2017 The Brawl in the Hall

The Brawl in the Hall – Cappawhite vs Éire Óg

On November 18, Cappawhite GAA Club and neighbours Éire Óg Annacarty joined together for an unforgettable night of White Collar Boxing in Cappawhite Community Centre.

Thirty-six brave ladies and gentlemen slogged through six weeks of boxing training in preparation to put on a show that Muhammad Ali & Katie Taylor would be proud of! Without our boxers, this fundraiser wouldn’t have been possible, and we are very thankful for their time and effort.

The match-ups were as follows (Cappawhite vs Éire Óg):

Cormac Heffernan vs Willie O’ Neill
Dessie Ryan (P) vs Michael Bradshaw
Diana Kelly vs Catriona Sadlier
Donal O’ Neill vs Cathal Ryan
Davy Stapleton vs Sean Ryan
Shauna Quirke vs Fionnuala O’ Mahony
Anthony Owens vs Richard O’ Doherty
Thomas Costello vs Noel Griffin
Eoghan Ryan vs Michael Buckley
Ned Carmody vs Paul Downey
Niamh Julian vs Mary Shanahan
Thomas Shanahan vs Ronan O’ Brien
Pat Kelly vs Rodger Hogarth (also Cappawhite)
Noel Ryan vs Jeremy Furlong
Siobhán O’ Neill vs Sinéad Buckley
Declan Costello vs John Bourke
Kevin Mullins vs Kev Fox

A huge thanks to:

Our 18 boxers for their dedication & commitment over the past 6 weeks & for the entertainment they provided last night. It was unreal!! The boxers we unavoidably lost along the way!
Our main sponsor John Ryan of Pembroke Hotel Kilkenny.
The boxers’ sponsors & those who sponsored the ring posts.
The businesses who sponsored ads in our event booklet.
Those who donated raffle prizes.
John Connors & all at Thurles Boxing Club.
Cappawhite Community Council for the use of their facilities.
Colm O’Neill & Jerry Jacks Bar.
Eire Og GAA Club for their co-operation & dedication in making the event such a success.
Cathal O’Grady of White Collar boxing.
Costellos & Supermacs for the food.
Pa Stapleton Photography.
Our bar staff, parking attendants, stewards, tickets sellers & those who provided refreshments last night.
All those who stayed on to help with clean up last night & this morning.
Our club members & all who supported the night.
Thanks everyone!

Click below to view photos from the night:

The Brawl in the Hall Photos by Pa Stapleton Photography.

 

Photo’s below from the Launch Night in Jerry Jacks, Annacarthy.

 

Photos below from training in the lead up to the event:

Cappawhite Boxer Profiles:

Dessie Ryan (P)

Dessie will be well known to many of you as a member of our Intermediate Hurling Team and is a man long dedicated to the Cappa cause.
In 2017 he donned the number 3 jersey for us and was a solid man in defence.
He’s now switching to a boxing singlet and at 5’11 and 86 kgs Dessie packs a punch and should be a match for any man in the ring.
Dessie is sponsored by Armshaw’s Bar, Cappawhite.

Siobhán O’ Neill

Siobhan is the chairperson of Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill Camogie Club, and an accomplished player but as a proud Cappa woman she’ll be boxing for the white and blue on 18th November.
With her mother Mary B from Donohill and her father Paul from Cappa it’ll be interesting in the O’Neill household next week – best of luck Siobhan.
Siobhan is sponsored by O’Neill’s of Cashel so thanks to Patsy for his support which is very much appreciated.

Davy Stapleton

DJ Davy Stapleton, the first man to contact us to sign up for the Brawl in the Hall. Davy plays in the backs on our Intermediate hurling team and as well as being a busy student he can be found at weekends spinning the ‘choons’ at gigs and events.
We are sure that Davy’s enthusiasm and commitment to the training over the past few weeks will show in the ring on Saturday 18th November.
Davy is sponsored by Joe Shanahan Fitness & Performance, Doon. Thanks Joe for the support which is very much appreciated. Best of luck Davy!

Donal ‘The Don’ O’Neill.

