Final four spot up for grabs for Horan’s men

Fri, Apr 04, 2014

First things first, win on Sunday and Mayo can look forward to a National League semi-final on Sunday week. That is the only thing that James Horan will have had his side concentrating on this week following last Saturday night’s draw against Dublin. It was a game they should have won, having a man advantage for 45 minutes and leading the game by six points with 20 minutes to go, and not seeing out the game is something that you can get away with in the league and learn from rather than have it happen in the championship.

Clash of the big guns in Connacht semi-final

Fri, Apr 04, 2014

With the Mayo League season only a couple of weeks away from kicking-off, the never ending nature journey of the top soccer clubs in Mayo continues this Sunday when Castlebar Celtic and Westport United meet in the semi-final of the Connacht Cup in Celtic Park.

The historic big two have been going all winter since the summer season ended in Mayo in the external competitions, and Sunday’s game offers both sides a chance to get one up on the other before the new season along with the bigger prize of a spot in the province’s top junior competitions final.

Move to improve with Mayo AC

Fri, Apr 04, 2014

Mayo AC have announced details of their 2014, Move 2 Improve Race Series. The club are delighted that the new series will be sponsored by C and C Cellular, continuing their involvement with the club over the past nine years.  The Move 2 Improve Series consists of six races - four 10ks, and two 8ks. These are all independently organised events with accurately measured courses, permits from Athletics Ireland and their own prize structures.

Mayo fall short against the Dubs

Sun, Mar 30, 2014

Had Jack McCaffrey’s late effort made its way between the posts at the end of a crazy, madcap, frantic and frenetic clash between last season’s All Ireland finalists to hand Dublin victory, it is doubtful Mayo supporters could have left Croke Park feeling any more deflated on Saturday night.

Gerald's fail to make the grade

Sun, Mar 30, 2014

St Gerald's Castlebar Hogan Cup adventure concluded at the semi-final stage as Pobalscoil Corca Dhuibhne posted a victory at McDonagh Park,

Mayo clubs pay the price for county success

Fri, Mar 28, 2014

With the busy schedule of National League games and Kiltane’s and Castlebar’s run to All-Ireland club finals, I have had very few column inches to discuss the importance of ‘the club’ and how GAA clubs have been severely hit in the last number of years. Charlestown, like every other club in the county, have lost lots of players to emigration because of the downturn in the economy. The only exception to the rule may be Kiltane, who had 44 players togged out for a championship game last year. However Shane Lindsay was commuting from Scotland pretty much every week.

Castlebar ladies go for glory tomorrow

Fri, Mar 28, 2014

The Castlebar ladies rugby team will be looking to bring some more provincial glory home with them, when they take on Tullamore in the Connacht Innovational Cup final in the Sportsground in Galway tomorrow at 2pm. The ladies team which only came into existence in 2012, has had a fairytale run over the past two years, going from strength to strength and winning trophies along the way. Last year they picked the Connacht League title with a comprehensive win over Canterbury Warriors on a scoreline of 45-6.

Winter leagues comes to the crunch in Castlebar

Fri, Mar 28, 2014

Balla
Michael Neary was the winner of the gents’ competition last weekend in Balla with a score of 37pts. Neary’s back-nine play saw him hold off Enda Holian in second place and Pat Walsh finished in third place. The ladies’ competition was won by Patricia Conwell who scored 35pts, Breege Moran finished in second place and Julie Loftus came home in third place.

Mayo head back to headquarters

Fri, Mar 28, 2014

Mayo face into their final two regulation games of the Allianz National Football League over the next two weekends. Whether they will extended that league run until at least the semi-final stage on April 13 and potentially the final on Sunday April 27 (a week before the open their championship campaign in New York) will have a lot to do with how they get on tomorrow night against the Dubs. A win over the All Ireland champions would put them two points clear of the metropolitans and almost assure themselves of a spot in the last four, ahead of their final game at home to Derry in Elverys MacHale Park.

The saints are looking to marching on

Fri, Mar 28, 2014

St Gerald’s College, Castlebar, will be packing their bags and making the long trip to Nenagh tomorrow to take on the three times in a row Corn Uí Mhuirí champions Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne at 3.15pm with a place in the Hogan Cup final up for grabs. The Kerry side claimed their provincial title with a win over De La Salle Macroom from Cork, with a five point win in Killarney three weeks ago on a score of 3-14 to 3-9. The Kerry side are managed by current Kerry senior football manager Eamon Fitzmaurice, while St Gerald’s are once again under the guidance of Daniel Forde and Tom Naughton, with Ger McDonnagh and Neil Douglas also coaching the team. Gerald’s picked up their second Connacht senior championship in a row a fortnight ago with a hard-fought win over St Attracta’s, Tubbercurry, putting together their first two in a row in the competition since 1996 and 1997 when they went all the way to the Hogan Cup final, before losing to St Patrick’s Academy, Dungannon. Last year Gerald’s fell short at the semi-final stage losing 3-8 to 1-7 to the eventual winners St Patrick’s Maghera, while Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne lost out to St Patrick’s, Navan, in their semi-final.

This year’s St Gerald’s side is backboned by the trio of All Ireland minor medal winners Sean Conlon, Michael Plunkett, and team captain Michael Hall, while another All Ireland minor winner from last year Matthew Ruane had to make do with a place on the bench over the last few games as he recovers from injury.

Top surfers hitting the waves in Achill for national competition

Fri, Mar 21, 2014

Eleven colleges from all over the country are hitting the waves on Achill Island this weekend for the Irish Surfing Intervarsities, hosted by GMIT Mayo.

Some things in football are hard to explain

Fri, Mar 21, 2014

It was All-Ireland final heartbreak for another Mayo team as Castlebar Mitchels fell to the might of St Vincent’s on St Patrick’s Day. We will never know what might have happened if Richie Feeney had not received a black card after only five minutes.

Unfortunately the body check is a black card offence and it left Eddie Kinsella with no choice however harsh it seems. I was still convinced the referee would be lenient considering it was so early in the game and I am sure Pat Holmes and the entire Castlebar contingent were left dumbfounded, having to play for 55 minutes without their “spiritual leader”.

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