Search Results for 'Aidan Walsh'

This could be the last time that these sides clash on a Wednesday afternoon when the budget cutbacks in education kick into life in January and for the first 30 minutes of the contest, it looked like it might be no bad thing. But once the second half threw in a completely different contest emerged as both sides went at each other once the silverware was up for grabs.

One side has not won it since 1981, the other came out of a 60 plus year slumber to pick pocket two in a row in 1996 and 1997 but have not been able to get back to the summit in the 12 years since, one of those facts will become history on Sunday. The meeting of St Gerald’s, Castleba,r and St Colman’s, Claremorris, in the Connacht Colleges A final in Flanagan Park this Sunday will pit the best two sides in Mayo in battle for the Aonghus Murphy Cup at 3pm, with Roscommon’s Declan Hunt taking care of duties in the middle of the field.

Once again Mayo fell at the final hurdle, but unlike other instances when the Mayo faithful have left All Ireland finals scratching their collective heads as to what went wrong, this time there could be no question marks about the performance, attitude and dedication of the players and the management. Everything that could possibly be given in quest for the Tom Markham Cup was given in Pearse Park last Saturday. It took 140 minutes of football for Tyrone to shake Mayo off, 140 minutes where every player in green and red gave everything he possibly could.

To prove my point, after attending the All-Ireland football finals of 2004, 2006, and 2007, it was impossible not to come away from those days feeling a bit forlorn, a smidgen despondent, and a tad empty from the whole experience.

Castlebar Celtic 1

St Colman's (Claremorris) 0-13

EA Sports League of Ireland Cup

“Just because you were there last year doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy to get back there again the next year.” Said Mayo minor manager Ray Dempsey earlier this week when speaking to the Mayo Advertiser about his side’s first foray into championship action for 2009. The wily Knockmore man will be taking charge of the Mayo minor side for the third year in a row, the past two years of his tenure have seen wildly contrasting fortunes on the field. 2007 ended almost before it began, eliminated by Roscommon on a forgettable Saturday evening in Hyde Park, followed last year by another so near yet so far story for Mayo football when his side came with in seconds of claiming an All Ireland title.

Mayo 2-13

Castlebar 1-15