Search Results for 'Mattie Forde'

The Galway football panel and the management team will have to dust themselves down and try to shake off their collective disappointment after last Saturday’s one-point defeat to Sligo in the Connacht semi-final.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann in Galway was formed in the mid-fifties by schools inspector Pádraic Ó h-Eidhin and by Dr Galligan. Groups of musicians began to meet in St Patrick’s School, the Industrial School, and Mattie Forde’s Eagle Bar on the corner of Henry Street and William Street West. This represented the first stirrings of general interest in Irish traditional music in the city.

A well known former inter-county footballer, whose name escapes me at the time of writing, coined the phrase “puke football”! He was referring to the ugly defensive style of play that became de rigueur in Ulster counties in the early noughties. Regrettably that phrase was very much in my mind as I watched some appalling fare in Croke Park last weekend. Teams are just so reluctant to kick the ball these days for fear of giving it back to the opposition. We are consequently presented with a game of handball with practically no creativity and most teams packing their defences for fear of getting caught out by a long kick into a porous defence. Perhaps it is time to look at the “off side” rule in Gaelic football?!

• If you are looking for a good night out or would like to buy jerseys belonging to a host of well know stars, Raftery’s of Corofin is the place to be on Saturday night where the local soccer club is holding a Racenight to raise funds for the club. Established in 1980, Corofin United FC has recently purchased land and developed two playing pitches, plus a training pitch at Myles Park in the village. This is the first phase of a five-year plan which also includes the development of a clubhouse and all-weather playing facilities. In addition to the usual races, there will also be an auction, including a signed T-shirt belonging to Pádraig Harrington, and a host of signed jerseys that include soccer greats Eric Cantona and Ronaldo, an Irish soccer jersey signed by a number of the players plus manager Giovanni Trapattoni, a Connacht Rugby jersey, a Galway football jersey, and a Wexford football jersey signed by Mattie Forde.

Both Westmeath and Roscommon Gaelic footballers return to action this weekend in the All-Ireland qualifiers eager to forget their last 70 minutes of championship action. Roscommon and Westmeath are in very similar situations with both teams suffering heavy defeats in their respective provincial semi-finals and having just two weeks to regroup and try to focus on the qualifiers. On Saturday afternoon Roscommon head for the sunny south east to take on Wexford after their 20 point defeat to Mayo, while later that evening Westmeath entertain old rivals Meath in Cusack Park in a bid to get back on the road again after their 27 point defeat to Dublin. Westmeath started out their campaign this year against Meath in early January in the O’Byrne cup. The question is come Saturday evening will Meath be Westmeath’s first and last game of 2009? Both Westmeath players and management have taken some criticism over the last few weeks. There have been many excuses given for the poor performance against Dublin - poor league campaign, constant injury crisis, and the lack of match fitness and sharpness by a number of the 15 that took the field against Dublin.