November 5th at 9pm. Nominations and motions must be submitted by October 15th.

The annual Charity Valley Walk for the Irish Cancer Society will take place on Saturday 10th October. Meet @ Peacocks Car Park in River Valley, Swords at 1pm for registration. Walk starts at 2pm. All are welcome, there will be a raffle and refreshments after the walk. Details from Margaret Harris 0872213605

Our adult hurlers has a great win over Lucan Sarsfields on Saturday afternoon.  The win keeps the lads in the hunt for a promotion play-off spot.

Congratulations to Eoin O'Connor who has been nominated for a GAA/GPA Nicky Rackard Champion 15 award in recognition of his contribution on the field of play in 2015 for the Fingal hurlers.

Our Under 13 girls football team had a great win over St Judes on Saturday and as a result are now in the Division 1 Shield final against Castleknock.

Best of luck to our Gaelic4Mothers  team who are participating in the national blitz in Naomh Mearnog next Saturday 17th October.

The parents of the Under 13 boys  team will be running a Quiz Night in Peacocks on Saturday, 17 October.  Doors open at 8pm, with quiz starting at 8.30.  €10 at the door.  All welcome.

The Meals on Wheels people also have a Table Quiz this week.  It is in the Community Centre on Thursday next (15/10) at 9pm.  €20 per table.

The Annual General Meeting of the Club will take place on 5th Nov 2015 at 9.00 pm in the Club House. 

The lotto jackpot was €5,200 and the numbers drawn were 1, 9, 10, 13.  There were no jackpot winners .  The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were: Paddy Sheedy, M.J. Ryan, Ann Casey, Andrew Burns.  Next week's jackpot will be €5,300.  Please note we are switching the lotto draw to Friday nights during our Friday Bingo evenings, with effect from next Friday October 16th.

Pride of place this week has to go to the Under 13 Girls who had their Division1 Shield Final in Balheary on Saturday afternoon. After a tight and tense first half the girls were ahead by a single point over Castleknock at halftime. The second half was all St Finians when the girls powered away to win by nine points. The team performed really well in both defence and the forwards, with stand-out performances in the second half by Rachel Fagan and Ellie Kane.

The Under 13 boys also had a great win over Castleknock, away from home on Saturday. The boys travelled to Madrid the weekend before to play in an international tournament involving teams from Dublin, Spain and players from across Europe. St. Finians fielded three teams and younger siblings got to take part in an U9s tournament, making up a team for Ireland. Playing in a series of round robin games, the lads put in excellent displays in tough, hot conditions and ended the tournament in third place. The U9s team won their series and were crowned European champions. Team mentor Niall Comber extended thanks to gracious hosts Madrid Harps, who organised a superb tournament and to all who helped with fundraising efforts over the last eight months. The fundraising was needed to make it possible to bring the team over. Niall also thanked the parents and siblings who travelled a long way to cheer on the lads. A great and memorable weekend was had by all.

Sunday morning saw the adult camogie team play the semi-final of the Senior 7 Championship. The girls won comfortably against Ballinteer St John, to set up a final against St Marks of Tallaght next weekend. The venue for the final will be O'Toole Park in Crumlin on Sunday 8/11 at 2pm, another great day out for club.

The club AGM is on Thursday night (November 5th) in the clubhouse at 8.30pm. It’s important that we see a big turnout from the membership.

There is a need for some volunteers to sell lotto tickets in Boroimhe Shopping Centre next Saturday from 11am to 6pm. Grace Murray (087 265 9400) is coordinating the time slots and would welcome some new faces to take up some of the slots. The more volunteers we get the shorter the time slots will be. Grace also has some Tuesday night (7pm-8pm) swimming class places for boys or girls who do not need armbands.

The lotto jackpot was €5,500 this week and the numbers drawn were 4, 8, 10, 18. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were Frank Cullen, Ann Marie O’Donohue, B Dunne and Ann Marie McGuirk. Next week’s jackpot will be €5,600.

The Friday Bingo jackpot is now up to €900, with books only costing €10 for 10 games. We would like to see more members supporting the bingo over the coming weeks.

It was with huge pride that we watched our club member Eoin O'Connor being awarded a place on the Nicky Rackard Champion 15 for his performances during 2015 with the Fingal Senior hurlers. Eoin was accompanied to the GPA/GAA awards on Friday night by his parents Anne & Eoin and clubmate Ciara Buchanan.

The Minor girls football team played in the Shield final on Friday night against Clontarf but came out the wrong side of the result. The girls were delighted to have reached a final in what was the first year they have played together and are looking forward to their next season.

The adult camogie team played their Senior 7 Championship final on Sunday in O'Toole Park, Crumlin. The girls gave it their all in truly biblical weather conditions but just came out the wrong side of the result. As a consolation, after the game, the team were presented with their Senior 7 League Winners trophy. Team captain Ailbhe Byrne commended the entire team for their effort on Sunday and throughout the season. Many thanks also go to Martin Halpin for organising the supporters' and team's bus for the Camogie final today

Well done to our Under 21 footballers who got their championship season off to a winning start in Chanel on Saturday against Parnells.

The U11 boys had two very competitive games against Erin's Isle on Saturday afternoon, and would like to thank Andrew Crowley and Jack Malone who refereed their first matches for the club.

There will be a clothing collection on Saturday 21st November to raise funds for St. Finian’s GAA Club. Please donate all your clean unwanted clothes in any condition, bedlinen, towels, including bags, belts, shoes and soft toys. Please drop bags off to clubhouse at following times:

Monday 16th- Thursday 19th - 7:30pm - 9pm

Saturday 21st November - 11am - 1:00pm

All bags will be collected at 1.00pm on Sat 21st November

The lotto jackpot was €5,600 this week and the numbers drawn were 4, 9, 10, 16. There was no jack pot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were B. Scanlon, B. Kelly, Fergal O'Regan and Jim Sullivan. The jackpot in next week's draw will be €5,700.

