One week after James Horan’s appointment as Mayo senior manager, I think it is fair to say that his appointment, and that of his back room team, has been warmly received by Mayo supporters. The immediate objection from some quarters might be that he is without senior inter county experience. In the current situation in which we find ourselves, I doubt that the GAA public in Mayo regard inexperience as an insurmountable issue after the summer we have just had. Horan will bring a fresh approach to proceedings, something that is needed right now. The players will trust and respect him. The younger players will remember his terrific talents on the field and will be looking forward to new training methods and a new mantra. I hear that no member of the new management team has travelled with the footballers to New York for this Sunday’s FBD final. I think that is a smart move. This weekend’s match in the Big Apple can best be described as a fun game with nothing of any significance at stake. A number of players playing out there this weekend will not be part of the new squad, and with a type of party atmosphere circulating about the place, it is best that a new manager meets his panel of players in a different environment.
Horan is a busy man these days as he prepares his Ballintubber team for a county final and also meets with his new management team to decide on a course of action to be taken over the next few months. There is no doubt that it is an exciting time for him right now, but that will change over the next months as I know from my experience at this level. There will no doubt be tough days ahead. I expect he will disperse his new management team to take in as many matches as they possibly can over the next few weeks to identify potential. They will obviously be taking in the junior county final this Sunday and after Horan’s remarks last week to the County Board delegates I expect a few members of both Islandeady and Parke will fancy their chances of getting a run at senior inter-county level. There are colleges matches that will be played this side of Christmas with lots of young Mayo footballers involved that will have to be covered too. Managing a county side is different than it was 10 or 15 years ago. It is certainly no bed of roses. There is enormous pressure to succeed. Everyone wants to be associated with a winning team. I recall my first time taking over the Mayo team in the autumn of 1995. At that time I was serving with the UN in Cyprus and I had to travel home on four occasions for training and matches before my tour of duty came to an end. My head was in a spin, but I would have travelled from Timbuktu such was my enthusiasm at the time. We had the opportunity to train and play matches during the months of October, November, and December to see the talent at our disposal back then. The team was languishing in Division three and there was little pressure on me to do anything other than to improve things. That is not the situation now as our supporters have notions of grandeur these days. There is no doubt that Horan has a big task ahead of him, but I do believe he will not be found wanting for effort. What is now needed more than anything is a little patience from our supporters to allow a new management team to find its feet.
Have you heard about the O’Briens from Tipperary?
I discovered in the last few weeks that Conor O’Brien, an All Ireland Senior hurling winner with Tipperary this year is a son of Sarah Loftus who originally came from Cloughbrack, Bofeenaun. Sarah originally moved to Tipperary in 1980 and married Liam O’Brien. Conor, who is a garda based in Limerick, had previously won Munster hurling medals at minor and under 21 level before graduating to the senior squad. He played on successive Munster Hurling winning teams in 2008 and 2009. Conor has also two Fitzgibbon hurling medals with WIT, and believe it or not this multi-talented young man has represented Ireland at under-14 level in soccer. Conor’s brother Damien has been ever present on the Tipperary Senior football team for the past 10 years. The third brother, Ronan, played minor, under-21, and intermediate hurling for Tipp also. So all three brothers have represented Tipperary in hurling and football and both Damien and Ronan have captained Tipperary championship teams. Quite incredibly Mam Sarah has another notable claim to fame as she bred Ringahustle to win the English Greyhound Derby, a dog that was voted Racing Greyhound of the Year in 1993. Conor is first cousin to Adrian Leonard of Lahardane who featured on this year’s Mayo minor football team and also first cousin to Aoife Loftus who won an All- Ireland Ladies football title with Carnacon. Apparently Granny Sarah Loftus, still hail and hearty and living in Cloughbrack, is looking forward to a night of fun sometime over the winter months when Liam McCarthy is expected to visit Bofeenaun.
A date for your diary
As part of their 125th anniversary celebrations, Castlebar Mitchels and Mayo Sports Partnership are to co-host an exciting sporting debate this night week, October 15, in the TF Royal Hotel. They have lined up an excellent list of speakers for the debate that kicks off at 8pm. The topic to be debated is “Achieving Success in Sport – what does it take?” Among the line-up of speakers confirmed for the night are our own Martin Carney, Noel King, Republic of Ireland u21 team and Women’s u17 team manager, Noel Mannion, former Ireland rugby international, Dr Niall Moyna, head of human health and sports performance at Dublin City University, and Ian McKeever, lecturer, broadcaster, and adventurer. It only costs a fiver. I cannot think of anything better to do next Friday night.
