If you’re at a loose end some evening and there’s not match taking place at your local Club Grounds you could spend a very enjoyable hour going through the Virtual Dr Hyde Park.
For readers who are unaware of the Virtual Hyde it can be explained as follows: an electronic representation of Dr Hyde Park has been created at clubrossie.ie/virtualhydepark . The “pitch” has been divided into squares and supporters are being asked to donate €20 and then publish their most memorable moment from Dr Hyde Park or from supporting Roscommon. For €50 supporters can take a limited edition square in a goal net. Funds from the venture will be used to help create more days to remember for Roscommon GAA supporters.
The fundraiser was formally launched by Club Rossie in February and has unearthed a “treasurer trove” of memories. In fact, some have pre-dated games being played on the pitch. One man recalled attending his first Connacht Final in 1953 and seeing Roscommon defeat Mayo. Another Roscommon Gaels man remembered his class from CBS Roscommon being brought from School to pick stones from the pitch! Another noted the night that the contract to build the Dr Hyde Park Centre was signed. One of the most popular memories for “people of a certain vintage) was from October 15th, 1978 . On that day the Roscommon Senior Footballers defeated Kerry in the Ceannáras Tournament Final in the curtain-raiser to the All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship Final between the two counties, which Roscommon also won! In more recent times Gerry Lohan’s winning goal against Mayo in the 2001 Connacht Senior Football Championship Final has proven to be the most common memory published so far with the Minor’s All-Ireland win of 2006 also featuring prominently.
The memories are not just confined to inter-county games. Karol Mannion’s goal for St Brigids in the 2006 Connacht Club Senior Football Championship Final has featured a number of times. Strokestown’s 2002 County Senior Championship win and Tulsk’s Intermediate title win in 1984 have also featured.
The above is just a taster of what it on offer so sit down at your PC or Laptop (in order to get the complete experience) and visit clubrossie.ie/virtualhydepark . If you would like to “leave your mark on Dr Hyde Park” visit clubrossie.ie/buy-pitch-space , pick your square and follow the instructions.