St Cuthberts team performers take shield in summer league 2010



St Cuthberts Under 12 Summer league  winners  2010



Sadness leaving 2011.Remembering Donald Rennicks

Don Rennicks, Bohermeen

The late Mr Don Rennicks in his Irish clay pigeon shooting team blazer.

The death occurred on 29th August last of Mr Don Rennicks, Faughan Hill, Bohermeen, Navan.

He was born on 2nd May 1952, a son of the late Johnny and Kate Rennicks. He attended Bohermeen National School and went to St Patrick's Classical School in Navan. As a teenager he was involved in cross country running and he became a founder number of the Bohermeen Athletic Club in 1969. He served as its first secretary and treasurer and in 1972 he played a leading role in acquiring a site for the club from the late Peter Bishop. The site was developed as the Bohermeen AC rooms and still serves as a local landmark to this day.

In the early 70's, deceased wore the black and amber of both the Athletic Club and Bohermeen GAA Club with pride. During his time with the Athletic Club he helped them win many novice, junior and senior Meath cross country titles and was a playing member of the local GAA club which won a county title at intermediate level. Without his vision, imagination and youthful drive, Bohermeen AC would never have become the major force in athletics that it is today. Until his sudden passing, Mr Rennicks was a trustee of the club.

In his early years, he worked in Clarke's Supermarket in Navan and later with McDermott Bros. He went on to start his own successful fruit and vegetable business in Grange, Bohermeen. He expanded the business into food processing and at its peak employed thirty people. The business continues to flourish.

From a young age, his passion was game shooting and clay pigeon shooting. He was an active member of many local gun clubs, Ardbraccan, Dunderry and Cortown and was the driving force behind the annual Dunderry Clay Shoot. He was a founder member of the Forest Clay Pigeon Club.

In the sport, deceased represented his province and country at the highest level. He won many of the top prizes in the British Isles and Junior High Gun of Ireland. He went on to become a qualified trap coach and referee in the sport.

His friends from his football, athletic and shooting days turned out in large numbers for his removal and burial. Wearing their green blazers, his Irish team colleagues formed a guard of honour in respect and admiration for a good friend.

Don Rennicks lived and loved life to the full. He had a great love of nature and all the changing seasons. His sense of humour, laughter, story telling will be remembered by all who knew him. He was generous with his time, a kind and loving man who would go out of his way to help anybody in need. Always selfless he will be remembered by all who knew him.

He is survived by his loving wife, Mairéad; brother, Sean; sisters, Marie and Patricia; his nieces and nephews. He is sadly missed by his loving family, the community he loved, the many friends and colleagues who had the pleasure of his friendship and humour.

Bohermeens loss is Heavens gain

Set your Running Goals for 2012-----Meath Spring Half Marathon March 4th

Set your Goals for 2012 now

Meath Spring Half Marathon in Bohermeen Co Meath March 4th at 12Noon and 5k Fun Run
and two other great promotions June 9th Patrick Bell memorial 5k & Bar b Que ,40th Rennicks cup 5 mile sept 9th all 3 Just 50 Euro

Happy new Year to all our friends and Supporters

Bohermeen Parish------- Down memory lane



Meath senior football final programme from 1974
Bohermeen GFC were defeated by Summerhill GFC who went on to win 4 in a row

 


Martry Minor team 1932

  

The oldest known photo of any Gaelic team in Bohermeen parish dates from 1888 we believe
Ttiled St Ultans Ardbraccan





Bohermeen GFC Meath Intermediate football champions 1973

 


Bohermeen GFC Beaten senior finalists 1974

  



St Ultans First team line out 1991



Football match durting the Bohermeen parish festival Circa 1984





Team Captains on the night Tom Murtagh left and Francie Rennicks right centre John Hand



Harps In Intermediate Football Final 1980 beaten finalists





Rennicks family Gaa team mid 1970s

 

Martry GFC Feis cup winners 1925



Bohermeen GFC Under 14 1960 ?



Martry Meath junior football champions 1964




Bohermeen GFC League Final 1953 ?

