It was more in hope than expectation that the members of Fermoy Rifle & Pistol Club thought they could take a few weeks to savor the success of the most successful Irish Open competition in living memory, however, a full house of prospective new members the following Sunday brought them back to reality.
That open day proved to be hugely successful with 48% of those in attendance signing up to join the club on the day, and the percentage of new female members turning in at 25% being in line with one of the clubs main priorities of attracting more female participation to the sport.
A short few days of training were possible before club members travelled to Limerick and took part in the latest IPA competition on Friday, July 18.
Visitor Hi-Viz jackets were still warm from the launderette when put to use for a small private group of corporate visitors from one of Munster’s 5 Star resort hotels who were booked in with the club for a ‘Silver Package Experience’.
Practice sessions had to be rostered to get members ready for the annual National Competition at An Riocht target shooting club in Kerry on the weekend of July 26-27, with a large contingent of Fermoy members taking part and hopefully taking medals home as well.
As the club’s founding member and current Range Operator, Kieran Barry put it: “There was a time I could easily keep every single snippet of club business in my head, now with over 200 members and multiple activities every week I find myself referring to our clubs WhatsApp page to keep up to speed”.
