15 Fruit Trees for 15 Reasons: Castleblayney Hurlers Plant Orchard at Concra in Memory of Lost Friends
Castleblayney Hurling Club planted 15 fruit trees at its Concra pitch during Climate Action Week, remembering four recently deceased members, and its past players play a charity match for Castleblayney Cancer Society on Bank Holiday Monday.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Main Street, Castleblayney, 2013. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Castleblayney Hurling Club has planted 15 fruit trees at its pitch in Concra, outside Castleblayney, as part of Monaghan's Climate Action Week (12 to 18 October), the club says. The project, "From Roots to Climate Resilience", was supported by Monaghan County Council.
A tree for every team
The planting was led by club chairperson Catríona McCarney. Each age group, from the newly formed nursery up to the senior team, planted a tree.
The club said it had been "a difficult few months" and used the day to remember the recently deceased Paddy McArdle, Paul "Bomber" Duffy, club stalwart Stephen Marron, and Paul Loughran, brother of Sheila Forde. Family members of all four were present.
Vice chairperson David Connolly traced the club's roots back to 1906, with the current club established in 1954. "As we plant these trees, our hope is that they will grow & develop as is the hope for our club," he said. "So in acknowledging the past, we look to the future with hope & positivity."
Charity match on Monday 26 October
The club's Past Players take on the "Really Old Past Players" at St Mary's Park on Bank Holiday Monday, 26 October, at 3pm, with all proceeds going to Castleblayney Cancer Society.
Monaghan County Council said Climate Action Week 2026 had more than 40 events planned across the county. On the field, the club's minors have reached the county final (hurling round-up).
Sources
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