Donal is on the Cappawhite Team who are 2017 West Tipp Junior B Hurling champions & were just pipped at the post in the Co Semi Final last weekend.
2017 was also the year that Donal made his debut as a model for West Tipp GAA social media promotional material. Now he adds boxing to his accomplishments. Look at that stare of steely determination, sliotar in hand – we’re sure he’ll bring that determination to the ring on Saturday week.
Donal is sponsored by Tipperary Co- Op & we are very grateful for their support. Best of luck Donal!

Niamh Julian

Niamh ‘The Kilbeg Assassin’ Julian is the second of our female boxers all set for Sat 18th November.
Niamh is originally from Killadangan in North Tipp and her father Seamus Hogan was on the 1971 All Ireland Hurling winning Tipperary Team.
Niamh won a County Junior Camogie medal with Killadangan before legendary Cappa hurler Paddy Julian managed to persuade her to marry him and move to Cappa. She now plays football with Cappawhite LFC.
Niamh works as a physio for University Hospital Limerick and is the mum of 3 future Cappa stars who are pucking it out with our U8s and U6s
She is sponsored by Julian and Gleeson Agricultural Consultancy, Raheen, Limerick. . Thanks to John Paul and Donal for their support. Best of luck Niamh!

Thomas Costello

Thomas ‘The Tank’ Costello. Who will want to face off against this fella next Saturday at the Brawl in the Hall??
Thomas is married to Liz and their 2 kids Tommy & Ciara line out underage with the GAA and LFC clubs.
A 2001 League, Munster and All Ireland Senior Hurling Medal winner, Thomas made 17 championship appearances with Tipp and many an opposing forward won’t forget the force of this man’s shoulders. He also has a Munster U21 and All Ireland Minor medal among his many accolades.
At club level Thomas won three Senior West hurling medals and an U21A County medal, He is one of our most long serving players and in 2017 he lined out with the intermediate hurlers and junior A footballers. Now he turns his focus to boxing and at 6’1″ and 13 stone 4 we cant wait to see him step into the ring.
Thomas is sponsored by pallet manufacturers Sliabh Phelim Timber Products Ltd, Cappawhite, Thanks to Niall, Jerry and Cian Creedon for their support. Best of luck Thomas!

 

Kevin Mullins

Kevin is one of the clubs’ dual players, having played with the Junior hurlers and footballers over the last few years. In 2017 he lined out with our Junior A Footballers
This fella is a dangerous threat in front of the goals both with Cappa and with his soccer club Bansha Celtic FC. Now he turns his talents to boxing.
Kevin is married to Carol Leonard, their son Jack plays with our U10s and their daughter Ella plays with Cappawhite LFC.
While we don’t want to give away here who Kevin is boxing on Saturday night lets just say this is one match up we are very much looking forward to seeing. At 5’10 and 14 stone Kevin will be more than a match for whatever Eire Og throw at him.
Kevin is sponsored by AOC Fitness and Nutrition, Tipperary Town . Thanks to Adam Aldridge for his support which is very much appreciated. Best of luck on Saturday night Kevin.

Diana Kelly

The 3rd of our 4 female boxers for the Brawl In The Hall on Saturday night – Diana Kelly.
Diana’s background is in athletics both as a runner & in her involvement with Cappawhite Athletics Club. She is married to John & has 3 daughters Sophie, Chloe & Jessica.
As well as being a busy mum November has been a hectic month for Diana due to her involvement with Cappawhite Drama Group’s stage production last weekend. That hasnt stopped Diana getting stuck into the training over the past few weeks.
At 5’10 Diana should definitely have the height advantage on Saturday night & we can’t wait to see how she gets on.
Diana is sponsored by Nico’s Takeaway, Cappawhite. Thanks to Nico for his support. Best of luck Diana!

