Left to Right: Tadgh Kelly ( Player of Tournament ), Owen McGuire ( Trainer ), Blond Paris Slapper 1, Non-Blond Paris Slapper 2, James Lanigan, JP McSherry ( St Kilian's PRO)

In fairness to Munich Colmcillies they did go all out and spared very little in the organising of this Euro League tournament - right down to the pre-ordered blue skies and the 30 plus Celcius weather!

This year's tournament saw St Kilians present its strongest showing in players number for the past three years. On the day there were eight Würzburg affiliated players togging out. They were:

JP McSherry Borrisoleigh Half Forward Line

Denis Kealy Borrisoleigh Goal-keeper

Aubrey Dolan Sligo Town Half Forward Line

Justin Dolan Sligo Town Half Back Line

Trevor Bradna Chicago Town Half Back Line

Tadgh Kelly Carlow Full Back Line

Seamus Lanigan Crossmaleinagh, Co Mayo Full Forward Line

Owen McGuire Ennistymon, Co Clare Midfielder

Our 11 a side amalgamation team was completed with four members of the Düsseldorf Nordrhein West Falen Exiles:

Shane O Meara Toomeveara, Full Back Line

Murt Kelleher Cork Midfielder

Mark Murphy Bandon Full Forward Line

Ed Limerick Full back Line

Making the panel complete were:

Oliver McBrearty Donegal

Erik XXX Zurich

Sean XXX Austin, Texas

Sorely missed St Kilians player due to exams and scheduling conflicts:

Clemens Grünwald Schleswick Holstein Midfielder AND Manager

Kalle Seifert Würzburg Half Back Line

Lyndon Lyons Trinidad Tabago Half Forward Line

As is the norm for this great little team, players travelled from many various European venues ( Nürnburg, Stuttgart and Borris ) to assemble before the Munich grounds at 9:30 on Saturday morning July 17^th. Everybody arrived in the Bavarian capital at some stage Saturday night - except the Dolan brothers from Nürnburg, but there were only up the road so they could drive the two hours down on Saturday morning.

Things were going skippy as we were all on time for Sinead to pick us up at the hotel. She ably guided us, together with the Budapest team, through the maze that is the Munich U-Bahn system. There must have been German Gremlins at work with the sign posts as young Sinead managed to put us on the right train, but, going in the wrong direction!! Eventually we found our way to the pitches. Not to worry Sinead - your slip up will be kept quiet with us!!

This loss was to cost us dearly later on in the day. Our Achilles Heel in all of these previous tournaments has being having to play the stronger teams for the first games while we are still trying to find our feet. Knowing that Paris were only just after coming off an all nighter train we thought our luck was in. Not to be unfortunately!! Their eagerness for action coupled with the absence of the Dolan brothers due to infamous German Autobahn traffic jams meant we could never pull them back once they got their French noses in front. Tadgh, Ed and Murt settled in quickly while the lack of hard game practise was evident with Trevor and Denis.

"Let the good times roll'! With the addition of Aubrey, his brother Justin and bearded Erik the panel took on a force and depth about it that allows success. Justin, Tadgh and Ed were really tightening up in defence while Aubrey's speed and skill were cauing a good Budapest side problems. JP and Mark slowly began playing themselves into the games and Erik was a real find with guile and strength in the forward line.

Things were beginning to cook! Great goals from Erik and Mark meant that we always had an upper hand in this game. Even though this was Munich's second team, it contained many players who would make an appearance with their A team in the Final. They never gave up putting pressure on us and but for trojan work by all backs including Ollie and Shane the game could have swung very quickly against us.

This same game 12 months previously was steeped in controversy! Most of it was induced by a "couldn't give a fiddler's" cavalier attitude by a suspect referee. He mis-scored the game, played 10 minutes instead of 15 and gave very some questionable decisions in the replayed game that allowed Luxembourg snatch a very un-sporting victory that we felt was rightfully ours. This game went "neck-in-neck-father" right down to the last two minutes when Luxembourg went a point ahead. But on the next attack Shane kept his Toomevara cool in front of goal and slotted away a wonderful effort that saw us right some of last year's previous wrongs! Even Aubrey was beginning to better his penalty taking technique at this stage - "Ubung macht den Meister!!"

"Do or die ( unfortunately )" A draw here would have seen us through to our first final ever in a European competition. Everybody in the team was up for it and we went in a point ahead at half time. It was nail biting stuff. For a period in the second half we'd no answer to Munich's dominance in collecting our kick outs. Somehow they managed to get scrap two points despite Trevor's great work in defence.

The sporting day was over for us and it didn't feel right...! There was a lot of talent and fitness in this year's cadre of players - probably more than any other year - but it just wasn't to be.

There were the "what-ifs" : more astute substitutions, defining the mid field problem sooner, had Paul Donegan or Tom Daly or Clemens been there to give us the strength we needed for those few vital minutes in the second half.... Ahh yeah..

Kudos to all involved in the hurling. Our participation showed that the focus wasn't on winning the football competition at all costs. We were delighted to help out the Hurling contingent in the tournament and wish them the best of luck at their Hague hurling weekend in August.

We were all very impressed with the way Maria and Co ran the whole show and organised the entertainment. As usual the Irish Ambassador was very professional in his praising of all participants and in particular the Munich GAA clubs for hosting such a complex International sporting event.

It is a great shame that the winning French captain couldn't even take a mere modicum of his hosts good manners or consideration for fellow participants. Instead 'his Kerry nibs' subjected us to 15 minutes of vulgar and obscene language intermittently punctuated with barely discernible patronising and goading screaming about their victory. Real butt cringing stuff, that left everybody in the hall feeling embarrassed - what a representative we have tonight!! A shame really as the Paris team were impeccably behaved on the pitch and were worthy victors. The only advice I can give to that "French braying Kerry donkey" is... next time let your eloquent ladies captain do all the talking!

I'm under the impression that some of the ladies from the French football team and a certain Swiss goalie had their first experience with non non-alcoholic drinks this evening. What else could account for these totally mindless idiots to begin throwing slices of pork, dripping with sticky gravy across tables at on another! True to their on the pitch performances, their aim was very suspect and they managed to strike some of our players shirts with their pig projectiles!! And, being the spineless pre-adolescents that they are, when confronted they denied having ever dared to do such a thing - even though we were looking at directly at them as the threw their food!

What a night!

Eventually at about 5am everybody had had enough and Gunther Murphies was left to prepare for their breakfast clients in about four hours time. Trevor did his usual party trick and went MIA. We've given up worrying about him at this stage as we know he'll eventually turn up and relate all the sordid details...!

Players of the Day: Dolan brothers and Tadgh.

Langers of the Day: French captain, Swiss goalie and attention seeking Paris sisters

Most Improved Player: Denis Kiely

Phrases of weekend: "Man we had an Eifel Tower in St Louis"

"Ha bit of lettuce and hah bit ha tomatoe in de bog - God you'd kill for it!"