JOHN McGRATH R.I.P.
Sometimes when you sit down to write a piece about someone, it can be simple enough, but in this case, it is different as John McGrath had so many different aspects to his life. From family to sport to work John achieved so much and I will try to record some of these achievements here.
John married Ann Kiely in 1966 and together they formed the perfect team for all that was to come. John would bounce all his ideas off Ann and together they would formulate their plans.
John qualified as a carpenter and in the mid sixties he saw the need for a new joinery in the area. He built Waterford Joinery and it was opened in 1967. Further expansion took place in the early 70’s as demand for their products increased and at one time the workforce was as high as 100 people.
In 1979 John & Ann purchased the former Elsted’s pub in Ballinacourty and this was the start of their major development in the area. The Gold Coast Restaurant was built and worked started on the holiday homes in the early 80’s. While all this was going on John and Ann purchased the Clonea Strand Hotel in 1980 and carried out major development work there during the late 80’s.
In 1993 John bought the golf course, which was 9 holes at the time. It was affiliated to the GUI the following year. Land from the closed Quigley Magnesite plant went up for sale and was duly purchased by John, 9 extra holes was developed and in 1997 Gold Coast Golf Club became an 18 Hole Championship Course.
Further development took place at the Gold Coast and in 1995 Gold Coast Hotel and Leisure Centre opened to the public.
In the late 90’s John added the villas to his growing portfolio and in 2003 work started on the lodges with this development finishing in 2007.
John bought the Bayview Mobile Home Park in 2007 and expanded it in 2009. In 2011 John decided to develop a pitch in the complex so that teams could come to train. This really became a pet project for John and for many years John could be seen out cutting the grass himself. So many county teams have now used the pitch for training and always the comments about the ground are always so positive.
Further land was purchased and presently it is being developed as Bayview 2 and this will open in 2022
Anyone who knew John will know that John’s sporting preference was always hurling. John began his hurling career with Ballinameala and was always very proud of his involvement with his home club, where he won minor divisional titles in 1959 and 1960.
John later moved to Abbeyside GAA Club and played senior hurling for many years. While he never won a county final, he did win a Sargeant Cup medal in 1963. During that year John was selected on the county panel. Unfortunately, Waterford lost to Kilkenny in the All Ireland final but Waterford did win the National League. This love of hurling led to John’s involvement with ‘The former county hurlers association’ where he served as secretary for many years. In a fitting tribute to John and as a mark of the high esteem which he was held in by this association, members travelled from all over the country to pay their respects at the wake on Monday evening and with a ‘guard of honour’ on Tuesday morning.
John was also a gifted footballer and captained Ballinacourty to the Intermediate County Final in 1965. Even when John retired he was always available to advise the club on development work.
John was also an accomplished golfer and when Gold Coast Pierce Purcell team went all the way to the Munster Final in the late 90’s John and his partner John White won every match they played.
He was one of the humblest men you could ever meet, always ready to give of himself, never afraid of hard work and probably one of the best business men this town has ever seen.
At the funeral Gold Coast Golf Club Officers and members, together with members of Abbeyside/Ballinacourty and the Former County hurlers provided a ‘guard of honour’ for John.
John will be greatly missed by his wife Ann, family Seán, Máire, Siobhán, Micheál, Áine and Pádraig, brother Paddy, sisters Maura, Ann, Joan and Assumpta, grandchildren, and extended family.
AGM.
Our AGM of the men’s club will be held on Sunday 14th November 2021 at 5 30pm in the Gold Coast hotel. A lot of items will be up for discussion including proposed changes to the constitution of the club and the election of club officers, hope to see you all there.
WINTER LEAGUE
The teams have been picked and we are ready to go. The 2021 winter league kicks off Saturday 6th November. Sixteen teams will take part made up of 8 players drawn from east and west of the County 10 rounds need to be played by each team member. The top eight teams will go through to the quarterfinals in February 2022. Entry fee is 25 euro per person full list of Teams and Captains can be viewed in the kiosk.
SOUTH EAST JUNIOR ALLIANCE
Confirmed dates so far Nov 7th Dungarvan, Nov 21st Gold Coast, Dec12th Waterford Golf Club, Feb 27th Kilkenny Golf Club. Not Confirmed yet Carrick, West Waterford or Callan. 50 euro to join alliance and then 10/15 euro to play each round. Anyone interested in playing please contact Alan Darcy on 087 6987387.
ROAD CLOSURE
The approach road to the club remains closed due to water main replacement works for the next few weeks please follow diversion route. Local access to residents only.
