Monaghan Harps Lotto: Numbers 10, 18, 20 and 22. Jackpot of €4,000 not won. Residual prizes: €100 Susan Mulligan c/o Brian O’Sullivan (Hurling Club); €40 Patsy Scallan c/o Ann Treanor; €40 Ailish Connolly c/o Brian O’Sullivan (Hurling Club); €40 Benny McAree c/o Joe Finlay (Hurling Club). Jackpot for Sunday, February 28 is €4,100 and Monica and Paudge Connolly are on duty. Lotto draw takes place in our refurbished clubhouse every Sunday night. All welcome.

 

Poker: We will be hosting a Poker Classic on Saturday week, March 5, with an expected prize fund of €2,000. Tickets are on sale now from club members at a cost of €30. All support appreciated.

 

Championship draws: We have been drawn in the preliminary round of both Reserve Football Championships: at home to Emyvale in the O’Duffy Cup and at home to Oram in the McKeown Cup. Our Under-16 footballers also have a preliminary-round game against Inniskeen in the Division One Championship, while our Under-14 Division One team await either Inniskeen or Latton in the semi-finals and our Under-14 Division Five team face a quarter-final against Latton.

 

Dates to remember: As well as our Poker Classic, we are also looking forward to our Cake Sale in the Shopping Centre on Saturday, April 16, which comes two weeks after the scheduled return of our Saturday-morning coaching. The Senior Football League is due to start on the weekend ending March 20, with the Reserve Football League Divisions 1A and Three set to get underway across the first two weekends of next month. We will once again host Darkness into Light Monaghan this year in the early hours of Saturday, May 7.

 

Juveniles: All juvenile teams have begun preparations for the start of their leagues, which are scheduled as follows: Under-16s: Thursday, March 31; Under-14s: Saturday, March 12; Under-12 (Spring League): Saturday, March 19. Meanwhile, our Under-10s have been playing in the Indoor League on Saturday mornings at Coláiste Oiriall.

 

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 an upcoming registration night.

 

First Aid course: Monaghan GAA will be holding a first-aid course over two nights in Cloghan on Monday, March 7 and Monday, March 14. Each evening will run from 6.30-9.45. This is recommended for anyone who wishes to actively assist the children (or adults) in their care. Anyone interested should contact John McArdle 087 2508557.

 

Handball: Congratulations to all the young Harps handballers who have enjoyed great success in provincial and national schools competitions in recent weeks.

 

Keys: Anyone who has any keys for our facilities at Gavan Duffy Park that are not currently needed is asked to please return them to Damien Morgan or any club member at their earliest convenience.

 

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: Good luck to Neil McAdam and the Monaghan senior footballers in Saturday’s NFL game v Dublin at Croke Park and to all Harps players currently playing for schools and college teams. Hard luck to Kevin Loughran, who captained the county Under-21s in their Shamrock Cup Final loss to Tyrone.

 

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. See the Monaghan GAA website or contact Pádraig Callan on 087 2139188 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.