Club GAA November 2013

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BLUE MAGIC DUBLIN CLAIM SAM FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS

INTERVIEWS AIDAN KILCOYNE KIERAN LILLIS SEAMUS HANNON

MANAGER & PLAYER PROFILE MICK O’DWYER JOE CANNING

News & Chairman Interviews

WHITEHALL CAVAN GAELS CASTLEGAR JOHN MITCHELS

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PROVINCIAL ROUND-UP

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GENERAL NEWS

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CLUB ROUND-UP

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DJ CAREY INTERVIEW The Dodger talks to Club GAA

10 AIDAN KILCOYNE INTERVIEW

Mayo’s main man on success and disappointment

14 KIERAN LILLIS INTERVIEW

Kieran Lillis is Laois’ leader

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18 GENERAL NEWS

31 SPONSORSHIP IN GAA

24 CLUB NEWS 29 PLAYER & MANAGER

38 FOOTBALL & HURLING

McGeeney confirms that he will not return to Kildare management

All the latest from the grounds

PROFILES:

Joe Canning and Mick O’Dwyer

48 CLUB FOCUS

& CHAIRMAN INTERVIEWS:

The impact on commercial sponsorship and why its so important to our game

CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEWS

Club GAA looks back at Dublin’s historic triumph, and previews the hurling replay

48 CLUB ROUND-UP

Club News and reviews from around the country.

Whitehall Colmcilles, Cavan Gaels, Castlegar, John Mitchells

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THE TEAM Editor: Alan Conway alan@clubgaa.com Contributors: Daire Walsh, Colm McCluskey colm@clubgaa.com Content Advisor: David Flanagan Design: Sinéad Miller sinead@clubgaa.com Photography: Inpho Financial Director: Tom McGrath Managing Director: Brian O’Connell brianpoconnell@clubgaa.com Sales Director: Gerard Connon + 353 (86) 6089220 gerard@clubgaa.com Sales: Thomas McCaul thomas@clubgaa.com Publisher: Council Publications Ltd. Copyright CLUB RUGBY MAGAZINE 2013. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form without the express written permission of the publishers.

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WELCOME MESSAGE It certainly has been a busy time in the world of Gaelic Games recently, and this month we have another top class array of interviews, features, profiles and reviews for you to enjoy.

In this month’s issue Club GAA, Editor Alan Conway sits down with a legend of Kilkenny hurling in the shape of DJ Carey to discuss his phenomenal career and get his views on the current state of the game.

There is also a terrific interview with Aidan Kilcoyne. The former Mayo star gives his take on the summer’s action along with looking at his own inter-county career.

Along with taking a look at the past we also look to the future as we sit down with Laois star Kieran Lillis. The 23 year old is one of the brightest stars in the world of GAA at the moment and he Along with these top class interviews, we profile four of the biggest clubs in Ireland. This month we talk to Whitehall from Leinster, Cavan Gaels from Ulster, Castlegar from Connacht and John Mitchel’s from Munster We have up to the minute news from each club along with a one on one interview with each of the respective chairpersons as they detail their plans for their club.

We also examine the growing gulf in class between the various counties in both hurling and football and ask if the void has become too big.

There is also a full roundup of both the football and hurling championships as Dublin captured their second All-Ireland title in just three years following their narrow defeat of a courageous Mayo side.

Along with tackling some of the most topical issues within GAA at the moment, we have a full roundup of all the club news from around the country as we keep our finger on the pulse of Club GAA in Ireland.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue and I look forward to talking to you next month.

Joe Sheridan

www.clubgaa.com

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2 Clare Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

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lose your eyes and picture this scene. All-Ireland Hurling final day, a minute left on the clock and Kilkenny are staring into the barrel of a defeat, yet there is one last chance, one last shot for glory, then up he steps.

With ice water running through his veins and an assassin’s look in his eye, he grips the hurl, flicks the sliotar up and blasts it over the bar with unerring accuracy. The big moment was made for him, and vice versa. DJ Carey was that rare breed of player, one that was made for the big stage and revelled in its presence.

Known as ‘The Dodger’ Carey’s name is one that is indelibly marked in the annals of GAA folklore. He was a part of two Kilkenny sides that have transformed the game of hurling over the better part of the last two decades, collecting All-Ireland winner’s medals with a remorseless hunger.

Yet, strangely enough for a player who would find success in the game of hurling, it was football that Carey first played while he was growing up in the hurling hotbed of Kilkenny.

“I know, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”, he tells Club GAA Magazine. “When I was growing up I used to watch a lot more football, and in particular, the Kerry teams of the 1980’s.

“You have to remember that back then; there wasn’t really that much coverage of hurling, perhaps two, maybe three games a year, at the most. Football had a lot more exposure, so naturally you were drawn to that.”

Thankfully for Kilkenny fans, Carey would soon embrace hurling, and having attended St. Kieran’s College in Kilkenny, a famed hurling nursery, he would soon develop a love for the game. His talent quickly shone and he won back-to-back All-Ireland colleges’ titles in 1988 and 1989.

That was a mere prelude of things to come. Having been involved in the Kilkenny setup from U-14’s, Carey moved up the ranks and bagged a coveted All-Ireland winner’s medal at minor level in 1987, after a crushing 3-13 to 0-12 win against Cork.

His rise continued unabated and he would be soon lining up alongside his boyhood

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heroes, such as Eddie Keher, Frank Cummins and Billy Fitzpatrick, in the senior Kilkenny side. Even for Carey, playing alongside people you have admired and respected from afar was a daunting prospect.

“There were a fair few nerves, most definitely”, he says. “It was very intimidating at first, but then you realise they are human, just like everyone else. Once you are aware of that, then you are able to settle down and do the job that you were picked to do.”

This is something that Carey did rather well. Despite losing out in the 1991 All-Ireland hurling final to Tipperary, Carey and Kilkenny would make amends against Cork twelve months later.

Even for Carey, it was a remarkably quick journey to the summit of hurling. ”incredible” is how he describes that first All-Ireland victory. “You wouldn’t dare dream of that as a young lad growing up. The previous year was disappointing, so to be able to win the following year, and given it was such a long time since Kilkenny had won an All-Ireland, made it extra special.”

That first All-Ireland would light the blue touch paper. Kilkenny and Carey would set out on a course of provincial dominance over the next decade. He would bag a further nine Leinster titles and four All-Ireland medals over the course of his career, but at times, as he admits, the weight of expectation that came with lining out in the black and amber of Kilkenny, could get too much sometimes.

“Initially there was very little pressure, because I was new to the panel.

However, as I became more well known, the pressure grew and grew, and I always found it difficult to deal with. Away from the pitch I like to go about my life privately and sometimes it would become too much.”

On the field however there was nothing that could distract Carey. Aided and abetted by a force of nature, known as Henry Shefflin, and led by Brian Cody, Kilkenny were a constant force at the latter stages of the hurling championship, year on year.

That consistent hunger to win is just one of a myriad of traits that make Kilkenny the side that they have been throughout the years. You wonder was it difficult to keep that relentless drive up for so many seasons, given the fact that they had achieved so much in the past.

“Not really”, Carey says. “We were lucky in a way I suppose, because we had a fantastic group of players who wanted to win all the time. Everyone wanted to win titles and they would have done anything for that to happen.

When you have that level of desire and commitment in a side, great things can happen.

“It also helps when you have players like Henry Shefflin in your side. For me, Henry is the greatest player there is, bar none. His commitment to the team and his dedication to come back from all the injuries that he has suffered is remarkable.

“He is a natural leader of men and when you combine that with his skillset and his desire to win, he has the whole package.”

Along with Shefflin, Carey points to the man who has steered Kilkenny

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FOR ME, HENRY SHEFFLIN IS THE GREATEST PLAYER THERE IS, BAR NONE. HIS COMMITMENT TO THE TEAM AND HIS DEDICATION TO COME BACK FROM ALL THE INJURIES THAT HE HAS SUFFERED IS REMARKABLE

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through the highs and the lows since 1999, as one of the biggest factors in Kilkenny’s success. Summing up Brian Cody, Carey simply says. “Absolute class.”, “The manner in which he carries himself and in turn, the team, is brilliant. Even after the defeat to Cork there was no moaning about Henry’s red card, Brian simply took the defeat on the chin, when it would have been easier to point the finger of blame at others. He didn’t, which says a lot of the man.”

That defeat to Cork has set tongues wagging across the GAA landscape that the dominance of Kilkenny is now at an end. That the great juggernaut has finally run out of steam.

You put this to Carey and expect him to slap such talk down, yet he doesn’t “I agree”, he says. “I think their dominance is over.

“Not because Kilkenny have regressed but I think because the rest of the country has improved. It used to be the case that it was Kilkenny and one or two other teams, but now you just have to look at this season to see the rise in quality of teams, right across the board.

“It can only be a good thing because the standard of hurling will continue to improve, which can only mean closer and more exciting games for fans around the country.”

How the game has evolved Carey still keeps a watchful eye on the game of hurling, since his retirement back in 2006. While the game has improved at a rate of knots, Carey feels that in some areas, there is still more room for improvement.

“I think the skill of a tackle has been wiped from the game. Hurling is a physical game but when you see yellow cards given for some decisions, you have to wonder.

“Physicality is good for the game, it’s part of the attraction. I am totally against dirty play, I think that should be stamped out, but I think there is a danger of going too far.

“You look at players who tackle another player from behind. There is a skill to that tackle, yet is seems that referees want to clamp down on that type of tackle, which is just crazy.

“The game is in a fantastic place at the moment, hopefully the physical aspect will remain the same, because it is a tremendous game to play and to watch.”

One of the reasons that the game of hurling attracts such a commanding audience is because of players like DJ Carey.

The sight of this black and amber haze, flashing past players as if they were standing still, before slotting a point over the bar or a goal into the back of the net, was one of the defining images for a generation of hurling fans.

He gave people memories that will last a lifetime and in doing so ensured that his name and his achievements will live on for as long as hurling is played in Ireland.

One of the best on and off the pitch. DJ Carey, a legend, now and forever. n

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Mayo man I

t can be often be difficult looking from the outside, in.

When you have been a part of a squad, one that reached the All-Ireland final, on two separate occasions, then to be left out in the wilderness, can be tough to stomach.

Yet, rather than let things stew and fester, Aidan Kilcoyne is a man that takes disappointment and success in equal measure. He has felt what it is like to run out on All-Ireland final day and play for the richest prize that GAA football can offer, and even though he may be working in London at the moment, those memories are his and his alone. That is something that nobody can take away from him.

Kilcoyne’s first introduction to sport came from the community games at the tender age of six. He would foster a love for both Gaelic Games and Soccer, along with long distance running, which was another sport that would keep the active Kilcoyne more than busy during his youth.

“I was kept busy, that’s for sure”, he laughingly tells Club GAA Magazine.

“The running was something that I did on the side, so I suppose the soccer and GAA were my ‘first loves’ if you like.

“I am a Manchester United supporter and back then you had the likes of Roy Keane and Eric Cantona playing, so they were a huge attraction for any young lad growing up.

“With GAA, Kevin O’Neill was a big influence on me when I first started playing. He lived five minutes down the road from me so I would see him plenty of times and he would always offer snippets of advice to me, which was something that I really appreciated.

“His dedication to the game was something else. He also had a unique style of play, which was something very different to the norm, back then.”

While he admits that he harboured ambitions of playing for Mayo at the highest level, it wasn’t until he made the move to St Jarlath’s at the age of twelve that the prospect of becoming involved with the setup in Mayo became more of a reality.

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“Looking back, it was a very good decision to move to Jarlath’s. The calibre of player that was there was very good, so you were in the right environment and playing a lot of games, so you were given a lot of chances to impress.”

This is something that Kilcoyne did, in spades. Having played in MacHale Park during a half-time game when he was a teenager ‘it was one of my favourite memories growing up’ he would get the opportunity to run out in the Mayo jersey sooner than perhaps than he imagined.

Having made the step-up from the U-21’s to the senior panel, Kilcoyne would integrate himself in the senior panel with relative ease. As he explains, because he made a number of appearances from the bench, making his senior bow wasn’t such a nervous experience as it could have been.

“I think that helped, without a doubt”, he admits. “I was involved for a while before I made my first senior start, and had made a number of substitute appearances, so there weren’t too many nerves.

“The one thing that I did find a bit difficult was the pace of senior football.

That was a bit of a shock to the system. Once you get into a rhythm and become used to the pace of the game, then everything else becomes that little bit easier.”

Kilcoyne would soon get up to speed and become one of Mayo’s ‘go to’ players during the mid 2000’s. He would play a crucial role in the Connacht county’s march to two All-Ireland finals in 2006 & 2010.

Sadly it wasn’t to be for Kilcoyne and Mayo as they went down in the two finals to Kerry, who would prove to be the proverbial thorn in Mayo’s side.

Despite losing out on two winner’s medals, Kilcoyne looks back on those two finals with fond memories, along with a tinge of regret.

“Ah you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have regrets. Against Kerry, on both occasions, we just didn’t turn up. It is as simple as that. We didn’t deserve to win both finals and I suppose that’s where the regret comes >>

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from, in the fact that we didn’t do ourselves justice.

“Both occasions were great to be a part of. You remember the buzz around the county coming up to the game. There would be letters of good luck coming to your house every day from people that you never met before.

“That’s when you begin to realise how much it really means to people. You tried to soak up as much of the atmosphere as you could, ahead of the game. All you wanted to do was do the jersey and the occasion justice, which we didn’t. That would be the one thing you would like to go back and change, if you were able to.”

Watching from the side-line Sadly, like everything in life, things move on. Kilcoyne hasn’t appeared in a Mayo jersey for the last two seasons, and while he admits it can be tough to watch at times, he is thrilled to see how Mayo have attacked the 2013 All-Ireland SFC campaign this year, a campaign that saw Mayo ruthlessly destroy defending champions Dongeal in the quarter-finals by a scarcely believable score-line of 4-17 to 1-10, in what was the performance of the football season, to date.

Not many people would have dreamt that Mayo would pick apart Donegal in the manner that they did, but speaking to Kilcoyne, he believes that Mayo were always capable of such a performance.

“If I’m honest I could see it coming a mile off, perhaps not the margin of victory, but definitely the performance. You only have to look at the group of players that are there at the moment and see how much they have improved over the last number of seasons to know that they are a very serious side.

“Donegal are a hugely talented side, but Mayo blew them out of the water. It was as complete a performance as I have ever seen. One of the most impressive aspects of

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the performance was how ruthless they were. They never stepped off the gas, even when they had the game wrapped up. My only concern would be that they have peaked too soon. I don’t think there is any chance of complacency, but there is always the chance that they could regress after such a complete performance. Hopefully that will not happen.”

Aside from Mayo’s destruction of Donegal, one of the other major talking points during this summer has been Tyrone’s cynical play throughout the campaign, a style which saw ex Tyrone star Joe Brolly launch a furious attack on Tyrone, and in particular on Sean Cavanagh.

While not wanting to lay the blame at the feet of Cavanagh and Tyrone, Kilcoyne feels that the system that is currently in place is at fault, rather than an individual team or player.

“There is a system at the moment and players are working within it. I don’t agree with people when they say that it is cynical play.

“Players are just doing what they have to do to win a game of football. If you put yourself in the player’s position, what would you do? Hopefully the black card, when it comes in, will stop some of what we have seen this summer.

“As far as what Joe (Brolly) said about Sean Cavanagh, I think it was just said in the heat of the moment. Sean is one of the purest players, on and off the field that I have ever seen.

“Sean is just like every other player. He is working within the system.

He is not breaking any rules by doing what he is doing. As I said, it should be the system that needs to be looked at, rather than targeting an individual player.” n

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Players are just doing what they have to do to win a game of football.

If you put yourself in the player’s position, what would you do?

Hopefully the black card, when it comes in, will stop some of what we have seen this summer

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Laois leader S

mall margins. They are the difference between glory and failure, especially in the world of sport. A hand pass here or a kick at goal there can be the difference between lifting the Sam Maguire and watching the opposition enjoying the celebrations.

For Kieran Lillis and the Laois panel that feeling was prevalent as they watched Donegal slip past them and into the quarter-finals of the AllIreland championship.

Far away from the maddening crowds of Croke Park, Lillis began his sporting journey not just on the Gaelic fields, but also on the athletic tracks of his native Portlaoise.

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Sitting down to talk to Club GAA Magazine, the 23 year old Lillis has come a long way since he burst onto the inter-county scene a number of years ago and has played a pivotal role as the county reach to break through the glass ceiling that separates the top counties from the rest of the country.

His family, like so many around the country, is steeped in sporting tradition, as he explains. “My father and grandfather were big into sports, and I suppose that rubbed off on me.

“Along with GAA I did a fair bit of athletics when I was growing up, but GAA was always my main interest.

When you are surrounded by GAA all your life, it is natural that you want to go on and represent your county at the highest level.”

Which is something that Lillis achieved in double quick time. Having taken the traditional route of progressing from youth to minor level, he would soon be rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in the county, something that still brings a smile to his face when you mention it.

“I still remember the first time I was called into the senior panel”, he recalls fondly. “We played and lost in a minor game on St Patrick’s Day and I was really disappointed with how the game went. Yet a day or two later I received a call from Sean Dempsey, who told me that I was called up to the senior side, which was the best pick me up that I could have asked for.”

Lillis made his senior bow in a challenge match against Carlow and hasn’t looked back. You ask what it was like to finally ‘make it’, to be considered one of the top players in the county. “It’s the ultimate”, he says. “It doesn’t really hit you for a while, but then you could be driving along in your car and then it’s like ‘wow, is this really happening?’ It’s only then that you really get a genuine appreciation of what the county team means to people. The feeling and the passion that people have for, not just Laois, but every county, is amazing. It’s something that motivates you to perform to the best of your ability.”

Which brings us on to another point. The balancing act of trying to juggle work, family and football commitments is something that every intercounty player struggles with. The daily balancing act can be, at times, be very tricky, something that Lillis freely admits.

“It can be tough. For example, I am studying to be a teacher with Hibernia College and I was required to attend the The Gaeltacht for a three week period in the middle of the championship.

“I had to travel to Dingle every day, which meant an eight hour round trip to teach upwards of 200 students. Combine that with training and everything else, it can take its toll on you.

“There can be times when you question everything, when you wonder if it is all worth it, but look, nobody is putting a gun to my head to play for Laois, or to do all the extra stuff, so I just get on with it.”