GENTS RESULTS
Fri. 29th Oct Open
1st Sean Mac Craith (17) 37pts
2nd Raymond Bannon West Waterford (10) 37
Gross Neil Dermody (1) 34
Sat 30th Oct Club Singles S/F
1st Patrick Bagge (17) 38pts
2 Dermot Walsh (7) 38
Gross Barry Power (4) 34
Sat. 30th Open Singles
1st David Ryan (19) Co. Tipperary 32pts
Sun 31st Club Singles S/F
1st Lar Whelan (8) 29pts
GENTS FIXTURES
Tues. 2nd Nov Open Gents & Ladies Singles S/F
Fri.5th Nov Open Gents & Ladies Singles S/F
Sat. 6th, Sun. 7th Winter League WK 1, Open Gents Singles
Mon 8th to Fri. 12th Winter League WK 1
Tues. 9th Nov Open Gents & Ladies Singles S/F
LADIES NOTES
LADIES FIXTURES
10 Hole On-going Competition
10 Hole Ladies Winter League
18 Hole Open Competition for Ladies and Gents every Tue and Friday
LADIES RESULTS
Munster Insurances 2 Card Competition for Beginners
1st Eileen Goode, 2nd Mary Dunbar, 3rd Breeda Murphy
END OF SEASON SCRAMBLE
1st Rosie Murphy, Margaret Mulhearne, Esther Walsh, Eileen Goode
Nearest the Pin on 7th : Esther Walsh
Longest Drive on 1st : Aisling Fennell
The event was a terrific success which was again organised by our Secretary Elaine who left no stone unturned to make it an enjoyable day for everyone!! As per usual there was fun and lots of laughter during and after the game with everyone getting a prize from the magical array of items on display! Thanks a mill to Elaine and her committee helpers on the day which made it such a success, Well Done!
AGM
Our AGM will be held on Friday 5th November at 7.30pm in the Gold Coast Hotel and we are hoping for a good turnout as we are sailing in unchartered waters due to Covid 19 and the new implementations pertaining to Golf Ireland and the WHS. There are many issues to be addressed and we would appreciate input from our members! Some of our committee members are stepping down after many years of service and we thank them sincerely for their hard work and input during their tenure. There will also be some new members coming on board and we welcome and look forward to working with them!!
There will also be presentations on the night, Golfer of the Year and Silver Spoon
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations and Best Wishes to Aisling and Aoife who are the very proud parents of a bouncing baby boy Senan who is the newest member of our club!! A beautiful photo is posted on our WhatsApp group, he is absolutely gorgeous, and his grandparents must be thrilled!!
10 HOLE WINTER LEAGUE
Teams as follows:
Pinot Noir – Capt. Teresa Queally
Shiraz – Capt. Miriam Matthews
Merlot – Capt. Ruth Hannigan
D.Chardonnay – Capt. Mairead Ryan
Prosecco – Capt. Bernie Morrissey
Rose – Capt. Katie Kiely
Please note terms and conditions and team members for Winter League before you play which are posted in kiosk.
SOUTH EAST COASTAL ALLIANCE
The alliance which was initially set up for high handicappers attracted the attention of many ladies from the south-eastern clubs involved at the time and became open to all handicap levels. Numbers grew and it became very viable for many clubs taking in green fees during the winter months. Unfortunately the pandemic wreaked havoc with all aspects of golf and 3 of the clubs withdrew, leaving us with the 3 local clubs only. After a meeting with the Reps from the local clubs, it was decided to run it for 3 outings for this year and engage with the new clubs who placed an interest in joining us for the next season.
The alliance is an ideal opportunity to play other courses for €10 green fee and €10 one off registration fee payable on the first day of play. Dungarvan have agreed to start the ball rolling with our first outing on Thursday 25th November, tee from 10.00 – 11.30am. We would like to see as many beginners as possible as this is a great way to integrate with members from other clubs, and is always a lovely day out!! Please give a thumbs up on our group if you would like to play. All information and any changes to any event will be posted on our WhatsApp group
CONDOLENCES
Our Lady Captain, committee and members offer our heartfelt condolences to Ann and the McGrath family on the very sad passing of our esteemed founder John McGrath. A Guard of Honour was provided by the GAA and Gold Coast Golf Clubs for his final journey from his home in Landsend to St. Augustines Church, Abbeyside where he was laid to rest. This was a fitting tribute for a man whose entire life revolved around his beloved GAA and a game of golf on the beautiful fairways of his pride and joy, the Gold Coast Golf Club.
John was a man of great vision and foresight with a brilliant business acumen and a finger on the pulse of everything that was happening. He was an absolute gentleman and will be fondly remembered by his loving family, friends, Officers and members of the Gold Coast both past and present, May he Rest In Peace.
SYMPATHY
Our Lady Captain Anne, committee and members would like to convey our sincere sympathy to our member Mairead and the extended Manning and Murphy families on the very sad passing of her beloved mother Pauline. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this very sad and difficult time. May Pauline Rest In Peace.