Search Results for 'Mickey Harte'

Tributes have been pouring in across the country following the murder of much-loved Michaela Harte who was murdered in Mauritius this week.

Twelve people from Galway city and county came together recently to participate in a community supported job seekers programme. Some had lost their homes due to the economic crises with each person having been unemployed for an average of 10 months. The common bond between the group was the hope of bettering their circumstances with the sole objective of finding jobs.

If the Irish team management had the good grace to publicly acknowledge in an issued statement that what went on at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, last Saturday evening was unacceptable, it would offer some hope for the future of this International series, not to mention my sanity. I travelled to Limerick, bringing along four very enthusiastic children who were relishing the fact that they were going to see the cream of our GAA stars from all around the country playing for Ireland. What I and they witnessed was a damp squib of an effort, particularly from our own GAA ‘stars’. I am not exaggerating when I suggest that I genuinely yawned my way through this match. I accept that we have witnessed elements of thuggery in the past that even led to calls for the series to be scrapped. This game on Saturday was so poor the devil in me was half hoping there would be a skirmish or two for no other reason than to liven things up a little. The modern version of the game has become completely sanitised, with practically no physicality whatsoever. It would seem from afar that both teams have been well warned not to engage in any tussles that might bring the continuance of the series into question. I can accept that no Irish player wants to get hurt playing this hybrid game, but I certainly would not want to waste my time travelling any distance to see another game like the lacklustre effort on display last weekend. In fact there were times in this match when I began to wonder if both teams were on some sort of a financial incentive if they managed to come through 75 minutes of action without encountering a meaningful tough challenge. I believe now that if there is not a change in attitude from both sides ahead of tomorrow’s encounter in Croke Park, then Mickey Harte will have been proven correct when he suggested a number of years ago that we should never have gone down this road in the first place. In fact if the GAA’s top brass want to showcase the version of the compromise rules we witnessed last Saturday evening as a spectacle, then they should start stockpiling all the footage of this game into a great big bonfire and quickly burn the lot. At the very least they should insist that no ‘highlights’ of this game are shown, because with the exception of Bernard Brogan’s goal near the end, there was none. Handled properly, the GAA can comfortably cope with outside challenges ie, soccer and rugby but most certainly does not need to self – destruct over a compromise rules series that has many problems. Now having said all of that I am travelling up to Croke Park tomorrow with a bus load of first year students from St Gerald’s college, Castlebar, in the knowledge that hopefully both teams will have realised that they did not provide value for money last weekend and will want to do something to make amends.

With less than week to go to the GAA Coaching and Team Performance seminar taking place in Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, now is the time to reserve your ticket. Interest in the event is already very high from local and regional clubs and individuals. The excellent line up of speakers including Mickey Harte, Martin Carney, Mick Galway, Darragh Ó Sé, Mickey McGeehin, and John Maughan is a first for Connacht.

Just after the final whistle had blown in McHale Park last Sunday evening and with the taste of victory still fresh in his mouth, Mayo manager John O’Mahony was still urging caution despite the comprehensive manner in which his side had just dismantled Galway. “It's two points at the end of the day, you won't be asking me about this next September, or October, or even July,” was O’Mahony take on people getting carried away following last Sunday’s result.

Shane Walsh, a fifth year student at Davitt College in Castlebar, was named one of 20 finalists in the annual Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards.

There is a busy schedule in store for football followers in Westmeath this weekend, with a number of crunch ties down for decision in both the senior and intermediate grades. It is of course semi-final time in the senior championship, with a double header fixed for Cusack Park on Sunday. In the intermediate championship there are two intriguing quarter-final ties to be sorted, one under lights in St Lomans on Friday night, the second in Cusack park on Saturday.

With the front door closed by Galway after the Connacht final, Mayo go in search of squeezing themselves through the back door starting with Tyrone tomorrow afternoon. The two-time All Ireland champions, who were kicked to touch at the quarter-final stage of the Ulster championship by Down and have come through the first two rounds of the qualifiers, seeing off Louth and a 13-man Westmeath side last weekend, to arrive in Croke Park with a bit of steam built up.

Last Sunday proved conclusively that things have moved on in Gaelic football. And it is up to the rest of us to try and catch up with the new All-Ireland champions - which won’t be easy.

Last Sunday proved conclusively that things have moved on in Gaelic football. And it is up to the rest of us to try and catch up with the new All-Ireland champions - which won’t be easy. Tyrone last Sunday played the game at a higher level and with a greater intensity than the best of the rest and they don’t look like they intend going anywhere fast. Indeed listening to Mickey Harte being interviewed during the week, he sees last Sunday’s success as a beginning rather then an end in itself. No more than with the Kilkenny hurlers, there is no point in carping on about how good they are, we have to assess and analyse where our own counties are in comparison with them at this juncture.