Christmas season brings plenty of action

Fri, Dec 19, 2008

The adventurous spirit of Mayo AC took some hardy souls to races in Clare and Sligo over the weekend. Three runners took part in the 34th Bernie Meaney Memorial 5k road race at Kilmurry McMahon in Clare on Sunday. They came away with three personal best times and a brilliant victory by Catherine Conway in the women's race. Her time of 17.58 knocked a huge chunk off her previous PB, despite a tough course and frosty conditions. This second win in succession by the Claremorris based-athlete looks promising for a successful end to the year in the final two races in the west, at Athenry 10k on St Stephen's Day and Westport 5k on Sunday December 28 . The men's race was won by Rory Chessor (Ennis Track) in a fast 14.48. Mayo AC's TJ McHugh finished an impressive fifth in a PB of 15.57 while Dave Huane edged closer to a sub-18-min 5k with a fine run and a PB of 18.08. Meanwhile in Calry near Sligo on Saturday, Mayo AC's Christy O'Malley ran in the Turkey Trot 10k over the fearsome hilly course above Lough Gill. This was his 37th race of 2008 over all the recognised distances from 5k to Marathon.Christy took in all four provinces and a trip to the Edinburgh Marathon in completing his race tally - surely an inspiration to us all as we head towards 2009.

There is just a few days to go before the final race of the year in the west, the Westport 5k on Sunday December 28. The event this year is organised by Mayo AC in association with Mayo Sports Partnership. It is also the ninth and final race of the tenth Annual Mayo AC Road Race League. Almost 200 individual runners have won points in the eight races so far - points are won by finishing in the top 25 - men and women separately. This might be a good time to give your fitness regime New Year Resolution an early start. The credit crunch can be made more bearable by adopting a waistline crunch policy: eat less, exercise more, spend less. And you get the feelgood factor as a bonus. The Westport 5k race will start at 2pm. The flat out-and-back course starts at St Mary's Crescent, goes through the historic Westport House grounds, out to the triangle at the harbour, and back though the grounds to the finish at New Road. The organisers wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Browne family of Westport House.

Mayo Teachers’ Golf Alliance next outing in Westport Golf Course

Fri, Dec 12, 2008

The Mayo Teachers’ Golf Alliance 2008/2009 season's fourth outing

Castlebar see off ‘Wegians

Fri, Dec 12, 2008

Castlebar 19
Galwegians 5

‘There is nothing as special as winning a title with your own parish’

Fri, Dec 12, 2008

Something very unusual took place last Sunday at the Gaelic grounds in Limerick. A Munster final without the Cork or Kerry club champions’ involvement. I cannot ever recall a Munster club final taking place without at least one of the big guns from either county being involved. As I drove to Dublin last Monday evening I listened to the footballers and management team from two rural villages give their own account of the historic victory that they pulled off the previous day over the Clare champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane. But then the achievements of the people of Dromcollogher/Broadford are many: the Organic Horticultural College and special needs residence built on land donated by the community, the renovation of the local church, the local history book produced by the local FETAC training group, the deep links between the local schoolchildren, farmers and the Bóthar project. The community was primarily responsible for bringing a factory to the town to create further employment and keep young people in the area. All of these highlight the tremendous sense of community and activism that permeates throughout these two rural villages. Such community triumphs prove that unified voluntary efforts can achieve much in towns where salvation is needed.

County boards need to be vigilant in regard to spending

Fri, Dec 12, 2008

Over the past few weeks and right up to the middle of January 2009 county boards and clubs will be holding their AGMs and releasing their accounts for the club delegates and club members to study. Some of the figures that are in the public domain already make for scary bed-time reading for those charged with raising the revenue to keep the wheels greased and turning. For example - the Waterford hurling board spent nearly €2 million in preparing their teams in 2008. The Galway hurlers cost over €1 million to keep on the road last season and they didn’t even reach the last four. How much would it have cost if they had got to the final?

