Search Results for 'Eugene Rooney'

It is 11 am, Wednesday morning, May 6, and I am just in the door from my five night New York adventure.

I had the privilege of introducing the last man who captained a successful Mayo All Ireland winning minor team to my own young man and a few of the Castlebar under- 12s at their training session last Saturday morning at McHale Park. Michael Fitzmaurice, captain of the Mayo minors in 1985, approached my car with a bag of footballs on his back. I hadn’t a clue who he was until he removed his cap. Even then it took me a second or two to recognise the former star as, like a few more of us he is, by now, follically challenged. He sat into the car and we chatted football for a while. I was delighted to discover that he was a part time GAA coaching officer, travelling around to a number of national schools down around his home place, Lacken. Michael was a great footballer and I recall making a number of telephone calls to his home in the mid nineties trying to persuade him to get involved with the Mayo senior set up of my tenure. He couldn’t make the commitment at the time for a number of reasons and I have to say it was our loss. Still it was good to have the chat and to reminisce about times past. Michael had spent the morning working with a Mayo under-14 development squad and I am sure they will be better players because of his tutoring. So also will the national school kids in and around Lacken.

The great summer GAA championship extravaganza is about to get underway. It starts next Sunday and will continue for 20 weeks as the football and hurling campaigns endeavour to enthrall the sporting public. From provincial to qualifier to the All-Ireland series, it promises to be a feast of exciting action all over the country as teams battle it out for the ultimate prize of winning the Sam Maguire in September. Mayo has the distinction of kicking off this year’s campaign when they play New York in the first round of the championship. Whether they will be involved at the business end of the competition is anyone’s guess at this stage? Having witnessed last Saturday’s result in Croke Park, where the complete outsiders Leinster turned in an incredible performance to beat their much fancied rivals Munster, who’s to say that a Mayo team couldn’t do something similar in this years championship? As you know the five Connacht counties play New York on a rota basis.