Such eye watering schedules are part and parcel of the GAA, and you wonder out loud, if the time will come that the GAA will abandon their amateur ethos and embrace the world of professionalism. It is an idea that Lillis is not dissuaded from discussing. >>

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“Well it is professional in all but name”, he admits. “The level of professionalism at the moment is incredible, and it is not just the players.

There are any number of people that put in so much work and their free time into making teams as successful as they can be.

“It’s not just playing the game. You have to look after yourself all the time, in terms of what you eat and drink, and also in terms of work and getting time off for training and matches.

“I remember hearing a story that players were given a 50p petrol subsidy for every mile they travelled. That was in 1998, and despite everything that has gone on since then, the subsidy has remained the same, which is crazy.

So many people are putting in incredible amounts of work, that they need some help from time to time.

“However if the game went professional, then perhaps the edge may be taken off the whole thing. Guys want to play for the team, the county and the badge on their chest. If people were getting paid, would that passion be dimmed? I don’t know.”

At the moment it may feel that all the pain, sacrifice and training is not worth it, as Laois bowed out of the All-Ireland championship following a narrow defeat to defending champions Donegal.

However talking through the match, Lillis comes back to those small margins and believes that if a number of things had gone their way, it would be Laois rather than Donegal who would have their collective eyes focused on getting to Croke Park in September.

“It was a spirited performance but I think we may have lacked that killer instinct that is required to kill off teams. I kicked a goal attempt that fell short and there were one or two other chances that went awry, if you add

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WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE SQUAD TO COMPETE WITH THE LIKES OF DUBLIN, BUT IT IS ABOUT STRINGING A NUMBER OF BIG PERFORMANCES TOGETHER, RATHER THAN SHOWING UP FOR ONE DAY AND FAILING TO PERFORM THE NEXT DAY

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all those small things up, then perhaps things could have been different, but games aren’t decided on ‘could haves’, we lost, which is the top and bottom of it.

“We had a strong enough league campaign, but we didn’t turn up at the provincial stages. I think we showed in the back door campaign that we are a much better side than we showed in Leinster. Sadly it wasn’t to be against Donegal, but I am confident that we can bounce back next year.”

Looking towards the future The pain of exiting the championship at this stage is still pretty raw for Lillis and co, but when you ask him about future plans and goals , there is a confidence in the manner that he speaks, that makes you feel that Laois could be a ‘coming force’ in Leinster and beyond in the next few years.

“Somebody mentioned to me that it has been ten years since Laois last won a Leinster championship, which is far too long. So that would be a big goal in the next few years. We know that we have the squad to compete with the likes of Dublin, but it is about stringing a number of big performances together, rather than showing up for one day and failing to perform the next day.

“It is about getting that consistency of performance and I think that comes with victories. Look at London, they got one big win and suddenly they had huge momentum behind them and they went further than many people thought they would. We should be competing for titles and I think we can over the next couple of years.”

Interesting times ahead, indeed. Not just for this year, but for Kieran Lillis and Laois football. Hold on tight. n

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MCGEENEY CONFIRMS THAT HE WILL NOT RETURN TO KILDARE MANAGEMENT Kieran McGeeney has released a statement declaring his intentions not to return to the Kildare manager position

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McGeeney was initially removed from the position following a County Board vote. The final number stood at 29 to 28 votes.

A passionate plea from players and supporters began to have the former Armagh star reinstated but McGeeney confirmed he would not return the Lilywhite hot seat.

“In order to draw a line under the last few weeks I feel it is in the best interests of Kildare football to release a statement so everybody can move on and get things in place for next year.

“I would like to thank everybody who has helped me over the last few years.

“A special thanks to all the people who have worked tirelessly in the back ground especially Julie Davis, Hugh Campbell, Tom Murphy, Danno Keely and Morgan O’Callaghan. To those that stood on the sideline with me, Jason, Damien, Niall, John, Aidan and Paul, I have learned so much from all your input as have the players with whom you worked. To the medical staff , Danny, Noel and David who have worked so hard to keep the players on the pitch and in a healthy frame of mind I thank you for all your hard work.

Thank you to all.

“A special mention for all the people in Club Kildare, especially Pat, Dermot and June, who put in so many hours behind the scenes .They raised valuable funds in such a difficult economic time. Your help will never be forgotten by the players or the management.

“To the supporters it has been an absolute pleasure to be part of this journey over the last six years. Thank you for all your support both in the good days and the bad, your passion for football has been matched only by your generosity and kindness towards the whole Kildare county set up.

To the clubs I would like to say thanks for all your support and your work in developing the young (and not so young) players so that they were in a position to line out for their county and proudly represent their clubs.

“Finally, I want to emphasise to all the players that it has been an honour to stand beside you and to work with you. Although we never got the silver ware we hoped for I know that it was not for the lack of effort or desire.

There has been a lot of changes over the last twelve months and I really believe with the emergence of new talent alongside the experience and ability that exists in the squad, it’s only a matter of time before Kildare achieve what they have been working towards.”

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GAA REMAIN HOPEFUL OF BRINGING THE NFL TO CROKE PARK The GAA has made several attempts to bring the American Football to our shores for some time but London was chosen as the venue to host a number of games over the last few years.

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The next fixture will see the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings will face off in England. However the GAA has not given up hope and with the success of last year’s Notre Dame and Navy match, a host of other college games have been lined up.

With the triumph of these games, we may yet see the NFL franchises coming to visit Ireland, according to the GAA Director-General, Paraic Duffy.

“I think the NFL recognised that in many ways Croke Park was a good venue. But I think they have aspirations perhaps to establish a franchise in London and that was the key reason why we didn’t get it.

“They did say to us if the two games hadn’t been given to London, it would have been in Dublin. We made a very strong pitch. We’d huge support from ambassador Dan Rooney on that,” says Duffy.

“They admitted they were hugely impressed by the presentation the GAA made. We’ve proven before we can stage big events in Croke Park.

“We haven’t given up on that. I think that there is a possibility they will play more games in Europe than the two they are playing at the moment,” said Duffy.

“Our hat’s in the ring and hopefully over the next couple of years that will come to fruition. I’m not so sure this (the college game) will help get an NFL game but it keeps our hat in the ring to pitch for it if they change direction.”

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MCGUINNESS LOSES RIGHT HAND MAN After the news broke that Jim McGuinness would be staying on as Donegal manager for next year, the build up for the 2014 Championship got under way.

However McGuinness will be searching for a new selector for Donegal’s push for another All-Ireland title. Rory Gallagher, a selector, and McGuinness’s right hand man has stepped down from the position.

A county board statement also confirmed the departure of Maxi Curran and Francie Friel.

“CLG Dhún na nGall were informed this morning by Senior Football Team Manager, Jim McGuinness of his intention to make changes in his management and support team,” a statement from the county board reads.

“He subsequently confirmed that Rory Gallagher and Maxi Curran will not be involved in the Donegal management team for the 2014 season. Francie Friel, who was involved in the backroom team, will also not be involved in 2014.”

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McKeever helped the Safrons to their first Ulster final in 39 years before moving down under. The Antrim man made his senior AFL debut in 2011, however he spent most of his time in the reserve team, not being able to hold down a starting spot in the first squad. In total he played 22 games in his four seasons, scoring two goals.

McKeever played his final game in the NEAFL Grand Final where the Lions’ Reserves beat Aspley.

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Daire WALSH

The Latest From Around the Grounds NAAS It was a close-run encounter in Sallins, but Naas ultimately came off second best to Moorefield in the Kildare Reserve “A” Championship Quarter-Final at the beginning of August. The Curragh-based outfit had opened the scoring with just two minutes gone courtesy of a pointed free by fullforward Gareth Duffy, but Naas quickly settled into the proceedings, and a brace of efforts from placed balls by corner-forward Barry Reynolds offered them a slender cushion. Yet, Moorefield were able to rally once again, and consecutive points by Gary Lowe (two), Duffy and Kevin O’Donnell gave them a three point lead (0-5 to 0-2) at the end of the opening quarter.

Reynolds and John Joyce kept the scoreboard ticking for Naas, but with these attempts being cancelled out by similar Moorefield scores from Warren Kealy and Ryan Moore, they continued to chase the game as the half wore on. A further point by Reynolds kept Moorefield on their toes, but with the imperious Duffy adding another brace before the end of the half, Naas found themselves facing into a four-point deficit (0-9 to 0-5) as the second period commenced.

Moorefield continued to force Naas on the back-foot upon the resumption, as a Des Rogan point edged them even further into the ascendancy. Naas’ Dean McHolmes and Kealy proceeded to trade scores, but when McHolmes, Reynolds and Joyce registered three points in quick succession, the gap had suddenly been reduced to just two points. Naas sensed that the game was there for the taking, and when they were presented with two goal opportunities at a vital stage in the half, they opted to go for the jugular.

However, they were wide of the mark with these strikes, and Moorefield took full advantage with the first (and only) major of the contest from Kealy.

Reynolds did reply with an expertly-converted free, but Naas looked like they were set to suffer another blow when a penalty was awarded in favour of Moorefield. They received a lifeline in this instance, though, as Naas custodian PJ Mahoney turned away this effort, making sure that Naas were still in contention during the closing moments. Indeed, Kieran McDonagh and Reynolds did set up a tantalising finale with a couple of impressive points, but a late Moorefield score meant that Naas exited the competition with a 1-13 to 0-13 reversal.

The club had better fortunes in the Reserve “D” Championship a few days later in Straffan, when they held off a second-half onslaught by Robertstown to progress to the last-four stage with a 3-9 to 1-14 triumph.

The Naas men had led 2-5 to 0-6 during the interval thanks to threepointers from Barry Loughran and Vinny Lannigan, and even though they were under immense pressure after the restart, a third major by Ross Hazzard helped them to squeeze over the line.

CAMROSS A 1-6 haul from the excellent Ciaran Collier was crucial towards Camross’ cause on Sunday August 18th, as the Black & Amber outfit secured their spot in the semi-final of the Laois Senior Championship with a comprehensive 15 points victory (4-15 to 0-12) over old rivals Portlaoise.

With 34 Laois SHC titles between them, it was expected that this game would go right down to the wire, but the challenge of Portlaoise never truly materialised on the day.

In fact, the writing had been on the wall pretty early in the game, as industrious half-forward Ciaran Collier had knocked over a brace of scores for Camross inside the opening minute. The reliable Noel Costelloe did get Portlaoise’s account up and running with a point from a free, but with Ciaran Collier’s third score being swiftly added to by a terrific individual goal by Camross’ county star Zane Keenan, a sizeable gap was already developing in the tie.

An Andrew Collier point increased the Camross lead to six nine minutes in, but Costelloe did at least reduce his side’s arrears with an impressive brace.

The Camross attack was brimming with confidence, though, and following excellent approach play by Aaron Moore, inside forward Dean Delaney raised the green flag for the second time in the half with a low drive beyond the reach of helpless Portlaoise netminder Colm Clear.

Costelloe did secure his fourth point before the end of the half, but he proved to be the only scorer for the 11-time winners during the opening period, as further points by Ciaran Collier and Delaney gave Camross an eight-point hold (2-6 to 0-4) over their opponents at the mid-way point.

This deficit was not entirely insurmountable, however, and Portlaoise reduced their losing margin to five in the opening moments upon the resumption courtesy of points from Darragh Duggan, Joe Phelan and Costelloe. Unfortunately, this only offered them a brief respite, as white flag efforts by Captain Tomas Burke (two) and Matthew Collier restored Camross’ eight-point lead. The ever-dependable Costelloe respond once more for Portlaoise, but when Ciaran Collier spectacularly secured the goal that his performance deserved shortly afterwards, Camross had effectively sealed their place in the final-four. This meant that the Camross faithful could relaxed during the final quarter, but they were nevertheless treated to some sparkling hurling during this time, as Dwane Palmer (two), Burke and Ciaran Collier added handsomely to the scoreboard. To their credit, Portlaoise never gave up, and they shot four scores on the trot through Costelloe (two), Joe Phelan and Tony Byrne.

It was the outstanding Camross that finished the game on top, though, as a superb point from a sideline cut by Keenan was added to by a Delaney goal in second-half stoppage time, as the O’Moore County hurling kingpins progressed effortlessly to the next stage of the competition.

CLONMEL COMMERCIALS A Friday evening Clean Ireland Recycling County Senior Football Championship encounter with Cahir is always a potential banana skin, but Clonmel Commercials passed this test with flying colours in Newcastle on August 9th, defeating their south Tipperary with all of 17 points (5-10 to 1-5) to spare.

However, although the final outcome of this game may surprise many, it should be pointed out that Cahir had nothing to play for in this game,

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and with a straightforward route to the closing stages out of the question, they opted to field an under-strength teams against the reigning holders.

Clonmel, on the other hand, were able to offer a first start of the year to Colman Kennedy, whose dramatic goal helped his county to win their firstever All-Ireland Minor Championship crown in 2011. Nonetheless, it was Cahir who made the brighter start to the proceedings, as marauding halfback Dean Lonergan edged them into the lead with an opening minute point. Commercials quickly replied with a free from Ian Barnes, though, and their chances of success were greatly improved four minutes in when lively half-forward fired past Cahir’s Aaron Wall for the first major of the contest.

This did ease some of the tension that Clonmel might have been experiencing, but despite dominating possession during the first quarter of play, they didn’t always use it as well as they may have hoped. Indeed, by the time the 15th minute had arrived, Cahir managed to reduce the deficit to the bare minimum courtesy of scores from Padraig Whelan and Johnny McMahon. Yet, Commercials never displayed any sign of panic during this period, and following a well-taken point by Johnny Harney, a 1-1 salvo from Barnes by (his goal being a coolly converted penalty after Richie Carroll had been fouled) opened up a six-point cushion.

Full-forward Carroll was causing numerous problems for the Cahir rearguard, and when he registered his side’s third major in the 27th minute of the half, Commercials had built up a 3-3 to 0-3 advantage, which they brought with them into the interval. A Jason Lonergan point shortly after the restart stretched this lead even further, but Cahir did attempt to stage a mini-revival when a 37th minute Shane Murphy three-pointer was followed by a fine score from Mickey O’Connor.

However, Commercials were in a position where they could introduce rising county star Ian Fahey from their substitute’s bench, and this helped to settle the ship once again. The standing of Cahir in this section of the competition meant that they never going to push themselves to the limit in an attempt to gain a positive result, and as a consequence, Commercials were able to ease towards their triumph. Alongside Fahey, replacements

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Padraig Looram and Brian O’Hara also made impacts on the game, as their late majors added considerable gloss on an already emphatic success for the Clonmel side.

COROFIN The Corofin club in north Clare enjoyed a successful start to the 2013 Clare Intermediate Football Championship on Sunday August 11th, as they overcame near neighbours Kilfenora on a scoreline of 2-11 to 0-7 in Miltown Malbay. Having won the competition in 2006, and lost narrowly to Cratloe in the 2009 decider, Corofin would be seen as one of the teams to beat in the second grade of Clare club football.

If they are to regain their senior status, they will only have to win two more games, as this victory over Kilfenora means that they have already progressed to the semi-final stage. They had been drawn against O’Callaghan’s Mills in the opening round, but following the withdrawal of their would-be opponents from the competition, they received a bye into the next round.

A lack of game-time might have been a concern for the Corofin management, but with Kilfenora coming into this game on the back of a loss to Kilmihill in their opening outing, it was anticipated that the Red and White outfit would be able to get off to a winning start. As the action got underway, Corofin had a strong wind at their backs, and with Damien Ryan coolly slotting a penalty to the back of the Kilfenora net, and the lethal inside forward duo of Gearoid Kelly and Jamie Malone proving to be a constant threat, they brought a 1-8 to 0-3 cushion into the dressing room with them at half-time.

This was a commanding lead for Corofin to have, but the one drawback for them from the opening 30 minutes was some of their wasteful shooting from manageable distances. They would also be fighting against a gale in the second period, so it was imperative that they remained on their toes as the game resumed. Understandably, they were not as prominent after >>

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The Latest From Around the Grounds the break, but a third-quarter Kelly goal had provided significant daylight between them and Kilfenora.

This left Kilfenora with too much ground to make up, and even though they played with plenty of spirit and determination, a trio of successful frees by midfielder Ryan (bringing his final tally to 1-4) helped Corofin to cruise over the line. Ryan was one of a handful of fine performers on the day for Corofin, as Kelly and Malone contributed a combined total of 1-6, while there was also fine defensive displays from Keith O’Loughlin and John Keane.

Goalkeeper Kieran Carkill was also alert whenever he was called into action, and he will need to be vigilant for the remainder of the Championship if Corofin are to have a successful campaign. Kilmihill will provide the opposition for Corofin in the semi-final, and having also defeated Kilfenora already this year, they will not be easily dismissed.

FOUR ROADS With 30 titles to their name, the Four Roads club in Roscommon town are the most successful club in their county’s Senior Hurling Championship. The tradition that was set by teams in the past has maintained in the modern era, and 2012 saw Four Roads becoming the first club in history to be crowned SHC Champions for a fifth consecutive occasion.

This extraordinary feat means that they are the hottest of favourites to reclaim the much-coveted silverware this year, and although they didn’t have everything their own way, a last-gasp point by Michael Kelly in a 0-13 to 0-12 victory over Athleague did help them to progress to the knock-out stages of the competition on Sunday July 7th in Ballyforan. This result subsequently confined their opponents to the Losers’ Group, where they will be face-to-face with last year’s beaten finalists, Padraig Pearses.

Although they were underdogs against their close rivals, Athleague were well-prepared for this encounter, and corner-forward Robbie Fallon gave them the lead during the early moments with a point from a close-in free.

In a low-key opening, Enda Rogerson was on hand to cancel out Fallon’s score, but the dynamic No. 15 restored Athleague’s advantage with another placed ball effort 11 minutes in. Four Roads hadn’t quite settled into their groove by this point, but by the end of the half they were beginning to exert their influence in all sectors of the field. Full-forward Johnny Coyne was having a major say in how his side were approaching the game, and a trio of points from him, along with a Rogerson break, gave them a four-point hold (0-6 to 0-2) over Athleague at the half-way stage.

The deadly accurate Fallon was on target on a couple of occasions after the restart, but with Kelly and Coyne on hand to cancel out these efforts, Four Roads continued to control the tempo of the play. Athleague were in no mood to let their challenge slip, though, and after Cormac Kelly, David Delaney, Gary Fallon and David Target all split the posts in impressive fashion, they were suddenly on level terms 13 minutes into the second period.

