This article is from page 35 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
which has been compiled by Gerald Kennedy to mark the 40th anniver- sary of the club.
Superstars of Irish football such as Ronnie Whelan and Packie Bon- nar were in north Clare earlier this month to help mark the historic day for the club.
“We started off about five years ago with the idea of putting this book together. An awful lot of work
was done back then in gathering old match reports, photos and any kind of memorabilia together. As the 40th anniversary began to come closer, we decided that we really should get moving and put the book together,’ said Gerry Kennedy.
“We didn’t realise how much work would be involved in doing it. The collection is fairly comprehensive, but there were one or two things that were difficult to find. I remember taking some photographs myself in the early days but the quality was so poor in those days that not a lot of them survived. Older photographs were one of the hardest things to
track down.
“We were getting lots of bits and pieces all the time and while there was some few things that we weren’t able to include, I’m not sure we could have made it any bigger or more comprehensive. We were lucky in the early days that soccer was treated as a bit of a novelty sport and, because of that, it got a lot of coverage in the media at that time.”
The books track the evolution of the club since its foundation at New- town United in 1967 up until its latest incarnation as Corofin Harps.
“We have got great feedback from old members of the club. It brings
back great memories for them. But equally for the young people, they get to look back and see where the club has come from and how it has developed into what it is today,” con- tinued Gerry.
“In fact, there is really something in the book for anyone who has an interest in sport in Clare. The club has had a lot of ups and downs over the years and it has not always been smooth sailing.”
The book is available at a cost of €15 from O’Callaghan’s Newsa- gents in Corofin. Alternatively, you can contact Gerry Kennedy at 086 3478050 for more details.