Winning an All Ireland title means everything

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

The AIB club championship finals and their well designed and created advertisements on TV have a way of sucking you in and making you feel welcome and part of a greater cause. The interlinking of club and family is a terrific hook to hang a slogan on, and in many ways it fits the bill perfectly. Again, last Tuesday afternoon the image of family, friends, wives, children, mothers and fathers, mentors and club supporters running onto the green field in Croke Park and hugging each other in intense bear hugs is one that we never tire off.

There is a genuineness and sense of unity in those scenes that is impossible to replicate.

Roscommon next hurdle for Mayo

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

The rapid fire nature of the u21 championship means it’s all over from start to finish in little under two months. So there is no rest for Mayo this weekend, who seven days on from their nail biting win over Galway last Saturday in Charlestown will host Roscommon in the same venue tomorrow. The 2-6 to 0-11 win over Galway last weekend was a lot closer on the scoreboard than in it was in general play on the field, an issue Mayo manager Pat Holmes hopes will be rectified this weekend. “We were delighted to get over last weekend, it was a tough battle at the end, which we knew it would be but we came out on top. We are going to have to be even better this Saturday as this Roscommon side won the All Ireland minor title three years ago and will be a tough task on the field.” Mayo’s lack of proficiency in front of the posts against Galway is something that needs to be rectified before Roscommon cross over the border, and Holmes has faith that his side will be able to do it. “We have to take our chances against Roscommon, because we won’t get as many against them as we did against Galway. The frees didn’t go as well as we would have liked last weekend, and we have to up our accuracy on that if we are going to make the Connacht final.”

Ballina battle for Mayo men

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Fixture pile ups usually occur for club sides in Mayo in late summer, if the senior inter-county team are involved in championship action at the business end of the season. But last weekend, as it will again this weekend, it came to a log jam for both the senior inter-county side and u21 side. Normally before inter-county games the senior team management announce their team on a Thursday evening, bar any niggling injuries that may be hanging around. But last week, John O’Mahony informed the press and public through county PRO Kevin O’Toole that there would be no side named until Sunday morning due to the involvement of the u21s in Connacht Championship action.

Mayo see off Roscommon after nail biting affair

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Mayo 4-14
Roscommon 2-15

O'Shea saves Mayo at the death

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Mayo 0-9
Dublin 0-9

Gaughan sends Iorras to within one step of the final

Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Fairview Rangers 1
Iorras Aontaithe 1

Iorras Aontaithe 1

Elliott takes the honours on Mayo Stages Rally

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

Patrick Elliott has made rather a habit of winning in recent times. Last year he clinched the Dunlop National Rally Championship with six wins. He started 2009 in a similar vein, winning the opening round in Birr two weeks ago. And on Sunday he added the latest success to his portfolio of wins with victory on the 2009 TF Royal Hotel and Theatre Mayo Stages Rally.

Six stage wins out of eight point to a straightforward win, but it could easily have been a different story. A spin on the fifth stage resulted in a re-arranged front end to Elliott’s Subaru Impreza WRC. It cost him more time on the following stage and as a result he arrived back in final service with his once healthy lead of 19 seconds whittled down to a mere three seconds. But that was as close as it got, another brace of stage wins ensuring the Cavan driver claimed his first Mayo victory, and extended his National Championship lead.

Captains drive ins gets season under way in clubs

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

Mayo Teachers’ Golf Alliance
The Mayo Teachers’ Golf Alliance 2008 – 2009 season's sixth outing took place recently at Belmullet (Carne) Golf Course. A special thanks to Erris Tourism for providing the course. Patsy Sheridan from Balla was the overall winner and the ladies’ winner was Antoinette Casey from Castlebar. Take note that the time sheet for the next event, which takes place in Enniscrone Golf Club, on Saturday March 21, is contained on the Mayo Teachers’ Golf Alliance website. The website address is www.mayoteachersgolfalliance.ie. New members are very welcome and should contact Michael Herr, sec/treasurer at 096 31779 (H), 086 8223830 (M).

Preparations picking up pace on both club and county level

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

I was in Aughamore with Crossmolina for a challenge match against the local club last Friday night. It was an opportunity for both sides to have a workout as they try to shake off their winter coats before the commencement of the league in a few weeks time. Aughamore have really impressive facilities and their flood lit pitch, in particular, is a credit to everyone involved up there. We were delighted with the opportunity to stretch the legs, after a number of weeks of circuit training, against a young talented team that have caught the eye in recent times. The underage structure in Aughamore is very obviously paying dividends at senior level and having seen them up close I now appreciate that they will have no problem whatsoever in mixing it with some of the big boys in the senior championship later this summer. Incidentally they were deserving winners on the night.

Stockwell a true legend of the game

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

There was sadness in Tuam and Galway this week with the end of an era for Galway football with the death of the great Frank Stockwell at the age of 80 after a long battle with illness. Frankie was the second member of a foot-balling double act, which was almost as famous and successful as Laurel and Hardy in their prime.

Mayo face tough trip to the Kingdom

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

While Mayo were busy dispensing with the paltry challenge put up by Westmeath last Sunday, the flashbulbs were frantically popping in Bellaghy as the prodigal son of Kerry football, Tadhg Kennelly, made his return to the Gaelic fields of Ireland after his nine year excursion on the fields of Australian rules. Mayo will make the 300 mile round trip from home base in McHale Park to Tralee to take on a side which has seen off Donegal, Tyrone, and Derry in their last three games, and are brimful of confidence as they try to impress Jack O’Connor who has taken over the reins of the side for the second time this year.

Galway look to end Mayo’s four in a row bid

Fri, Mar 13, 2009

Mayo will start their defence of their Connacht u21 title tomorrow in Fr O’Hara Park in Charlestown with the visit of Liam Sammon’s Galway side. Since the trio of Pat Holmes, Noel Connelly, and Mícheál Collins took charge of the side in 2006 they have at the least managed to claim the Connacht title, in their first year in charge they landed the top prize seeing off Cork on an unforgettable day in Ennis.

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