It's that wonderful time of year when the buds on the trees attempt to shoot out in to leaves. Spring is also the time for the young buds of Clonard GAA to blossom on the field of play as they took part in their first games of 2019.

It was a beautiful morning in Kells as the parents of Clonard's youngest GAA stars made the early start on their journey to play Round Towers in Meath Go-Games Group 4. No one would have predicted the idyllic Spring conditions in store, especially considering the torrential rain of the previous two weeks which forced the Kilmainham/Drumbaragh amalgamation to move the game to Kells Community School after their own pitches were flooded last weekend.

The seven and eight year old boys and girls of Clonard made their Under 8's season debut, not that anyone could tell based on the wonderful skills on show, as the cheers of both parents and children made for very joyful listening. With many of Clonard’s teammates and friends not able to travel due to Community Games commitments it certainly didn't dampen their enthusiasm or performance on the pitch.

Clonard's more 'senior' Go-Games players, the nine and ten year old boys, were also displaying all the key skills of an all-round Gaelic footballer in their Under 10 match-up with Round Towers. This is a quality bunch of kids as they continue to improve with each passing year under the mentorship of their astute and supportive coaches. When you combine this with their competitive edge they appear to be destined for a very bright future.

Well done to all the children, parents and coaches for a wonderful morning of football and it's back to the training pitch on Monday evening to hone those skills even further. Cluain Ioraird abú!