 


Martry GFC Meath senior football champions 1931
This was the last team from the parish of Bohermene to win the senior title

 

Bohermeen GFC Meath junior football champions 1965




Martry GFC Meath junior champions 1908 or 1915



Bohermeenenians unite all,over the world today

Happy Christmas To All
Bohermeemenians all over the world

Bohermeen Parish Christmas reading

Bohermeen is a Roman Catholic parish in the Irish Diocese of Meath. Its English name is a corruption of an ancient Irish language name, Án Bothar Mín, which meant the smooth road. Originally one of the five famed ancient roadways that led from the mediæval capital of Ireland, Tara, approximately 10 miles away cut through the area. The quality of the roadway, in an era of dirt-roads, earned for it the nickname of the smooth road, Án Bothar Mín.


For nearly fourteen hundred years the local area went by the name of Árd Braccan or Ardbraccan, meaning the height of Braccan, the hill on which St. Braccan located his mediæval monastery and which in the 9th century became a diocese with its own bishop. Even when the diocese of Ardbraccan joined with other small dioceses such as Fore and Kells to form the Diocese of Meath, Braccan's hill became the location of the palace of the Bishop of Meath.
Following the establishment of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland Ardbraccan became the seat of the Protestant Lord Bishop of Meath. Anglican bishops continued to live in the area until 1958. When in the nineteenth century the Roman Catholic Church re-established a local parish in the area, it was decided to use a different name to the local Church of Ireland parish of Ardbraccan. 'Bohermeen' became the chosen name. A curate in the parish of Navan, the large town nearby, Dean Cogan, who himself had once served as a curate in Bohermeen, and who wrote the acclaimed History of the Diocese of Meath (2 Vols) in the 1860s bemoaned the choice of the secular Bohermeen (or Bohermien as he wrote it) as the parish name ahead of the more religious Ardbraccan name.

Ardbraccan, Ardbraccan House, Allenstown House, Book of Kells, Dean Cogan, Diocese of Meath, Navan, Niall of the Nine Hostages, Tara, Ireland

Bohermeen - Population and landholdings

The area known as Bohermeen has had a predominantly Roman Catholic according to every census done. It did however have a sizeable Church of Ireland population (see below), though that dwindled significantly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The population was hit to a minor extent by the Second Great Famine in the mid-19th century. Local folklorists record the disappearance of entire pre-famine settlements in, for example, the townland of Greetiagh within the parish. Though the records of the period are scant, folklore recorded anonymous deaths of parishioners in some of the ancient mediæval graveyards, notably at Markiestown, where the last burials in the ancient (now destroyed) cemetery were believed to have occurred in the famine era.
The landholdings of the era were recorded as part of Griffith's Valuation, a major land survey carried out in Ireland between 1848 and 1864.
The major land reform of the late 19th century changed the landownership pattern. The breakup of the large estates of the gentry saw most parishioners move from being tenant farmers to small landowners in their own right.
As late as the 1930s a project carried out by the Irish Folklore Commission, in which school children were asked to write down their description of their areas, recorded that most houses in the area were thatched cottages. However almost all the traditional thatched houses were knocked down in succeeding decades. The last thatched house in the parish was demolished in the 1990s.

Bohermeen - Environment

The parish of Bohermeen contains within its boundaries Faughan Hill, a relatively high hill on the flat plains of Meath, where it was claimed the ancient Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages was buried. It also contains one of Ireland's most highly regarded Palladian country houses, Ardbraccan House, until 1885 the residence of the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath.
It also contains an ancient tower house known as Durhamstown Castle, which was once owned by the Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth I's Lord Deputy in Ireland, and which is still lived in.

Bohermeen - St Ultan's Church

The main parish church, St. Ultan's, was first built in the pre-Catholic Emancipation era, in 1817. It was built in cruciform form. The cultural and class divisions of 19th century Ireland were reflected in the usage of the building. In the aftermath of the Roman Catholic revival of the 1850s, Catholic social and gender mores were reflected in the usage of the building, with different sides of the aisle described by the community as men's and women's.
The building underwent periodic renovations. A new roof was added in 1897 while the wooden altar was replaced by a new set of marble altar, altar rails and reredose (all shown in the photograph above). A set of new stained glass windows were installed, notably a Harry Clarke window of the crucifixon over the reredose and main altar.
The church was clumsely re-ordered in the aftermath of Vatican II. In the mid-1980s a complete rebuild of the church was undertaken. It was squared instead of remaining cruciform, with its high stained glass windows (with the exception of the Harry Clarke window) relocated. The reredose and altar rails were removed, while the tabernacle was re-located. The re-ordering remains somewhat controversial.