Eoghan Ryan 

Eoghan has a very busy day coming up on Saturday.
First up at 2pm in Bansha he is part of our U21 hurling team who will play Golden Kilfeacle in the West Final following their win over Eire Og last Sunday.
Later that evening he swaps his Cappawhite jersey for a boxing vest and it’s on to the Resource Centre for the Brawl in the Hall!
As well as his U21 commitments Eoghan is also on our Junior hurling team who are 2017 West champions and were just pipped at the post by Newport 2 weeks ago in the Co Semi Final.
He is sponsored by Ryan’s Centra, Cappawhite. Thanks to Shane and Breda and everyone at Ryan’s Centra for their ongoing support which is very much appreciated.
Best of luck on Saturday Eoghan in both your matches!

Ned Carmody

Adrian (Ned) Carmody (aka The Optimator)
Ned made a short lived comeback to Junior Hurling and Football in 2016 and 2017 – 25 years after his previous appearance at U14 level. Noel Buckley kindly noted that he was every bit as good on his comeback as he was when he originally played – cheers Noel!
Injured early in 2017 playing a “foreign sport” (George Kelly direct quote) a final comeback for Ned might be on the cards in 2018 if he makes it through the boxing in one piece.
Ned has been heavily involved with coaching our underage teams over the past 6 years. He has been with the management of some of our very successful teams including the U12s who won the West A Hurling title and appeared in the Club’s first Co. U12A Final – along with winning the West B Football title last year. In 2017 Ned and his fellow mentors guided the U13s to a Garda Cup Hurling A win and an Richardson Cup A Football final appearance, while their U14s did brilliantly in winning the West B & County Peil Football – going on to represent Tipperary in the Feile Peil in Cavan in June of this year.
Ned is married to Pamela and their son Sam (13) is heavily involved in the club – togging out in all the matches above at U12 last year and this year at U13/14 & part of the U16 panel that narrowly lost the county final a number of weeks back. Sara (9) plays with Cappa LFC and 1 year old Tom will have to wait for another while to represent Cappa.
Ned is sponsored by Optima Training & Consulting – who would be delighted to assist any of our supporters with any training requirements they might have – www.OptimaTraining.ie
Best of luck on Saturday Night Ned!

Rodger Hogarth

Rodger “The Spear” Hogarth came to Ireland at 8 years of age from the Scottish Borders, and hurled for around 2 months up in Kildare, whereupon he was asked politely to consider putting down the hurley due to an over-enthusiasm to swing regardless of the presence of a ball….
Hopefully Rodger might recapture some of that previous youthful enthusiasm more appropriate for the boxing ring on Saturday night.
Living in the hills above Cappawhite, Rodger has been involved in sports since he was a teenager, playing for Clanwilliam RFC at U-18 level, helping the team reach the U-18 cup final in 2004, and winning player of the year the same year for Doon CBS rugby team.
Studying psychology in Scotland, Rodger remained active, playing soccer (fitbaw as it’s apparently called there), almost daily, and enjoying Capoiera, Bujinkan Taijutsu, and freestyle kickboxing.
Rodger is a fully qualified and accredited counsellor/ psychotherapist, also holding a Degree in Psychology, and may be known to some for his presentation work. He is currently based mostly in Limerick and Clare and has put aside a large amount of his time to train and prepare for the big night.
Rodger is sponsored by Munster Hearing Aids Ltd – hearing aid and tinnitus treatment specialists thoughout Munster. Many thanks to his sponsors for their generous contribution.

Anthony Owens

Anthony ‘Snowball’ Owens is a Garda based in Tipperary Town but does his club hurling with his native Erin’s Own in Kilkenny. We hear on the grapevine that Stevie Grisewood, Cian Creedon & Tony Breheny have all been seen down around the Castlecomer area over the past few weeks. We wonder what’s that all about.
While playing for the South Liberties club Anthony lined out with the Limerick Senior hurlers during their 2010 League campaign and played against Tipp but sure we won’t hold that against him.
Anthony is married to Paula whose son Thierry plays for Cappawhite Gaels Bord na nÓg.
At 6’3 and 99kg we can’t wait to see what Anthony will bring to the ring on Saturday night – we reckon this fella could be the surprise of the night.
Anthony is sponsored by Supermacs, Tipperary Town Plaza and we are very grateful to Supermacs for their support with our event. As well as sponsoring Anthony Supermacs will be on site at the Brawl in the Hall on Saturday night serving their Papa John’s pizza. Best of luck Anthony.

