Schools honour memory of late Iggy Fulham

The esteem in which the late Iggy Fulham is still so fondly remembered was reflected in the increased participation in the annual memorial tournament held in his honour in Milltown.Iggy was highly respected in GAA circles as a coach par excellence and he gave of his time freely to impart his undoubted knowledge to young boys and girls as they embraced the game in their schools and clubs.Last Wednesday morning, a large number of pupils came together in Milltown to do battle for the two trophies on offer, the Iggy Fulham Memorial Shield and the St. Thomas Shield for smaller schools.In less than ideal conditions, the teams played out a series of round robin games over three hours, with some thrilling clashes along the route.Ultimately, honours in the premier event, the Iggy Fulham Shield belonged to Loughnavalley, who overcame St. Mary's, Rathowen by 6-8 to 3-3 in a high scoring final.In the St. Thomas Shield, victory went to near neighbours, Moyvore who triumphed over Emper on a 4-11 to 1-4 scoreline. Immediately after the finals, medals were presented to each child who participated by Máirín and PJ Fulham, who paid tribute to all who helped to perpetuate Iggy's name.PJ recalled how his son loved coaching young boys and girls in the skills of gaelic football and he applauded all those coaches and teachers who are continuing the work today. He thanked all the children who had participated in the tournament and expressed the hope that more schools would join them next year. Apart from the forementioned schools, the following schools also participated: Educate Together, Milltown, Dysart, Sonna, St. Marys, St. Thomas' and St. Michaels, Castletown-Finea.Mr. Fulham paid fulsome tribute to the teachers, and their assistants who had honoured Iggy's memory by their presence at this year's tournament.