Our adult footballers had the narrowest of losses in their relegation play-off against St Sylvesters. The loss means it's Div. 4 next year for our first team footballers. The junior football team missed out on the promotion play-offs, despite getting a walkover in their last game, due to wins by others around them in the league table.

The adult ladies football team are looking for ladies who would be interested in playing competitive Gaelic football. We have an information evening this Thursday (19/11) at 8pm in our clubhouse. Please come along if you would like to get back playing, especially any ladies who may be new to the area. Contact Nuala Halpin 086 8121817 if interested, or come along to the meeting.

There will be a Player Performance Workshop next Friday evening (20/11) in St Margarets at 7.30pm. The workshop is designed for coaches from under 8's up to senior grade and it will be delivered by Philip Kerr of Ulster GAA. It's a football workshop, following on from our hurling one last year, and coaches in all codes will benefit from it. We need to know definite numbers attending by Tuesday afternoon. Please contact James Devlin on 086 4000324 or James.devlin.gpo.dublin@gaa.ie to reserve a place.

The lotto jackpot was €5,700 this week and the numbers drawn were 7, 18, 21, 22. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were Michelle Burke; M. Nolan; Barbara Kelly; Frank Arnold. Next week the jackpot will be €5,800. The lotto draw now takes place on Friday evenings during the interval at the Friday Bingo in Peacocks. The bingo jackpot is €550 this week.

Clothing collection next Saturday 21st November. Please donate all your clean unwanted clothes, bed linen, towels, bags and belts. Bags will be collected at 1pm.

On a weekend of bad weather we are reminded of the importance of the recently announced project to build an All-Weather facility.  With that in mind members are asked to commit to the proposed bond scheme.  Development Committee members will be in touch directly over the coming days/weeks.  The details of the bond scheme can be found on our website (www.stfinians.com).

The only fixture this weekend was the Under 21 football championship semi-final against St Finbarres.  Our lads came up against a strong Finbarres side and missed out on an appearance in the final.

We are embarking on a recruitment campaign for adult players in all codes catered for by the club i.e. Hurling, Football, Ladies Football and Camogie, for 2016 and beyond.

If you know of anyone who would wish to apply for a transfer from within the Dublin area the transfer season is now open and will close at 5.30pm on December 8th (adult hurling and football). The adult camogie and ladies' football transfer season opens in early 2016.  The following are the team contacts for football and hurling: Adult hurling teams - Jim Shelly 087 3237190, Gene Griffin 086 6063757; Adult football teams - Tony McDonagh 086 8527529, Mark Murray 086 3730113.

There is a Juvenile mentors meeting on Monday the 7th December at 9:15pm in the clubhouse.  The meeting is open to all Juvenile mentors in boys and girls  football, hurling and Camogie.  The main purpose of the meeting is to inform our juvenile mentors of the new Juvenile section structure in 2016.

The other big announcement this weekend was the Neven Maguire Cookery Demonstration, which is set for March 31st in The Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport with a food fair, beginning at 6.30pm, and the cookery demonstration at 8pm.  Tickets are €20 each and are available online (from Dec 9th) from www.stfinians.com, from the clubhouse on 01-8132656 or 087 2506511, or from The Carlton Hotel on 01-866 7500.  A raffle on the night will include a prize of dinner for two and overnight accommodation at Neven's wonderful Black Lion Restaurant.  This night out is an ideal gift for you friend or loved one.

There is a Cake Sale planned for next Saturday December 12th in the Clubhouse.  The sale will run from 10am to 2pm.  Please contact Caroline on 087 238 8098 or Mary on 087 689 9803 if you can offer to bake anything for the sale.  Otherwise please support the sale on Saturday, where the tickets for the Christmas raffle will be available for €2 each or €10 for six.  Tickets also available from team mentors and committee members.

The lotto jackpot this week was €6,000 and the numbers drawn were 3,10, 18, 19. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were: Barbara Kelly, Aaron Caul, B Dunne c/o J Sullivan, Christine Collins.  Next week's jackpot will be €6,100.

Remember - vouchers for the Club Shop make an ideal Christmas Gift!

This week's lotto jackpot was €1,700 and the numbers drawn were 6, 13, 16, 18. There was no jackpot winner. The winners of the €25 lucky dip prizes were Michelle Corr, U Willis, Aaron Caul and Ann Bone. Next week's jackpot will be €1,800.

Friday Night Bingo continues in Peacocks each week. The bingo jackpot is €950 next Friday. A 10-game book costs €10 and there's €100 up for grabs in each game. First number is called at 8.30pm each Friday.

Operation Transformation (OT) with St Finians has just completed its first week with Tuesday night (8pm) in Holy Family National School being the main get-together evening for those taking part. Search Facebook to find the group OT page, for all the latest news and updates.

Thanks to all those club members who took part in the door to door club awareness and recruitment day in Ridgewood last weekend. A particular word of thanks to Tony Murnane for organising and coordinating the event and Robbie Callanan for his advice and direction. Hopefully this will be the first of a number of awareness days in our catchment area.

Tickets for the Neven Maguire Cooker Demonstration and Food Fair on March 31st are available from the Club Office or through our club website home page www.stfinians.com.

Membership fees for the 2016 season are now due and can be paid with directly at the Club Office or through our club website home page www.stfinians.com.