This scoring sequence was halted by another fine point by Four Roads’

Kelly, but Cormac Kelly’s second restored parity once more at the end of the third-quarter. It was end-to-end stuff at this point in the contest, but Rogerson kept his composure to reclaim the lead for his team. Athleague continued to frustrate Four Roads in the final 15 minutes, but each time that the peerless Fallon raised white flags from frees, the holders were able to respond in kind. Scores from Coyne, Rogerson and Kelly in the 51st, 55th and 59th minutes respectively proved crucial as Four Roads squeezed over the line (and into the semi-finals), although Athleague were left to rue missed opportunities by Cormac Kelly and Fallon in the dying stages.

EASTERN HARPS Conor Griffin proved to be a real thorn in the side of Eastern Harps in the second round of the Sligo Intermediate Championship at Corran Park on Sunday August 11th, as his extraordinary 4-3 salvo ensured that Calry/ St Joseph’s safely progressed to the next stage of the 2013 competition.

Eastern Harps, who also have a team operating in the Sligo SFC, were facing a northside outfit that were eager to improve on their opening round performance, which saw them finishing on level terms with Drumcliffe/ Rosses Point.

Calry were in control from a very early point in the tie, however, and Griffin pounced for his first goal of the game with just nine minutes gone on the clock after Barry O’Boyle had picked him out from a quick free. Further points arrived through O’Boyle and Fintan Keown, before Griffin was presented with the opportunity to score his second goal after Calry were awarded a penalty. Veteran Harps netminder, Peter Walsh, was equal to Griffin’s initial attempt, but the sharpshooting forward made no mistake from the rebound that fell kindly to him. Harps were struggling to come to terms with the pace and power of their counterparts, but they did at least give themselves a fighting chance with three consecutive points at the end of the opening period.

They still trailed by eight points (2-6 to 0-4) at the start of the second half, though, and they needed to maintain this momentum if they were going to remain in the reckoning. Unfortunately, this failed to materialise, as Harps’ only score after the break was a point from a free by Colm Duffy. Calry, on the other hand, played with extreme confidence until the very end of the game, and a further brace of goals by Griffin sealed their facile victory.

The Eastern Harps Seniors had much better luck in their Championship outing a day earlier at Kilcoyne Park, Tubbercurry, however, and despite missing key players like Paul McGovern, Paul Taylor and Tony Taylor, they were able to secure a hard-earned 1-16 to 1-11 triumph over Bunninadden thanks to seven points without reply in the dramatic closing moments.

In a competitive opening half, defender Kevin Cryan set-up corner-forward Niall McGill for a Harps three-pointer, but when inter-county star Vinnie Frizzell coolly slotted a penalty (of all his own making) past Harps’ Stephen Heraghty, Bunninadden had cut their deficit to three (1-8 to 1-5) in time for the interval.

Harps increased their cushion to four shortly after the restart, but having

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failed to score for long periods of the half, they allowed Bunninadden to take a two-point advantage. Yet, when push came to shove, the Harps rose to the occasion, and some incisive play by Daniel Flaherty, Fiachra Gorman, Thomas Cryan, and the always threatening McGill helped them to power past the stern Bunninadden challenge.

AODH RUADH The Aodh Ruadh club in Ballyshannon were in jubilant mood in midAugust, as they booked their place in the semi-final of the Donegal Intermediate Championship with a nine-point triumph over Buncrana (3-12 to 0-12) at Scarvey. This was the second outing between the two teams, with the previous game six weeks beforehand ending in a draw. Buncrana operate a division above the third-tier Aodh Ruadh, and there was an expectation that this would count for something when they renewed their acquaintance.

Indeed, there were signs of this during the opening moments, as Odhran Doherty (free) and David Bell both found the target in impressive fashion.

Aodh Ruadh were struggling to settle into the proceedings, and it wasn’t until the 11th minute that they opened their account. Midfielder Donagh McIntyre was the scorer on this occasion, as he fired over from a distance of 30 metres having evaded challenges from three Buncrana players.

This point was cancelled out by a fine effort from corner-back Simon McGrory, but Aodh Ruadh were beginning to play with more confidence, as inside forward Kerry Ryan made it a one-point game. Ballyshannon were threatening to take control of the game at this point and, at the very end of the opening quarter, they did just that, as David McGurrin intercepted hesitant Buncrana netminder Sean Sweeney before finishing comfortably into an empty net.

This goal was a real confidence-booster for the visiting team, and though Bell did reply with a point for the Inishowen men, but another error in their defence allowed Aodh Ruadh in for another three-pointer during the closing stages of the half. It was Stephen Doherty who was guilty of slack defensive play in this instance, as Ryan pounced on a wayward pass by the defender before firing emphatically past the stranded Sweeney. Every score was proving vital to the Aodh Ruadh cause, and when custodian Peter Boyle stepped forward to convert a tricky ‘45’, they managed to bring a 2-3 to 0-4 cushion into the interval. However, Buncrana did make a positive start to the second half, as All-Ireland winning county star Ryan Bradley drilled a shot between the posts on the run.

Michael Ward was on hand to secure Aodh Ruadh’s first score of the period, but with Paul McGonigle add to the Scarvey outfit’s tally, there was still plenty of football to be played. A magnificent long-range Anthony Boyle score once again reined in Buncrana, but a brace of frees from Doherty and McGonigle brought the gap down to three. It was during this juncture that Aodh Ruadh pushed on for their victory, though, and a 1-2 contribution from the outstanding Ward, alongside efforts from Conor Patton, Diarmaid McInerney and McGurrin, as well as two points courtesy of former county man Brian Roper, proved decisive in forcing the tie in their direction.

ARMAGH HARPS Armagh Harps boosted their trophy cabinet on July 28th when their Senior ‘B’ team were crowned T-Met Senior ‘B’ Championship with a well-deserved victory over Maghery by a margin of seven points (1-10 to 0-6). Although this isn’t necessarily the most prestigious competition in the county, a decent crowd did gather in the Morgan Athletic Grounds, which wasn’t that much of a surprise given Harps’ location in Armagh City.

Boosted by the cracking atmosphere in the Armagh GAA county grounds,

Harps opened up an early two point lead thanks to a brace of scores from Pudesy Rafferty. A goal-scoring opportunity presented itself to Maghery with just eight minutes gone, but just when it looked like they were going to assume control of the game, Harps netminder Philly Richards produced a terrific point-blank save to keep them at bay.

This came as a huge sigh of relief for Harps, and they took advantage by adding a third point to their total through Liam McKenna. Harps had a three-point opening of their own as the half wore on, but James Willis’ attempt on goal came crashing off the post. Maghery started to gain a stranglehold on the game moving into the second quarter, though, and after forging a series of promising attacks, they gained parity with their city counterparts.

With the sides now on an even keel, it was a tight end to the opening period, but Harps managed to bring a 0-5 to 0-4 lead into the second half thanks to a late Rafferty placed ball point. They also had a couple of significant advantages upon the resumption as well, however, as they were playing down a hill and also had a slight breeze at their backs.

In spite of this, it remained rather tight during the early exchanges after the restart, as score were proving to be hard to come by. When the first score of the half eventually arrived, it was Maghery who got it, and it seemed that the decider was destined to remain close up until the final whistle.

Yet, when it mattered most, it was Harps who delivered the goods, with Taff Toal and Rafferty helping to reclaim the three-point advantage that they had let slip before the break. Toal was becoming more influential as the tie progressed, and he put the outcome beyond any doubt when he clinically registered the only goal of the game 55 minutes in.

This score certainly embellished the final scoreline, but Maghery pushed them to a considerable degree, and team manager Gerard Agnew, as well as team captain Neil McArdle, were fully aware of just show determined their opponents had been on the day.

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MANAGER PROFILE MICK O’DWYER Mention his name and you will hear gasps of admiration. His career, both as a player and a manager, is legendary. The blood, sweat and tears that he has poured into the world of Gaelic Games over the course of the last four decades is there for all to see. Mick O’Dwyer is a one off.

Born in Waterville, County Kerry in 1936, he was educated locally at St. Finian’s national school before later attending Waterville Technical School.

O’Dwyer later worked as a hotelier as well as running an undertaker service.

Yet it was his career with the gaelic football that would see him become one of the immortals of the game.

The early 1950’s would see the beginning of Dwyer’s involvement with the Kerry football side, beginning at minor level. He would bag his first provincial medal in the 1954 Munster Minor final against old rivals Cork, helping the Kingdom to a 4-10 to 1-03 dissection over the Rebels. Kerry would reach the All-Ireland Final that year, but would lose out narrowly to Dublin, Surprisingly O’Dwyer was not involved in the starting fifteen on that occasion.

A 2-7 to 0-3 victory for Kerry gave O’Dwyer his first Munster winners’ medal in the senior grade. The Kingdom’s run of success came to a halt in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final when Derry defeated O’Dwyer’s team by just a single point.

The following year would prove to be very memorable. After collecting another provincial medal, once again at the expense of Cork, O’Dwyer and Kerry made their way to Croke Park in September for an All-Ireland final showdown with Galway. Having suffered All-Ireland heartbreak the year before, Kerry were not going to be denied and in a cracking game they swept the Tribesmen aside by a score-line of 3-7 to 1-4 to give O’Dwyer a first senior All-Ireland winners medal.

Despite a two year absence from the game after he broke both his legs, O’Dwyer would bag another three All-Ireland medals during his playing career, along with an incredible ten more Munster championships.

1974 would see O’Dwyer bring the curtain down on his playing career, however he would not go quietly into the night and twelve months later he would take over at the helm of Kerry football as manager, a position that he would hold with great distinction for twelve years.

During that time Kerry enjoyed one of the most successful periods in their history. Under his tutelage, Kerry played in ten All-Ireland finals, winning eight of them. During this period as manager of what many consider to be the greatest football team of all time, five of his players won a magical 8 Senior All-Ireland medals. While four of his players won 8 Texaco Awards and overall his players won 71 All Star Awards. His record as Kerry manager speaks for itself. Kerry played 55 games during his time in charge, which they won 43, lost 7 and drew 5.

However all good things must come to an end and in 1988 O’Dwyer and Kerry would part ways. Many thought that it would be the last time that they would see the legendary manger on the side lines; however that would not prove to be the case.

He made his managerial comeback in 1991 when he made the move to Kildare. It would be the first of two occasions that he would take charge of the Leinster county.

Sadly for Kildare fans, O’Dwyer was unable to replicate the magic that he created at Kerry. Despite leading the Lilywhites to a Leinster title in 1998, it would prove to be a difficult period for O’Dwyer, who would ultimately walk away from the job in the early 2000’s.

Yet the fire within O’Dwyer refused to be dimmed and he made his way to Laois, who he took charge of in 2002. The magic, which saw him scale such heights as a player and manager, returned and he would sprinkle his magic dust on that particular Laois side. In 2003 O’Dwyer would famously lead Laois to their first Leinster SFC title since 1946. They would also reach the final in 2004 and ’05, but came up short on both occasions.

Having left Laois with his reputation enhanced even more, O’Dwyer would continue to ply his trade with both Wicklow and Clare.

Up to this summer, O’Dwyer was in charge of the Clare football team, however after a disappointing campaign, the Banner County and O’Dwyer parted ways. In the immediate aftermath of the split O’Dwyer stated his intention that he will continue in management. Given his past record, some county could become very lucky in the next while should Mick O’Dwyer take charge of them.

The fire burns as brightly as it ever has.

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Sponsorship in GAA Since its foundation in 1884, the GAA has grown to become a major influence in Irish sporting and cultural life with considerable influence in communities throughout Ireland as well as among the Irish diaspora. This amateur association initially relied on fund raising activities but following the GAA’s initial decision to seek sponsorship for the All Ireland Championships games of hurling and football two high-profile sponsors stepped forward, in the shape of Bank of Ireland and Guinness

A

round the mid 1990s the GAA was very concerned about the game of hurling and its declining popularity.

Meanwhile Gaelic Football was enjoying unprecedented success and following. This was somewhat attributable to a highly successful sponsorship arrangement with Bank of Ireland, who had worked hard to raise the profile and professional image of that game among the public. The GAA realised that finding a similar hard working and effective sponsor for Hurling would be crucial for its future development and success.

At that particular time, Guinness, one of the biggest sponsors in Ireland, was actively looking for a new sponsorship opportunity. It had expressed interest in sponsoring the All Ireland Hurling Championship. The company saw Guinness and Hurling as appropriate partners that could work well together - both were uniquely Irish and both were recognised as such the world over.

Guinness got their opportunity in 1995 and under their sponsorship agreement they provided monies which the GAA could utilise to develop their games at all levels. However, more importantly, Guinness invested funds and its marketing expertise into the promotion and advancement of

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the game of Hurling. Colin Storm, Guinness’ Managing Director in Ireland, made the weighty boast that it was their intention to “revitalise and market this wonderful sport”, which is what they did.

This partnership was an instant success and Guinness seemed to have had a marketing Midas touch. GAA commercial and stadium director Peter McKenna agreed that “Guinness are a tremendous marketing company and what they achieved for hurling was phenomenal.” There is no doubt that Guinness represented some of the most creative, well-constructed and innovative marketing expertise in Ireland.

Their initial advertising promotion focused attention on the skills of the game and the players. The campaign was filled with imagery and captured the spirit of the game and the imagination of the public. Many still remember the images of the man who could ‘reach speeds of 100 mph … level whole counties in one second flat… and break hearts at 70 yards.’

In 1997, GAA president, Joe McDonagh, concurred that “Guinness have shown creativity and flair which captured the ethos of the game and the imagination of the public.”

Every year Guinness began the new Hurling season with a high profile launch involving players, managers, officials, GAA and the media. Hurling had never been advertised before in Ireland and the campaign had brought Hurling to the attention of new audiences and greatly enhanced the image of the sport. There was major progress in attendances, participation and media coverage with attendances increasing from under 290,000 in 1994 to 543,000 five years later. The number of matches shown live on television almost quadrupled.

Research carried out by the GAA in 2007 as part of the development of its Strategic Plan strongly endorsed the idea of a ‘multi sponsor’ concept based on the model used for big international events such as the Olympic Games and the Rugby and Soccer World Cups. This would replace the previous long-standing sponsorships from Guinness and Bank of Ireland.

In March 2008 GAA President, Nickey Brennan, announced the new sponsors for the senior All Ireland Hurling and Football Championships. The Football Championship would be sponsored for the following three years

by Toyota, Ulster Bank and Vodafone while the Hurling Championship, for the next two years, would be sponsored by Etihad, Guinness and RTÉ. The GAA President said the championships would benefit enormously from the six-pronged sponsorship arrangement, both in terms of heightened profile and greater exposure.

Although the multi-pack arrangement in 2008 was understood to be worth €7.5m per annum to the GAA, Nickey Brennan believed that “the biggest beneficiaries will be grassroots GAA, where the sponsorship revenues will be channeled for the continued development of our games.”

Tony Meenaghan of Smurfit School of Business and Sponsorship Advisor to the GAA said that “The multi-sponsor model represents a significant landmark in terms of sponsorship in the Irish market. It embodies important lessons from international sponsorship practice, yet is tailored to suit the GAA, its structures and its ambitions while simultaneously delivering value and protection to its partners.”

Toyota and Vodafone have been replaced as football sponsors by SuperValu and Eircom, but Ulster Bank has remained. Etihad have continued with their sponsorship of the hurling championship but RTÉ and Guinness have been replaced by Centra and Liberty Insurance. In May of this year the GAA announced that Liberty Insurance would sponsor both the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the Camogie Championships at senior, intermediate and junior level for the next five years. GAA president Liam O’Neill said of the news.

“We are delighted to confirm this partnership with Liberty Insurance, a brand with its own rich tradition and one that is firmly embedded in Irish life. We are especially pleased that for the first time one of our main sponsors will also be directly supporting the game of camogie, which further underlines our intention to bring all of our codes closer together.”

The end to the Guinness sponsorship of the All-Ireland Hurling Championship comes against the backdrop of a proposed ban on drinks companies sponsoring sporting events. However, the GAA announced that Guinness still has a role and will become a ‘proud partner’ to both the GAA and Croke Park Stadium. Commenting on the new agreement, GAA commercial and stadium director Peter McKenna said “There is no doubt that the GAA has benefited enormously from the marketing expertise of one of the world’s most creative companies. We appreciate that all sponsorship has a natural time span, and we are pleased to be taking our association with Guinness in a new direction.”

Most large sporting organisations depend on the income and support of their sponsors. Many could not survive without this type of partnership.

And it works both ways. Businesses like to be associated with counties, clubs and players. It helps build their reputation within the community, generates goodwill and can be considered as a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising. In the past, sponsorship was often seen as an underrated element of marketing communications. However, marketeers are increasingly recognising its importance and the rewards that can be reaped from a well-executed sponsorship campaign.

Ulster Bank understood the necessity and advantages of sponsorship when they declared “Sponsorship really matters to us. Our involvement in sponsorship is about creating meaningful connections with our customers and supporting what really matters to the community and society as a whole. It is our sponsorships that make some of our best community programmes both possible and powerful and allows us to engage in people’s everyday lives.”

Unfortunately the GAA will be back in the market for a new sponsor for the All-Ireland football championships at the end of this year as it has emerged that Ulster Bank are unlikely to renew their arrangement after a six-year involvement. The departure of Ulster Bank would result in no banking involvement with All-Ireland championship sponsorship for the first time in 20 years as Bank of Ireland were the sole football backers prior to the introduction of the new multi-model five years ago.

The GAA hierarchy and supporters countrywide owe a debt of gratitude to all past and present sponsors of their games; in particular to these official sponsors • Eircom, Ulster Bank, SuperValu: GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship.

• Etihad, Centra, Liberty Insurance: GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship.

• Allianz: Football and Hurling Leagues.

• Electric Ireland: GAA All-Ireland Minor Championships.

• AIB: GAA Football and Hurling All-Ireland Junior, Intermediate and Senior Club Championships.

• Cadbury: GAA Football U21 All-Ireland Championship • Bord Gáis Energy: GAA Hurling U21 All-Ireland Championship.

• Opel: GAA/GPA All Stars.

• Specsavers: GAA HawkEye • Kellogg’s: GAA Cúl Camps • Bus Éireann: Féile na nGael and Féile Peile na nÓg.

• Irish Daily Mail: GAA Higher Education League and Championship competitions.

And not forgetting Cúl Green which is an initiative between ESB and the GAA aimed at making Croke Park a carbon neutral stadium.

Let’s all hope for a continuance of these alliances and success and progress for all concerned.

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PLAYER PROFILE JOE CANNING Joe Canning has been a prominent figure in the Galway Senior hurling set up for nearly five years now, he has been there, done that, and worn the jersey and all of this at the age of just 24.

