Search Results for 'Sport in Ireland'

Connacht and Ulster go head to head in Ravenhill tomorrow night (7.30pm) for a second successive year with Heineken Cup qualification as their no 1 ambition.

It took a hearty arm wrestle but Mervue United slipped through to the next round of the Connacht Junior Cup on the back of a 1-0 Fahy’s Field win yesterday afternoon.

Back in the early autumn, when the weather was mild and South Park was playable, Tommy Lally was preparing West United for a demanding season, and that is exactly what is transpiring.

In the Dr Tony O'Neill u-20 Eircom League of Ireland, Mervue United enjoyed a productive week, gathering four points from their two home games.

New Galway hurling manager John McIntyre has already started to ring the changes.

Something very unusual took place last Sunday at the Gaelic grounds in Limerick. A Munster final without the Cork or Kerry club champions’ involvement. I cannot ever recall a Munster club final taking place without at least one of the big guns from either county being involved. As I drove to Dublin last Monday evening I listened to the footballers and management team from two rural villages give their own account of the historic victory that they pulled off the previous day over the Clare champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane. But then the achievements of the people of Dromcollogher/Broadford are many: the Organic Horticultural College and special needs residence built on land donated by the community, the renovation of the local church, the local history book produced by the local FETAC training group, the deep links between the local schoolchildren, farmers and the Bóthar project. The community was primarily responsible for bringing a factory to the town to create further employment and keep young people in the area. All of these highlight the tremendous sense of community and activism that permeates throughout these two rural villages. Such community triumphs prove that unified voluntary efforts can achieve much in towns where salvation is needed.

While Christms is only around the corner the never-ending road that is Mayo soccer continues apace this weekend. Last weekend saw the Oscar Traynor side slip into the knock-out stages of the competition, this weekend the attention turns to the FAI Junior Cup. Both Castlebar Celtic and Manulla will be looking to make it into round six of the competition while Westport United and Mulranny United will battle it out to escape into the national stages of the competition.

Connacht’s European hopes are once again on the line this weekend when they resume their Challenge Cup campaign.

The announcement regarding the appointment of Jim Greene’s successor as manager of the county senior hurlers was made at last week’s county board meeting, and quite interesting it was. Trainer of Oulart The Ballagh for the last two seasons, Kevin Ryan is to be the new man in charge. Speaking to county chairman Pat Deering in the lead up to the appointment, he assured me that a very highly regarded candidate had expressed interest in the job. This is in no small way due to the fact that the profile of Carlow hurling has risen consistently over the last few years with the performances of some very talented minor teams and the senior squad’s Christy Ring success this year.

Every time you switch on the wireless, the TV, or read a few paragraphs in the broadsheets these past few weeks there seems to be nothing but doom and gloom vying for your attention. George Lee seems to be the only one happy with his lot and I know quite a few people who are steadfastly refusing to engage any of the above activities, unless it is a music channel, a movie or something light-hearted on TV, or the perusal of the sports pages.