Search Results for 'Tommy Carr'

First there were five, now there are seven, in the hat to become the next Mayo senior football manager. Last weekend Mayo county secretary Seán Feeney confirmed to the Mayo Advertiser that the county board had received expressions of interest in the role from two outsiders in the position. Last Monday at a county board meeting those two outsiders were revealed to be former Dublin managers Tommy Carr and Tommy Lyons. Carr recently finished up a stint as Cavan manager, having previously managed Roscommon as well as Dublin. Lyons has also previously managed Offaly, winning a Leinster title in 1997, before taking over Dublin. Both men’s entry into the ring has heated up the competition for the role. But as John Maughan reveals in his exclusive Mayo Advertiser column this week, one other former inter-county manager would have liked to express his interest in the role, but didn’t because of distance he lives from Mayo.

August 2 will see runners from all over Westmeath take to Mullingar to participate in the 32 County Marathons Challenge in aid of Irish Autism Action.

You can rest assured that you will never have to worry too much about midges at Belmullet’s magnificent new GAA facilities if last Saturday evening is anything to go by. In what could best be described in these parts as a ‘fresh evening’, I was shivering however in light clothing for the first half of the challenge match between Mayo and Cavan. Conditions did improve weather wise for the second half, but sadly that’s as far as the improvement went. The match rarely produced any excitement and Mayo in particular will have learned little from this encounter. I parked myself close to the Cavan dugout for the first half and was quite relieved I wasn’t in the shoes, or should that be boots, of my close friend Tommy Carr. And if what I witnessed last Saturday is a reflection of their true worth at this juncture, they will need every one of the days between now and the end of June to get their act together. Mayo on the other hand won the game convincingly, but Johnno and his selectors will have learned little. They will be pleased however to have seen Tom Cunniffe back playing and injury free. He did well in the number six jersey and I think that he could line out in this position for the championship opener, particularly as Trevor Howley offers options at corner back or on the half back line. Big Barry Moran caught the eye again when introduced and he is another who should be guaranteed a starting berth in two weeks time. Tom Parsons is beginning to put himself about. He played well, with a couple of eye catching high fetches. The midfield selection for Sligo will be interesting with three players, Ronan McGarrity, Seamus O Shea and Tom Parsons all presenting a case for inclusion.

The momentum behind the 32 County Challenge fundraising event in aid of Irish Autism Action is building rapidly and Kilkenny people are getting fit in order to take part.

Last weekend will live long in the memory of all Irish sports fans. First our grand-slam rugby heroes and then Bernard Dunne wrote their names into the history books. In doing so they gave the whole nation a timely lift. Unfortunately things didn’t run as smoothly for the football fraternity in both Westmeath and Roscommon, with both counties crashing out of their respective u21 championships, and both senior sides also being turned over.

Last Sunday I witnessed two of the finest games of football that I have ever seen on All Ireland final day, and I have been at most finals since 1977. We occasionally get a memorable match, but rarely do we get two wonderful exhibitions of football. The two games were enthralling, exciting, nerve racking, at times but it was football played at its very best. I left Castlebar early on Sunday morning as I wanted to get to Dublin with time to relax and soak up the atmosphere before the games. Jones’s Road, on big match day, is a hive of activity and last Sunday I mingled with friends and acquaintances for almost two hours before going into the ground. We were blessed with the most glorious day that added greatly to the feel-good factor. There were lots hovering about the place hoping to pick up a spare ticket but I got the impression that there were very few floating about the place last Sunday. (No harm to see the touts taking a hit too in these economically depressed times.) I had my son Johnny and my daughter Sally Rose with me bedecked in their red and green ensembles. They were excitedly looking forward to seeing the Mayo minors play Tyrone. Others from my house were content with the luxury of home viewing. I met and chatted with a few of the 1983 Galway footballers as they made their way into Croke Park for lunch. They, and the Dublin footballers, were guests of Croke Park as they were part of the 25 year jubilee celebrations. I sent my two on their way into the game and made my way upstairs to the media section as I was lucky enough to be asked to work on the game for RTE Radio 1. I had a cup of coffee in the canteen with a few journalists and the unanimous consensus amongst these experts was that Kerry would win their third All Ireland in a row. They couldn’t call the minor match, but I did get the impression that if they were pressed they would side with Tyrone. I spoke with Micheál O Muireachtaigh to establish his views on the two sides. He thought Tyrone had some excellent players but “liked this Mayo team”. He referred to their physicality and suggested that this year’s team reminded him of some of the great minor teams he had seen from Mayo in years past. Micheál is too much of a gentleman and diplomat to suggest either team would win it, so he said that we should have a great game of football. And what a game we had.

The year 1940 was a time of great social change in Ireland, a time when the State gave no assistance to the out of school education of young people, a time of war, a time of poverty. Prospects were not great. Recreational activity for the young of working class areas such as Shantalla, Bohermore, Claddagh, and ‘The West’ was virtually non-existent. The need for a club to provide social and recreational facilities for these people was paramount.

I am finding it fairly difficult to establish just how good this current Mayo team really are, so I have conducted my own little independent survey among knowledgeable footballing friends from outside the county. Every single person I have spoken to since Mayo’s Connacht final victory over Galway has suggested that the Mayo team is in with a serious shout of winning this year’s All-Ireland title. They love the fact that this present group of players is big and strong with lots of ball winners particularly in the central positions. They also argue that it is a team that appears capable of scoring goals.

I drove away from Ballina last Sunday afternoon feeling pretty miserable if I am to be totally honest. Yes, Crossmolina had won the championship encounter against their near neighbours Ballina Stephenites, but the game had attracted much attention for all the wrong reasons. There was an ugliness and a nasty undercurrent from start to finish throughout this encounter. Two players were sent off during the game and, as we now know, Ronan McGarrity suffered a serious injury that may possibly jeopardise his participation in the Connacht final on Sunday week. I am conscious of not elaborating on the issue to any great extent, as I am led to believe that there is to be an investigation into the game and a number of incidents that took place during it. I fully endorse and welcome this investigation and if any player from either club is found to have broken the rules, then there is a mechanism in place to deal with those issues. I sincerely hope McGarrity is fit to play against Galway as I fully recognise his importance to the Mayo football team. Needless to say his loss would be significant as Mayo do not have another midfield player of comparable ability to replace him. I wish him well and sincerely hope he recovers sufficiently to take his place in Pearse Stadium.