Born in Protumna in 1988, Canning was brought up with a hurley in his hand. He was part of a big hurling family. His uncle Frankie Canning played for the Galway minor hurling team when they played in the Munster Championship in the 1960’s, he was also part of the squad that beat Offaly in the All Ireland of 1981.

Canning’s brother Ollie captained the Galway senior team winning four All Stars, while his sister Deirdre played for the camogie team. However Joe would forge his own path starting at his local club Portumna.

In 2004, at the age of fifteen, Canning made his senior debut for Portumna when they took on Athenry in the County Championship final. They lost that game but in 2005 Portumna once again reached the final and Canning scored 1-11 to help them to a 3-21 to 3-12 win to give Canning his first County Club Championship medal.

That was only the beginning for Canning; as he went on to win several more accolades including three All Ireland titles and four County Club Championships during that period of time.

While Canning continued to enjoy success while he went to college, winning the Fiztgibbon Cup with Limerick Institute of Technology, he continued to rise up through the ranks of the Galway minor and Under 21 set up.

Canning continued to show why he became an integral part of the Galway senior set up with his displays at under age level. In 2006 Canning captained the Galway minors as they went for their third All Ireland Championship in a row, having played in the previous two finals.

On the day Galway were beaten by a stronger Tipperary side who ended Galway’s push for three in a row. Canning also made his debut for the Under 21 team in 2006. In his debut game the young star came on as a substitute against Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi final and scored 2-04.

However Galway lost that game. The following year Canning helped Galway to win the All Ireland at this level, defeating Dublin in the final.

The young player’s progress did not go un-noticed by the senior members of the Galway set up. However Canning decided to put off making his senior debut. Twice the senior panel came calling in 2006 and 2007 but Canning remained

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PLAYER STATS D.O.B. 11/10/88 County: Galway Position: Full Forward Height: 1.88m Honours: Club:

Inter County:

Three All Irelands, Two Connacht Titles, Four Galway titles One Leinster Title, One National Hurling League, Three All Stars

with the underage set up to help bring them success.

It may have taken a few years, but in 2008 Galway manager Ger Loughnane, then in his second year in charge, broke the news that Canning had finally agreed to join the senior set up.

Canning made his debut against Cork in the semi-final of the National League campaign. Galway won that game and went on to meet Tipperary in the final. Unfortunately for Canning and company, luck was not on their side that day, as they went down to a determined Tipperary outfit.

It would be several months before Canning got his next taste of action with the Tribesmen and once again Canning showed his ability to put points on the board. He scored 2-06 in the game against Antrim. He was the top scorer in that round of qualifiers.

Along with his phenomenal natural talent, Canning holds a magnificent scoring record for his county. He once scored four goals and six points against Clare but still came out on the losing side in the game.

Canning’s eye for a goal would prove pivotal to Galway’s magnificent campaign last year .In 2012 Galway looked to have the potential to challenge the best teams in the land and they justified these expectations when they reached the Leinster final. There they met the might of Kilkenny. Many pundits expected Kilkenny to dominate Galway but Canning, winning Man of the Match, helped Galway to a 2-21 to 2-11 win.

It would not be the last that Galway would see of Kilkenny though, as circumstances would have it the two sides met again in the All Ireland Final.

In that game Canning was, once again, a shining star for Galway scoring what many believed to be goal of the season. With just over nine minutes gone, Canning gathered a pass and broke through the Kilkenny line before hitting the ball back across the goalkeeper into the back of the net.

It was a closely fought battle and when the referee blew the full time whistle the teams were level.

Devastation would soon follow when Kilkenny claimed victory in the ensuing replay.

Canning received a nomination for Hurler of the Year and also collected his third All Star award following that campaign.

Despite his tender years, Joe Canning has already achieved a lot in his career, thus far. If luck stays on his side, regarding injuries, one could fully expect Canning to add to his already burgeoning reputation as a hurler of the highest class.

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PLAYER PROFILE SEAMUS HANNON One of the most distinctive themes that has run through the 2013 All-Ireland Football Championship has been the remarkable run that London GAA have gone on this summer.

The Exiles have enjoyed a golden summer which saw them achieve a number of notable landmarks. They managed to reach their first ever Connacht championship final after a nail biting, dramatic defeat of Leitrim by a score-line of 2-11 to 1-13.

Despite going out to Cavan at the qualifier stages, London have achieved enough to dismiss any talk that they don’t ‘belong’ in the championship.

At the heart of their climb up the GAA ranks, their captain Seamus Hannon has led by example, both on and off the field of play.

A native of Edgeworthstown, Co Longford, Hannon moved to London in 2010 and has been a staple of the GAA setup ever since then. Having finished studying civil engineering in DIT Bolton Street in 2009, Hannon, like many people who graduated college at that time, struggled to find work.

After a year of looking for work, Hannon decided to try his luck abroad and ended up pitching his tent in London.

His talent for GAA was already evident, long before he made the move across the water. Hannon was involved in the Longford GAA setup, but when the provincial and club seasons finished up, Hannon was left at a loose end.

Having made the move to London, Hannon continued to play for his local Irish club, flying back whenever he could to line out.

That constant travelling would soon begin to take its toll on Hannon. He admits that he didn’t really settle in London because of all the travelling. Hannon made the move, full time, to the Fulham Irish GAA club, and since that move he hasn’t looked back.

In a recent interview Hannon joked.

“It’s funny, football was the main reason I struggled to leave Ireland and now it is the main reason for staying in London.”

It turned out to be one of the best decisions that Hannon has made in his sporting career, thus far. Despite swimming against the current, Hannon and London GAA have made tremendous strides in the last number of years.

Thanks to the ‘Seanie Johnston’ rule, which means teams cannot travel ‘abroad’ more than 13 days prior to their opening match, London faced an uphill battle in their opening championship game against Sligo.

However this only served to motivate the Exiles and they produced one of the most complete

performances seen from a London side, with Hannon playing a crucial role in his position of wing-back.

That victory proved to be the catalyst for a terrific summer, which came to an end in Croke Park against Cavan.

Speaking in the aftermath of their win against Sligo, a passionate Hannon railed against the rules which, one could argue, make London’s chances of progressing in the championship that much more difficult.

“These are rules that Croke Park made,” said Hannon. “They made their decision and all we could do was get on with it. There’s no point whinging or crying about it.

“If I was sitting here after we were beaten, I wouldn’t be using those things as excuses. As soon as the GAA made their decision, it was dealt with.

Whatever they throw at us and they can keep throwing it, we’ll keep driving on.”

At the heart of their current success, along with Hannon, is manager Paul Coggins.

Hannon feels that without the intensity that Coggins brings to the setup, London would not be making the strides that they are currently making.

“The passion that man has for the game is infectious,” said the 25-year-old, who played for Longford prior to his move to London.

“When I joined up with London and met the lads, I’ve never enjoyed my football as much. I’ve made friends for life here.

“We’ve put in a phenomenal effort since the start of the year and all the hard work is beginning to pay off,” he added.

The success that London have enjoyed this summer has shone the spotlight on players that would normally never have the chance to showcase their skills on the bigger stages that championship games provide.

Hannon, in particular, has taken the step up in his stride. Well-built and with an appetite to win that all the very best players have, he has proved to be one of the driving forces behind the Exiles extended championship run.

What happens next for Hannon and London is anyone’s guess. The GAA have recently approved a €4 million grant to help them redevelop their grounds, so one can imagine that the only way London will go is up.

That upward curve is something that each member of the London setup expect, nay, demand of themselves.

The time of considering London an ‘also ran’ in the grand scheme of Gaelic football has passed.

Thanks to players like Seamus Hannon, London GAA have arrived and are here to stay. It can only help the wider GAA community that London have, at last, come calling.

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THE BEST

...AND THE REST

H

ow do you define who are the ‘best’ teams? Are they the most consistent and secure the most wins? Are they the best entertainers or is it to do with tradition, high expectations and a higher level of skills and fitness?

Furthermore, the expertise of the manager and his backroom team must be taken into account as well as their ability to get the right structures in place. The County Board too, play a large role and must show an eagerness to support the manager and an enthusiasm in their commitment to, and involvement in, underage coaching and development. After all that, it’s up to the players!

Cork has a strong and proud cultural history and has produced championship winning teams in both football and hurling. They are the last county to have tasted success in both codes in the same year, back in 1990.

In fact only two counties have ever won All Ireland Football and Hurling in the same year; Cork (1990, 1890) and Tipperary (1990 and 1985). No one will argue but that Kilkenny and Kerry have been tremendous ambassadors for both hurling and football in turn but they do not possess the coveted dual status that Cork enjoys. Other counties such as Dublin, Galway and Wexford have collected both Sam and Liam in different years, not forgetting Offaly’s success in both competitions over the last thirty years.

Since the 2000’s another type of double has been achieved more frequently - All Ireland and National League winners.

It is perhaps these results, as well as the performances in both of these competitions, that show the gap that is emerging in skill levels and success among the different counties in both football and hurling.

Liam Kelly, from the Irish Independent, perhaps summarised what is needed to be considered ‘best among the rest.’

“This is what the game at elite level is all about – pride, passion, tactical strategy, and full-blooded commitment on the field, preceded by weeks, if not months, of debate, argument and analysis.”

Many would agree that the best teams in football that portray those traits are Kerry and Cork from Munster, Tyrone and Donegal from Ulster, with Dublin and Mayo the sole representatives of their respective provinces Leinster and Connacht. This year’s All Ireland Football semi finals strengthened this selection.

Kerry v Dublin Mayo v Tyrone These counties have teams, or should we say squads, which are capable of consistently executing the basic skills extraordinary well and occasionally accomplishing the extraordinary. Mayo midfielder Barry Moran revealed that they went back to basics after last year’s All-Ireland final loss to Donegal and he believed the work they had done would get them past the AllIreland champions this year and perhaps even All Ireland glory. Not only did they succeed in that, but Mayo also studied and short circuited the Donegal ‘system’ with consummate ease.

The 2011 All- Ireland win for the Dublin footballers, who continue to dominate Leinster, has resulted in a passionate support for the county which many believe is nearly as good as a 16th man in Croke Park. They have a quick thinking and quick moving squad and are a force to be reckoned with.

Kerry bring a great depth of talent and experience, pace, diagonal runs and the ability to turn defence into attack with the minimum of fuss. While Tyrone with their experienced players, their many All Ireland appearances and a very shrewd manager in Micky Harte, are grinding their way through their matches and improving.

These four remaining teams are well drilled and produce the unorthodox when least expected. Who then will lift Sam? Simple question but not an easy answer.

Let’s turn our attention to hurling. It is hard to argue with the statement that hurling in Ireland ‘is not a level playing field but is played in tires.’

Nowhere is this better shown than in the recent All Ireland championships.

Since the beginning of this millennium only three counties have lifted

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All Ireland and National League winners in the 2000’s Tipperary 2001

Kilkenny 2002

Kilkenny 2003

Tyrone 2003

Kerry 2004

Kilkenny 2006

Kerry 2006

Kerry 2009

Kilkenny 2009

Cork 2010

Kilkenny 2012

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, National Football League All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, National Football League All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, National Football League All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, National Football League All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, National Football League All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, National Hurling League

the Liam McCarthy Cup. Cork and Tipperary have each won it twice while Kilkenny have captured an astounding nine titles. These teams make an awesome triumphant.

However of the next tier, which includes Waterford, Dublin, Galway and Limerick not only have threatened but have made a breakthrough. After waits of 52 and 17 years, respectively, Dublin and Limerick are Provincial winners and have proudly staked their claim in for glory in an All Ireland semi final. Jimmy Barry Murphy, the former Cork star and All-Ireland winning manager, says Dublin are now among the top five teams in the country and acknowledges in particular the role of their manager Anthony Daly in that success.

Waterford must have mixed feelings about their performances, probably being one of the most consistent teams not to win the All-Ireland, having, in the last five years, contested four semi-finals and a 2008 final.

Clare are leaders of the next level which would include Offaly and Wexford.

Antrim, Laois, Westmeath and Carlow are the other teams fighting to take Liam home.

Player motivation is a must for success. As all players turn in for preseason training and gym work, what motivates them through the cold and the rain? Some can realistically expect silverware at the end. They know that football / hurling is what they do and the drive to be the very best for as long as they can is a huge motivation. Others must be spurred on by the pride of representing their county at the highest level in their particular code.

While acknowledging that success breeds further success, there can be no place for pessimism and negativity but a drive to do the best they can for themselves and their county. One has to admire the players of high achieving teams like Kilkenny and Kerry. They have undoubted talent but no airs and graces, just ambition to be the best yet again backed up with an huge willingness to work very hard.

Will the gap between the top teams and the rest continue to widen, or will this year’s championship offer hope, which, don’t forget, springs eternal?

The answer is very simple. This gap will widen if, and only if, the weaker teams permit it to. Many players often have much the same ability but elite players think faster and act quicker. Media and supporters must give weaker counties time to practice and to build.

“Each journey begins with the first step.”

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Daire WALSH

With all the provincial titles decided for this year, the serious business of championship football could begin for the eight teams that were left in 2013 All-Ireland SFC

A DIFFERE H

aving registered a convincing win against Meath to secure another Leinster title, Dublin came into the final eight, with pretentions of landing their second Sam Maguire in just three years.

Standing in their way, at the quarter-final stage, was a determined and fiercely competitive Cork side.

On a beautiful Saturday evening, both sides went after each other, determined not to leave Croke Park with the championships aspirations in tatters.

Jim Gavin’s side impressed in the opening exchanges, playing with pace, power and precision, yet for all that Dublin looked in control, they were wasteful in front of goal, squandering a number of goal chances in the opening half.

It was only the clock ticked past the 38th minute that Dublin supporters could breathe a little easier. Jack McCaffery, who was a handful for the Cork defence all afternoon, embarked on a searing run down the left wing, exchanged passes with Paul Mannion, and crashed the ball into the top right hand corner of the net from a very tight angle.

That put Dublin four points ahead, but Cork responded well with two points from the increasingly influential Brian Hurley. Hurley had the chance to convert one of his point scoring chances into a goal, but took the decision to slot the ball over the bar rather than test the mettle of Dublin goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton who, once again, was in excellent form with both the gloves and the boot, contributing six points throughout the game.

For all of Dublin’s territorial dominance, they could not shake Cork off as the game entered the latter stages. Not for the first time this year the Leinster champions bench would prove to be crucial.

Jim Gavin called upon Kevin McManamon, Dean Rock and Denis Bastick in the second half, and the trio proved just how much depth there is in the Dublin panel at the moment as they combined to score 0-04 and nudged Dublin into a 1-14 to 0-13 lead with ten minutes of the game to go.

Try as they might Cork could never peg Dublin back and Cluxton’s sixth point of the day, this time a beautifully converted free kick, sealed the result for Dublin.

The game not only saw the end of Cork’s championship ambitions for this season, but it also saw the end of Christy Cooney’s tenure of the Rebels come to an end. Cooney’s six years in charge of the Cork football side saw many highs and lows but he leaves his predecessor with a youthful and hungry side, one that will surely be back challenging for the Sam Maguire trophy in the not too distant future.

While Dublin may have eliminated one Munster county at the quarter-final stage, the other Munster side left in the competition, Kerry proved that they are still a force to be reckoned with as they clinically disposed of Cavan in Croke Park by a score line of 0-15 to 0-09.

Once again Colm Cooper would prove to be the difference for the Kingdom.

‘Gooch’s’ six point haul, four of which came from frees, gave Kerry the perfect platform to secure their place in the last four.

Kerry started much the better in the opening stages and took the game to

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ENT CLASS Cavan, who looked a little but shell shocked in the early exchanges. Cavan made a promising start with an early Martin Dunne free, but that would prove to be the worst possible indicator of what was to come in the first half. Incredibly the Breffni men would not hit the target again for another 26 minutes.

During that time Kerry hit nine points in a row and took complete control of the game. Donnchadh Walsh opened the Munster champions’ account and then Johnny Buckley fired over three well-taken frees in a row as Kerry led by 0-4 to 0-1 after 11 minutes.

The gulf in class became more and more evident as the first half worn on and Kerry when in at half-time a deserved nine points to the good, leading by 0-11 to 0-02.

Cavan started the second half in much the same manner as the first. Niall McDermott slotted over two frees to put a more respectable gloss on the score line. Indeed Cavan were the better team for much of the second half, indeed they got to within five points of Kerry at one stage.

However it would be their wastefulness in front of goal that would prove to be their undoing. They hit three wides in a row and that seemed to take the wind out of their sails.

Cooper and Kerry would take advantage of Cavan’s wastefulness and ‘Gooch’ slotted over a beautifully crafted point to end any hope for Cavan as the Munster champions ran out deserved winners by 0-15 to 0-09.

On paper perhaps the closest looking quarter-final was to see Mayo and Donegal square off against each other. Donegal, the defending All-

Ireland champions, had stuttered through the Ulster championship and many people fancied Mayo to push Donegal very close in their last eight encounter.

What many people didn’t expect is for Mayo to completely destroy Donegal, in a performance of sheer authority and class.

James Horan’s men came racing out of the blocks and laid down the marker in no uncertain terms in the opening 15 minutes. Cillian O’Connor and Donal Vaughan both hit the back of the net to rock the All-Ireland champions, who looked a shadow of the side who swept all before them just eleven months previously.

O’Connor was the standout player for Mayo, who produced one of the most complete championship performances in many years.

The former Young Footballer of the Year added to his early goal with two further strikes as he claimed his second hat-trick in two games, having scored one previously in the Connacht final against London.

While O’Connor’s performance was a joy to behold, what was more intriguing to watch was the complete meltdown of the Donegal system, one that was thought to be nigh on impregnable on some occasions.

The final nail in Donegal’s coffin came when they were reduced when Éamonn McGee was sent off and then Leo McLoone missed a golden opportunity in front of goal.

They would eventually salvage some pride in injury when Colm McFadden blasted a free to the back of the Mayo net, but by then the game, as a >> contest, was well and truly over.

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Jimmy McGuinness’s men were many peoples favourite to retain the Sam Maguire this year, however they never looked at home against Mayo. Their huge work rate, which has been one of the hallmarks of the McGuinness era, was missing. They were second to the majority of breaking balls and looked a yard off the pace of the game.

Perhaps they reached the bottom of the barrel and they were unable to sustain the incredible high standards that they have set for themselves over the last number of seasons, or perhaps they just ran into a better side on the day.

Mayo’s defeat of Donegal meant they could watch Monaghan face Tyrone with contentment, knowing that they would face whoever won in the semifinals.

