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While they may not have gotten their five in a row on All-Ireland Sunday, the Cats added their five to the 2010 GAA All-star team.

I was walking to Mass last Sunday morning when a friend stopped me in my tracks to give me the dreadful news of the untimely and tragic deaths of Ger Feeney and Donal McEllin. It was news that left me devastated and for a moment I wasn’t sure whether I would carry on to Mass or not. But I did and it offered me an opportunity to reflect and think about both men. This undoubtedly was one of Castlebar’s saddest weeks in a long time, and God knows we have had a few sad occasions in recent times. Both men possessed big personalities and were hugely popular locally and throughout the county. They were also influential figures in the daily happenings of the Castlebar Mitchell’s GAA club, Ger as a coach/ manager of several teams down through the years and Donal as a do-gooder whenever required. Time spent in the company of either man was always memorable, usually enlightening and occasionally full of incident! Throughout this past week we have gathered at different times and locations to reminisce about both men. Judging by the enormous crowds witnessed at both men’s funerals it is remarkable how their sudden passing resonated with so many. Ger was also revered in the history of Ballintubber football and I have heard many these past few days talk about his incredible strength, energy, fearlessness and manliness when donning the colours of Ballintubber. Of course he lined out with Mayo and is one of a few who has the distinction of winning All -Ireland medals at both minor and under- 21 level. It was well known that Ger idolised his family and was enormously proud of their many achievements. He was particularly proud of the fact that both Castlebar Mitchell’s and Ballintubber had made it through to this year’s senior final. In his house he couldn’t lose as both Alan and Richard are playing with the Mitchels and nephew John is lining out with Ballintubber. Also, Alan and cousin John are both captains on their respective teams. In fact Ger even had a specially commissioned jersey made of both teams’ colours for the final.

A week, they say, is a long time in politics. A week in football can be an eternity. Wee James McCartan was being championed as the Messiah last week before the final, the man who resurrected the fortunes of a Down side whose season was full of mediocrity up until the back door stage. He was being hailed as the man who re-energised his troops after they were beaten in the Ulster championship by Tyrone. In fairness, his Down side were liberated once they went in through the back door to begin their tour of the country and there was an incremental improvement in each and every performance as they progressed towards last Sunday’s final. This week McCartan’s performance as manager is being scrutinised in great detail with many in his native county questioning some of his decision-making on the line. I can understand why, as a narrow defeat normally means a huge post-mortem of the losing team’s performance. Before last Sunday’s match everyone suggested that the midfield sector was going to be crucial. It was generally perceived that if Down could manage a supply of decent ball into their pacey forwards, they would be in with a mighty chance of success. Last Sunday they were annihilated in this crucial sector. Cork won 70 per cent of the kick outs and the scale of their dominance was key to their triumph. The Down goalkeeper, Brendan McVeigh, on the other hand, never varied his kickouts throughout the afternoon and it does beg the question why he persisted in making heroes out of both Nicholas Murphy and Aidan Walsh. A more puzzling decision was the substitution of Paul McComiskey with 15 minutes remaining on the clock. He was playing brilliantly all afternoon, kicking three points and giving his opponent the run around. That decision left many perplexed.

The bookmakers have it that it will be a clash of north against south for the Moclair cup come next month, and while that may be where the money is going, it would be a foolish man who is counting out the chances of the men from the west ahead of Sunday.

Saturday afternoon promises to be a battle in the west that is not to be missed. Ballintubber, who are going for three in a row, will face off against local rivals Castlebar Mitchels who are still smarting from last year’s final defeat. The two west Mayo clubs breezed through the competition up to the semi-final stage where both Claremorris and St Gerald’s put it up to them, setting up tomorrow’s mouth watering encounter.

While the post-mortem on Mayo’s inglorious exit from the Connacht championship went on over the week and will go into the future, it’s back to basics this weekend for the inter county football panel when they rejoin their club mates for the first round proper of action in the Royal Theatre senior and intermediate championships.

Cork 1-17     Mayo 0-12

With the senior side bowing out of the championship in Croke Park last weekend, Ray Dempsey’s minor side will be looking to build on their Connacht championship win over Roscommon when they take on Monaghan on Saturday in Longford in the All Ireland quarter-final. Dempsey was able to mastermind Mayo’s first Connacht minor title in seven years thanks to a narrow win over a battling Roscommon side in Castlebar back in July and this Sunday’s game against the runners up in the Ulster Championship could send Mayo back to Croke Park. While they rode their luck at times in the Connacht final especially in the first half when Roscommon kicked themselves out of the game with some poor shooting, Mayo never let their opponents superiority on the field during the opening half get to them and kept plugging away before they took off on in the second half. Dempsey knows it’s going to be a big ask on Saturday and there is a lot of pressure on his side. “It’s nice to be here but as each game goes by the pressure builds up on you and your team. But this is where we want to be and that’s what comes with it.”

Six days on from the titanic struggle in Croke Park where Mayo and Tyrone battled it out in the white heat of competition, both sides will have to do it all over again tomorrow in a quest to claim the Tom Markham Cup. Aidan Walsh’s nerveless injury time free from under the Cusack Stand looked to have sealed the win for Mayo. Only for some late Tyrone pressure and some sloppy play by Mayo allowed Matthew Donnelly to level the game and set us up for a replay.

Gerry Cahill was born in Caherlistrane and started playing music from the age of eight..... first the melodeon, then the double row accordion, and later the piano accordion. He was a great admirer of musicians like Will Starr and Jimmy Shand. He soon developed a distinctive style of his own and he was very much in demand at house dances and roadside dances, which were very common at the time.