It is an important week for Naomh Fionnbarra.
By Cian O’Connell
Naomh Fionnbarra’s connection with the Cabra community runs deep.
So, on Festival Week in the club every generation is catered for. There is no shortage of sport or activities. It commenced last Saturday with a parade and the fun finishes next Sunday, following an action packed stint.
Thomas Gleeson, Naomh Fionnbarra’s Games Promotion Officer, explains the value and relevance of the week for the club. “It was started up in the 80s, basically the whole concept behind it was everything around the club is community based,” Gleeson says.
“People think of it as a GAA club, but people in Cabra think of it as a lot more. So, every day this week there is something on. Saturday was the parade, and the official opening was on. We do a parade right through Cabra up to the Bogies. We play games up in the Bogies for every age group, to see if any kid in the community wants to join.
“You have stuff like teddy bear picnics. Through the whole week there is stuff for every age bracket in the community. You'd have afternoon tea, discos, movies for the kids.
“You've so much for every age category within the community. It is for the club, to basically say a big thank you for everything they do for us.”
That inclusive element is key for Naomh Fionnbarra. Assisting people in Cabra matters deeply with so many people ready, willing, and able to contribute. “You've a full booklet - our volunteers last week delivered something like 7,000 booklets to every house in Cabra, letting them know when stuff was on, what time, venues, etc,” Gleeson says.
“For the older folks you've afternoon tea, line dancing, bingo. There is everything for every age group.”
Gaelic games are always on the agenda too. Gleeson relishes that aspect and was eager to restore ideas that served the club previously. “I used to be the juvenile chairman, about 10 or 12 years ago,” he recalls.
“We used to do a thing called the road leagues, every road in Cabra had to put a team together of kids to go to play in the road leagues. You'd see an awful lot of mini All-Irelands happening around the country at the minute.
Naomh Fionnbarra activities during Festival Week.
“So, we hadn't ran the road leagues in a long time. Me going in as the GPO, I said that was a big seller when I was highly involved in the club, we brought it back in. The last two weeks we ran a football one and a hurling one.
“Between both weeks we ended up with 250 kids in the Bogies over 12 teams. We brought them into different age groups, they'll have the finals next Sunday when it is the last day of the Festival in front of everyone.”
Ensuring those juvenile leagues were restored meant a lot to Gleeson. “We brought back something we haven't done in a long time,” he adds. “During the week we have some in house games, but we also have other clubs coming in. Our U14s are playing Scoil Uí Chonaill on Thursday, I used to be the GPO for Scoil Uí Chonaill for eight years. So, they invited them up to play a memorial tournament.
“All our memorial cups get played during the festival week. Every age group will have an internal game or a challenge game against someone else, it keeps the whole week going with games for the kids.
“You've kayaking going on, you've so much going on for every age bracket. It is terrific, it is unbelievable, I don't know if any other club in the whole country does something like it.”
As a child, Gleeson thoroughly enjoyed representing Naomh Fionnbara. There is a real sense of fulfilment to be developing the club as a GPO a few decades later. “It is brilliant,” Gleeson responds.
“The way I got involved with the club was, I'm actually from the inner city. I played a little All-Ireland skills competition in Croke Park, I won the whole thing. There was a fella there from Finbarr's, Nicky Kehoe, he asked me would I come up to join.
“So, every Wednesday I jumped on the bus. Since then, I've never looked back. Getting picked up for training, getting brought home, I've never seen so many people involved. People being there to help you out.
“Someone from the inner city, like myself, could have went down the wrong road. Having that club there for me and with me the whole time, it has been terrific. I played all the way up to senior.
“I worked with Scoil for eight years and Finbarr's asked me to come back last year. So, I just came back, I had played all the way up to senior football and hurling with the club. I've been juvenile chairman for four or five years, while I was still playing. Everything within the community is terrific.
Referee Thomas Gleeson during the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A Final between Carlow and Laois at Netwatch Cullen Park in March. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
“This summer alone with the eight week break between the school terms, for the last five weeks we've had stuff on for the kids between the junior camps, the advanced camps, the mini All-Irelands. It is amazing.”
Gleeson is also a senior inter-county referee and laughs about how that particularly journey started as a teenager. “It was actually a fluke, we were training on a Wednesday night in the club, the referee co-ordinator came along after training,” Gleeson recalls.
“He asked would we like to do a referee course? When you're doing a bit of coaching, you say to yourself, why not? I was 14 at the time. I went upstairs in the club, I did the course.”
Appointments followed quickly. “That Saturday I got told I was refereeing the following Saturday down at Na Fianna,” he adds. “My first game, I actually arrived down at Na Fianna, there was nobody there. I had cycled all the way from town. I was really afraid, I didn't know what to expect.
“The game actually ended up being called off, I was the happiest person going home on the bike. Then, it just took off. I went from Level One to Level Two.”
Gleeson fondly remembers those, who helped him along the way. “There was a woman Kathleen McPoland, she actually died a few tears ago, she was always promoting me, she said I was the only referee in Dublin that came from basically grassroots.
“I had done from Go Games, CCC2, Adult, then on to Provincial Panel, and then the National Panel, and finally on to the Championship Panel. Never would I change what I did.”
Ultimately, Gleeson is always eager to provide support and help for others. Refereeing has helped to forge friendships. “Obviously, I work as a Games Promotion Officer, but being able to have the experience as a coach behind me, to help other referees is important,” he says. “You want to get younger referees in.
“Being there and going through my experience, showing the kids the experiences, I came through, and the whole journey I've had. I've met my two best friends through refereeing, that just shows you how important it actually is, for yourself.”
Naomh Fionnbarra’s Festival Week simply highlights the importance of sport and its infinite possibilities.