Bohermeen - Organisation of the parish

Bohermeen parish itself consists of three sub-parishes; Bohermeen itself, Boyerstown and Cortown, each with their own church, St. Ultan's (formerly called St. Cuthbert's), St. Cuthbert's and Christ the King respectively. It covers an area once served by a large number of mediæval parishes, including Moyaher, Killenagolach (later called Grange) and Markiestown (also called Durhamstown - which over the centuries was spelt variously as 'Dormstown', 'Durmstown' and 'Dorreanstown'). None of these have surviving churches, as all were destroyed during the Reformation and the Penal Laws. Some old graveyards do survive, notably at Moyaher, which contains rare surviving examples of pre-Irish Great Famine gravestones and their unique carvings. The remains of cemetery at Markiestown, (a large mound in the centre of a very large field) having survived the reformation and the famine, was controversially bulldozed in the 1970s to create land for tillage.

Bohermeen - Decline in the Church of Ireland community

Bohermeen - Disestablishment & land reform

The Ardbraccan/Bohermeen area contained a thriving Protestant community until the early twentieth century. However a series of unrelated economic, social and religious changes led to the large-scale disappearance of the Church of Ireland community.
These changes included the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871 which undermined the financial viability of the Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath's landed estate and led to the laying off of his mainly Protestant staff and the land reforms of the 1880s to the early 1900s, which saw the breakup of the large Protestant estates such as the Waller estate at Allenstown House, and their sale to their Catholic tenantry, again costing many local Protestants their jobs running the estates.

Bohermeen - The Great War & Ne Temere

The impact of the First World War, when many Irish Protestant families lost some or all of their sons at Ypres and the Somme left large numbers of families without heirs and Protestant daughters without Protestant potential husbands, had a devastating impact, an impact augmented separately by Pope Pius X's Ne Temere decree, which demanded that all children of Catholic-Protestant marriages be brought up as Catholic (previously, the tradition had been that the boys would be brought up in the religion of their father, the girls in the religion of their mothers). This resulted in a situation where a marriage of a Protestant to a Catholic meant the end of the Protestant line in the family.
In addition, The Troubles during the Irish War of Independence lead many Protestants, who had identified with the ancien regime of British rule in Dublin Castle to move to the United Kingdom. A combination of changing economic structures, changing class structures, changing religious structures, changing political structures, changing marriage patterns and the First World War produced a terminal decline in the numbers of Protestants in the area. Whereas once the Protestant community counted among its number one bishop, two churches, all the landed gentry, many of their staff and a local rector, as well as a local Protestant primary school, all have gone, with the ancient St. Ultan's Church of Ireland in Ardbraccan ceasing to be used for Divine Service in 1981. One of the last members of the Church of Ireland in the locality, the former owner of Durhamstown Castle, Samuel McClelland, died in 2003.

Bohermeen - Today

As a result, a community of mixed religious heritage and identification had become almost wholly Roman Catholic. However the Roman Catholic community today has shown a notable concern to preserve the area's Protestant heritage. When in the mid 1980s the former owner of Ardbraccan House, Colonel Foster, decided to spend much of the money he had received from the sale of the house and lands on replacing the dangerously decayed roof on the thousand year old church spire at the deconsecrated Anglican Church, local Catholic timber merchants supplied timber for the work free of charge, along with staff to do the reroofing. When Colonel and Mrs Foster, who had moved into the old schoolhouse at the entrance to the Anglican Church grounds, decided to take on the task of restoring the derelict cemetery, in which both Anglican and Catholic people from the area were buried, the local Catholic parish joined the efforts, offering resources and manpower. The communities sought and received state assistance so that the historic burial ground could be fully restored and preserved.

