Connacht back in the big time again next season

Fri, May 04, 2012

With both Ulster and Leinster through to this year's Heineken Cup final on May 19 an Irish winner is guaranteed leaving the door open for Connacht to qualify as the fourth team from Ireland. This comes as a huge boost to the club which finished off their first ever Heineken Cup this year with a memorable victory over Harlequins in the Sportsground.

Mayo to play Donegal in honour of Garda Robert McCallion

Fri, May 04, 2012

The late Garda Robert McCallion will be fondly remembered by family, friends and colleagues on Sunday May 6 when Swinford GAA club host a challenge match between Mayo and Donegal to mark the rededication of their all-weather pitch. Robbie lost his fight for life on April 7, 2009 from injuries received while on duty as a garda in Letterkenny. “He was a proud and very active member of Swinford GAA club and the community feel that this dedication is a fitting tribute to him,” said Mayo GAA PRO and Swinford club member, Aiden McLoughlin.

“We have spent the last year or so making sure the pitch and facilities are of the highest standard,” he added. “We are now happy to say that they are worthy of the Ulster and Connacht champs - and all their fans. To have the Connacht and Ulster champions playing in our own back yard is quite a treat for the GAA folk of Swinford. That they are playing in honour of one of our own makes it even more special. The decision to rededicate the pitch in Robbie's honour was not taken lightly. But Robbie struck a chord. It’s a combination of the way he played the game, the manner in which he approached his life and way in which he left it. He was a man who set himself high standards.

There is a lot of good to be taken from league final defeat

Fri, May 04, 2012

Our Mayo side was once again placed under the whitest of lights in Croke Park and we all once again waited for coronations. Then the seemingly inevitable uncorked the vitriol. It started in the stands with several around me shaking their heads and leaving long before the final whistle. It is not a nice thing, from a player’s point of view, to see ‘your’ supporters walking out before the game has finished. It is their (the supporters) signal to the players that, for them at least, the show is over.

Rolling back the years, with the Deel Rovers

Fri, May 04, 2012

Throughout the late nineties and through to the middle of the last decade, Michael Moyles was one of the most recognisable players in the club game in the county and with Mayo on more than a few occasions. But injury put paid to his footballing career long before time. Six years have passed since then and Moyles has been all over the province managing a number of sides, but this year the lure of his home club was to much to resist when they came calling. “I was in Leitrim managing Annaduff for the past two years, the first year we got to a league final and were beaten and had a good run in the championship and were unlucky to be knocked out,” he said. “The next year we won a league final and lost a championship semi-final that we probably should have won. We were making progress and it is hard to leave somewhere when you see progress being made. But I got calls from the likes of Stephen Rochford and Ciaran McDonald and other senior lads and I spoke to some of the younger lads, when this came up. It was always something that I wanted to do and it might have come around quicker than I would have expected, but I’m delighted to be managing my own club.”

Feile na Gael opposition for Mayo sides unveiled

Fri, May 04, 2012

The All-Ireland u14 Club Hurling and Camogie festival, Feile na nGael will be hosted by Dublin this year - taking place from Thursday, July 5 until Saturday, July 7. The draw was made in Parnell Park in Dublin recently, with two hurling teams and one camogie team invited to take part from Mayo.

The number one Mayo hurling representatives, Tooreen, will be hosted by the Naomh Mearnog GAA Club in Portmarnock in division four. Also drawn in this group are Tomas Davis (Tallaght) and the Tyrone champions. There are 16 teams in total in Division 4, divided into four groups of four.

Murt’s Mayo open up against the Mourne county men

Fri, May 04, 2012

It was a very strange league campaign for Mayo in division 2B of the national hurling league. They were unbeaten against the top two teams in the division yet only managed to finish in fourth place in the table out of six teams. The league campaign was bookended by impressive wins over bottom of the table Roscommon and eventual table toppers Kildare at the very end of the league stages. Both those wins of course did feature the talents of Keith Higgins who, as has become the norm in recent years, is balancing life as an inter-county footballer for one of the top sides in the country, and as the captain and leader of an inter-county hurling team a nice bit down the food chain when it comes to the small ball game. In between those two wins, Mayo held a fancied Meath side to a draw in Castlebar, before being beaten on the road by Armagh and overseas by London.

