‘This one is for you' - Burt dedicate Féile success to club president Colm Grant

Burt U15 camogie team's historic Féile success has been dedicated to beloved club president Colm Grant, who died suddenly at the weekend.

The young camogs became the first ever Hibernian Park team to take a trophy home from Féile when they won the division four shield final in Ballygar, Galway, on Saturday.

Their victory was tinged with sadness, however, following the shocking loss of Burt stalwart Mr Grant last Friday evening. The Burnfoot man had been at a junior hurling match in Hibernian Park and had just finished helping an injured player get home when he suddenly took ill and passed away.

The camogs' trophy success is being dedicated to their president, whose funeral takes place this Wednesday morning in St Aengus' Church in Burt.

Team coach Andrew Wallace said: “The girls were staying the night in Sligo ahead of their Féile in Galway the next day when the news about Colm came through.

“I didn't find out myself until the Saturday when I was driving to Galway. It was such a shock as I'd seen him at the match just the night before.

“Obviously all club activities were cancelled but unfortunately we had to keep going as the girls were already away when it happened.”

The young camogs did their club and their president proud, playing with skill and determination to land the shield trophy with an emphatic 2-4 to 0-3 win over Cavan side Castletara in the final.

Catriona McKinney gave a typical captain's performance by scoring both goals, while heroic Aoife Kerr played through the final despite injuring her thumb in the semi - only to discover later that it was, in fact, broken. Andrew himself was a proud father on the day, with daughter Aiobhínn also part of the 19-strong team.

“We were a few short going into it so we had no real expectations,” he said. “But the girls just played their socks off and they have been rewarded with a national title.

“So much credit has to go to the manager, Marie Gill. She is the face of camogie in the club. I just do the coaching; it's Marie who deals with the players, the parents, the coaches and looks after the fundraising and all the rest of it.

“Credit too has to go to Cathy McKinney (mother of team captain Catriona), who stepped away last year after many years of being the heart and soul of camogie in Burt, and also to Debbie Curran and Donna Duffy who are always there lending a hand.”

The late Mr Grant had a strong affinity with Burt's Féile campaigns down the years, helping coach the 1984/85 teams in which Andrew played before, some 25 years later, the two joined forces to co-manage a Féile side containing the club's next generation of hurlers.

Said Andrew: “I've looked up to Colm from I was a toot. He was a worker and a driver who spoke his mind but who had a heart of gold.

“It's just typical of the character of the man that he died helping someone, right up to the end. It's so sad that he missed out on the girls winning this title by just one day and it's only right that we dedicate this to him; he would have been delighted to see it.”