Monaghan Harps Lotto: Numbers 2, 3, 7 and 24. Jackpot of €3,700 not won. Residual prizes: €100 Noel Connolly c/o Paddy Donnelly; €40 Mary White c/o clubhouse; €40 Colm Shalvey c/o himself; €40 John McSkeane c/o Séamus Treanor. Jackpot for Sunday, February 7 is €3,800 and Maria and Hugh McKenna are on duty. Lotto draw takes place in our refurbished clubhouse every Sunday night. All welcome.

Charity match: We were delighted to present a cheque for €4,441 to be divided between local causes Daithí’s Wish to Walk and Crocus Monaghan Cancer Support Group from our New Year’s Day charity match. Members of the Sherry family, who are raising money to help enable four-year-old Daithí (who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy spastic diplegia aged two) to learn to walk, attended the clubhouse last Sunday night, as did representatives of the local Crocus Centre; a peer-support group for people living with a cancer diagnosis. The amount raised, which broke the €4,500 mark thanks to donations on the night, is testament to the efforts of the club members and local business people. We also thank the Finnegan family, who made a generous donation from a fundraiser they hosted over Christmas for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. Owen Connell from the organising committee and club chairman Seán McKenna welcomed all our guests and emphasised the importance of our long-running charity match to the club and community. Well done to Owen, Mary White and all involved and thanks to everyone for their support.

 

Memorial Wall: A large crowd attended the clubhouse last Friday night for the unveiling of our memorial wall. The wall of photos is in memory of a number of people who played significant roles in the club’s history in playing, coaching, administration, etc. We were delighted to be joined by many family members and friends, some of whom travelled long distances. Thanks to everyone who attended and all involved.

 

Presentation: The 2015 Reserve Football League Division 1B medals were presented in the clubhouse by Declan McArdle, Jimmy Croarkin and Seán McKenna last Friday night.

 

Club Draw: The GAA National Club Draw is back for 2016, once again offering a great selection of prizes, including an Opel Corsa. Tickets are available now from Jimmy Croarkin and must be returned by Sunday week, February 14.

 

Membership: Registration fees of €20 for 2016 can now be paid to club registrar Kevin Treanor (086 2591411) or in the clubhouse. All players and members must be paid up by the end of March and are asked to register as soon as possible. Keep an eye on club notes for details of a possible upcoming registration night.

 

Pitch bookings: All pitch bookings for 2016 for training or matches must be made via 086 1957155. Training slots have been allocated and any changes must be notified in advance. Please note that the main pitch remains closed until further notice.

 

County/colleges: Well done to Neil McAdam and the Monaghan senior footballers, who started their National League campaign with a win in Roscommon last Sunday. Good luck against Down in Clones this Sunday and good luck also to Kevin Loughran, Fearghal McMahon and the county Under-21s in the Shamrock Cup. Hard luck to Shane McMahon, Remy McKenna and the St. Macartan’s College MacRory Cup team on their play-off defeat.

 

Calendar: The last few copies of our 2016 calendar, featuring excellent photos of club teams from throughout this year are on sale now from the Harps clubhouse for just €5.

 

Coaching: Monaghan Coaching & Games Development are running a series of Coach Education programmes and there are also a number of coaching workshops coming up in Cloghan in the next few months. See the Monaghan GAA website for more details.

 

Club history: A group of members are currently working on finishing a club history. Anyone who wishes to submit material is asked to contact Fergus Coyle, Enda Galligan, Joe McElvaney or Colm Shalvey. Club photos of historical value are particularly welcome and they can be emailed to Pro.monaghanharps.monaghan@gaa.ie.

 

Gavan Duffy Park: The refurbished Monaghan Harps clubhouse is available to book for functions. Contact Jimmy Croarkin on 087 1249635 or Pádraig Callan on 087 2139188 for more information. Anyone looking to book the clubhouse for meetings, functions, etc. is asked to please give a week’s notice for convenience.