The marquee at Rosemount GAA Club has been decorated with jerseys from each era of the club's history ahead of a sold-out centenary dinner for 380 people this Sunday evening.

Large crowds set for Rosemount GAA's 100-year celebration this weekend

Adrian Cusack

Published: Fri 3 May 2024, 5:30 PM

Rosemount is renowned for its pride of place and close-knit community spirit - and these qualities will be on full display this weekend when a number of special events are held to mark the centenary of the local GAA club.

The 100-year celebration will culminate with a dinner and dance on Sunday evening in a marquee which was erected at the club last week.

The dinner has a capacity of 380, and every ticket for it has already been snapped up.

"We have huge numbers coming. I think it's easier to get a ticket for the All Ireland than it is to get a ticket for (the centenary meal)!" quipped Rosemount GAA Secretary Yvonne Healy.

"We have Rosemount people from all over the world flying home for what promises to be a fantastic weekend."

Rosemount GAA players pictured in their new jerseys which commemorate the club’s centenary.

The centenary celebrations have involved many months of planning and preparation.

The events get underway tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon, May 4, with a Family Fun Day which will include underage football matches, races, 'Rosemount's Fittest Family', a cake sale, kids' games, tea and coffee, and much more.

On Sunday, at 11am, Rosemount priest Fr Jimmy Murray will celebrate a special centenary Mass in St Thomas's Church at 11am.

This will be followed by a walk up Cnoc Aiste, where participants will gather at the top, in their Rosemount GAA colours, for a drone photograph to be taken.

"One of the local lads has a drone, and hopefully the weather will be nice so that we can have a picture taken of us all, on top of the hill, in our Rosemount colours and flags. It should be a nice picture to have for the future," explained Yvonne.

The marquee erected at the club will open at 6.30pm on Sunday and the meal being served there will commence at 7.30pm, followed by music from The Secrets.

A memorabilia room will also be open at the club over the weekend, with mementoes and artefacts from various stages of its history going on display.

These will include a leather football from a previous era, football boots, paper cuttings, photos, and more.

The Centenary Committee which has been organising this weekend’s festivities in Rosemount. Pictured L-R: Aisling Boland, Aoife Healy, John Keenan, Lisa O’Brien, David Keane, Vinny Cox, Richie O’Brien (Chairman), Aidan Mullen (Treasurer), Marie Burke and Yvonne Healy (Secretary). Missing from photo: Jimmy Whelan, Peter Keenan, Assumpta Fox and Brendan Kelly.

Yvonne Healy paid tribute to the members of the club's centenary committee and everyone else who has helped with the organisation of these events.

"Rosemount GAA is immensely proud of being 100 years old, as can be seen by the amount of work that has been done over the past number of weeks," she said.

"This has included everything from a tidy up on Saturday, April 20, to those putting up the bunting, cleaning out the marquee, washing floors, putting up tables, cleaning toilets, and organising the Family Fun Day."

She said everyone was now keeping their fingers crossed that the weather would cooperate on Saturday and Sunday.

"But I think we will have a great weekend anyway, rain or no rain. We're very proud of the club and it's great to be around to mark the 100 years.

"We are a bit biased, but Rosemount is a fantastic place, and a fantastic place to live. I couldn't praise it enough!" she concluded.