Pat ‘The Demolisher’ Kelly

Pat played his underage hurling all the way up along with Cappa and also played some junior hurling in his late teens. In 2005 (when let’s just say he was no longer in his teens & leave it at that) he made his return to junior hurling and unfortunately just missed out on being part of the team that won the 2006 West Junior A championship that year.
A little bird tells us that this man was renowned for his ability to find his opponent’s shins during a game.
Pat is married to Mary O’Connor and they have 2 sons, Philip & Conor.
He was one of the first people to express an interest in boxing for the Brawl in the Hall and has been so dedicated to his training that we are really looking forward to seeing what he’s got on Saturday. We also hear that Pat did a bit of boxing in his younger days with our rivals so let’s just see if he can roll back the years – best of luck Pat!
Pat is sponsored by Kelly’s Bar, Cappawhite. Thanks to Dick and Denis Martin for their support which is very much appreciated.

Noel (The Malt) Ryan

Noel is our next boxer lined up for the Brawl in the Hall!
This year Noel played in the backs with our Junior B hurlers who are 2017 West champions and who were narrowly defeated by Newport in the Co semi final 2 weeks ago.
Tomorrow night he swaps his white Cappa jersey for a white boxing singlet and we are really looking forward to seeing how he gets on against his Eire Og opponent.
Noel is a teacher currently based in Co Kildare but that hasn’t stopped him getting prepped for tomorrow night.
He is sponsored by Supervalu, Castletroy. Thanks to everyone there for their support which is very much appreciated.
Best of luck tomorrow night Noel!

Cormac Heffernan

Cormac Heffernan.
At 6’2 and 88kgs Cormac is one of our tallest boxers tomorrow night for the Brawl in the Hall.
He was captain of the Cappawhite Minor hurling team who won the 2008 West Final.
Cormac is currently involved with coaching the Cappawhite Gaels U12 team and the club is very grateful for his commitment to our underage players. He works as a teacher.
Cormac is sponsored by Heffernan’s Carry Out Off Licence, Tipperary Town. Thanks to Michael & Marie Heffernan for their support – it is very much appreciated.
Best of luck tomorrow night Cormac!

Shauna Quirke

Shauna Quirke is the 4th of our female boxers for tonight’s Brawl in the Hall.
Shauna is the daughter of Dick Quirke (who won a County Senior Hurling medal with Cappawhite in 1987) and Mary Ita Buckley of Buckleys Bakery on Church Street.
Shauna comes from a fine tradition of Cappawhite hurlers and footballers and is an accomplished player in her own right.
She is currently studying in Waterford IT and plays on the college team.
Shauna is sponsored by Buckley’s Bakery Cappawhite. Thanks to Austin & Noreen and all at Buckley’s Bakery for their support which is very much appreciated
Best of luck tonight Shauna!

Declan Costello

Best known as one of Cappa’s long serving net minders Declan was a dual player who was just as much at home outfield with a football as he was between the posts
Among his many titles he holds 3 West Senior Hurling medals with Cappa from 2000, 2001 and 2005. He also holds 3 U21 West Medals from 1995, 1997 and 1998
Declan holds the distinction of being one of 3 Cappa players in the club who has won a West medal at every grade from U12 up to senior – a very impressive accolade
He is sponsored by O’ Donoghue Hooper Dolan Insurances, Tipperary Town. Thanks to John Quirke and all the team there for their support which is very much appreciated.
Best of luck tonight Declan!

Tommy Shanahan

Tommy Shanahan for Foildearg, Cappawhite comes from a proud Tipp family.
Hailing from the mountains above Cappa when Tommy heard about the Brawl in the Hall he said sign me up… Tommy Shanahan v Anyone!!!
That’s confidence – Tommy, hope that confidence transfers to the boxing ring tonight.
Tommy is married to Mary and they have 3 children. His other interests are greyhounds and with his speed and agility we are looking forward to seeing him step into the ring later tonight
Tommy is sponsored by Raymond Kelly Monumental Works, Tipperary and Limerick. Thanks for the support, it is very much appreciated.
Best of luck Tommy!