Cash benefit from league semi and final not what hoped for

Fri, May 04, 2012

The increased cash boost to the coffers of Mayo GAA will not be as big as hoped for following the poor attendance figures at both the league semi-final and final. “We are still waiting on the money to be shared out, but it won’t be a big as we would have hoped for,” county board secretary Kevin O’Toole told the Mayo Advertiser this week. “The dividend will be split between the four teams each day involved and with the numbers that came along it won’t be what we would have hoped for. It’s like the club championship here, the less people that come along the less that comes in.”

Cork cruise to league title

Mon, Apr 30, 2012

Cork 2-10
Mayo 0-11

First major test for Claremorris awaits

Fri, Apr 27, 2012

Much like last season, Claremorris have hit the ground running early in the Elverys Sports Super League. Maximum points from their opening brace of games, have the south Mayo side sitting on top of the league table, albeit ahead only ahead of Westport United on goal difference. On Sunday, Claremorris will have to make their first away trip of the season when they travel to the home of the champions Castlebar Celtic.

Cooney secures nationals title

Fri, Apr 27, 2012

Ballaghaderreen’s Stephen Cooney claimed the men’s 23 and under title at the Irish Nationals Championships in Kingscourt, Co Cavan, last weekend. The Mayo ace comfortably defeated Sam Temple from Kildare in the quarter-finals and followed that win with a 21-12, 21-11 defeat of Newport’s Ciaran Burke in the semi-final. Cooney faced Limerick’s C J Fitzpatrick in the decider on Sunday last.

The Mayo man won the opening game comfortably 21 aces to 6 but lost the second 21 aces to 17. In a tense tie-break third, Cooney prevailed to take the title 11 aces to 6. He thus secured an automatic spot on the official Irish team for the World championships in Dublin this October. Bofield handballer Jason Judge just missed out on a title as he was beaten by Galway’s Morgan Duggan in the masters B singles final on a 21-12, 21-19 scoreline. Judge battled his was through some very tough matches in the eight strong field and should be well seeded come the World Championships in Dublin in October.

Byrne turns in another strong performance

Fri, Apr 27, 2012

John Byrne turned in another sterling performance in Seregno near Milan on Sunday, finishing in 7:16:30 in the World and European Championships. And in turn he helped the Irish team to a superb sixth place finish in the World section (provisional result).

Which Mayo is the real Mayo?

Fri, Apr 27, 2012

Confusion reigns as far as this columnist is concerned in trying to predict the outcome of Sunday’s league final. It is eerily quiet about the place, for many reasons, which has meant the build up to this final has been quite different. There is also a wintry sting in the air these past few days which does not help create an exciting atmosphere for a big game. The reality for the downbeat mood could also have something to do with the fact that that we just do not really know what to expect on Sunday. But I felt that way too for the semi-final, when so few from the participating counties took an interest in proceedings. Very few I met or spoke to prior to the game gave Mayo much of a chance of reaching the league final. Most thought that Kerry had played tricks with the Mayo players’ minds during the final round of the league one week earlier in Tralee. Kerry played with the kind of arrogant cocky swagger which is their wont for most of the afternoon in Croke Park without displaying an ounce of panic until the game had practically slipped away from them. On this occasion there were no big guns on the subs bench to rescue the situation… they were all on the field of play. They played poorly and fitness levels were questionable. They were also missing two of their big stars in Declan O’Sullivan and Tomás Ó Sé, and a combination of these factors meant that they could not stop a more energetic Mayo side once they got a sniff of victory. In times past when Kerry felt any level of threat, they simply put the foot back on the pedal and drove on. Not so on this occasion and after Pat Harte’s brilliantly executed penalty Mayo looked re-energised, fitter, fresher, and stronger as they recorded another famous victory over the Kingdom. The handful of loyal supporters that travelled were not found wanting when assisting their team over the finishing line.

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