New books chronicles 50 years of Mayo's Davitts GAA Club

This weekend, Davitts GAA Club will be launching a book to mark the 50th anniversary of the club’s formation in 1974.

At a meeting about two years ago, the committee decided that a book on the history of the club would be a fitting way to mark this milestone. The publication has been compiled by the PRO, Joe Reapy, and is published by Pádraig Corcoran.

While football had been played in Ballindine and Irishtown since the early 1900s, the Davitts club was officially formed after a meeting in late 1973. Named after Michael Davitt, one of the organisers of the famous meeting in Irishtown on April 20 1879 which led to the founding of the Land League, the club has since flourished.

The book covers the club’s history, including brief accounts of pre-1974 events and reports on approximately 380 games over the past five decades, which should bring back memories for many ‘older’ readers. It will also give some of the younger readers and the next generations a better idea of Davitts’ proud history.

It also features contributions from club members such as Frank Fahey, David McDonagh, Breda Waldron, Ronan Kirrane, Ronan McNamara, Liam Kearns and many more, all sharing personal anecdotes and reflections.

Other articles included are on Ballindine handball, Scór na nÓg winners, Mayo representatives and All-Ireland winners, alongside a wealth of photographs of teams, players, volunteers and supporters.

The book will be launched on Saturday, November 23, by Mayo ladies’ great Cora Staunton, with the event beginning at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse. Angelina Nugent will act as MC on the night, and there will be a Q&A session with a number of major figures within the club, including Dr. Ken Egan, Frank Hyland, Liam Nyland, Martin Connolly, Alan Roche, Eilis Ronayne, Rebecca Waldron and Colm Boyle.

Most importantly, the book can be purchased at the launch. It is priced at €30 and a big demand for it is anticipated. There will be a link on the club’s website (davittsgaa.com) and social media to enable online purchases. The book will also be on sale in the Spar and Centra shops and the Healthcare West Pharmacy in Ballindine, as well as Daly’s Newsagents, Hillside Service Station and SuperValu in Claremorris.