Mrs Annie Gelston

ACTUALLY the former Miss Annie Polland was not ‘Our Annie’ in the beginning but was born on July 8, 1930, in Maghery, Kilkeel,

Annie Polland went to schools in Brackney and Ballymartin, most likely in those days called Public Elementary schools, leaving school at the age of 14 to work from home sewing badges on to school blazers.

It was only on March 2, 1965, when the late Billy Gelston from Drumaness won the heart and love of Miss Polland following a three-year courtship that Drumaness had its first opportunity to become acquainted with this truly remarkable lady.

On that date Miss Polland wore a two-piece suit with flowers in the collar. There was no honeymoon but time was well spent making friends with all her new neighbours who grew to love Annie Gelston well enough as time passed to acclaim her as the ‘Maid From Mourne.’

Fast forward to the official opening of St Colman’s GAA Social Club in Drumaness on August 28, 1981, when the then chairman, Mr. Brian Kennedy, whose steady but quiet guidance had led his committee to a new era in local sporting enterprise in the village, commented in their souvenir programme:

“It is the prime aim of our present committee to provide entertainment for the youth of the parish....The provision of Irish cultural song, music and dance must be a priority with this committee and future committees, for it is in this type of recreation that we can depend on to further the aims of our Association.”

Such sentiments coming from the chairman must have been seen as a rainbow-like verbal accolade to the middle-aged lady named Mrs. Annie Gelston sitting in that audience.

Exactly one year earlier, having foreseen an opportunity in what was taking shape all around her in the planning of the new local GAC enterprise, Annie, having no children of her own, had already ‘adopted’ the largest single ‘family’ in the village. She had formed and registered Magheradroll Camogie Club and was made its first chairperson.  

Even before the grand opening of the new St Colman’s GAA Social Club on August 28, 1981, Magheradroll Camogie Club was making its presence felt in the new 1981 season with local farmers around Drumaness being roped into the camogie net and providing their fields as sites of combat for the might of three new local teams.

Annie Gelston lost no time in drilling her charges with defining hands-on additional roles of manager, trainer, fundraiser, outfitter, medic, nurse and cheer-leading umpire — you name it, it was Annie Gelston. Annie’s charges were no push-overs and the club later received the Club of the Year award twice.

In 1983 Annie’s team became Drumaness Camogie Club. Surprised? Don’t be. The phenomenal transformation in the village’s status was a result of a mature committee’s vision and “to one individual whose dedication and determination to fulfil the sentiments expressed at the dawn of St Colman’s GAC, has been unequalled.”

This classic combination of the provision of sporting facilities and personal determination to achieve results not only on scoreboards but in the provision of such positive, healthy and disciplined social endeavour in the personal lives of girls and young women was such that the villagers and surrounding countryside just had to become part of it all.

Things got even better. By 1983 and 1984 Annie had six teams entered for each new season and, not really surprisingly, the trophy collection grew as a result of Annie’s single-minded inspiration, determination, given time, hard work and resolve in nurturing the excellent talent at the Drumaness Camogie Club.

That talent now became the target and focus of the County Down management panel to the extent that no less than seven of her protégées were selected for the Down Minor team which became Ulster champions.

Annie even took her girls to the Kilmacud seven-a-side tournament in Dublin for several years for the Saturday prior to the junior and senior All-Ireland camogie finals and there was not a sad face to be seen all weekend. On one occasion the Drumaness junior team were to reach the final of that sevens tournament.

Every year as the camogie season drew to its close it was time for Annie to remove her camogie hat and don her Scor and CCD hats when different uniforms were made, ceili and set dance teams were formed, singers picked, ballad groups formed, recitation, novelty act and instrumental performers put through their paces, often on Annie’s living room and kitchen floors in the early days until the new community centre appeared. Annie, of course, arranged for husband Billy to be able to keep his socialising companions up-to-date with domestic goings-on.

In between times Annie could be seen walking the roads on her Silver Circle itinerary, raising much-needed and necessary funds, and still had time to attend a monthly visit to ceilis around the local districts just to keep in touch.

Where would we, the folk of Drumaness and all who were blessed to know ‘Our Annie’, end this tribute to Mrs Annie Gelston, ‘Our Maid from Mourne?’ Perhaps by saying a grateful posthumous thank you to the late Father Lyons for putting the idea of camogie for the girls in Drumaness to his congregation and Annie just had to be listening that day.

Perhaps by highlighting Annie’s ability to refrain from smoking and alcohol as she added those additional examples of healthy living to so many youngsters over many years. Perhaps by reporting Annie’s ability to cause the Strangford Ferry to actually turn back after beginning its crossing to accommodate several late-comers on their way to the other side who were due to play a camogie match.

Perhaps by listing Annie’s unique list of one-liners — “and as the fella says, fiddlesticks” —when she was forced to use emphasis as the boss, or simply by just allowing ourselves to remember her, and reminding each other to remember her, as the gentle soul, the determined yet selfless so-ordinary woman, who possessed a spirit of such love for almighty God and love for her neighbour by exercising such kindness, such caring and such social and moral leadership that we can believe that Heaven was made for such as ‘Our Annie’ and that she was truly a servant of God.

Annie’s Month’s Mind Mass is on April 12 in Christ the King Church, Drumaness, at 7.30pm