Celtic Games 2009 - Dublin

Scotland First Timer Report

Being a Celtic Games virgin, I wasn't sure what to expect when I set off from Scotland on the 25 June 2009 for Dublin with 30+ amateur civil service athletes from all parts of the country. Even though nearly all of them had been up before the cock had a chance to crow (interesting fact no.1: to dream of hearing a cock crow in the morning is very good. If you are single, it denotes an early marriage and a luxurious home - rumours that Michael O'Hara has moved in with Old MacDonald are completely untrue), this didn't affect spirits - the Scotland team managed to finish off 4 bottles before Troon.

We arrived at the fabulous Sportslink venue just as they were serving a meal fit for a king. For those of you who have never seen Sportslink's £13 million venue, it has facilities to match any professional sport with swimming pools to tennis courts to leisure suites to all weather pitches. However, before the serious sport began, it was vital to mix and mingle with our Celtic competitors over a beer in Dublin's city centre. Having remortgaged the house, I just scraped enough together to buy one round in the Temple Bar District before we headed to the Arlington Hotel, which sits alongside the crystal clear river Liffey to meet up with Wales and the North/South of Ireland competitors.

It was great to see that, due to the enthusiasm for their events, members could not sleep so decided to stay up till breakfast and then get ready for the morning sports. Basketball, Table Tennis, 5-a-side Football, Gaelic Football, Tennis and Bowls were all played before lunch with a mix of success. Whilst we had a natural flair for the Table Tennis (winning the event) , Bowls and, surprisingly, the Gaelic, we did struggle with the likes of the Tennis. The new BDE, Francis Smith, certainly had a strange style of serve in his Tennis games! The word "tennis" derives from the French word "tenir", meaning to take heed. That really wasn't necessary for Francis's serve as it was clocked at 100 going over the net - that was not miles per hour but the amount of seconds it took to get to the other player!

After another meal, this time fit for 2 kings, we took on Mixed Vollyball, Squash, Skittles, Rounders, Triathlon and Ladies 5-a-side Football. As predicted by mystic Lisa, Scotland's Ladies won the event with no goals against and Scotland also won the Skittles. I would like to say we did well in the Rounders but, to be honest, the Irish rules were more complicated than completing a Rubik's Cube blindfolded. Next year in Scotland, we plan to have a tennis racket and a soft ball. I would just like to point out that a Mr Kelly from Dundee made the catch of the day. He doesn't like to talk about it so you won't hear it mentioned again!! We completed the sports for the day by having a swimming relay between all the countries. Not sure who won but Robin's white bum is engraved in everyone's memory for the rest of our lives as he took the competition a bit too seriously and tried to remove his shorts to give him less weight and more speed down the final 50 metres.

To finish off the day, we had another fantastic meal, some great speeches from the Chairmen/Chairwomen of the Celtic Nations, as well as some prize giving, followed by dancing. Scotland must have been really affected by the loss of Michael Jackson as the likes of Pat and Francis paid tribute throughout the night. A highlight for me was each country taking their turn to sign their national anthem. Father Brian Daisley and cheeky chappie David Elder stood up (on the table and chairs) and led us all through the Flower of Scotland. Sent many a shiver down many a spine.

On a serious note, being a first timer to the Celtic Games reminded me what the CSSC is all about. Everyone competed with the right spirit, helped each other through sports they have never played (thank you Linda and Robert for some great Bowls advice) and met people from different depts and backgrounds. For example, I met a man who represented Wales with a Liverpool accent who didn't actually own a tracksuit. I strongly advise that you look out for the Scottish Qualifiers next year as the Games comes to Edinburgh in June 2010.

Everyone who attended would like to add a big thank you to Anne Young for all of her hard work in organising everything.

Will leave you with a fantastic story from Dublin which I saw first hand whilst standing outside on O'Connell Street calling my wife. Basically a drunk girl tried calling a taxi but rang her mum instead:

Drunk Girl: "Can I have a taxi please?" *Hiccup*

Her Mum: "Amanda, is that you?"

Drunk Girl: "How do you know my name?"

Her Mum: "Amanda, it is your mam!!"

Drunk Girl: "Mam, what are you doing at the taxi rank?"

Classic.

Darren Kelly

(Ex BDE for Scotland)