That kind of loot takes a lot of collecting and such expenditure is difficult to maintain on an on going basis. And while the bigger and more successful counties may have the ability to attract or maintain sponsorships more than others, the overall spend at county board level is a real concern for most GAA organisers, and especially those who are charged with keeping the association on an even keel at national level.

Mayo sides look for FAI Junior Cup progression

Fri, Dec 12, 2008

While Christms is only around the corner the never-ending road that is Mayo soccer continues apace this weekend. Last weekend saw the Oscar Traynor side slip into the knock-out stages of the competition, this weekend the attention turns to the FAI Junior Cup. Both Castlebar Celtic and Manulla will be looking to make it into round six of the competition while Westport United and Mulranny United will battle it out to escape into the national stages of the competition.

Big guns come to Castlebar in league

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

Mayo will host two of the marquee names in Gaelic football in McHale Park in division one of the the national league next season.

Both Dublin and Tyrone will come to Castlebar in two of the four home games for Mayo next season. Mayo will open their account when Derry make the trip down on Sunday February 1, which will be followed by a floodlit game away to Donegal a fortnight later. Westmeath will be the next side to visit the home of Mayo football on March 8, before Mayo face a long trip down south to take on Jack O'Connor's Kerry on March 21, which itself will kick off a series of four very tough games for John O'Mahony's men. They will follow up the trip to the Kingdom with a clash against the Metropolitans on March 21, next up the old enemy Galway in Salthill, before the curtain comes down on the league stages with the visit of the All Ireland champions Tyrone to Castlebar on April 14.

Mayo golf news

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

Castlebar ladies
Wednesday November 27 was a nine-hole stroke competition and was won by Marie Rowley with 34.5. Second was Gina Kelly with 36.

Oscar Traynor Trophy fixture

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

Mayo league versus Galway league, round 2 of Oscar Traynor Trophy, Milebush Park, Sunday December 7, at 2pm.

Mayo sports briefs

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

GAA presentations
Mayo Ladies’ GAA County Board will hold an afternoon of presentations in the Welcome Inn Hotel, Castlebar, on Sunday December 7 from 3pm to 6pm. The afternoon will honour club and county players.

Sparks fly at county board convention

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

I got word earlier in the week that the wagons were circling ahead of Mayo’s GAA County Board convention on Tuesday night last at the McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris. It appears that Noelle Horan, the outgoing PRO, had a major difference of opinion with a number of county board officers regarding restrictions on her access to the county team’s dressing-room earlier this year. “Access all areas” apparently wasn’t a problem under the previous management and it would seem there wasn’t too much of a problem regarding her access to the dressing room earlier this year under the current management. Obviously something went awry at some juncture that sullied what appeared up to then to be the perfect harmonious relationship. There had been a number of verbal clashes at earlier meetings and it was generally felt that things might get a little ugly at the convention on Tuesday night. There was no pairing system in place for this meeting with all county board officers expected to attend to display a collective unity against the maverick! My informant tells me that Ms Horan distributed a pre-prepared script which she later read from. She had a right swipe at the county board executive, outlining instances when she was “constructively prevented” from performing her duties and other occasions when she was “repeatedly undermined” by members of the board. Her own club member, Mr Sean Feeney, the county secretary, came in for scathing criticism from her, suggesting that he had no right to criticise players for doing certain media work. The suggestion was that Mr Feeney wasn’t shy of using the airways himself when it suited him. It is difficult to comprehend what caused such a breakdown in “the family”, but I would offer that it will be quite some time, if ever, before we see Ms Horan seek a nomination to become an officer of the Mayo County Board.

GAA launches a welcome new season ticket to reward dedicated fans

Fri, Dec 05, 2008

Every time you switch on the wireless, the TV, or read a few paragraphs in the broadsheets these past few weeks there seems to be nothing but doom and gloom vying for your attention. George Lee seems to be the only one happy with his lot and I know quite a few people who are steadfastly refusing to engage any of the above activities, unless it is a music channel, a movie or something light-hearted on TV, or the perusal of the sports pages.

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