Cooley Kickhams reunion took place in their complex on Friday last and was very well attended. Guests on the night were the Junior championship winning team of last year, the successful senior championship winning teams of 1989 & 1990, Honorary presidents of the Club and the County board vice-chairman Declan Byrne and Leinster delegate Paddy McMahon. Other guests on the night included members of the travelling party which visited America in 1991.The MC for the night was former Cooley player and sports commentator on local radio Seamus Savage. Proceedings kicked off with a very enjoyable buffet meal being provided for all present. No doubting the MC's mastery with the microphone when introducing the array of different speakers on the night and dropping in the few stories through the evening. All through the evening there was a DVD running on the big screen of the 1989 & 1990 Senior finals with interviews of the time before and after each final.
Unfortunately there was a tinge of sadness to this as some of the Gaels of Cooley interviewed on the screen have passed on since, Ar Dhéis Dí go raibh a ainm. The Kickhams chairman Andy Quinn opened the speeches by welcoming everyone present to join in the celebrations with our past and present players and administrators. 

The County board vice-chairman Declan Byrne then presented the Junior captain Declan McGuinness with the cup and Paddy McMahon did the honours of presenting the medals to the members of the winning team of 2009. Next on the programme Harry McCarthy gave a dossier on the two most recent additions to the Club's list of Honorary presidents John Maguire & Jim Thornton and chairman Andy Quinn presented both men with a gold celtic cross medal as a token gesture for the service given the association and the Club by both. We were reliably informed that John Maguire was a player with the Club from the late forties through to the sixties and was then heavily involved as a selector right through the most successful era the Club had in the seventies. He also served on the committee at the time Fr. McEvoy was in its infancy and duly remembered organising children of the time to gather stones during the cultivation of the field. Jim Thornton was a member of the Cooley Junior championship winning team of 1964 and went on to play through the golden era of the 70's retiring as a player in 1979. Jim served on the Club committee thereafter and became one of the Club's youngest Chairman and indeed under his watch the sports complex was officially opened in 1988 and the Seniors won back to back titles in 89 & 90. Jim to the present day is still involved at administration level as he is a member of the current Leinster Council.

The MC then introduced the teams of 1989 & 1990 to a generous round of applause and reminded them that there was a big percentage of them very much changed in appearance, ie. some had gone for colour change of the hair mainly the fashionable grey, some had of course lost their hair, some had put on just a few pounds and some had even grown hair. John McDonald then spoke on behalf of the group and was proud to announce as the captain of 1989 that all were in attendance on the night except one and there were apologies for the absence. Brendan Burke captain of the 1990 team didn't speak on the night as he always did his talking on the field. Of course the management team of that era James Gregory, Des Savage, Leo McGuigan, John Flood & Alo McGrath were all lauded on the night and when speaking Des Savage gave sound advice to the present day players when saying his involvement with the football team and Club were among the most enjoyable time of his life. Leo McGuigan Snr was not present on the evening as he is recovering from a short illness and all in the Club would like to wish Leo a speedy and full recovery. Adrian Sheelan was then introduced by the MC as the man who was going to spill the beans on the American trip after all these years and while speaking there were some people left the room at that moment, however he informed all that it was a family show and there is still nothing really to tell. Other speakers on the night were Fr. Martin Kenny former Cooley player and trainer, Pete McGrath former Down & Cooley manager and Jim Thornton. All three told stories of times past within the association and had some good advice for the present crop of members involved with the Kickhams. So overall it was one of the better nights since the function room opened with a theme of nostalgia and an array of very interesting speakers.

Cooley Kickhams defeated Geraldines in their first competitive match of the season on a scoreline of 1-8 to 0-6. Geraldines fielded a pretty young side against an under strength Cooley team which augured for a pretty keenly contested game which was in the balance until Patrick Sheelan scored Cooley's goal in the 58th minute of the game. The first half ended all square at three points each. The football served up was typical of early season lethargy with both sides conceding possession too easily. The fare in the second half didn't improve, however Cooley's greater experience got them across the line with a flurry of late scores. Best for Cooley on the day were John Kane & Eddie Moley in defence, Keith White in midfield, Darren White & Patrick Sheelan in attack. Scorers as follows P Sheelan 1-4 (2 frees), Sean McDonald 0-2, D White 0-1 & Ronan Hanlon 0-1.

Cooley team on the day : 1 Simon Dullaghan 2 Eddie Moley 3 John Kane 4 Anton Watters 5 Frank Murphy 6 Alan Page 7 Cormac Watters 8 Keith White 9 Anthony White 10 Ambrose Kane 11 Patrick Sheelan 12 Gavin Long 13 Darren White 14 Ronan Hanlon 15 Sean McDonald.

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Computer classes are up and running again in the Cooley Complex. Classes on this occasion are for beginners which will basically teach you how to turn on the computer and become familiar with modern technology. So make the call and get a spot in the class. There are also classes available for the more advanced computer user. The classes will be filled on a first come first served basis. Please call Alo or Nicholas on 087 957 4665, 087 853 2775 & 042 9376602 to avoid missing out on a slot in the classes.

Bookings are also being taken for digital camera classes with a mind to form a camera club so don't leave it late.

Do you know your garden? Well why not come along and learn all about it at the upcoming Horticulture classes and be able to enhance your own garden design. Some slots are available but are limited.

Drama and music has been a huge success so far and takes place each Saturday from 11.00am until 1.00pm. The children seem to be really enjoying this and certainly their forthcoming shows are something for us all to look forward to. If you are not already taking part just come along to the Cooley Kickhams complex on Saturday morning as it's not too late yet. One never knows we may have in our midst some budding celebrities for the future.
 
The dancing classes have been very well attended and are growing in numbers each week. You will be guranteed fun while learning to jive and waltz and will be given one on one tuition if necessary. So don't fret if you think you've got two left feet or are flatfooted the instructors are more than confident they will have everybody gliding across the dance floor on their tiptoes in a matter of weeks.
 
The Kickhams are travelling to Kerry for the Paidí Ó Sé tournament and are now finalising plans for travelling and accommodation so please contact Kevin Smyth 0876276947 or Paul Boyle 0861016659 before this weekend.