Just like the Mayo v Donegal encounter, the Monaghan & Tyrone game had its fair share of talking points too. Monaghan, who came into the game as the new Ulster champions, were expected to push Tyrone close. Not only did they push Tyrone close, but arguably they can count themselves unfortunate not to come out on the right side of the score line.

The game, which ebbed and flowed, saw the side’s level on a number of occasions, saw two players sent to the side line. Tyrone were the first side to lose a man when Martin Penrose was given his marching orders moments into the second half.

The numbers were balanced a while thereafter when Kieran Hughes followed Penrose for an early shower.

Both sides refuse to let the loss of a player affect their performance, with Sean Cavanagh, in particular, producing a stellar performance for Tyrone.

He contributed five points throughout the game as Tyrone held a narrow advantage as the game ticked towards its conclusion.

Tyrone regained the lead straight away through Ronan O’Neill, and a free from Cavanagh, his fifth of the game, put Tyrone two ahead heading towards injury-time.

Monaghan needed a goal, but it was Tyrone who came closest to hitting the net in the closing stages, with Conor Clarke smashing an effort against the crossbar with a few minutes to go. However Mickey Harte’s side did enough and narrowly held on for the victory.

That victory against Monaghan set up a semi-final clash against Mayo and it was a game that didn’t disappoint.

Played in front of an expectant Croke Pak both sides attacked the game with tremendous vigour. Although James Horan’s side struggled in the first half, they managed to go in at the break just a point down – 0-7 to 0-6 – after playing very poorly.

It looked for long periods of the game that it would be Tyrone, rather than Mayo who would be back in Croke Park for the All-Ireland final as they picked points off Mayo in tremendous style.

Yet Mayo are made of strong stuff and they knuckled down and fought back. When Robert Hennelly nailed a long-range free, they had turned a one-point deficit into a six-point lead in 11 second half minutes.

Although McCurry and Aidan Cassidy pulled scores back for Tyrone to reduce the gap, it wasn’t enough and Mayo booked their place in the final for the second year in a row.

A magnificent 2-3 haul from Bernard Brogan was pivotal at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon (September 22nd), as Dublin secured their second AllIreland in three seasons at the end of a tension-filled encounter with James Horan’s determined Mayo side.

In a game that ebbed and flowed throughout, Mayo held a slender 0-8 to 1-4 lead during the interval, but despite some wayward shooting at various points before the interval, a strong second period showing was enough to

get Jim Gavin’s charges over the line in the Round Towers club man’s debut season as Metropolitan supremo.

The anticipation ahead of this showdown between the Leinster and Connacht Champions was enormous, as Mayo aimed to secure the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 1951. Having been blitzed by Donegal in the opening stages of last year’s decider, Mayo were determined to make a bright start to the proceedings in GAA HQ, and although Diarmuid Connolly cancelled out Andy Moran’s opener for the Green and Red, well-worked efforts by Lee Keegan, Keith Higgins and Cillian O’Connor (free) helped Mayo to build up a deserved three-point advantage (0-4 to 1-1) by the 13th minute.

Dublin had struggled to settle into the contest early on, but they burst into life moments later when Brogan rose above direct marker Ger Cafferkey, as well as the Westerners’ custodian Robert Hennelly, to flick Paul Flynn’s long delivery to the back of the opposition net.

It was hoped that this score would finally ease the pressure that had been weighing heavily on the shoulders of several Dublin players, but Mayo instead responded with three points in quick succession, two of which arrived courtesy of marauding half-back Lee Keegan.

The 2011 winners were wasting quite a bit of possession in front of the Mayo posts, but with their counterparts shooting a total of seven wides during the opening 35 minutes of play, they were able to keep in touch.

Ciaran Kilkenny and Michael Darragh MacAuley were both denied by Breaffy’s Hennelly, but although Moran registered his second point of the day on 26 minutes, much-needed points from Brogan, captain Stephen Cluxton (‘45’) and early substitute Eoghan O’Gara meant that they had cut their deficit to the bare minimum by the mid-way stage.

Having played well below their capabilities, Dublin were somewhat fortunate to be this close to the impressive Mayo, but a powerful start upon the resumption (when Cian O’Sullivan, O’Gara, Paddy Andrews, Paul Flynn and Brogan all found the range) suddenly brought them into a three-point ascendancy.

A clinical goal by Mayo’s talismanic Andy Moran off his right peg on the stroke of 50 minutes restored parity at a crucial juncture, but like all true champions, Dublin replied in emphatic fashion. Just moments after being introduced instead of injured corner-back Johnny Cooper, Denis Bastick’s telling pass paved the way for the lethal Brogan to palm calmly past the helpless Hennelly for his second major of the afternoon.

Heading into the final quarter, it seemed like this was going to be the pivotal score of the game, but Horan’s outfit deserve immense credit, as they never allowed their challenge to fade away. The deadly accurate O’Connor (whose shoulder problems arising from their semi-final triumph over Tyrone made him a doubt in the build-up) converted a trio of massive frees between the 56th and 66th minutes, and they were badly needed, as Brogan, centreback Ger Brennan, and Cluxton were all on target for the Blues.

The Parnell’s netminder’s 69th minute place-kick had all the hallmarks of an insurance point, but Mayo pressed with a lot of intent during the four minutes of stoppage time that was signalled by referee Joe McQuillan.

However, the Dublin rearguard were more than happy to halt Mayo’s various attacks with a succession of fouls, and though O’Connor added another brace of points from dead-ball situations, the Cluxton-led Sky Blues were able to hold out for their 24th title.

Although, the 82, 274 spectators in attendance were treated to a scrappier affair that was expected, it was still an enthralling occasion from start and finish, and though the Mayo faithful will be disappointed at once more coming up short, they have reason to proud of the effort that the squad have produced throughout the 2013 campaign.

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Daire WALSH

YEA

It has been one of the most engaging and entertaining summers in a long time in the 2013 Senior Hurling Championship t the beginning of the year many would have put their money on seeing old names like Kilkenny getting set to run out for another All Ireland Final, but it was not to be this year.

Instead the new young guns began to shine as we saw Limerick pick up a Munster title while Dublin was successful in their bid for a Leinster title.

Limerick, everyone will remember picked up their first provincial title in 17 years with a 0-24 to 0-15 win over Cork. While Limerick were celebrating this success Dublin were making great strides in Leinster. Firstly they beat Kilkenny in a replay before going on to convincingly beat Galway in the Leinster final.

When it came to the quarter final stage of this year’s championship, some of the match ups had a familiar look to them. Cork and Kilkenny faced off in one game while Galway and Clare lined out in another meeting.

Brian Cody and Jimmy Barry-Murphy renewed their rivalry in what was a close and at times heated battle. As the first half got underway each side went nearly point for point.

Patrick Horgan was inspirational for Cork from the throw in and remained an important figure throughout. Eoin Larkin got the Cats off the mark with a point in the opening minutes but this was soon cancelled out by Horgan who scored the first of his eight opening half points.

Cork looked the stronger team as they moved into a 0-03 to 0-02 lead.

Kilkenny drew level but from there Cork took control.

After 15 minutes the Munster men led by a point before they began to pull away. They built up a lead of 0-09 to 0-04.

Kilkenny attempted to stay within touching distance of Cork and struck back with two quick points in succession.

This momentum would suddenly be cut short with one of the major turning points of the game. Following a bad tackle on Cork’s Jamie Coughlin, Henry Shefflin, Kilkenny’s inspirational play maker was shown his second yellow card and sent to the stands.

Cork took full advantage of the sending off, building a slight cushion going into the half time break, they led by 0-11 to 0-06.

As the second half got underway Kilkenny were granted a reprieve when

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referee Barry Kelly awarded them a penalty. However Richie Power failed to convert when Anthony Nash pulled off an impressive save.

Showing their determination from years of success Kilkenny fought their way back into the game and found themselves just three points behind at one stage.

Not to be out done Cork would strike back again with five unanswered points to build a lead that Kilkenny would not be able to close.

Kilkenny’s Eoin Larkin did his best to keep the Munster men in the game with a free in the 69 minute. This was followed by another attempt two minutes later that was blocked and cleared. These attempts were all in vein as Cork held on to win and move on to face Dublin in the semi final.

When it came time for the semi final, it was Cork who displayed their superiority, demonstrating their experience of these big matches situations,to that of Dublin’s.

The boys in blue did not make it easy for Cork however as the game was once again a close encounter. The action was back and forth with points for both teams keeping both sets of fans entertained.

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Dublin got themselves onto the score sheet after just 14 seconds. Cork then built up a slender lead of two points. After ten minutes the sides stood shoulder to shoulder with four points each.

This was only the beginning. Over the course of the match, the teams were level on 15 different occasions, with 18 different players getting their name on the score sheet.

It was Cork who led after thirty minutes but Dublin would not go down without a fight. With two points in the game Dublin struck the back of the net with a David Tracey goal to gain a slender lead.

Cork would again force their way back into the lead and as the teams went in at half-time, it was all to play for. The scoreboard showed a one point lead for Cork with 0-15 to Dublin’s 1-11.

Dublin tied it up at the start of the second half and it was as you were with both teams hitting score after score.

As the game began to reach its climax it was Cork’s experience that shone through. Dublin saw Ryan O’Dwyer dismissed for a second yellow card and this provided Cork the platform they needed to claim the victory.

Paul Ryan, despite some misses, did manage to get Dublin to within a point but Patrick Horgan’s goal for Cork killed off the Dublin offensive. Despite the Dublin hurlers best efforts they could not get back into the game and Cork hung on for the win.

As time went by their opponent would be unveiled and they came in the shape of Clare, whose run through the quarter-final and the semi-final was not as close cut as that of their Munster counter parts.

In the quarter-finals Clare came up against a lacklustre Galway side. The Tribesmen were attempting to rebound after a disappointing loss to Dublin in the Leinster final.

It was Galway who started brighter when they put the first two points on the board. Joe Canning scored one of the opening points but it would go downhill for the Galway star later on in the game.

It would not just be Canning but the entire Galway team that would dip in quality before the end of the day.

Galway took a slender lead of 0-04 to 0-02 but Clare kept up with the pace and soon the sides were level at five points apiece. Clare were the team who then shifted up a gear and sat in the driver’s seat for remainder of the game.

A Conor McGrath goal helped them build a slight foundation, which they built on for the rest of the game. Clare led by 1-10 to 0-08 just before the break.

Galway got themselves back into the game in the second half. With only eight minutes left on the clock they led by two points. This was despite Joe Canning missing an uncharacteristic amount of frees.

However in that last eight minutes Galway would only score one more point. It would turn out to be Clare’s day as they confidently closed out the game. Firstly they evened up the scoring and then marched on to record a 1-23 to 2-14 win.

Next up for Clare was one of the championship’s surprise packages, Limerick. The new Munster champions were hoping to reach their first All Ireland since 2007. Earlier on that same day the minor Limerick team has lost to Galway under controversial circumstances, following a malfunction with the Hawk-Eye system.

Fans stayed firmly seated in the hope that the senior team would do them proud. They did just that but unfortunately it was not enough as they came up against a Clare team that led from the off.

It took Limerick nine minutes to get on the score sheet. They were wasteful in front of the posts while Clare took their chances when they arrived.

Limerick did manage not to let Clare get out of sight until Darach Honan scored the only goal of the game.

Limerick kept pushing and when a good point from James Ryan was ruled >>

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out by the umpires, Limerick fans must have felt the world was against them. However with Hawk-Eye shut down for the day following its earlier mishap, it was up to the match referee who duly overruled the umpires and awarded the point.

The teams went in at the break with Clare leading 1-10 to 0-06. Limerick pushed on in the second half, registering the first three scores of the half.

However Clare always maintained a strong lead.

Both sides battled hard and with three minutes left on the clock Limerick closed the gap to five points. Despite their best efforts, this was the closest the newly crowned Munster champions got to their neighbours as Clare finished strongly.

And so it was that Croke Park would be filled with some familiar colours on All-Ireland final day as Cork and Clare went into battle.

This match up saw a classic encounter unfolding which kept the fans gripped to the edge of their seats. Any neutrals will be happy to know that the teams will have to do it all over again as the game finished level 0-25 to 3-16.

Jimmy Barry Murphy and his men might have felt hard done by as they led by a point right at the death before Clare pulled level.

It was Clare who led through most of the match but Cork was never out of sight. Clare were first to open the scoring on three minutes.

It began as a closely fought battle as Cork, led by the brilliant Patrick Horgan, pulled themselves back into contention, levelling the game at four points each.

Not to be out done, for the remainder of the first half, Clare kept their noses in front. Points from Colin Ryan and Conor McGrath gave them a three point lead before the half time break.

Horgan was again on key for Cork however and converted a wonderful long

range effort which sent the sides in at half-time with the score line 0-12 to 0-10 in favour of Clare.

As the second half action started, Clare began to once again build a lead, extending the gap to four points. Conor Lehane then struck the back of the net for Cork to register the first goal of the game.

Horgan and Ryan continued to exchange points as the sides tussled back and forth all over the field.

With 13 minutes left on the clock, goalkeeper Anthony Nash scored Cork’s second goal with a twenty yard free. Cork were awarded a penalty minutes later but this time Nash was unsuccessful in his attempts to convert the opportunity.

As the game went into the closing stages Cork netted their third goal from Patrick Cronin.

The sides drew level as the clock went past the 70th minute mark. Horgan nearly broke Clare hearts with a point with only seconds remaining.

The action and excitement was not over yet however, as Domhnall O’Donovan scored a last second point to once again bring the sides level.

Fans in the ground and watching on televisions worldwide must have cheered, shouted and applauded for both teams after a game that will go down in history.

As the result began to settle in, each set of players looked both relieved and disappointed, seeing their chances of lifting the Liam McCarthy put on hold for another number of weeks.

Jimmy Barry-Murphy and Davy Fitzgerald shook hands and must have shared a quiet word as they parted ways to draw up another plan of attack.

With the sides once again level the referee blew the final whistle, meaning Clare and Cork will have to do it all again.

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Padraic HOGAN

OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE GAA at the highest level continues to become increasingly competitive year after year, urging players to go the extra mile in their performance. These demands need to be supported by sound science, as Cian O’Neill, fitness coach to the Kerry Footballers is well aware of.

Course Director for the Bsc in Physical Education at the University of Limerick, Cian O’Neill believes that developing players and topping the league is rarely about breaking record numbers, but instead is about the quality of playing time and, more often than not, the quality of recovery between high-intensity sessions.

Good functional movement and quality recovery have become important to therapists too. Some therapists have sought out the best of the best to train with to maximise helping athletes achieve their goals.

Ginny Ross of Limerick Sports Therapy is such a therapist, who has travelled to the United States on three occasions to train with top flexibility experts, Chris and Ann Frederick of the ‘Stretch To Win Institute’ in Arizona, who teach a revolutionary new treatment which provides optimal performance through flexibility therapy.

Ginny has now reached the highest qualification as Fascial Stretch Specialist, having completed three levels of training and as such is the only therapist in Ireland currently at this level.

This is a treatment that has become highly sort after in the United States by athletes across the board who wish to minimise injury and improve performance, such as Kevin Cutjar, 32 times Ironman and winner of both Ultraman competitions in Hawaii and Canada; several NFL teams for example the Cardinals and Eagles. Tim Ferris, author of the bestseller “The Four Hour Body” has also subscribed to this new therapy.

Flexibility is vital for everyday life but it’s of particular importance in sport.

Getting to the breakdown first can result in the winning of the game. The ability to decelerate and accelerate, twist and turn while at full throttle are also potential game-changers.

F.S.T. has only come to the attention of professional sports organisations here in Ireland in recent times. Ginny’s work can be vouched for by a growing number of established athletes.

Clients of Limerick Sports Therapy consists of a number of Munster and Ireland rugby players including Munster Player of the Year, Tommy O’Donnell, the Fijian Rugby team and a number of high level triathletes.

Tommy O’Donnell saw these gains after a short number of treatments during the season.

TESTS

RESULTS

Knee to wall calf test

increased by 2cms

Jump test from average 56-57

increased to 60-63

Tommy says, “I have benefited massively from fascial stretching both from a recovery aspect in games and in increasing my flexibility. Rugby, being a

collision sport, can leave the body feeling sore, sometimes to the middle of the next week after a tough weekend game.

“I feel fascial stretching resets me both mentally and physically at the beginning of the week. From the start to the end of the session, there is a marked increase in the range of motion I am able to move through.”

Tipperary’s two time all-star and ever-present No 6, Conor O’Mahony has benefited greatly from his sessions at Limerick Sports Therapy and was quick to highlight the importance of agility and movement in what is becoming an increasingly fast moving sport.

“Having attended Ginny for Fascial Stretch Therapy, not only has there been a significant improvement in my movement and agility, it has also contributed to my speed which has now become an essential component of the modern hurling game.

“Thanks to FST, I have made great progress with on-going injuries that I have picked up throughout my career. Equally, it has undoubtedly reduced the occurrence of new injuries.”

F.S.T. unlocks the athlete’s potential and allows quicker recovery, while also helping to reduce injuries. This is a therapy that you can feel instantly as you get off the table and has lasting effects.

These are just some of the benefits of FST: • Increased strength in muscle output, i.e. Running faster, jumping higher, throwing further.

• Less fatigue • Increased blood flow • Better balance and symmetry • Improved posture • Speedier recovery times • Better flexibility • The release of endorphins that help with pain relief • Increased joint space – less degenerative joint disease • Reduction/elimination of tight muscles and stiff joints • Greater gains than when self-stretching Many of the noticeable gains in flexibility come from the joint capsule, which in itself regulates the range of motion of the limb. F.S.T. addresses all of this through gentle, pain-free, specifically designed movement patterns.

It is a unique and complimentary table based assisted therapy quite unlike any other out there and has to be experienced to be understood.

Limerick Sports Therapy practitioner, Ginny Ross says: “I can honestly say that F.S.T. has revolutionised the way I can access and treat, sometimes long standing and overlooked problems with the satisfaction of seeing this transferred to sport performance in a most positive and rewarding way.”

For more information on this therapy or to discuss a tailor made package you can go to www.limericksportstherapy.com or alternatively you can call Ginny on 087 6209541.

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Daire WALSH

DEISE DELIGHT S

unday September 8th was a day to remember for all connected to Waterford GAA, as the Deise County’s minor hurling side were crowned All-Ireland Champions for the first time in 65 years with an outstanding 1-21 to 0-16 success over Galway at Croke Park. A strong third-quarter showing by the Tribesmen, galvanised by the introduction of Brian Burke, restored parity in the 46th minute, but after outscoring their opponents 1-6 to 0-1 during the final ten minutes of play (the three-pointer arriving courtesy of Patrick Curran), Waterford sealed their thirdever Minor Hurling crown.

