It's a beautiful sight to see players from under-5 up to under-10 run on to the green, freshly cut sward. In total I have counted 158 and I'm told, because of communions, that many are missing.
Great credit is due to the Na Piarsaigh GAA club for the manner in which they have always prepared their young players - dedicated people have given of their time selflessly in an effort to continue the supply line of young players to the club.
The young players and their parents are fortunate, that in Na Piarsaigh not only are they given superb coaching, they are also helping these young boys develop their life skills.
This is a very special week for the club as they celebrate 40 years in existence. All who have had an association with the club during that time can be justifiably proud of the contribution they have made to their area. During this time they have managed to develop a highly efficient administration and coaching system that has stood the test of time and the proof of this is the huge number of trophies and titles won by the club. They have been particularly successful at underage level and this is a testimony to the coaching system that has produced some of the greatest underage players that Limerick has ever seen.
In some respects it must be a source of annoyance to the club that, despite such wonderful success at underage level, they are still waiting for the coveted senior hurling trophy.

A weekend to savour
This weekend will provide the club with the opportunity to savour many of their great days which they enjoyed both on and off the field. Without fear of contradiction Na Piarsaigh GAA Club have, and I am quite confident they will continue to do so, adhered to the ideals of the GAA in the way that they have conducted their business.
Over the years, many people have given generously of their time in various roles within the club, but the next few days will surely be fulfilling for them as those who were there at the beginning, and moved on for a variety of reasons, return to take part in the packed schedule of events. The last 40 years have seen so many changes in Ireland, however Na Piarsaigh GAA Club have proven that, regardless of the era, when young boys are properly coached and looked after, they have the ability to match those of any era.
The club was formed on January 16, 1968. The inaugural meeting was held in the Ardhu House Hotel. Noel Drumgoole was chosen as chairman while Tom McInerney was their first secretary and Mossie O'Grady was the club's first treasurer. Fr. John Browne and three members of the Limerick County Board at that time were also in attendance - Jackie O'Connell, Tom Boland and Mick O'Brien.
Many people have contributed enormously to the club, but most will forgive me for singling out the late Noel Drumgoole who was a driving force within the club and contributed enormously during his time.
Down through the years many others have played their part, such as Dan Hickey, Frank Kavanagh, Tom McInerney, John Ryan, Bill Kiely, Jimmy Sheils, Donal Hartnett, Mick O'Neill, Mick Lynch, Bernie Buckley, Bob Shanahan, Aidan Ryan, Willie Mulcahy and a host of others have been invaluable in their contributions.
Some of the most important people of course, are those who have worked so diligently with underage players.

Records books will show
The record books will show that despite their short existence they have won a enormous amount of underage titles and, of course, successfully won the All-Ireland Féile na nGael in 1984. Indeed, during the course of that weekend, a young man who was later to contribute in a substantial way to the Limerick senior hurling team, Damien Quigley, scored nine goals and three points in the Féile final. That was a golden spell at underage for the Na Piarsaigh as they won the Limerick Féile six times in-a-row in the '80's.
While Na Piarsaigh is considered very much a hurling club nowadays, at the outset it concentrated on football. In 1975 they won the County Intermediate Football Championship and contested the 1982 Senior Football Final but lost to Claughaun - incidentally, that 1982 team will be honoured this weekend. They have won two minor football titles during their existence – 1981 and 1994, while they captured the under-21 in 1973 and 1997.
They are now beginning to make some progress with the big ball once again and are building upon their junior success of 2006.
Hurling, and the development of their Club na nÓg, has contributed hugely to the club. For this to prosper, proper structures had to be put in place and I'm sure many contributed enormously. To me one man who has contributed and continues to do so is Timmy O'Connor, as I witnessed during my visit to the club. This man has a ferocious appetite for hurling and has played a major part in many Na Piarsaigh successes. He was abley assisted by Fr. Tom Carroll and John Ryan.

Working hard
The Na Piarsaigh Club is working hard. New chairman, Joe Heaney, a Galway man, has brought a freshness with him and has cast the net even further to develop the club.
They have set up a new finance committee in which John McKeogh is the chairman.
McKeogh is a focused individual and, with the assistance of former players Shane O'Neill and John Fitzgerald, to mention but a couple, they are setting new goals for the club. Just last year the club built magnificent modern dressing rooms and referee facilities to compliment their fine clubhouse facility that was opened in 1972.
The seven acres on which the club is currently based were purchased from McInerney Builders in 1968 for £2,500. Indeed, the club could have bought a further nine acres at the time for £3000 but, for a young club starting up, that was a step too far. It's ironic now that the lack of land is bringing its own headaches to the club. For this club to continue to prosper, surely all concerned within City Hall must do all that they can to assist them as they struggle to find extra space to help them cater for the growing numbers of young people they are attracting. Not only is Na Piarsaigh providing young people with knowledge of one of the greatest field games in the world, but they are greatly assisting in the social aspect in the areas in which they live and, for this, they justifiably deserve any assistance that they can be given.

Mackey Stand members
The club has 850 in the Mackey Stand Draw which is of great assistance to the club, but it's also a valuable contribution to the Limerick GAA scene. Since it's foundation it is rather ironic that the club has never had a Limerick chairman. It is seen as having a particular association with Tipperary men. Liam "Chunky" O'Brien, a former Cappamore player has given diligent service to the club since joining many years ago. He could well become the first Limerick man to become chairman of the Na Piarsaigh Club in the coming years.
This Friday the club begin their journey towards a senior hurling championship when they face Ballingarry in their opener. It could well set the scene for what will be a glorious weekend for the club. The highlight of the weekend will be their dinner on Saturday night where a number of presentations will be made. They will also run what promises to be a very successful golf classic along with a variety of underage games. It is only right that a club like Na Piarsaigh should celebrate their achievements of the past and, in doing so, it will re-energise them for the tasks and goals that lie ahead.

Senior hurling
The senior hurling championship began last weekend and I was fortunate to see all three games.
Garyspillane and Tournafulla set the ball in motion in a game that had a real championship buzz about it. The scoreline may suggest that 'The Bouncers' had it their own way, but great credit to Tournafulla, they played with great fire, however, they were unable to contain the splendid Donie Ryan who scored ten points but the man who lifted them was James Ryan. Long before now I highlighted the qualities of 'Jim Bob'.
It is a great pity that he's only a few weeks in the senior hurling panel. In time, he will prove to be a player of real quality for Limerick.
Patrickswell produced their best second half of hurling for some time to overcome a Western Gaels team that looked to be running away with it. Gerry Molyneaux will wonder where it all went wrong given their ten-point advantage at the break. Despite losing, if the Gaels hold their head, they will still pose a serious challenge.
The most disappointing game of the weekend was Adare v Claughaun. Adare strolled to victory here while Claughaun are but a pale shadow of the great teams they produced in the past.
It is high time that this club started to nurture their own players rather than depend on imports. They are at a crucial stage now and failure to build from within could see this club struggle in the years ahead.

Most pleasing day
Finally, Liam Lenihan, the Chairman of the County Board, told me at the weekend that he had his most pleasing day as chairman last Sunday.
You see, over the last seven weeks, an under-10 football development academy has been running.
According to the chairman, this has been a tremendous success and, over the next seven weeks, it will be the turn of the young hurlers. This is a very positive move and I intend to return to this in the very near future.