The 2025 Swanky Bar Pool Tournament ended in dramatic fashion last night when Tom Ward and Cyril Flynn faced off. Both men were looking to win the coveted trophy for a 2^nd time. Tom and Cyril performed very well in the games leading into last night’s final.

Before the main course, Denny Hanrahan and James Enright faced each other in a competitive and fast paced 3^rd/4^th place play off where Denny Hanrahan saw off the strong challenge of James to seal an impressive win to secure 3^rd spot.

The Final itself was evenly contested by both Tom and Cyril with Tom going into a 1-0 lead then Cyril brought it back to 1-1, then Cyril edged in front to make it 2-1, both players struggling to get into a smooth rhythm but still producing some lovely exciting pool.

Tom Ward took inspiration from the likes of Scott Mc Tominay, Kieran Tierney, Lawrence Shankland who all scored for Scotland in there impressive World Cup qualifier win over Denmark back in November to secure a World Cup spot for the first time since 1998.

He got the game back to 2-2 before Cyril snuck back in front to make it 3-2 then Tom fired back levelling this contest up at 3-3. Both men probably sensed that there were chances for both to take the game by the scruff of the neck and take charge.

Cyril was first to strike for home getting back in front to make it 4-3 before Tom who just didn’t quit brought it back to 4-4. Then what followed had to be seen to be believed.

Cyril went for broke and cleared the table to set himself up to take the second last frame before a cruel stroke of luck befell him when he potted the black only for the white ball to continue it course and follow the black to hand Tom Ward the advantage.

The last frame of the evening followed a similar vein and saw both men trying to take full control playing some very good pool only for another cruel slice of misfortune to happen to Cyril Flynn where he again put himself in postion to take the title only for lady luck to run out on him and he again potted the black only for the white to again follow the black into the pocket and that sealed Tom Ward’s second title.

Both men played some very solid pool and were well matched throughout only for those two bits of misfortune it could well have been Cyril Flynn winning a 2^nd Swanky Bar Pool title. As it was it was Tom Ward who was crowned the 2025 champion.

Well done to all 4 players on the evening, huge congrats also goes to MC John O Dowd, DJ Shicco for the tunes and for keeping the evening running smoothly. To JP who refereed the final. Not forgetting Ger Keane who was on the camera. Well done to Sophie and the crew behind the bar who kept the crowd watered through the proceedings.

New Year’s Eve will see hostilities resume when the Ferry Rangers old stagers will dust off the boots and shin guards to play the new generation of players wearing the red and black of Ferry Rangers. This game will help mark the 30^th anniversary of the club which began back in 1995.

The game will take place at Ferry Park at 2pm on New Years’ Eve. Both sides are in serious training I have been informed both on and off the bar stool since Christmas began. It will be a great way to kick off the new year celebrations that will follow later in the day.

This annual event has been running for a number of years and is very keenly contested, amazing to see how fast the competitive spirit kicks back in in particular for those who have been retired in the past number of years.

Both squads are full of top notch talent who are eager to show that they still have “it” whatever “it” is. It will be great to see some of the lads who were only youth players back when the club started get stuck in with the new generation who are playing in the Kerry District League at the current moment.

Rumour has it that a number of scouts will be in attendance on the day to the run the eye over some of the players, now whether in the case of the old stagers that is for the old folks home I just don’t know !!

So if you’re at a loose end and fancy watching two teams kicking lumps out of each other with the odd bit of football thrown in then head for Ferry Park at 2pm on Wednesday…

Keep an eye out for details through all of Ferry Rangers social media platforms as to who will benefit from monies collected on the day….

Last night, I made my way to see Tarbert Theatre players production of a 3 act play by the pen of Jim Keary called “Finders Keepers”. After many months of hard work and rehearsal time, the players brought this play to life over 5 nights concluding last night in Tarbert Community Centre.

This play saw the introduction of a few new faces to the Tarbert Theatre players family with John Coolahan, Denis Sheehan, Shona Allen, Alison Lanigan and Ger Flavin all making there stage debuts.

Cormac Wall and Ciara Shine two experienced seasoned actors took on the lead roles of “Bernie Bennett” and Cormac inhabited the character of “Michael Murphy” beautifully showing a deep understanding of a soft gentle yet slightly naive farmer who can easily get distracted and forgetful as he gave his love interest a mortuary card rather than the birthday card he set aside for her.

He has competition for Bernie’s affections with local well to do farmer Sam Cullen also vying for her eye. We are introduced to Bernie’s mad half-sister Shelagh Flaherty who has an extremely loose moral compass and plays the field extremely well first with solicitor Mark Costello and then she moves her gaze and affections smoothly to Sam Cullen who seems enamoured with all the attention.

Solicitor Mark struggles when he realises that his strong willed and fearsome wife Breda (shona allen) has been told of his afternoon ”appoinments” with Shelagh ( aine enright) by her friend Kay Cattroll (alison lanigan)  but when she confronts him in Bernie’s front room in a case of mistaken identity by attacking the unsuspecting Bernie who hasn’t a clue of her flirtatious sister Shelagh’s moments of passion with Mark…

Thankfully all is calmed down, and we are next introduced to Paddy Molloy (ger flavin) who speaks with Michael in the mart yard canteen and he says that Michael should thread carefully. Paddy is himself excited by the slightest mention of two women having a set to. Paddy is the type of friend who would drop you in it to get the desired effect and laugh.

Micheal’s sister Sharon (mag o donnell) is very protective if not quite forceful in trying to look out for her naive gentle brother and threatens him with the ultimate Irish threat of “telling mammy” if he doesn’t stop is his quest to end up with Bernie.

 Michael manages to stand up to his sister and finally after much back and forth manages to tell Sharon where to go and goes down on bended knee and asks Bernie to marry him and she agrees….

Director Helen Enright got her casting bang on with Ciara Shine and Cormac Wall in the lead roles supported ably by the other new faces like John Coolahan who brought the well to do farmer Sam Cullen to life.

Alison Lanigan and Shona Allen crashed through the door at one point and made such an impact as Kay and Breda, both of these ladies are not to be messed with..

Ger Flavin brought Paddy Molloy to life and did it well. Another debutant Denis Sheehan was born to be on stage as was Aine Enright who brought the half cracked Shelagh Flaherty to life, Shelagh would frighten the most composed of men, fair play to Aine who played the role to a tee….

Lastly Mag O Donnell brought us Sharon O Rourke the domineering sister of Michael Murphy and as I mentioned used the ultimate threat of bringing Mammy into the equation to help her get him away from Bernie and back under the thumb at home one suspects !!!

Well done to Helen Enright and all her team for bringing another production from Tarbert Theatre players to life and giving everybody a laugh as it is so important given what is happening in Ireland at the moment as well as globally…

Let’s hope we see Tarbert Theatre players back before 2025 ends or at the start of 2026….