Search Results for 'Liam Irwin'

Castlebar Mitchels 1-11

All roads lead to Castlebar on Sunday for Mayo’s showcase football final. The proximity of the two clubs with brothers and cousins being on opposite teams makes it intriguing to say the least. Barry Moran being fit for the Mitchels is a must to combat the power of the O’Shea brothers. I expect Castlebar to have the resources to shut out the threat of Alan Durcan, Liam Irwin, and co, and don’t expect them to get the same freedom they were afforded in the semi-final win over Charlestown. However Breaffy have a mean back line themselves and a very hard working half forward line to boot. I still think Castlebar hold the aces up front, and in Neil Douglas, Neil Lydon, and Richie Feeney they have three top drawer forwards. It is simple, the mid field battle decides who wins the game. If Castlebar break even in the middle their superior forward line will see them through. The bookies see this as a foregone conclusion, I am not so sure it’s that straightforward. Castlebar at 10/11 to start at -2 is the bet of the weekend.

It’s been a hectic year for Aidan O’Shea that has seen him line out in the colours of his club Breaffy, his college DIT, his county Mayo, and just last weekend his country, in the first Ireland international rules test against Australia. This Sunday his focus is very much on one thing, winning his first and his club’s first senior county championship. The towering midfielder wasn’t long back from his international rules duty when he spoke to the Mayo Advertiser ahead of Sunday’s game and kicking things off he said the whole international rules adventure was an enjoyable experience. “It went our way, it was something different, something that I wanted to get ticked off. We were (better than Australia) in the first two quarters, but they seemed to come together a bit after half time and they were more competitive. But it was an enjoyable game.”

The dividing lines are fluid when it comes to the boundary, fluid enough to see two brothers togging out for opposing teams on Sunday, but one thing that is not fluid is the desire of both Castlebar Mitchels and Breaffy to take home the Paddy Moclair Cup with them on Sunday evening. Both of this year’s finalists have got there on merit, one was expected to be still standing here, while the others dusted themselves off after heavy defeat to the other in the group stages and have battled back to show their true worth.

The two hot favourites rightfully claimed their place in the county senior football final to be played on October 28. In the opening game Breaffy easily disposed of Charlestown in a poor encounter. The Charlestown team started lively but after the 15th minute the two O’Shea brothers took over at midfield with Alan Durcan and Liam Irwin benefiting the most with both of them scoring some fine points from play. Charlestown will be very disappointed the way they surrendered this game without any real fight. They looked to have lacked any idea and invention, very often having to rely on a hopeful ball into first Paul and then Anthony Mulligan in the second half.

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.

I thought it impossible to see anything more bizarre than having to overtake an NYPD car on my way to MacHale Park last Sunday but just before the start of the Ballintubber/Knockmore county quarter final something else surpassed that. While I was watching the Ballintubber warm up to see if I could spot Cillian O’Connor ( to see if he was togged) I noticed a commotion in the middle of the field with all medical personnel running towards the place where Knockmore just had their team picture taken.

It was a weekend for shocks and surprises last weekend as the two teams who have won the last three Moclair cups between them bowed out at the quarter-final stage. The biggest surprise of the weekend arguably was Breaffy’s victory over Ballaghaderreen in the first of Sunday’s games.

The future's bright, the future's Mayo. Despite what happened in the senior final afterwards, the achievements of this current crop of Mayo minors should warm the hearts of the county over the winter months. Enda Gilvarry's team, have been a joy to watch this summer, playing with free-flowing abandon and ruthless streak. In the six minutes either side of half time, they kicked 2-4 to set up Mayo's first win the All Ireland minor championship since 1985. There were young heroes all over the field, with David Kenny, Eddie Doran, Michael Hall and Stephen Coen all leading from the back. While you couldn't ask for much more from the full-forward line, who contributed 2-8 between them, with Tommy Conroy and Darragh Doherty grabbing 1-2 each, with Liam Irwin kicking four points from frees.

The future's bright, the future's Mayo. Despite what happened in the senior final afterwards, the achievements of this current crop of Mayo minors should warm the hearts of the county over the winter months. Enda Gilvarry's team, have been a joy to watch this summer, playing with free-flowing abandon and ruthless streak. In the six minutes either side of half time, they kicked 2-4 to set up Mayo's first win the All Ireland minor championship since 1985. There were young heroes all over the field, with David Kenny, Eddie Doran, Michael Hall and Stephen Coen all leading from the back. While you couldn't ask for much more from the full-forward line, who contributed 2-8 between them, with Tommy Conroy and Darragh Doherty grabbing 1-2 each, with Liam Irwin kicking four points from frees.