Search Results for 'James Horan'

JobFit, a new local initiative to support people to upskill or retrain and get a job or move on to further education or training, was officially launched today (Friday October 22) by Mayo manager James Horan and Mayor Ger Deere in a celebration event in the Harlequin Hotel, Castlebar.

When the final whistle is blown in McHale Park on Sunday, one team in white will be celebrating claiming the intermediate championship and promotion to the senior championship for next year. But will it be the white and green men from Burrishoole or the white and black clad side from the Gaeltacht in Tourmakeady.

One week after James Horan’s appointment as Mayo senior manager, I think it is fair to say that his appointment, and that of his back room team, has been warmly received by Mayo supporters. The immediate objection from some quarters might be that he is without senior inter county experience. In the current situation in which we find ourselves, I doubt that the GAA public in Mayo regard inexperience as an insurmountable issue after the summer we have just had. Horan will bring a fresh approach to proceedings, something that is needed right now. The players will trust and respect him. The younger players will remember his terrific talents on the field and will be looking forward to new training methods and a new mantra. I hear that no member of the new management team has travelled with the footballers to New York for this Sunday’s FBD final. I think that is a smart move. This weekend’s match in the Big Apple can best be described as a fun game with nothing of any significance at stake. A number of players playing out there this weekend will not be part of the new squad, and with a type of party atmosphere circulating about the place, it is best that a new manager meets his panel of players in a different environment.

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 future of Mayo football was given a new direction on Wednesday night when James Horan was appointed as the new manager of the Mayo senior football team for a term of three years. The Ballintubber manager who this year guided his club to their first senior county final was put forward by the five man interview committee and ratified by the county board delegates at a county board meeting. Horan won two All Stars during his playing career for the county, lining out 57 times for Mayo between his debut in 1995 in the national football league and his last game in 2002 against Cork in the All Ireland quarter final. He scored 4-83 for Mayo over his seven year inter county career. Horan’s back room team will be made up of James Nallen, Martin Connolly and Paul Jordan, Tom Prendergast, Dr Sean Moffatt, Paul O’Grady, Joe Dawson, Liam Moffatt, and Ed Coughlan.

The beginning of the end or the end of the beginning it's hard to tell exactly which it was, but after a long drawn out saga James Horan was the last man left standing when decision was finally made. After months of talk, chatter, sure things and favorites it was the Ballintubber man who came through after the chase rounded the last corner. The guessing game was finally over when the white smoke puffed out from the new stand in McHale Park and the two time All Star was unveiled as the man to lead Mayo into the future and towards what everyone hopes will be a bright new direction.

Castlebar Mitchels booked their place in the county senior final thanks to a solitary point victory over Knockmore in McHale Park semi-final. The Mitchels were put to the pin of their collar late on when Knockmore drew level through Aidan Kilcoyne point. Mitchels sub Kevin Filan kicked a fine score from near the end line on the stand side of the field. The Mitchels man was red carded for an off the ball incident seconds later. Richie Feeney broke though on the kick out from Filan's score and landed a huge point to put Castlebar two clear. Kevin O'Neill who didn't start the game due to an injury had a late chance for a goal from 25 yards out from a free but he could only blaze it over the bar to cut the gap to one before final whistle.

Former Mayo manager John Maughan ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Mayo senior managers job late on Thursday evening. The Crossmolina native who three times guided Mayo the All Ireland senior final confirmed to the Mayo Advertiser that he would not be going forward to the interview stage of the process, he told the Advertiser that he was very interest in the job, but following a discussion with chairman of the county board on Thursday he decided not to pursue his interest in the position any further.

A week, they say, is a long time in politics. A week in football can be an eternity. Wee James McCartan was being championed as the Messiah last week before the final, the man who resurrected the fortunes of a Down side whose season was full of mediocrity up until the back door stage. He was being hailed as the man who re-energised his troops after they were beaten in the Ulster championship by Tyrone. In fairness, his Down side were liberated once they went in through the back door to begin their tour of the country and there was an incremental improvement in each and every performance as they progressed towards last Sunday’s final. This week McCartan’s performance as manager is being scrutinised in great detail with many in his native county questioning some of his decision-making on the line. I can understand why, as a narrow defeat normally means a huge post-mortem of the losing team’s performance. Before last Sunday’s match everyone suggested that the midfield sector was going to be crucial. It was generally perceived that if Down could manage a supply of decent ball into their pacey forwards, they would be in with a mighty chance of success. Last Sunday they were annihilated in this crucial sector. Cork won 70 per cent of the kick outs and the scale of their dominance was key to their triumph. The Down goalkeeper, Brendan McVeigh, on the other hand, never varied his kickouts throughout the afternoon and it does beg the question why he persisted in making heroes out of both Nicholas Murphy and Aidan Walsh. A more puzzling decision was the substitution of Paul McComiskey with 15 minutes remaining on the clock. He was playing brilliantly all afternoon, kicking three points and giving his opponent the run around. That decision left many perplexed.

The bookmakers have it that it will be a clash of north against south for the Moclair cup come next month, and while that may be where the money is going, it would be a foolish man who is counting out the chances of the men from the west ahead of Sunday.