Day in the Life - James Flavin, Chairperson of Barrow Rangers GAA Club

James (Jim) Flavin has been Barrow Rangers GAA Chairperson since 2017. He has taken on the enormous task and vision of building a new GAA Club and pitch for the Paulstown and Goresbridge area.

Field committee members, 2018

Plans began years ago, resulting in the purchase of a potential pitch, which then fell through, but that didn’t stop Jim in his tracks. In 2018, a massive fundraising drive by the Barrow Rangers Field Committee brought in funds of €185,000. Today that team has raised over €400,000 with a secure purchase of a field for the new pitch and a plan for new dressing rooms, a ball way, a walkway and maybe a gym.

Darren O'Neill, Kilkenny People's Siobhain Donohoe, Brian Cody, Colette Dormer and Willie Mullins at the launch fo the new field development in 2018

So how did Jim get so immersed in changing the course of two small towns GAA dreams?

Jim is originally from Tramore, Co. Waterford, but he had many dealings with Paulstown and Goresbridge from early childhood - he remembers regular visits to the famous Goresbridge Horse Sales - before he settled down to make it his home.

When Jim turned 19 years old, he moved to Paulstown to work for the horse trainer Pat Hughes. He worked as a point-to-point jockey, weighing in at nine stone ten pounds and just over six feet in height.

Jim rode out for Pat Hughes for more than five years until injuries took over his career as a point-to-point jockey. It was also at this time that Jim met his future wife, Helen. They reared their three children in Paulstown and today they have three grandchildren and another on the way.

After his jockey days, Jim went on to manage Connolly’s Red Mills Farm and today he is still with the Goresbridge family business as a lorry driver.

When Jim moved to Paulstown first, his strong GAA background was never far from his mind and his first port of call in his new home was to find the nearest GAA Club. As well as playing soccer, he also trained with the Paulstown Soccer Club for many years. 

As time moved on and injuries came back to bite him, Jim continued with the GAA Club as a coach as well as a referee and was one of the founders of Barrow Rangers Camogie Club, which he became Chairman of. He became Chairman of the overall GAA Club in 2017.

What always amazed Jim was the fact that every GAA Club he had ever played around the country had their own pitch, but Barrow Rangers did not. In fact, the pitch that many locals trained and played matches on belonged to the parish - but Jim Flavin had a vision.

Here is a glimpse into James Flavin’s vision for Barrow Rangers...

Jim, why was it so important to you the Club to have their own pitch?

In 2007, Pat Drea, myself and a few others bought a ride on lawn mower for the pitch, and we needed to insure it. However, we couldn’t insure it because we and the Club didn’t own any land or even the shed that the mower was stored in. We didn’t really exist in the eyes of the insurers as a Club because we have no base of our own.

I always believed a club should have its own pitch.

What is the vision for the Club?

Barrow Rangers GAA and Camogie Clubs set out an ambitious plan in 2019 to develop two new playing pitches for Paulstown / Goresbridge Parish. To date we have purchased 7.5 acres’ debt free and expect to complete the final surface to the new pitches in the Spring of 2023.

We plan to have two ball walls with an artificial 40 m x 25 m astro surface pitch between both walls for the kids to enhance their hurling and camogie skills.

At the moment we are carrying out winter training on astro pitches outside the parish, therefore the construction of the ball walls and astro pitches are of critical importance upon the completion of the two new pitches next year. 

Brian Keyes, Editorial Operations Director at Iconic Media Group with champion horse trainer Willie Mullins, both from Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny

Paulstown and Goresbridge have bred some mighty sports people over the years.

We certainly have. Retired jockey David Mullins hurled with us up until the year he rode a Grand National winner at the age of 19. David’s uncle and champion horse trainer Willie Mullins was born in Goresbridge.

The horse trainer John ‘Shark’ Hanlon is originally from Paulstown and his yard is on the border of Bagenalstown and Goresbridge. His main jockey for years was Rachel Blackmore, and it was from the Shark’s yard where she had a first ride on a winner. She hasn’t looked back since!

Camogie star Collette Dormer and Olympic boxer Darren O'Neill, both from Paulstown, Co. Kilkenny

We also have Darren O’Neill; Olympic boxer from Paulstown. He also captained Ireland's boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. My own two boys Keith and Shane were also quite successful at boxing, and they boxed representing Ireland in World and European championships and captained Ireland.

Paul Martin captained Ireland in school’s soccer under 16s. So, within a mile of one another there are four lads who captained for Ireland at different levels in their sport.

Going back in the years, there were Kilkenny hurlers Jim Hennessy, Phil Walsh, Mick Doyle, and John Lawlor.  

Collette Dormer and Miriam Bambrick , highly successful senior Kilkenny camogie players, as well as All-Ireland winners.

I coached Richie Doyle, Cathal Kenny, Paddy Purcell, John Kealy, and Ed Pendergast in underage hurling. Richie and Cathal won an All-Ireland minor final for Kilkenny. Richie went onto hurl Under 21’s and got onto the Kilkenny seniors’ team under Brian Cody.

Locals Dermot Maher and Ed Drea were also successful Kilkenny All Ireland minor champions and went on to represent the County at under 21 level.

The Club has a massive weekend ahead in aid of the new development, but you also want to thank everyone who has knocked on doors over the years and raised funds for Barrow Rangers.

0ur latest fundraising initiative is focussed upon raising €30,000 for goal posts and netting for our fabulous new pitches. We expect a great turnout for the Run for Rangers event this Saturday, November 26 at 11am, which is a run for the Battle of the Townlands.

On Saturday evening, we are hosting a free event in Gowran Race Park, and everyone is welcome. We would like to thank everyone in Paulstown and Goresbridge for digging deep into their pockets over the years for this new development.

Also, on the night and not to be missed is the Shark Hanlon in action with a top-secret special guest at Gowran Race Park.  Admission is free and finger food with entertainment will be provided.

It takes a village or in your case two villages to pull this development together! So you are keen for some new blood to join on the night.

Yes, that’s right. Well, you never know who is in the parish who has hidden skills!

We are very lucky to have the likes of Pat Drea, as well Martin Maher who have been very instrumental and important for the building development plans of the new grounds.

The likes of local auctioneer Warren McCreery estimated how much the land would cost. He even put up a drone for video footage and photos of the site.

Paul McShane is involved in water drainage, which is very important to our new pitch. Another local Daithe Troy designs walkways all over Ireland so he was a great help with the Club’s new walkway. We’ve also roped you in too, Siobhan, being married to a Goresbridge man! It’s great to have everyone so committed to their club, Barrow Rangers.

If you want to get involved in supporting Barrow Rangers, do join us on Saturday night, November 26 at Gorwan Race Park, where I will MC a special evening with John ‘Shark’ Hanlon and a very special top-secret guest! Doors open at 8pm and admission is free.