There cannot be too many basketball clubs in Ireland that have spent 60 years searching for somewhere to play. Yet that, in many ways, is the remarkable story of the basketball club in Maigh Cuilinn.
For six decades, generations of players have trained and competed without the club ever having a full-size basketball hall of its own in the village. Teams have travelled to halls across Galway, coaches have juggled training slots wherever they could find them, parents have clocked up countless miles, and still the club has grown into one of the largest and most successful basketball organisations in the country.
This year, the club marks its 60th anniversary, with a gala celebration taking place on Saturday, September 19 in the Galway Bay Hotel.
For club chairperson Cian Nihill, the milestone is a chance to recognise what has been built over six decades, but also to think about what comes next.
“When you stand back and think about 60 years, what strikes you most is the sheer number of people who have contributed something along the way. Some people gave years of their lives to the club, others coached a team for a season, drove children to games or helped out when something needed to be done. All of those contributions matter and together they are what made the club what it is.”
The gala is aimed not only at those currently involved in the club, but also at former players, coaches and parents who may not have been near a basketball court for years, as well as newer residents of Maigh Cuilinn who may have had little or no connection with the club to date.
“We would love to see people there who were involved 20, 30, or 40 years ago, but equally we would love somebody who moved to Maigh Cuilinn last year and knows very little about the basketball club to come along. It should feel like a community night rather than a reunion that you need to have been part of years ago to enjoy.”
There is now renewed hope that the long wait for a permanent home may finally be moving closer to an end, with community-wide fundraising continuing towards the completion of a new community centre in Maigh Cuilinn.
For a club accustomed to taking to the road, the prospect of a major new facility in its own community carries obvious significance.
“Having a proper home in Maigh Cuilinn would be transformative for us, but I also think the last 60 years should give us confidence. The club never waited for perfect circumstances. People found a way to make things work, and that willingness to roll up the sleeves and keep going is probably one of the strongest traditions we have inherited.”
For 60 years, Cumann Cispheile Mhaigh Cuilinn has made do with the halls it could find, the hours volunteers could give and the determination of successive generations to keep the game going.
On September 19, many of those generations will come together under one roof.
Tickets for the gala are available at moycullenbasketball.net/sixty and cost €75 per person.