The Parish of Bohermeen today consists of three Catholic Churches and over one thousand Roman Catholics, with a handful of members of other religious faiths. Just as its nearest town, Navan, has become a dormitory town to Dublin 30 miles away, so it has become a collection of dormitory townlands to Navan, which itself is expected within a generation to reach city size. Whereas most of its employment was once farm-based, over 40% now would in urban centres, Trim, Kells, Navan and Dublin, commuting long distances.
A controversial new N3 motorway linking the towns of Cavan and Kells with Dublin is scheduled to cut through farmland within sight of Ardbraccan House and the ancient monastery site in Ardbraccan, before slicing through the archaeologically sensitive site of Tara, the capital of Ireland under the Árd Rí (High King of Ireland) in mediæval times.
Though the proposed route of the motorway at Tara has been the subject of an international outcry from academics, historians, environmentalists and others, the Irish government under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has publicly supported the plans, and condemned those who criticise them. A legal challenge is being planned to try to force the National Roads Authority to select an alternative route.

Bohermeen in Frosty times

As enter the season of Good Will and the season of the annual visit of Santy.
We expect to see more of the winter humour and regular chat  about nothing but the weather,but in Bohermeen we ignore the weather and get on with the usual chores of life school work eat and sleep.
Activities are winding down for the 35 different organisation within the parish of the  Bohermeen Pale including the areas of Bohermeen,Boyerstown and Cortown .35 groups you may ask to name a few off the head .Bowls ,Badminton, Cycling , Athletics,Pride of Place group. Friendship club ,Active retirement group.Parent and toddler group.An Tobar in Ardbraccan,Pioneer association,Legion of Mary,Athletics club  ,4 Gaelic clubs ,Boyerstown choir, 3 school parents associations,various political parties have also local groups.St Ultans historical group and more to be included in the coming weeks with contacts if you wish to join them .
Beware January1st is the day to get off the rear and commit to something in the parish,ask not what your community can do for you but what you can do for your community in the words of JFK.
.
This week in the community ,we had Cortown children and Boyerstown children singing Christmas carols and Bohermeen athletic club ended their winter training for juvenile with a Chip party thanks to Ezio,s .There last competition of the year is on Sunday in Dunboyne in the Meath juvenile cross country relays .

On Tuesday night in the community centre 82 people attended a meeting called for St Cuthberts Gaa club juvenile parents and was very constructive to overcome the current uneasiness's with the various Gaelic clubs .
Wednesday night sees the Community cenrte AGM .

SEND BEST WISHES TO ALL ABROAD THIS CHRISTMAS  POST MESSAGES THROUGH THIS SITE
Email directly to me and the Seagull will post the message
stephenball@iolfree.ie  086-0792580

East European Team Trains in Ardbraccan Quarry for London Olympics

Follow the link to reveal how 12 months ago an East European team were caught on camera ,training for the London Olympic games.In the Old Ardbraccan quarry now 2/3 full of H2o.
Seen are young men using the 200 million litlres of good old rain in the quarry.Dont believe watch the clip 11-30 minutes long .
Or were they looking for the Bull McCabes DONKEY
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DY3WQm_3FHBg&h=VAQHbbl3DAQEe5v2VJsgdD3Yp7v2O--qcDLZNETACzC6SCQ

St Ultans GFC AGM

At the recent AGM of St Ultans GFC ,the following officers were elected .

St Ultans GAA AGM Sunday 4th December 2011. Results are as follows. Presidents: Fr Mackin, Fr Doyle, Teddy Mallon, Sean Bennett, Seamus Nugent, Peter Brady, Tom Kerrigan, Mattie Allen, Oliver Thornton Chairman, Tony Casserly Vice-Chairman: Tomas Coyne Secretary: Tommy Tallon Assistant Secretary: Denis Lynch Treasurer: Pauric Travers Assistant Treasurer: Dessie Murtagh P.R.O: Tom Lynch Insurance Officer: Barry Clarke. Juvenile delegates: Tony Casserly, Tommy Tallon Membership: Tomas Coyne, Pat English, Denis Lynch. Irish Officer: Darren Costello. Safety Officers: Conor Martin Peter Marley and David Ball. Club Development Officer: David Ball. Gate Vouchers : Jim Fitzsimons. Coaching Officers: Derek O Brien, Shane Mulroe. School Liaison Officer: Derek O Brien. I.T. Officer: Denis Lynch Community Liaison: Liam Brady Drugs and Alcohol Awareness officer: Dessie Smith. Delegates to County Board: Michael Ball, Michael Buchanan Executive Committee: Paddy Mc Loughlin, Jason Bennett, Chris Murray and Paul Murray. Intermediate Manager: Damien Sheridan. Intermediate Team selectors: Tommy Allen and Pat English. Junior C Team Management: TBA. Sponsor : XtraEnergy The Committee would like to wish our new manager Damien Sheridan and his selectors every success for the coming calendar year 2012.

