Stay of execution: Redmonds set to continue in 2019

There’s life in Redmonds yet — a well-attended meeting to save the 126-year old Cork GAA club from extinction deciding that while the club’s Tower Street premises will have to be sold to clear off mounting debt, Redmonds will continue inside the whitewash in 2019.

Last night’s meeting didn’t get off to the most promising of starts, with nobody entirely sure who called the emergency gathering.

Chairman Mick O’Shea apologised to the 80 or so people in the hall. It wasn’t his doing, he said, that people be brought out on a “fool’s errand”.

Pessimism, however, eventually gave way to hope as solutions were thrashed out among those present.

An EGM held last week had concluded that the club’s bar licence would not be renewed beyond this weekend, while the club itself would be wound up at the end of the year.

The presence or so of 20 young men in the left corner of the hall last night was sufficient evidence that Redmonds will be in a position to put out a junior football team next year (without the need for 61-year-old manager Francie Holland to take his place at corner-forward as was the case in recent times), but it was the poor state of their accounts which continues to leave a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the club.

Club treasurer Edwin Callanan said €60/70,000 “would get you away in a hat, sort next year and put a team on the field. Do I think that is possible if people put their shoulder to the wheel? Absolutely. Am I going to my shoulder to the wheel on my own? No”.

Redmonds chairman Mick O’Shea, left, and former chairman Eamonn Fitzgibbon at last night’s meeting.

The chairman Mick O’Shea outlined how the club executive consisted of himself, his brother Paddy, Edwin Callanan and Edwin’s grandmother Ita O’Mahony.

The role of secretary sits vacant and has done so for some time.

“The combined age of the four of us is 270,” bemoaned O’Shea. “That cannot continue.

It is clear that we cannot rent out this place so we will have to sell it off and pay our debts. Elderly people cannot keep this club going. We need youth. We need young people to get involved. Until such time as that happens, Redmonds will keep going down, no matter what kind of a house they have.

“The bills are the most important. The selling of this premises will help pay the bills. That is something we’ll have to look into and discuss with the county board. I have already requested a meeting with them. I am still waiting to hear back.”

O’Shea revealed there was a queue of parties already forming who were interested in purchasing their Tower Street home.

The Cork County Board were represented by Pat Horgan and Ronan Dwane. Horgan, the board’s development officer, said the board did not want to see any club go under, especially one with as proud a history as Redmonds.

Horgan urged the club to call another meeting, to put together a full committee and then to meet the Cork County Board to draw up a road-map going forward.

One club member present asked Horgan if the Cork GAA executive would consider bailing Redmonds out. Horgan replied that this was unlikely and that such a request would have to be made to a higher body than the Cork County Board.

“We are here to help,” said Horgan, “but the club must first get its own house in order. Of course, a club can continue to put out teams, even if it does not have a clubhouse. ”