A Chairdre,

Céad fáilte roimh an mbliain 2023. Tá súil agam go mbeidh bliain faoi shéan agus faoi mhaise agaibh uilig agus ag bhur dteallaigh ar chuile shlí san am an-ghnóthach seo.

At our recent AGM, the honour of leading our brilliant club was bestowed on me with the Chairmanship of St. Mary’s Hurling & Camogie Club. This is a role that I will cherish and relish in equal measure and look forward to helping further enhance our great club.

I would like to thank our outgoing Chairman Ger Deely who has given four excellent years leading from the top table, on top of a lifetime of service to the club in various capacities and look forward to future endeavours from Ger around the Sportsfield.

Joining the officers of the club for 2023 are Tom O’Gorman as club secretary, taking over from the diligent Kevin Ryan. Staying in situ from last year are Eimear Cooney as Treasurer and Hughie Meehan as PRO.

Over the last number of years, St. Mary’s has grown exponentially in various facets, becoming a leading club in the County and this has been done by the countless hours of volunteerism, drive, passion and generosity of many, many people. The re-energising of the camogie section and ever-expanding boys’ scene has brought new, highly driven and committed people into the club to ensure a bright future lays ahead.

For 2023, some of the big initiatives that we hope will come on stream are the opening of our new joint gym facility with Commercials located in Kickham Barracks and the development of a full-size pitch and Astro area in conjunction with Raheen College.

In order to further enhance and grow St. Mary’s we are asking all members, new and current to get involved at some level, be that coaching, selling lotto tickets, washing jerseys, transport, stewarding, committee level, the list is endless, but the satisfaction gained, friends made and fun gleaned from being involved with a vibrant community led group is endless.

My vision for the club is to fully embrace the “One Club” model placing equal importance on Camogie, Hurling, Community Ethos, Health & Well Being and making St. Mary’s GAA club a place where people want to belong and feel proud of.

Finally, I want to thank our main sponsors O’Sullivan Insurances along with all of our many other sponsors and businesses in Clonmel for their continued support and wish you and your families a Happy New Year and look forward to meeting, working, and supporting with all of you for the betterment of our club in 2023.

An Cathaoirleach

Brendan Cagney.

A message from our Treasurer

As we move into the new year, we would now ask you to renew membership for you and your family and encourage all new members to sign up before 31st March 2023.

Membership is vital for the running of your club to cover insurance, affiliation fees and all operational costs with running a busy club, which have increased like everything else in our lives.

The fees for membership covers insurance and registration with the GAA for 2023 and for full membership includes a contribution to our development fund, which previously had been collected at each training session. Traditionally the €2 per player per session at the pitch was collected from March – October (whilst playing on the pitches). The amount that has been included in the membership fee reflects a reduction in this cost to members, especially if you have more than one playing member in a family.

We also have an option to enter our club lotto on renewal/sign up to membership. For a fee of €80, you will 1 entry to our lotto for 52 weeks, which again reflects a reduction from the normal cost.

By signing up for the lotto subscription with your membership, you will be eligible for

• Inclusion in draws for access to tickets for Tipperary championship matches up to and including the All Ireland Final
• Entry to draw for All Ireland Tickets
• Entry to a special ‘lucky dip’ club lotto draw!

We understand that fees at any time of year, but particularly in the new year, can be onerous, so the club has provided the option of payment plans for those who sign up. These are available through the online system with our dedicated clubzap app.

We are very grateful to you all for supporting the club and we are really excited for 2023 and all that it may bring!

Kind Regards,

Eimear Cooney, Treasurer.