Charlestown Sarsfields GAA club to officially open the new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch & Community Walkways Development on Sunday June 2nd 2024
(Tuesday, 14th May 2024) In memory of our late friend and clubmate, Colm Horkan, Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club are proud to announce that the new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Community Walkways will be officially opened on Sunday June 2nd, 2024. The official ribbon cutting ceremony will be performed by An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, TD at 1pm and the famous Garda Band will be on hand to perform on the day.
On the day there will be several matches taking place to mark the occasion, with our underage teams getting proceedings underway from 11am on the main pitch at Fr. O’Hara Park. Following the official opening of the new pitch at 1pm, the first game on the new Colm Horkan Memorial pitch, will fittingly be an exhibition game, between a Charlestown Sarsfields Masters selection, consisting of many of Colm’s former teammates and friends, against a star-studded Masters selection from counties and clubs across Ireland. Our senior ladies’ team will then play an exhibition game against the Templemore College Garda team, whilst our current Senior men’s team will close proceedings with an exhibition match against a representative team from An Garda Siochana. There will be refreshments, entrainment and activities for all the family to enjoy on the day.
The new pitch and community walkways will provide the Charlestown club with a new state of the art, all weather, fully floodlit, playing pitch, and walkways for the wider community to enjoy for years to come. The project, which has taken over three years to complete, has attracted support from all corners of the globe, and involved several fundraising events such as the Annual Colm Horkan Memorial Run, and the Colm Horkan Memorial Golf Classic. In addition, the club has received funding through the Governments Sports Capital Programme and other funding programmes, which have provided an invaluable support towards the completion of this phase of the project.
Colm touched the lives of many in the communities of Charlestown and beyond, with dignity and regalness characterising his every action and deed. He loved his town, and this was the place where many great friendships and bonds were moulded. Colm loved his football and served Charlestown Sarsfields with distinction over the course of a long, stellar, and star-studded career. He donned the green and white jersey with honour and excellence and Fr. O’Hara took centre stage in many of our finest successes in a career that saw him reach some marvellous heights.
Liam Breheny, Chairman, Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club said ‘Sunday June 2nd will be both an emotional and very proud day for our club and community as we officially open the new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Community Walkways. We will be honoured to welcome An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, TD, to our club to perform the official opening ceremony and thank him for taking the time from his busy schedule to join us on this special day. The goodwill shown and the offers of support from people, both locally, nationally and from the diaspora around the world for this project has been heartwarming and the new facilities in Colm’s honour will be a fitting legacy for the great man and a facility for the community to enjoy for generations to come – something I know he would be immensely proud of’.
-ENDS-