Search Results for 'Alan Feeney'

My school, Carmelite College, Moate, won back to back All- Ireland Hogan Cup titles in 1980 and ’81. I was on the 1980 team. A couple of lads decided it would be a good idea (and it was) to organise a 30 year reunion last Saturday in Moate for both squads. I didn’t make it up in time for the golf or the walking tour of our old school (now closed), which started around 2 o’clock that afternoon. I arrived at the hotel at about 7.30pm and walked straight into a crowd of about 50 lads who, at that stage of the evening, were in right good form. They had the benefit of five or six hours in each other’s company and had managed, in that time, to reacquaint themselves, many not having met throughout the 30 years. It was a mortifying moment for me as I didn’t recognise half of my school mates initially. Many had, let’s just say, that wintered look about them. Two of the lads had emigrated to the US after leaving school. One of those two is now a policeman in New York, the other a successful business man in San Francisco. It was good to meet up with those lads after so many years. Val Daly was another member of the side. He arrived later than I, as he was in Tuam watching his native Mountbellew lose the county semi final to Killererin earlier that evening. The boys from the 1981 winning team had invited a couple of the lads from the beaten finalists of that year. So, in fact, the first faces I recognised when I went in the door were Sean Maher, John Finn, Seamus O’Brien and Ollie Kelly, all members of the Claremorris school team beaten by Moate. It was a wonderful night and highlighted for me the fact that friends made on the football field can last a life time.

The Mayo senior and intermediate football championships kicked into life this weekend, with most sides getting to grips with the white heat of championship fare for the first time this season. The big surprise of the weekend occurred on Saturday evening when Norman O'Brien's Ballinrobe destroyed Ballaghaderreen in Charlestown. The south Mayo men pulled off a 1-11 to 0-5 win over the 2008 county champions and restricted them to a solitary point in the second half, Kenneth O'Malley also saved a penalty from Andy Moran in the game.

John O'Mahony named his squad for the championship on Monday, there were no major surprises in the 30 men named, with Belmullet's Billy Joe Padden the only man who wasn't involved in action so far this year coming back into contention. O'Mahony now has 33 days to get his team ready for Sligo in the Connacht championship opener.

Breaffy 2-12       Castlebar Mitchels 2-11

While they might not have the glamour of the championship or the expectation of the national league, Mayo and Galway games are always somthing to savour. And only a fortnight after they came together in the opening round of the league, Mayo and Galway will lock horns again on Sunday afternoon in McHale Park in the final of the FBD League with the prize of an away final against New York later in the year in the offing. Galway will be gunning for Mayo after they were comprehensively beaten in the league opener. Mayo picked up their second win of the campaign last weekend with a 1-12 to 1-11 win over Tyrone in Healy Park. Mayo hung on to come out on top by the most slender of margins, after hitting six points without reply to put them four points up midway through the second half, before the homeside rallied in the final 10 minutes to cut the gap to one as time ticked down. Mark Ronaldson had his scoring boots on again as he continued to carry on the good form he has shown since the turn of the year, bagging 1-6 last Sunday, with four of his points coming from play. Donal Vaughan was another who impressed over the course of the game as the young Ballinrobe man continues to develop well in the early stages of his inter-county career. John O’Mahony also used last weeks game to give a number of players some game time off the bench, with Barry Kelly, Kieran Conroy, Neil Douglas, and Mikey Sweeney all getting their first game time of the national league this term.

While they might not have the glamour of the championship or the expectation of the national league, Mayo and Galway games are always somthing to savour. And only a fortnight after they came together in the opening round of the league, Mayo and Galway will lock horns again on Sunday afternoon in McHale Park in the final of the FBD League with the prize of an away final against New York later in the year in the offing. Galway will be gunning for Mayo after they were comprehensively beaten in the league opener. Mayo picked up their second win of the campaign last weekend with a 1-12 to 1-11 win over Tyrone in Healy Park. Mayo hung on to come out on top by the most slender of margins, after hitting six points without reply to put them four points up midway through the second half, before the homeside rallied in the final 10 minutes to cut the gap to one as time ticked down. Mark Ronaldson had his scoring boots on again as he continued to carry on the good form he has shown since the turn of the year, bagging 1-6 last Sunday, with four of his points coming from play. Donal Vaughan was another who impressed over the course of the game as the young Ballinrobe man continues to develop well in the early stages of his inter-county career. John O’Mahony also used last weeks game to give a number of players some game time off the bench, with Barry Kelly, Kieran Conroy, Neil Douglas, and Mikey Sweeney all getting their first game time of the national league this term.

Ever since Joe McQuillian blew his final whistle in Croke Park last August and brought Mayo’s 2009 season to a shuddering end at the hands of Meath, all minds have been set firmly on the start of the national league and Mayo’s next crack at an All-Ireland run. The FBD league has run its course to a final spot against Galway at the end of the month, but Sunday’s game against the old enemy is where it all really begins again. While the lights may have been extinguished on this fixture by planning issues, there should still be plenty of fireworks on the field when the sides go head to head on Sunday in a game where both sides have a lot of questions to answer about each other.

Mayo 1-9

Roscommon 2-09

Castlebar 1-15