Bohermeen runner in the mud

Bohermeen runner Kevin Reilly in action .

Historical Society Fields of Dreams

The 3rd meeting of St Ultans Historical society inc Bohermeen-Boyerstown -Cortown .
Took place in the community centre on monday night Dec 5th at 8pm ,their was a good attendance and those present were given a presentation on the Field name project currently being under taken by volunteers all over Co Meath.
Bohermeen area is only slightly done at present .
The presentation was given by Joan Mullen and was delivered with interest and ease.
Field names you may ask, just imagine looking for the Fairy wee field or Logans paddock, or event Kellys corner .These all and many more recollect those whoose footprints have fallen and stepped before our own on  local green fields. The intention  is to record fields with walls dykes and other unique items of interest.
Locals are sought to help the project contact any member of the historical group,if can help.
Next meeting is in January so over the christmas dig up thiose old photos of parish times past a knock may come to your door retracing our ancestors footprints  

Willie Hodgins chairperson thanked Joan for her attendance

Rennicks wins in Monaghan

Darragh Rennicks easily won the Castleblaney 5k from a field of 500 runners in bitterly cold conditions ,with temperatures hovering close to the - mark.

Other runners in action were David O,Connell 8th overall .Darren Brady clocking 20-12 PB .Sonya Reilly kmaming her debut for the club posting 20-25 PB.Deirdre Shine also a debut for theclub posted 24 .Cora Bennett ,Terese Codd, Tina Ball and Kevin McGeough also took to the roads of Castleblaney.
Also well done to Dunboynes Fiona Reid who won the ladies race.The reward for both the Meath runners victory was a small plaque,costing a few euro .

Weekend in the Bohermeen region

What a weekend it promises and prosed to be .
The Navan St Marys Credit Union car was won in the parish by a man from Betaghstown and well done to him.Big 30th birthday night out in Mick Ryans Navan
_____________________________________________________________________________
Friday evening in Sean Newman park hall was jammed to the foundations with the annual St Cuthberts Gaa presentation ,the club caters for all boys underage football in the parish since 1983.
The Meath senior footbal manager attened Eamon McEnaneny was in attendance as was Kevin Reilly of  Navan OMahonys and Irish comprise rules team
The various teams were presented with the medals and awatrds,(Awaiting full report from St Cuthberts on various teams ) But full credit to all involved it was a great night with refreshments for all children and their parents.
____________________________________________________________________________
Saturday Eveing Bohermeen community centre Bohermeen NS Parents association are holding an underage disco and we await the next stars of the X Factor to emerge
_______________________________________________________________________________
Saturday Evening
Watch Winning streak as a local lady Carmel O,Callaghan a  native of Neilstown bids her luck against the tyranny of the magic computer .Best of luck to her.
________________________________________________________________________________
Boyerstown 9am.. An Tobar 10-30am.Cortown 10-15aSunday .Mass m .Bohermeen 11-30am
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sunday afternoon Bohermeen AC Race in the Castleblaney 5k report to follow,
Bohermeen Celtic entertain Boca rovers at the bogside at 11-45am report to follow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craft Fair in Durhamstown Castle the oldest lived house in  Ireland for over 700 years continously
Today Dec 4th come along and view whats on offer
The Castle once owned by the Thompson family who are mostly are buried in Ardbraccan.Feel the mood of John Thompson who walked the halls of the old Durhamstown in 1811 .

__________________________________________________________________________
Sunday afternoon St Ultans Gaa AGM Sean Newman park 5pm all members and new members invited .report to follow.
___________________________________________________________________________
Sunday evening Blotto in McHughs and in Navan Arts Centre Solstice the children of Boyerstown NS will perform and again a report to follow on their awaited performance .
The week ahead
Monday
Adult runningnight Bohermeen track 7-30pm   32 there last week just arrive further details
Damien Hilliard 086-1685293
Tuesday
Cortown Gaa club AGM in Hall.
Wednesday
St Cuthberts Gaa club AGM Sean Newman Park 8pm



SINCERE APOLOGIES IF WE FORGOT ANYONE ,BUT WE ARE HUMAN