Search Results for 'County Board'

There is so much to love, admire, and be proud of about the GAA and yet at times it is one of the most frustrating organisations to have anything to do with. Take the recent decision to fix the next round of senior, intermediate, and junior club games for the weekend of June 8/9 for example. This happens to be the opening weekend of the Leaving Cert exams and most if not all clubs have players or panellists involved in the State exams.

The national female championships for 11-year-old to 16-year-old boxers were held in the National Stadium last Friday and Saturday with a fantastic total 24 Mayo boxers weighing in for the championships. On Friday evening it was the girl one and girl two boxers that stepped into the ring and Mayo girls won seven out of the ten contests they were involved in.

The month of May is named for and dedicated to Mary, the Blessed Virgin. Many people like to honour the Virgin during that month by putting up a May altar in their house, usually on a small table or sideboard covered with a white cloth. In the place of honour is a Marian picture or statue and it is decorated with May flowers. In some parishes they have a ceremony where they crown an image of Mary with paste jewels, and in others, they hold a May procession in which those taking part walk bareheaded (weather permitting), in decent costume and with reverent mien. Clergy and laity, men and women, are separated. The cross is usually carried at the head, and sometimes banners embroidered with sacred pictures. These often represent sodalities but should never be of military or triangular in shape.

Tony Regan, who was been relected chairman of Rahoon Newcastle Hurling Club, has commended all teams from the juvenile and senior sections for all their efforts in training and competing over the year.

On what will be a unique day for football as a club from the geographical county of Roscommon will be Connacht champions. This will be the first time that St Brigid’s from Roscommon and Ballaghaderreen from Mayo/Roscommon will contest a provincial final. This unique pairing has presented an opportunity for some people to debate the age old argument of whether the Mayo boys should in fact be playing in Roscommon. As we all know, the town is administered by Roscommon County Council and for all intents and purposes is a Roscommon town, but it has declared its football allegiance to Mayo for the past 124 years. Whatever your views are on the issue, all of Mayo will be staunchly supporting the Ballagh boys in McHale Park on Sunday. I am not so sure they have the armoury to beat the Roscommon champions who, incidentally, are managed and coached by Kevin McStay and Liam McHale. I was in the Hodson Bay hotel during the week (Brigid’s territory) and many I spoke to are confident that not alone will Brigid’s win a Connacht title, but they feel they are good enough to win an All-Ireland this year. I’m not so sure but Sunday will give us a fair indication of their true worth. Ballaghaderreen, on the other hand, have been quite patchy in their recent performances. In their semi-final victory over Curry they were fortunate to be behind by just two points at half time. Had it been Brigid’s they were playing on that occasion Ballagh would have been out of sight by then. It could have been seven or eight. They did not get motoring until after half time and in fairness they were brilliant when they eventually did, playing arguably their finest football of the year in that second half. But if they are to stand any chance of winning on Sunday they will definitely need to perform for the entire 60 minutes.

The Mayo GAA County Board are still waiting the report of referee Liam Devenney from the controversial Crossmolina Deel Rovers and Ballintubber game last weekend. The game, which was moved from Crossmolina to Ballina on Sunday morning when the pitch was deemed to be unplayable, saw Ballintubber fail to show up at the changed venue. Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser yesterday morning, Mayo GAA secretary Kevin O’Toole said that until the referee’s report is received no firm decision will be made. O’Toole told the Mayo Advertiser that, “We are awaiting the referees report on the game, we are expecting to have received it by Thursday (yesterday) or Friday. What will happen is that the CCC will review it and a decision made on it then. It will be open to an appeal then by either side. There have been some communications received from Ballintubber on the issue. Even though the result went up on the website, it’s not official until we receive the referee’s report, especially in circumstances like this.”

I missed the semi-finals of this year’s senior championship so I am basing my judgment on information I got from friends, many of whom are far more expert than I. The consensus is that Ballaghaderreen have a fantastic chance of dethroning the county champions. I assume that judgement is based on the semi-final in which Ballintubber looked very ordinary in their lucky victory over Crossmolina.

On Sunday at 2pm the Mayo ladies’ senior team will take on a familiar enemy in familiar setting, but it will be at a level that Mayo ladies’ football has not been used to for quite a long time.

Who will be the next to go? — This is the question on everyone’s mind as the sun sets on a week of difficult news for Kilkenny hurling.

Tourmakeady's Kevin O'Toole was elected to the post of County Secretary at the 2011 Mayo GAA Convention held in Geesala at the High Chaparral on Monday night. The former County PRO held off the challenge of sitting assistant secretary Vincent Neary and Burrishoole delegate Margaret O'Malley when the votes were counted in north Mayo. Neary held on to his position as assistant secretary for 2012 after a vote, with Achill's Packie McGinty taking over as Mayo GAA President after he was elected unopposed alongside the majority of other returning officers. The other major position up for election was that of Croke Park delegate where the incumbent delegate Jerry Henry from Castlebar Mitchels was challenged by retiring county secretary Séan Feeney. After the votes were counted the Castlebar man held on to the position for another year.