Search Results for 'Mayo GAA'

It all got a bit existential on Tuesday night at the March Mayo GAA county board meeting when the very existence or not of a club got a thorough airing in McHale Park.

The Mayo ladies surrendered their 100 per cent record in the Bord Gáis Energy National Football League last weekend when they were held to a 1-14 to 2-11 draw by Fermanagh. That result itself was a bit of surprise as it was the lake county’s first point in the competition having lost their previous four games. However Mayo were also down two players during one portion of the game when both midfielder Caoilfhionn Connolly and experienced midfielder Claire Eganwere both sin-binned. Cora Staunton was once again the go to person scoring eight points for Mayo, with Yvonne Byrne chipping in with 1-1.

The Mayo hurlers will face a long trip to Crossmaglen on Sunday afternoon where they will be looking to keep their unbeaten record intact against the Ulster men. Murt Connolly’s side followed up their win over Roscommon in Athleague on the opening day with a spirited draw against a fancied Meath side in McHale Park. The draw has kept Mayo in second place in the league table behind leaders Kildare and the 3-28 that Mayo have scored so far this year is a more than encouraging sign. The fact that Mayo managed to rack up 3-12 last weekend without Keith Higgins who was on football duty is another major plus for Connolly’s Mayo side.

Being on top of the table in division one of the National Football League after only completing two games, while six of the other seven sides in the division have already played a game extra, has Mayo in good shape ahead of the visit of Down on Sunday to McHale Park.

The last time that both these sides met was in the blistering sunshine in Carrick on Shannon in the National Hurling League Division 3B final last April. But despite blitzing their way though the league stages of the competition where they beat Roscommon in Tooreen on the first day of the league Mayo came up short in the final by two points.

On and off again became the theme of Mayo’s National Football League meeting with Dublin over the past week. Saturday night’s match against the All Ireland champions was abandoned by referee Marty Duffy at half time, when a thick blanket of fog descended on McHale Park shortly before the median whistle and showed no signs of clearing after a prolonged half time break, forcing the Sligo whistler to abandon the game.

A crowd of some 10,000 people are expected to descend on McHale Park on Saturday evening, when the All Ireland champions Dublin come to town for the second round of the Allianz Football League. Tomorrow night’s game will throw in at the earlier time of 6.30pm from the rest of Mayo’s Saturday night league schedule to avoid a clash with Ireland’s RBS Six Nations game with France in Paris which gets under way at 8pm. But the attraction of a Saturday night game and the box office attraction of last year’s All Ireland champions is expected to swell the attendance in McHale Park.

Just like last year Mayo will square off against NUIG in the home final of the FBD League on a Friday night in McHale Park. The prize for the winners, a trip to New York in October to take on the exiles in the away final, should be enough motivation for any amateur player, but both sides have bigger fish to fry in the coming days and weeks, which will be a distraction this evening.

The newest fund-raising drive for Mayo GAA will be officially launched in An Sportlann, Castlebar, tomorrow evening, Saturday January 7 at 7pm. Cáirde Mhaigheo has been established as the single umbrella for all fund-raising activities by Mayo GAA and will aim to create sustainable fund-raising streams to help support the GAA in Mayo.

James Horan and the Mayo football squad will play in division one of the National Football League again in 2012. They will open their league campaign with an away fixture against Laois on Saturday February 4.