Search Results for 'Paul Mulligan'

THE TRAD lunchtime concerts have been a feature of the Galway International Arts Festival for more than 20 years, and this year boasts a superb line-up playing Monroe's Live - especially appealing for those who love trad fiddle - and it all kicks off on Thursday.

The first weekend of the Mayo GAA senior championship had a little bit of everything including one side lining up their entire 15 players in their own half for the start of the second half of their game, a heroic struggle between Mayo men Aidan O’Shea and Colm Boyle against each other for the pride of the parish, the return of Cillian O’Connor to action for Ballintubber and late, late fight back from Kiltane to break the hearts of Shrule-Glencorrib who made the long trip to Bangor.

REBEL SONGS and Irish roots music will be heard loud and proud when Galway band The Uncurables play Monroe’s Backstage Bar on Thursday December 18.

It’s hard to believe that this time next week we will be in New York for the start of the championship. I’m finding it hard to believe because Mayo are only finished up in the league and very well could have been playing in a league decider on Sunday. In my time I don’t remember such a quick turnaround, we obviously didn’t make the league playoffs very often but that didn’t bother us as long as we avoided relegation as it was all about the championship.

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.

It'll be hard to find a county final that will have as close of neighbors going toe-toe in it, and have two brothers lining up in opposite colours (Tommy O'Reilly for Breaffy and Eoghan O'Reilly for Castlebar), but that's what this years Mayo senior football championship final has in store in a fortnight's time. Breaffy booked their very first appearance int he final with a historic win over Charlestown, while Castlebar Mitchels overcame Knockmore, despite being without the services of their man-of-the-match from last weeks quarter-final win over Ballina Stephenites ,Barry Moran and losing Aidan Walsh early in the game through injury. Mitchels beat Breaffy comprehensively in the group stages of the championship back in early summer, but Declan O'Reilly's have inflicted a defeat on Pat Holmes' side this year with a win in the opening league game of the season.

The Mayo Senior championship was in overdrive last weekend (I am sure James Horan was waiting anxiously by his phone to ensure all his players came through their respective games) and while I was not surprised and had predicted most of the results, the drubbing Castlebar dished out to Breaffy left me a little shocked especially as I had them pencilled in for my “value bet of the week”.

GALWAY-BASED writers Nuala Ní Chonchúir and Fred Johnston will be in The Bridge Mills this weekend, reading from their work as part of the Galway Fringe Festival.

CHARLIE MCGETTIGAN, one of Ireland’s best known songwriters, will play The Crane Bar on Thursday June 10 at 9pm in a fundraising gig for the earthquake devastated island of Haiti.

Charlestown 0-9