However, Waterford’s passage to the final had been somewhat unusual, as they had already been on the receiving end of two defeats during their provincial campaign. In spite of a 0-11 contribution from Curran, they suffered a 2-18 to 1-15 reversal to Tipperary in the opening round of the Munster Minor Hurling Championship, before bouncing back with a comprehensive 4-18 to 1-10 play-off victory over Clare, and a 3-19 to 1-20 extra-time win against Cork at the last-four stage.

Meeting them in the decider at the Gaelic Grounds on July 14th were Limerick, who had negotiated their way past Tipperary with three points to spare (1-17 to 0-17). A last-gasp major by Treaty substitute Tom Morrissey meant that the Munster finale would be decided in a replayed fixture, which was won by Limerick (1-20 to 4-8) in spite of a magnificent 3-2 tally by Waterford’s Stephen Bennett.

This was Limerick’s first Munster Minor triumph in all of 29 years, and as a result they moved forward to the All-Ireland Semi-Final, where their opponents would be Galway, who had defeated Leinster finalists Laois in the quarter-finals with nine points to spare (1-19 to 0-13).

This was a rather controversial meeting at GAA HQ on August 18, as an opening minute Barry Nash effort for Limerick was ruled out due to a technical fault in the Hawk-Eye system, but an injury-time converted free

by Ronan Lynch did force the action into extra-time after Adrian Morrissey looked like he was set to be the match-winner for Galway.

Mattie Murphy’s outfit assumed control during the additional periods, however, and they eventually moved forward to their 15th All-Ireland MHC showdown in 22 seasons. Following the Hawk-Eye mishap, Limerick appealed for a change in the outcome of this game to the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC), the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) and the Dispute Resolution Authority (DRA), all of which were turned away.

After their Munster Final set-back, Waterford had a quarter-final date with Ulster winners Antrim (who had overcome Down in their provincial decider) at Donaghmore/Ashbourne, and though the game was finished early due to a serious neck injury sustained by the Saffron County’s Jude McCurdy, a brace of goals from the deadly duo of Curran and Bennett secured Waterford’s spot in the last-four on a 4-20 to 1-9 scoreline.

An encounter in Jones’ Road awaited them on August 11th against old rivals Kilkenny (who had won five games from five in their Leinster campaign), and they rose to the occasion on the day, as first-half goals by DJ Foran and Adam Farrell offered them a slender, but much deserved, 2-12 to 0-16 winning margin.

Goals either side of the break from Tommy Conroy and Darragh Doherty were crucial in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final against Tyrone on September 22nd, as Mayo secured their seventh-ever title, and their first since 1985. The Ulster men held a marginal lead in the closing moments of the opening period, but Conroy’s goal helped Mayo towards a 1-4 to 0-6 interval cushion.

Doherty’s coolly struck 38th minute major moved Mayo into a seemingly unassailable eight-point advantage, and though Tyrone did battle gamely during the final-quarter (Conor McKenna’s stoppage time goal gave them a late kick), the superb performances by Conroy, Doherty and Conor Loftus gave the Westerners a fully merited 2-13 to 1-13 victory.

Mayo had impressed on their way to the decider, with three moraleboosting victories in their successful Connacht Championship journey over Leitrim, Galway and Roscommon showing that they were a forced to be reckoned with. Darragh Doherty, Liam Irwin and Conor Loftus all found the net in the provincial finale in Castlebar during July, and although Roscommon threw a spanner in the works late on thanks to an expertlytaken penalty by Diarmuid Murtagh, Mayo eventually held firm to record a 3-7 to 1-10 win.

As a result, they embarked on the All-Ireland Series with a great deal of confidence, and despite the best efforts of Luke Loughlin and Robert Hickey, Tommy Carr’s Westmeath were overwhelmed by their Western counterparts in a 2-13 to 0-8 defeat at the quarter-final stage.

The next port of call for Enda Gilvarry’s brigade was Croke Park for their semi-final showdown on August 25th against Ulster Champions Monaghan, who had a star performer in corner-forward Conor McCarthy (who ended with 1-4 to his name). However, in goal-scorers Conor Loftus, Michael Plunkett and Tommy Conroy, Mayo also had fine operators, as the Northerners were put the sword with all of 13 points to spare (3-19 to 1-12).

Monaghan had earlier produced a spirited display to narrowly overcome Tipperary at the quarter-final point, but their crowning glory of the year was the dramatic Ulster showpiece on home soil in Clones on July 21st, when two late goals by Barry McGinn and Fearghal McMahon propelled them towards a 4-10 to 2-14 success.

This was a tough outcome for Tyrone to take, but they bounced back in determined form at the start of August with a 0-17 to 1-12 extra-time triumph over Munster victors Kerry (the Kingdom had seen off Tipperary in the South on a 0-15 to 0-10 scoreline).

Joining them in the semi-final were Roscommon, who responded to their reversal against Mayo with a 3-8 to 0-12 win over the much-fancied Kildare, thanks to terrific goals by Diarmuid Murtagh, Diarmuid McCann and Ullman Harney. The Lilywhites secured the Leinster Minor title for the first time in 22 years thanks to a comprehensive triumph over Westmeath, but their encounter with The Rossies in Tullamore proved to be a bridge too far.

A tremendous penultimate round duel between Roscommon and Tyrone was an ideal curtain-raiser for the epic Dublin-Kerry All-Ireland Senior Semi-Final, and though the teams were evenly matched throughout the field, a 1-4 salvo by the magnificent Conor McKenna helped the Ulster outfit to book their place in the final with a 1-12 to 0-13 winning margin.

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Daire WALSH

NEW CAMOGIE ERA T

his was a lot of build up to the new camogie championship this year with a new league structure and a new sponsorship deal in place.

Liberty Insurance took the reins going into the 2013 championship and the league began to take shape. The very structure the league was built on also changed.

In the 2012 championship some of the teams would end up playing on eight consecutive weekends. This point was brought up by Wexford’s Kate Kelly back in June in the week leading up to their championship opener against Tipperary. “The introduction of the quarter-final as well allows teams that haven’t gone so well in the group stages to get back in and contest for a place in the final so, overall, it is a better structure,” declared the Wexford star.

Many people associated with camogie and ladies football still feel that the men’s game gets more attention on television and radio, however with the excitement of this year’s championship in the lead up to All Ireland final between Galway and Kilkenny on the 15th of September, more people began to sit up and take notice.

For both counties now waiting to contest the final, their paths at the semi final stage were very different. The Cats reaching the final by a whisker while Galway were convincing winners against current holders Wexford.

The first semi final saw Kilkenny take on Cork in what would be a highly entertaining and closely fought encounter.

The action was turned up as the soon as the sliotar was thrown in as Kilkenny broke down the field. From the beginning both teams attempted to control the ball, and the black and amber ladies received the first clear scoring opportunity.

This chance fell in the guise of a penalty which Aoife Neary stepped up to take. The Kilkenny player decided to play it safe and struck the sliotar over the bar for a point.

The decision to go for the definite point may have looked like a bad one when, 90 seconds later, Cork found the net. Katrina Mackey got the score following some wonderful build up play from Angela Walsh.

Kilkenny would receive another penalty in the 19th minute of the first half but that would lead to no score at all. Rena Buckley stood tall in the goals and denied Neary the score. Despite this missed opportunity Kilkenny continued to control the game but Cork kept the scoring close.

Neary, quickly moving on from the early disappointment, was inspirational for Kilkenny and kept their momentum flowing with some well taken scores. Once again though Cork would not be out done Katrina Mackey was involved in the play repeatedly and it was her build up play that led to Corks next score. Julia White received the pass from Mackey and put it in the back of the net.

Kilkenny continued to push on and in the 23rd minute they scored a goal of their own. The sides went in at the break with the score at 1-7 to 2-3 in Kilkenny’s favour.

As the second half kicked off Kilkenny continued where they left off, Katie Power and Aisling Dunphy puts two more points on the board straight away.

The tide would then change in favour of the Munster ladies as they scored five unanswered points to put Cork in the driver’s seat.

With ten minutes to go in the game, Aoife Neary would once again come

to Kilkenny’s aid she scored a superb goal to lead to a tense closing stage.

Despite Cork’s best efforts they could not get back into the game and Kilkenny hung on for the well earned one point margin win.

They would soon find out it would be Galway that would line up against them in the All Ireland final.

It would turn out to be an easier day for the Tribeswomen as they disposed of reigning champions Wexford with the final score line standing at 1-12 to 1-06.

Wexford were making the bid for four titles in a row but that task was made difficult from the very beginning of the season. Seven players who had featured in Wexford’s winning team the year beforehand were now unavailable for selection for a number of reasons.

Wexford can still hold their heads high for managing to reach the All Ireland semi final, however on this day, Galway were just too strong.

Wexford were playing into a strong wind in the first half and this showed when they managed to only score two points before half time.

The game was a broken affair with many of the scores coming from frees.

Galway began to pull away with a Niamh Kilkenny goal in the 23rd minute.

That goal helped Galway build a halftime lead of 1-06 to 0-02.

It was as you were when they second half began as Galway continued to build on their lead. However Wexford showed why they are reiging champions as they continued to battle on.

A superb 75 metre score from Kate Kelly showed they wanted to get back to Croke Park but that momentum was quicky stopped with the sending off of Katrina Parrock.

After that Galway brought the game to a comfortable close for them with scores from Kilkenny and Noreen Coen.

After a sixteen year wait, the Galway ladies finally claimed an All Ireland senior camogie title, with a five point win over Kilkenny, 1-09 to 0-07.

It took nine minutes for either side to score when Niamh McGrath slotted over a free for Galway, however two minutes later the Cats were level through Ann Dalton.

It was a back and forth battle between the sides leading up to half time, with Kilkenny taking the lead for the first time through Aisling Dunphy.

However the decisive score came from Ailish O’Reilly when she netted the only goal of the game four minutes before the break.

This gave Galway the momentum going into the break and they hung onto the lead despite attempts from Michelle Quilty and Dalton again. A solid Galway defence meant Kilkenny went 16 minutes without a score in the second half.

The senior title added to what was already a great day for Galway as the intermediate side picked up the All Ireland win with a thrilling victory over Limerick.

It was another close encounter with both sides trading score after score.

Niamh Mulcahy, Limerick’s top score during the day kept them in the running throughout the course of the match.

As the game began to reach its finale two more scores from Mulcahy led to a tense finish but it was Galway hero Rebecca Hennelly who scored the decisive point at the death.

With Galway now two points ahead Limerick needed a goal. It was not to be as Galway and their defence, who had performed so well throughout the day held on for the win, 0-12 to 0-10.

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Daire WALSH

WHITEHALL COLMCILLES 2013 has been a mixed year to date for Whitehall Colmcilles on the playing field at adult level, as some results have not gone their way, but they nevertheless have secured some terrific victories at different stages in their teams’ respective campaigns. The senior footballers got their Championship season underway on Friday May 10th against 2011 winners St Brigid’s in Parnell Park, but this proved to be a night to forget for Colmcilles. With the Russell Park outfit operating a couple of divisions ahead of their opponents, they were hot favourites heading into this clash, and they had effectively sealed their place in the second round by the mid-way point, as they led by a grand total of 21 points (5-7 to 0-1).

There was a slight improvement by Colmcilles after the restart, but the Brigid’s attack continued to be in a rampant mood, and they eventually secured an astonishing 32-point triumph (7-16 to 0-5). Inter-county star Paddy Andrews registered a hat-trick of goals on the night, while further majors courtesy of Daire Plunkett (two), Philly Ryan and Kevin Bonner further embellished their winning margin.

This result was certainly a disappointment to the Cloghran men, but they are more than capable of making a splash in the Dublin Senior Football ‘B’ Championship, which will take place once Dublin’s involvement in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship comes to an end. This is a competition for those who were defeated in the first round of the ‘A’ section, with the losers of the opening round having to negotiate their way through a relegation championship before their senior championship status is fully secured for 2014.

A victory would certainly raise the confidence levels in the participating clubs, though, and with Colmcilles’ opposition in the first round – St Mary’s, Saggart – having also suffered a comprehensive defeat in the Dublin SFC (by 5-16 to 2-5 against Kilmacud Crokes), they have reason to be positive about their chances of progressing to the next stage. Their Intermediate Hurlers have had a strong 2013 to date, however, and with their final Intermediate Championship Group B fixture due to take place on at the end of August, they were in an excellent position to secure their spot at the knock-out stages. They started their campaign with a hard-earned 0-13 to 1-10 stalemate on home soil against Fingallians on April 20th, before registering their first win at the start of May in a 7-18 to 2-7 demolition of Good Counsel at Galtymore Road.

This was a fine start to the group for Colmcilles, but in such a tightlycontested section, they needed to ensure that their form remained on an upward curve. It was a much closer affair when they welcomed Na Fianna to Cloghran on May 18th, but Whitehall brought their 100% record to an end with a well-deserved four-point victory (1-10 to 0-9). This was a fantastic win for Colmcilles, but they once again had to face unbeaten

opponents in the form of St Vincent’s for their third home tie of the competition on June 19th. Once more, the Whitehall brigade halted the winning ways of their counterparts, but they had to be content with their second draw from four outings, this time on 2-9 apiece.

For a number of reasons, the Intermediate Championship was put on hold for a couple of months, but Whitehall were due to be back in action on August 24th, with a trip to McGee Park and the challenge of St Mark’s.

The Tallaght outfit have picked up just one point from three games, and Colmcilles will be expected to emerge victorious from this game. They will still need to do the business on the pitch, though, as a win will be required if they are to leap-frog both Na Fianna and St Vincent’s, and subsequently claim a top-place finish.

Whitehall Colmcilles will definitely contest a Championship decider during 2013, as they booked their place in the Dublin Junior ‘B’ Football Championship Final with a gutsy 2-13 to 2-10 success over St Maur’s on August 18th in Balgriffin. They will come head-to-head with Fingallians in the fourth-tier showpiece, after they defeated St Anne’s 2-15 to 3-5 in the game that followed Colmcilles’ encounter at Innisfails GAA. They had started their run with a comfortable 2-10 to 0-6 triumph over Civil Service on June 16th, before adding a second successive victory nine days later against Naomh Olaf in the first round proper on a score line of 1-19 to 1-3. Colmcilles were now playing with supreme confidence, and they were expected to book their last-four place when they met St Oliver Plunketts/ Eoghan Ruadh in a July 9th quarter-final.

Unlike their previous two matches, Colmcilles were made to work for their victory by the Martin Savage Park side, but they ultimately progressed on the right end of a three-point winning margin (0-16 to 1-10). They also displayed tremendous steel and determination to come through another intense battle against Maur’s, and this should stand to them when they play the Swords men in the big finale. The Junior ‘D’ Whitehall footballers were less successful in their Championship section, however, as they were beaten narrowly by Na Fianna (1-15 to 1-12) on the same day as the Junior ‘B’ Championship side’s win over Civil Service.

The Junior ‘D’ hurlers had an enterprising run in their Dublin Championship, which ultimately ended with a 2-15 to 2-13 reversal against St Oliver Plunketts/Eoghan Ruadh on July 7th. They had made a disappointing start to their Group A campaign when Clan Na Gael overcame them by the slimmest of margins (2-17 to 1-9). They did respond impressively from this set-back, though, with a trio of consecutive wins over Skerries Harps (6-11 to 0-6), Naomh Fionnbarra (5-10 to 2-5) and Faughs (1-20 to 1-8), and although they suffered an agonising 5-8 to 3-13 loss to Erin Go Bragh on June 20th, they had accumulated enough points to move on to the lasteight of the competition.

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Brian Cullen

Chairman Whitehall GAA Club Set in the heart of Dublin, Whitehall GAA club has long been a club that has carried a long and proud tradition of producing top class players and providing a warm and friendly environment, where people can not only participate in sport of Gaelic Games, but can also develop and foster friendships that last for many, many years.

At the heart of this ethos is club vice-chairman Brian Cullen. A local man, like the majority of people within the club, Cullen played at all the various playing levels, but as he explains to Club GAA Magazine, given his family background, he was always going to have an involvement in GAA. “Well my father is from Kilkenny, so there wasn’t must hope of me becoming involved in any other sport, really”, he laughingly tells us. “I started at U-9’s and that was that really. You played each year and moved up the various levels.

“The great thing about that was you grew up with the same group of lads.

This is a very tight knit club and you can see that throughout each of the teams. Even now, and it is a while since I have played, but I have kept in contact with the majority of guys that I played with, which speaks volumes.

“Some guys have remained in the club, others have moved down the country, or in other cases, the other side of the world. Yet there is still that closeness that we have. It has always been there and it always will be. If the club wasn’t there, there wouldn’t have been the chance to develop the relationships that we have.”

Those long lasting relationships are at the core of the Whitehall philosophy.

It is a club that is not only concerned with the here and now, but also keeps one eye on the future, so that the next generation of players will be able to enjoy their involvement in the club as so many people have throughout the years.

Like all GAA clubs in the country, there is an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the ‘show on the road’. A lot of the time there are meetings to attend and inevitable problems that need fixing. That part of the job is perhaps the most taxing, a statement that Cullen readily agrees with.

“It is very challenging”, Cullen admits. “I work as a Garda so there are times when you have juggle things around. There are an awful lot of meetings that I have to attend, which take up a lot of time.

“Some people may not realise, but there is an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, especially in a big club like ours.

“My wife is the PRO in the club, and I have often joked to her that I would rather be rather back playing, then having to attend all the meetings that I have to go to.

“In all seriousness, it may be difficult at times, but everyone does it because they have a love for the club and they want to see the club develop, progress and become successful. That is the driving force and what keeps us going.”

That ‘driving force’ as Cullen puts it, has seen Whitehall put together a development plan that will see the construction of a new playing area along with the building of a new clubhouse in the ‘semi-distant’ future.

While undertaking any new works in the current economic climate could be seen as risky, Cullen prefers to look at the development as an opportunity to push Whitehall into the future, and by extension, give them the best chance to succeed on the field of play.

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“I am very excited about the future”, he admits. “We have the started the process of building a new pitch beside Dublin City University (DCU) and hopefully that will be completed within the next twelve months.

“It is going to be a playing field of the highest class when it is completed.

It will be almost the size of the Croke Park pitch, which will give you an indication of how big it will be.

“We are laying out the pitch at the moment, and I have been up to the site two or three times and it is exciting to see.

