1960s hero and club stalwart special guests as Ballinagar GAA open new astro turf facility
Progressive club combines on and off field success
AN Offaly footballer hero from the 1960s and one of their long serving, great foot-soldiers were the special guests as Ballinagar GAA Club officially opened a great new astro-turf facility on Sunday afternoon.
Club president, Eddie Dunne, Tuberlaheen officially cut the ribbon at the impressive €130,000 plus astro turf pitch which will prove a great addition to the club facilities on the Daingean road out of Ballinagar.
A fiercely proud Ballinagar man and a great club and county supporter, it was appropriate that Eddie Dunne should open the pitch as he has been a long time behind the scenes worker, regularly serving on committees over the years.
The presence of an Offaly football hero from the 1960s also added to the occasion for the club. Members of the current team were delighted to meet and get their picture taken with Charlie Wrenn, the only Ballinagar man to win Leinster senior football medals and play in an All-Ireland senior final.
Charlie Wrenn first played senior football for Offaly in 1957 and was an outstanding half back as Offaly won their first Leinster senior football titles in 1960 and 1961. He wore the number 7 jersey when Offaly lost to Down in the 1961 All-Ireland final, in front of a record 90,000 attendance at Croke Park – Offaly lost controversially to Down in the 1960 All-Ireland semi-final as they emerged as a football force.
While that great team didn't go all the way, their exploits inspired the heroes who did just a decade later in 1971 and 1972. Charlie Wrenn went onto play for Offaly up to 1964 and while he didn't play for Ballinagar, his exploits and achievements brought great pride to the area – he also represented Leinster in the Railway Cup.
The reasons for not playing for Ballinagar were simple as the club went out of existence near the end of the 1950s and was only reformed towards the end of the 1960s. He played for the Geashill-Cloneygowan club of St Mary's as a result of Ballinagar's absence and played a lot of football with Air Corps in Dublin: he worked with Air Corps and apart from his playing excellence, he made another big contribution to the 1960s run as he was instrumental in forward and free taker Har Donnelly being recruited. A native of Kilcormac, Donnelly grew up mainly in Westmeath and it was playing with the Air Corps where Wrenn became aware of his background, bringing it to Offaly's attention.
There was a large turnout of locals at Sunday's opening along with the three Offaly T.Ds, John Clendennen, Tony McCormack and Carol Nolan. Government support and various grants were instrumental in the astro-turf pitch being developed – the pitch is suitable for training and mini games.
It is the latest addition to Ballinagar's facilities. A very progressive club, they are in the middle of their greatest playing era ever, having won the Junior and Intermediate Football Championship in recent years and reaching the Senior “B” Football Championship final last year, where Clara proved too strong.
They will be very strong contenders this year and their playing success has been replicated off the field, with a stand and gym developed in recent years, along with various other improvements.
Club chairman Jim Pierce welcomed Charlie Wrenn, Eddie Dunne and all to the opening. Describing it as a “proud day”, he said: “It is a fantastic facility that will benefit our club and community, especially our underage teams for many years to come.”
Mr Pierce added: “A rural development like this doesn't happen overnight. This takes vision, commitment, fundraising and an enormous amount of hard work behind the scenes.”
He went on: “The astro pitch is another important step forward in what has been a remarkable ten years for our club. The progress made around the grounds has transformed Ballinagar GAA and given our players of all ages the best possible environment to train, play and enjoy our games. What makes it even more special is this progress has come alongside huge success on the field. Over the last four years, we have seen our team rise from junior to senior level, a massive achievement for a club of our size and something everyone connected with Ballinagar should be very proud of. Winning a Leinster championship (JFC) in 2024 was another historic milestone for the club and a moment that will live long in the memory of everyone in Ballinagar.”
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Mr Pierce said: “Most importantly, this facility is an investment in our future and this land we have bought here is a future investment as well. It will give our young players a place to learn skills, build friendships, stay active and continue the strong spirit of Ballinagar GAA for generations to come.”
He thanked everyone who played a part in their various committees, volunteers and supporters and singled out club vice chairman Ciaran Darcy, for special mention for instigating and overseeing much of the development.
Mr Darcy was club chairman up until last year's AGM and he also thanked all who helped with the development. He mentioned Pat and Catherine Maguire for their co-operation and help in selling Ballinagar the additional land that made the astro turf pitch possible – that land also has great potential for further development of a decent sized training-underage pitch.
“They were very generous with everything they done, not alone first of all with selling us the ten metres we needed to make this astro pitch possible but also the future development plans we have coming up with the land next door here,” Mr Darcy said. He also praised Jimmy Dolan and Ger Craven, who were secretary and treasurer with him during his term as chairman, saying they were “pivotal” to making it happen.
He noted the importance of Sports Development grants and thanked the politicians present. Mr Darcy concluded: “It is a great moment for Ballinagar. In a short period of time, we have went from junior to senior. Things are going in the right direction. We have a great bunch of lads.”