“One of the great things about the development is the enthusiasm that all the club members have shown to the move.

“We organised a ‘family contribution’ to help with the development of the new pitch, and I have to say that the response has been nothing short of amazing. There is a real family feel to the club and I think that will only get stronger as the years pass.

“There is a real focus within the club of playing a strong and active role within the local community. We don’t just want to be a GAA club, where people come and play and that is it. There are so many things that go on in the club, aside from sport, and that is something that we want to maintain, and possibly increase.”

Unlike some clubs throughout the country, Whitehall are in a stable place, both on and off the field. It is a position that Cullen is keen to maintain.

“Thankfully we are in a good place. It is very much a case of steady as she goes. We have a number of projects coming down the tracks which will help us hopefully bring us up a level or two. There is plenty to look forward to, however.”

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Daire WALSH

CAVAN GAELS With 12 Cavan Senior Football Championship titles to their name (including eight since 2001), it comes as no surprise that Cavan Gaels are seen as one of the major contenders for honour in 2013.

They may be without the services of former talismanic forward Seanie Johnston (at least for now), but a number of key players have come to prominence in his absence, including present inter-county footballer Martin Dunne, whose exploits for Terry Hyland’s charges during this year’s Championship should garner him an All-Star nomination come the end of the season.

Because of Cavan’s progression to the All-Ireland Quarter-Final stage, which was their first time playing in the All-Ireland series since 1997, the county championships are starting later than expected, but Cavan Gaels finally got their campaign underway against Lacken on the evening of Friday August 9th at Kingspan Breffni Park.

With a night-time game taking place in Cavan’s county grounds, there was much anticipation ahead of this fixture, but it took a long time for either team to getting going. Indeed, the sides were still scoreless by the 10th minute, as both teams were looking quite tentative. Lacken centre-forward Raymond Galligan had been off-target from a 45’, but he eventually broke the deadlock 11 minutes in with a fine score. Lacken were taking the game to their opponents during the opening quarter, but they were proving to be rather wasteful with their scoring opportunities, and this allowed Gaels to force their way into the reckoning. Half-forward Paul Graham stormed into the game at this stage, and his brace of expertly-converted points edged his side into a slender lead.

The aforementioned Dunne’s performance had been relatively low-key up to this point, but he finally stormed into the game on the 20-minute mark, as his opening score of the day ensured that Gaels were two to the good. In spite of their best efforts early on, Lacken were now finding themselves in a position where they were chasing the game, and Gaels took full advantage of their new-found superiority when centre-back Eamonn Reilly raced up the field to clinically finish to the back of the net, underneath the body of Colin Comerford in the opposing goal.

Gaels were in the driving seat as half-time beckoned, but Lacken did finish the opening period in good spirits, as points courtesy of lively cornerforward Niall McKiernan and Galligan reduced the deficit to three (1-3 to 0-3) in time for the interval. Gaels’ expected victory wasn’t quite assured just yet, and when McKiernan and Galligan frees cut the gap to the bare minimum nine minutes after the restart, an enticing finale to the contest was one the cards.

Lacken were hampered for the final 20 minutes of action, though, as corner-back Kevin Shanaghy was issued with a straight red-card by referee Raymond Tynan in between this brace of scores, which was a boost that

Gaels needed in a somewhat patchy display. Their first point of the half was registered after 43 minutes from a Dunne free, and this was a vital score as Lacken’s Finbar O’Reilly made it a one-point game just six minutes later.

In a low-scoring game of this nature, every score was going to be crucial, but a couple of scores from Cavan Gaels between the 50th and 52nd minutes ultimately decided the outcome of the game. A mistake in the Lacken defence enabled Dunne to slot home the second goal of the contest, and when Barry Fortune joined his half-back partner Eamonn Reilly in securing a three-pointer with eight minutes remaining, it was clear that there was only going to be one winner in the end.

Understandably, the challenge of the 14-man Lacken had become deflated at this stage, and their final score of the game arrived in the immediate aftermath of Fortune’s major, with the dependable Galligan once more contributing to the scoreboard. However, Gaels were eager to finish the tie strongly, and further efforts from Levi Murphy (the third half-back to find the target) and Eamonn Reilly helped Cavan Gaels to record an eight-point success (3-6 to 0-7).

There are a large number of people in the Cavan Gaels GAA Club that are part of the O’Reilly & Reilly Clans, and they were extremely interested by The Life of Reilly Festival, which was held as part of The Gathering 2013.

This festival took place from August 19 to August 25, with one of the earliest events being a Life of Reilly Festival Party in Crover House Hotel on Tuesday August 20th at 4.30pm. The election of a Reilly clan chieftain followed in the Farnham Arms Hotel on Wednesday August 21st starting at 7.30pm, with the inauguration taking place at Hotel Kilmore from 8pm the following day. A Golf Classic was also held in County Cavan Golf Club on Thursday August 22nd along with a number of historical and musical events. Breffni Park was then the venue for a tribute to Gallant John Joe O’Reilly at 8pm on Friday August 23rd.

Cavan Gaels have recently undertaken a five year Strategic Plan that covers all aspects of the club, and is expected to be of long-term benefit to the club. A planning workshop for the initiative took place in the Farnham Arms Hotel with a sizeable attendance. Many excellent contributions were made to the initiative on the night, and with a meeting of focus groups also taking place in recent times at Terry Coyle Park as part of the process of drawing up the exact details of this strategic plan, there seems to be great potential for this scheme.

A wide selection of Cavan Gaels merchandise can be purchased from the club’s merchandising officer, Caroline Forde, who is present in Terry Coyle Park (the club’s principle ground) on Saturday mornings from 11am12.30pm. For further information you can contact Caroline at 086-3722322.

Coaching for children aged 6-12 also takes place in Terry Coyle Park every Saturday morning at the same time.

N O V E M B E R

Michael Mooney Cavan Gaels GAA Club

Many people become involved in a GAA club for a number of reasons. One of the primary influences is that their local club is exactly that, local. The GAA club is one of the cornerstones to any Irish community, and for Michael Mooney and Cavan Gaels GAA club, this is how a love affair began.

Michael, like most, began at the grassroots, first earing his stripes on the field of play, before making his way, off the field and into the committee side of the club.

This process invariables leads to a person making the step up to the role of chairperson after years of working at the ‘coal face’ of local GAA. Which is exactly the road that Michael Mooney travelled with Cavan Gaels.

Having grown up ‘a stone’s throw’ from the GAA clubhouse, Mooney played an active role in the club from the time that he could tie his first set of boots.

“That’s how it all began”, he tells Club GAA Magazine. “It wasn’t hard to become involved as I grew up beside the club. I played through all the various age groups, until there weren’t any more levels to play at.

“After I finished playing, there was only one natural course of action and that was to become involved in the off field side of the club. It was, and still is a tremendous honour to be chairman of this great club.

“At times it can be a difficult enough job, mainly because there is so much to do and there are only so many hours in the day, but it is a small price to play.

“One thing that I am most proud of is that there is a tremendous community spirit within the club. Everything, right from the people who volunteer throughout the year, to the players and the people on the committee, everyone puts in a tremendous effort to ensure that the club is able to compete at the top level.

“It isn’t easy, but when you see the club enjoying success, it makes all the long hours that we put in worth it.”

It isn’t just the senior side that gets the spotlight, right through the whole of Cavan Gaels, success and having a winning mentality is something that seeps throughout the whole club.

Recently the Cavan Gaels U-13 ladies captured their first trophy, and in doing so, became history makers, as they were the first ladies side in Cavan Gaels history to bring silverware back into the club.

That success was justification for all the hard work that is put, not only into the ladies section, but the underage set up within Cavan Gaels.

While it would be unfair to describe those two areas as Maloney’s ‘pet projects’ there is a certain glint in his eye when you mention the progression of the youth and ladies section.

“It is fantastic to see the progression”, he says. “That victory by the U-13’s was just tremendous to see. The support that they get is just phenomenal to see. There is a real buzz around the club after their success. It just gives people that extra nudge to kick on and keep bringing success into the club.”

Away from the pitch, Maloney and Cavan Gaels are pointing the toes towards the future, with plans; already well in place, for a new club and training facility.

While taking on such a project, given the current state of the economy in Ireland, may be seen as a foolhardy decision, Maloney and Cavan Gaels feel that it is a ‘calculated risk’ and one that will enable the club to continue the

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success that they have enjoyed over the course of the last number of years.

One off shoot from this project is the reaction that the club have seen from former members who have moved away from the local area, but have still kept in touch with Cavan Gales. It is proof of the wide reach that Gaelic Games has and of the continued role that it plays, both at home and abroad.

“Fundraising is tough at the moment. There is no doubt about that, but the response that we have received from everyone has been brilliant.

“One thing that has taken us a little bit by surprise is the support that we have received from people who are living abroad.

“We have established the ‘Friends of Cavan Gaels’ supporters group and we have upwards of 150 members since we established the group.

“The new project is something that we are really looking forward to getting stuck into. We are almost ready to turn the first sod and collectively, we can’t wait to see the final result.”

On the field, Maloney is equally confident of a bright future, with challenging for trophies, at all age levels, the main priority.

“Well we are a senior GAA club, so the goal at the start of every season is to be challenging for senior championships. Realistically you know you are not going to be winning a senior title every year, but you would like to think that we would be at the business end of things, each campaign.

“It may be clichéd but the future is very bright for Cavan Gaels. Fingers crossed we can continue the success we have enjoyed.”

There may be few certain things in life, but one can feel fully confident that Cavan Gaels will be a force in club GAA for many a season to come.

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Daire WALSH

CASTLEGAR Having emerged unbeaten from their group, Castlegar have now qualified for the Quarter-Final of the Galway Senior Club Hurling Championship. Their opponents at the last-eight stage will be reigning All-Ireland Champions St Thomas’, who progressed through a nightmare section that also included three-time All-Ireland winners Portumna, 2011’s premier side Clarinbridge, and last year’s Intermediate holders Killimordaly.

Castlegar encountered tough competition in their journey to the knockout phase as well, though, starting with a fierce battle against former kingpins Sarsfields back on April 28th. This game proved to be the proverbial game of two halves, as Castlegar’s counterparts were the much slicker outfit in the opening 30 minutes of play. Enda Concannon had given the city side a dream start with a clinically-taken major just four minutes in, but with former county star Kerrill Wade displaying unerring accuracy from placed balls, and present Tribe player Joseph Cooney also contributing to the scoreboard, Sarsfields were three points in front (0-7 to 1-1) after 15 minutes.

Castlegar did receive a lifeline mid-way through the half when they were awarded a penalty, but with Kieran Kelly on hand to turn away the eventual effort by former All-Star Ger Farragher, they continued to be in arrears.

Subsequent points from Dean Higgins and Jason O’Gorman were cancelled out by strikes from the influential duo of Wade and Cooney, and when another point from the former was added to by a Noel Kelly goal in the final minute of the first half, Castlegar had built up a seven-point interval cushion.

On paper, it appeared that Castlegar had a mountain to climb in their quest to peg back Sarsfields’ advantage, but with the assistance of the wind, they stormed into the game upon the resumption, and registered an astonishing total of 3-13 during the course of the second period. Sarsfields were visibly shocked by this onslaught, and though they chipped in with some fine scores during this juncture, they ultimately found themselves on the receiving end of a ten-point defeat (4-18 to 2-14).

Another difficult task awaited them in their second Championship fixture, as battle-hardened 2012 finalists Loughrea aimed to bring a halt to the momentum they had built up in their dramatic opener when the sides faced each other on the evening of Sunday June 23rd. Dismissing the challenge of Castlegar was easier said than done, however, and with former Galway and Offaly supremo John McIntyre (who is the present Sports Editor of The Connacht Tribune) at the helm, they were always going to be wellprepared. Nevertheless, it was the south Galway men who had the stronger opening to this fixture, as points courtesy of Neil Keary (two) and Johnny Coen, along with a Jamie Ryan goal, gave them a 1-3 to 0-1 lead with just ten minutes gone. Castlegar’s only score during this period came from the reliable Farragher, and he added a brace of frees to leave just three points separating the teams.

Loughrea rose to prominence once more with successful attempts by Brian Mahony and Neil Keary, and though Farragher added another brace (including a majestic sideline cut), Johnny Coen and Johnny Maher ensured that Castlegar remained five points adrift. Maher was also on target with a 29th minute point, but the end to the half belonged to Castlegar, who followed up a trio of points from Farragher (two) and Dean Higgins with a fantastic individual three-pointer from Higgins in the closing stages of the period.

The confidence levels of Castlegar were greatly increased as a result of this score, and further points by Enda Concannon and Sean Connolly meant that they had turned the game around significantly to lead 1-10 to 1-8 at the break. The game was still very much in the melting pot as the action resumed, though, and thanks to points by the increasingly influential Maher (two) and Neil Keary, they had levelled matters by the 38th minute.

Farragher had kept the Castlegar scoreboard ticking away with a placed ball effort, before Concannon breathed new life into the game with an emphatic finish past the helpless Nigel Murray in the Loughrea goal. This enabled the 1980 All-Ireland victors to open up a three-point gap over Loughrea, and they stayed a goal in front after Keary and Kevin Brady swapped scores.

In comparison to the free-flowing first half, the second period was a much scrappier, but when Enda Concannon extended their cushion to four on the stroke of 50 minutes, Castlegar seemed destined to secure back-to-back victories. The never-say-die attitude of Loughrea turned the game on its head, however, as they managed to restore parity thanks to a second goal from Keary and a close-range pointed free by Maher. Castlegar were now coming under immense pressure, and indeed Loughrea were presented with the opportunity to steal the game at the death, but Maher’s attempt from a long-range free drifted wide, much to the relief of McIntyre and his management team.

This meant that Castlegar were still in a strong position to emerge from the group as they embarked on a third round encounter in Athenry against Kinvara on Saturday July 13th. This was another titanic battle for Castlegar, and with teenage prodigy Conor Whelan chipping in with 1-6, and county goalkeeper Colm Callanan successfully converting a penalty, Castlegar looked like they were about to suffer a heart-breaking defeat. With normal time virtually up, Kinvara were three points in front, but Castlegar were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in stoppage time, as a point from the ever-impressive Dean Higgins was followed by a last-gasp threepointer by the outstanding Farragher, which was enough to give his side a hard-earned 1-17 to 2-13 success and seal their place in the next phase of this year’s Galway SHC competition.

Whether or not they’ll be able to negotiate their way past Thomas’ remains to be seen, but having come through three intense battles with flying colours, they will certainly be primed for battle.

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Ciaran Scully

Castlegar GAA Club A sense of community and a family feel to the club has always been important to Ciaran Scully. The chairman of Castlegar has discovered that as the landscape of Ireland changes, not just in the building trade but with more people moving their families to Ireland from abroad, building a new community for his club will be his biggest challenge yet.

Scully first became involved in the club because of his family ties. “My father was involved with the club and that is what got me interested initially. We lived close to the club which helped my interest to develop.”

However the club chairman is the first to admit that his playing days were not full of success and perhaps a role in coaching and subsequently administration was more suited to him.

“I really only played as far as minor level. It was only when I reached that level that I knew I wasn’t going to go too much further. From there I became more involved in the coaching side of things.

“I tried to help the club develop and that meant going into schools and trying to get students to develop their skills in both hurling and football at a younger age. From there we hoped to get more and more kids to come up and play with the club. It was about putting the system in place.”

Since Scully took over the role as club chairman he has tried to continue the tradition of building the club up from the grass roots.

“This would be my main aim as chairman at the minute. The priority is to have more kids coming in and to keep building towards a successful future.”

However to achieve this level of success, one must also face challenges along the way, and Scully has faced several issues in his quest to help the club grow and develop, both on and off the pitch.

Castlegar GAA have continued to work with schools in the community. At the moment they are working with five separate schools with coaching sessions taking place twice weekly.

The aim of these coaching sessions is not to just develop the skills but to also help the interest in hurling grow within the local community.

Yet they face a challenge of raising the numbers that come through the clubs gates. One of the reasons for this, Scully feels, is the ever increasing diversity of the population within Galway at the moment.

“33% of the population of Galway live in the city itself but we still struggle to get the numbers to come and join the club, even if they only live a stone’s throw away from the pitch.

“The reason for this is that there is a lot of ethnic diversity in the community. Families have moved here that would not have a lot of tradition in the sport,” believes the Castlegar man.

“In the past many would have had grandfathers, fathers, mothers and such playing the game, but this is not the case at the moment.”

With a view to developing in this new mixed community, Scully and

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Castlegar have gone about putting a number of initiatives into place. To go along with the coaching systems in place in the schools, Scully hopes that parents will also become more involved in the club.

This is very important especially when it comes to attracting new members of the community and keep that family feel to the club, which is something that Scully is very much keen to maintain.

If the club hopes to get the local populous integrated within the club, then they need a solid structure, under which the children can flourish. Scully admits that they have spoken to the GAA in the hope of gathering some support for this integration. However this is still very much in the early stages of development, something that the chairman acknowledges.

“It is tough to develop this system when the number of coaches in our area is far less than the number that currently work in Dublin.”

This is why it is clearly so important for the club to get the local people involved.

Among the other aims that Scully has set as his goals, is the construction of a hurling arena. This arena will be a facility which will allow the players to train during the winter months when the outdoor pitches become unplayable because of the worsening conditions in the winter months.

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Daire WALSH

JOHN MITCHELLS The Kerry County League has been quite scattered for the Traleebased John Mitchels club, though they did have considerable successes in the competition at the end of June and July respectively. They faced tough opposition in round seven of the league on Sunday June 30th in the form of An Gaeltacht, but with the elements on their side in the opening period, they were hoping to develop a commanding interval lead. Yet, it was the Gallarus outfit who made the stronger start to the contest, and with just ten minutes gone on the clock, they had built up a three point advantage. A defensive lapse subsequently led to a goal for the Gaeltacht, and with full-back Brendan O’Mahony having to depart the scenes with an injury just before this major, it was looking decidedly ominous for Mitchels.

The concession of this three-pointer helped to galvanise their challenge, however, and they significantly cut the gap courtesy of scores from Jamie Moriarty, Wayne Conway and Alan O’Donoghue. Mitchels were now playing with a greater degree of confidence, and when Ciaran Deane journeyed through the heart of the Gaeltacht rearguard to secure a memorable solo goal, their deficit had been completely wiped out. Gaeltacht did add a brace of points before the end of the half, but with Moriarty (two) and Wayne Duggan adding scores to their side’s tally, Mitchels were able to bring a slender 1-6 to 1-5 cushion into the second period of action.

An Gaeltacht were not going to be dismissed lightly, though, and they levelled matters once again moments after the resumption. In fact, with the wind at their backs, they had numerous scoring opportunities at various stages of the half, but their shooting on the day was letting them down.

Mitchels were always likely to capitalise on their profligacy in the front of the posts, and they soon found themselves six points to the good when Conway and substitute George Bastible both raised green flags. With significant daylight now separating the teams, the Mitchels play was much more relaxed, and although Gaeltacht registered a trio of scores, similar Mitchels efforts by Alan O’Donoghue, Duggan and Moriarty managed to keep them at bay. There was still a danger of a late onslaught from Gaeltacht, but a further goal by Duggan during the closing moments of the tie secured two valuable points for John Mitchels in a 4-9 to 1-9 triumph.

It was close to a month before their next league game, but with Skellig Rangers providing the opposition on the evening of Saturday July 29th, they were expected to maintain their winning ways. Whereas they got off to a difficult start against An Gaeltacht in their previous game, it was the polar opposite against Skellig, as Wayne Duggan fired to the Rangers net with just five minutes of play gone. Further points followed through Jamie Moriarty (two) and Laurence Bastible, before Skellig finally opened their account for the day with a well-taken point. Unfortunately from their point of view, Skellig were never able to push on from here, and despite chipping

in with a brace of fine scores, expertly-converted attempts by John Higgins, Duggan and Jamie Moriarty offered Mitchels a six-point cushion (1-6 to 0-3) at the mid-way point.

Mitchels had been the dominant side in the opening period, and their superiority continued after the restart, even if some of their kicks at goal from scoreable angles were somewhat wayward. White flag efforts by Higgins, Alan O’Donoghue and Moriarty more than sufficed in a low-scoring half, however, as Mitchels emerged with a comfortable 1-9 to 0-5 victory.

In very stormy conditions on June 22nd, John Mitchels were defeated by six points (1-11 to 0-8) in the Kerry Under-21 Championship by a strong Kilcummin/Rathmore side. Mitchels had the advantage of a breeze in the opening half of the game, but despite playing some excellent football during the first 30 minutes of play, they were facing into a 0-7 to 0-5 as the second half began.

All was not lost for the young Mitchels outfit, though, as some teams can often play better against the wind, and their work-rate can increase ten-fold. There could be no faulting the efforts of Mitchels at any stage in the game, but a Kilcummin/Rathmore major mid-way through the half proved to be the decisive score of the evening. They did add three points to their total, but with Kilcummin/Rathmore picking off some scores of their own at vital junctures, they eventually came out on the wrong side of a 1-11 to 0-8 reversal. This was obviously something of a disappointment for Mitchels, but with both Kilcummin and Rathmore operating separately as Senior Division One clubs, it was always going to be a big ask.

The John Mitchels Under 12 Ladies Footballers have enjoyed a fine 2013, as their impressive performances secured them a place in the semi-final of the Division Two County League against Milltown/Listry. This was always likely to be a tough outing for the Mitchels girls, and despite being neck and neck with their counterparts for the opening stages of the game, Milltown/ Listry improved significantly as the contest progressed, and eventually sealed their spot in this year’s decider.

Mitchels were hampered on the day by the loss of four key players, but having recorded five victories in the second-tier of the Under 12 Ladies Football League, they can feel proud of their travails throughout the campaign. The commitment of players like Aoife Kelliher, Grace Myers and Lynda O’Connor is testament to the unity that exists within the squad, and they should continue to develop in the coming years.

The Chamfers Restaurant, located in the John Mitchels GAA Club, is open daily for breakfast each Monday to Friday from 9.30am until 11.30am.

Lunch is also on offer from 12.30pm to 3.30pm on Sunday through to Friday. The Bar and Restaurant facilities are available to club members for parties, and any information on bookings can be garnered by contacting 087-2949116 or 086-0887238.

N O V E M B E R

Brid McElligott

John Mitchells GAA Club Pointing their toes towards the future. That could very well be the club motto of the Tralee based John Mitchels GAA club.

Despite all the doom and gloom that has washed over Ireland in the last number of years, John Mitchels have refused to yield to all the negativity that is around and have pushed ahead, building both on and off the pitch, for a brighter future.

At the heart of this push is the energetic chairperson Brid McEllgiott. A local of the John Mitchels area, McElligott, like most people, started from the ground up, working her way through the various committees that keep the wheels turning for every GAA club in the country, but as she explains to Club GAA magazine, she didn’t have any grand plans to rise to the top of John Mitchel’s, but when the call came, it was one that she couldn’t refuse.

“Well it wasn’t part of my career plans, that’s for sure”, she laughingly admits. “I have been involved with the club for the last fifteen years or so and I am originally from the area, so I guess I was going to be involved one way or another.

“I worked on a number of committees before becoming chairperson.

The club means an awful lot to so many people, so when the position of chairperson came along I couldn’t turn it down.

“Becoming chairperson was a huge honour. It was an opportunity to give something back to the club and try to improve things, both on and off the pitch. There are a lot of very good people within the club, at all levels. The club has a very family orientated feel to it, which is something that I have tried to maintain.

“Like many clubs around the county, the local GAA club is not just a place where people come to play sport; it is also a local hub for people in the wider community.

“In John Mitchel’s we run a bingo night two or three times a week, and those nights can attract up to 250-300 people per night, which is tremendous to see.

“We like to think of the club, not just as a sporting facility, but as a social forum where people can come in and make new friends. It also acts as a stopping point for people who are new to the area. They can stop by the club and become integrated into the local community very quickly.”

While trying to maintain the local feel of the club, McElligott has also played a big part in driving John Mitchel’s into the future. Seven years ago, the club undertook an ambitious project that would see them leave behind their old club grounds and move to a state of the art facility not too far from their old venue.

The project which cost in the region of €10 million is almost complete and it something that McElligott is justifiably proud of.

“It was a huge undertaking”, she admits. “However it is something that we felt we had to do. Our old facility only had one pitch and two changing rooms, which was wholly inadequate for the number of people that we have in the club.

“Everyone knows the situation in Ireland at the moment. Money is tight for everyone, not just GAA clubs.

“However we felt that is was important that we carry out the works that we have done. I feel that if we didn’t jump in and decide to go ahead with the redevelopment project then we wouldn’t be able to drive the club to new heights.

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“Thanks to this redevelopment we now have four pitches, an all-weather pitch, modern changing facilities and a fully equipped sports hall.

“The facilities that we have now are among the best in the county. It is all about trying to grow and develop the club as best as we possibly can, and with our new grounds we feel that it gives us a tremendous platform to prosper over the coming years.

“All told the relocation project has taken seven years to get from where were to where we are at the moment. We are due to move into our new facility in September and everyone at the club is looking forward to getting settled into our new facility and kicking on from here.

Along with the tremendous work that is been done off the pitch, John Mitchels are also raising the bar on the pitch. Along with the employment of a dedicated coaching staff, the club have also put together a strategic plan to move the club forward to become one of the best clubs, not just in Kerry, but in the whole of the country.

“I think it is important that you don’t stand still”, McElligott explains. “The goal is to continue to progress as a club in every area possible. The new facility will be a great help and hopefully that investment will manifest itself with good results on the pitch.

“We have a wide playing pool, across a number of levels and age categories, so you would be hopeful that we could bring some silverware to the club in the not too distant future.”

One thing is for certain, that if John Mitchels do manage to bring trophies back home it will be just reward for a club that epitomises the hard work and dedication that makes the GAA the sport that it is. John Mitchel’s are aiming high and one wouldn’t bet on them hitting the stars, sooner rather than later.

Charlie Boylan

Drumbran, Redhills

Tel: 049-4338269

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CLUB ROUND-UP

Daire WALSH

Leinster CUALA Despite producing a commendable performance on the night, the Cuala Junior Footballers ultimately departed the quarter-final of the Dublin Junior ‘C’ Football Championship at the expense of an impressive Stars of Erin outfit in the Dalkey club’s Hyde Park venue.

This 1-15 to 0-9 defeat was certainly a disappointment for Cuala, but having gained promotion from the ‘D’ Championship last year, their last-eight finish at a higher grade in 2013 shows that the side are clearly on an upward curve.

Yet, although the final scoreline would suggest that it was a one-sided contest, Cuala actually made a bright start to the proceedings, as Ross Tierney led their charge with a powerful display from midfield. This provided the platform for the South County Dublin men to take the game to their opponents, and fine points courtesy of Owen Hackett and Peter Smith (free) did offer them early momentum.

It was inevitable that Stars of Erin (who play two divisions above this Cuala team) would eventually settle into the contest, but with corner-forward Keith Keogh causing plenty of difficulties for their defence, there was little to separate the sides during the opening period. Indeed, Cuala held a surprise lead for parts of the first half, but they received a massive set-back just before the interval, when a Stars of Erin major ensured that they trailed by five points (1-8 to 0-6) upon the resumption.

This was a confidence boosting score for Stars of Erin, and it was expected that they would go on to secure the victory that had been fully anticipated beforehand. Keogh was joined by the likes of Cillian Greene and Kevin Dowling in continuing to take the game to the favourites but, in the end, they were helpless in their quest to prevent Stars of Erin from progressing to the semi-final stage. In general, however, Cuala’s adventure in the Junior Football ‘C’ Championship has been a worthwhile one, as they were able to introduce a number of young players into their starting line-up, who will hopefully benefit from their 2013 experience when they embark on another run in the Championship next year.

However, the end of July was a pleasing period for Cuala, as they were crowned Minor Hurling Division one winners in comprehensive fashion against the renowned St Vincent’s club in O’Toole Park, Crumlin on Wednesday July 24th. In securing this piece of silverware, the young Dalkey men recorded back-to-back successes in the competition, and with the Minor Championship due to start on September 1st, they are entering into top form at precisely the right time.

Having beaten Ballyboden St Enda’s and Kilmacud Crokes on their way to the decider, Vincent’s were expected to provide formidable opposition to Cuala, who were without the services of a number of key players on the day. They did, however, have star performers in their full-forward line in the shape of Sean Treacy (who is brother of Dublin Senior hurler David) and Con O’Callaghan, who has featured on the inter-county minor scene for the Sky Blues.

Between them, the two corner-forwards contributed 2-11 of their side’s final total, while half-forwards Luc O’Giollain and Andrew Murphy also joined them in raising green flags. A physically imposing Vincent’s did cause Cuala difficulties at certain points in the tie, but with the southsiders registering three majors during the third-quarter, and Jake Malone and Sean Dowling displaying tremendous leadership in the key defensive positions, Cuala were able to secure a magnificent 4-17 to 2-4 triumph.

Thursday August 29th is a key date in the calendar for all those involved with the Cuala GAA Club, as it will see the Adult Hurling section hosting their very own golf classic in the Glen of The Downs Golf Club, as a fundraiser for their preparations for the upcoming Dublin Senior Hurling Championship and Junior ‘A’ Hurling Championship, which are competitions that the club will be expecting to compete in at an advanced stage.

Certainly, there is a good buzz surrounding Cuala Hurling at the moment, as they had a grand total of four players on the Dublin Senior Hurling panel this year. Both Paul Schutte and David Treacy started for the county in their historic Leinster Final success over Galway in July, as well as their narrow defeat to Cork in the All-Ireland Semi-Final, while Paul’s brother Mark and Oisin Gough were also vital members of Anthony Daly’s panel.

Their return to the club scene will be crucial towards Cuala’s cause, and having reached the 2012 Senior County Final against Kilmacud Crokes, they will be looking to go one better in 2013. Teams of four in this Golf Classic came at a price of €340, with the costs covering golf and meal, while your company’s name also adorned one of the holes of the course.

However, those who were unable to sponsor a hole, and weren’t there as the representative of a company, were allowed to enter at the reduced price of €240.

N O V E M B E R

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Leinster At the time of writing, Cuala had just completed another successful Summer Camp, which was run in conjunction with SSIP. A number of local businesses gave a helping hand on the day, including Bombay Pantry, Glengeary and Barry Spellman. There were a number of coaches, assistants and trainee coaches on hand to make sure that everything went smoothly, and the vast number of players who attended garnered plenty of enjoyment from the festivities. Images from the Camp can be viewed on Cuala GAA’s official website.

BUFFERS ALLEY The Buffers Alley club in Wexford enjoyed a very profitable end to the month of July, as their Intermediate Hurlers secured the Division Two ACHL crown with an emphatic 3-17 to 1-7 victory over Blackwater. This decider had taken place at a later date than was initially expected, as Sunday July 21st was when the winners of the competition were due to be revealed.

Indeed, the two sides had taken to the field on that day, but when Buffers Alley’s Pat Kenny sustained a serious injury in the opening moments of the tie, it was decided that the game should be called off, with the side’s taking part in a re-scheduled meeting nine days later. In addition to it being a league finale, however, it also doubled up a Round Three Championship clash, which added further spice to an already enticing game.

Having started in typically determined fashion, Buffers Alley opened the scoring with a fine point by half-forward Sean Og Whelan after just two minutes of play, but Michael Lillis was on hand to restore parity to the proceedings with a terrific score from a sideline cut. Alley were played with supreme confidence, though, and it came as no surprise when full-forward Tomas O’Leary fired past stranded Blackwater shotstopper Peter O’Brien from close-range for the opening goal of the evening.

Following this major, Alley and Blackwater proceeded to swap scores on a couple of occasions, before James Dooley reduced the Buffers Alley lead to just two points with an expertly-taken three-pointer mid-way through the first-half. As was generally expected, Blackwater were giving an excellent account of themselves, and they were never going to stand aside and allow Alley to simply saunter towards victory without at least putting up a fight.

Yet, as the mid-way point in the encounter approached, Buffers Alley were starting to perform at the top of their game, and outstanding efforts by Willie Doran, Pat Doran and Andrew Kenny, as well as team captain Keith Burke, meant that they had five points to spare over their opponents (1-10 to 1-5) heading into the second period.

This put Alley in an excellent position upon the resumption, and with wind advantage on their side for the remaining 30 minutes of play, they appeared odds on to claim the silverware on offer. They did register a number of wides during the half, but with Blackwater only able to add two points to their overall tally, Buffers Alley were never in any danger of letting the game slip away from them.

They added a total of 2-7 to their interval score after the restart, with the goals coming from the elusive Burke and midfielder Pat Doran. Both Burke and Doran finished the game as joint top-scorers on 1-4 apiece, with five of the six forwards getting their names on the scoresheet. It was fitting after the game, considering how well he had performed on the day, that Burke received the trophy from League Secretary Jack O’Brien, and the general performance on the day bodes extremely well as the side prepares for some crucial upcoming fixtures.

Their Championship journey is coming along quite nicely as well, and after their success in this game, they found themselves on top of the Courtyard Ferns Intermediate Hurling Group B Table with two games left to play.

Just a day after this outstanding success, the Buffers Alley minor hurlers journeyed to a rainy Rathnure for their fourth game of the season. Alley had made a fine start to their 2013 campaign with back-to-back triumphs, before suffering a reversal in their third outing against Bargy and Forth Gaels. Their first-half performance against Rathnure seemed to be a response to this set-back, however, and after stringing together a number of fine scores, they led 2-9 to 0-6 at the mid-way point in the contest.

The absence of half-forward Owen Dempsey through injury at half-time did hamper the Alley cause, and when Laurence Gahan also departed the scenes after the restart, apprehension started to creep into their play. A s result of Gahan’s withdrawal from the game, midfielder Eoin Whelan had to be moved from midfield to full-back, and this certainly deprived Alley of some much-needed energy in the middle-third.

With the breeze at their backs, Rathnure started to feel more confident as the second period moved on, and despite facing a sizeable deficit during the interval, they managed to take the lead with just ten minutes left in the tie. Buffers Alley were now in a race against time to claw their way back into the reckoning, but despite their best efforts, they ultimately succumbed to a two-point defeat (4-12 to 3-13). This loss meant that the Alley minors needed to return to winning ways in their remaining group fixtures, and with two postponed games against Fethard (away) and Munna Abbain (home) due to be played alongside a crunch meeting with Oulart-theBallagh, they had a tough job on their hands if they were going to make the knockout stages of the minor championship.

Saturday August 10th was another big date for Buffers Alley, as it saw them hosting the annual Noel O’Brien Memorial Under 19 Hurling Festival. This a tournament that is organised by Coiste na nOg under their Go Games Model, and it commenced on the day with a 9.30am registration. Owing to excellent organisation by those on the day, all the games were completed by 2pm, which left enough time for refreshments and medal presentations at 2.30pm.

In total, there were ten clubs involved on the day, with Buffers Alley and Glynn-Barntown fielding two teams. Craanford, Oulart-the-Ballagh, Monageer-Boolavogue, Oylegate-Glenbrien, Naomh Olaf, Ferns-St Aidan’s, Kilmacud Crokes and Ballygarrett also participated, and contributed to a fantastic day of hurling in Buffers Alley.

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CLUB ROUND-UP

Daire WALSH

Munster BRIDE ROVERS The Bride Rovers Ladies Junior Football team had a memorable evening in St Colman’s on Thursday August 8th, as they emerged victorious in a 13-a-side County ‘A’ Championship encounter with an incredible 27 points to spare (7-12 to 0-6). This victory was somewhat unexpected, as Rovers were missing a number of squad members owing to a variety of reasons, including injury, sickness, and holidays, as well work commitments.

This certainly did weaken their hand to a certain extent, but they made light of their absences on the day, and with their defence (led brilliantly

by Claire Murphy and Laura O’Keeffe) keeping the Colman’s attack at bay throughout, they were in an excellent position to come out on top, provided their forward division were able to avail of the opportunities that were presented to them.

In this respect, Rovers came up trumps, with Imelda Dorgan and Sarah Barry in particular displaying impressive form at crucial junctures in the contest. Both players ended the game with hat-tricks to their name (Dorgan contributed 3-1, while Barry finished with a magnificent 3-6), but there were also strong scoring performances from Sinead O’Driscoll (1-1) and Aoife Deasy (0-2) on a day when everything seemed to go right for the Rovers girls. Their next fixture in the Championship is against Fermoy ‘B’, and although it will be difficult to replicate their form against St Colman’s, they will certainly enter this tie with plenty of confidence after such a morale-boosting result.

The Bride Rovers Ladies Minor Footballers enjoyed a mixed start to the month of August, but nevertheless find themselves in a decent position at a vital point in their season. Having secured a brace of wins from their opening two games, Bride Rovers embarked on a league encounter with Fermoy at Pairc na Bride on Monday August 5th with plenty of belief. Indeed, they played some terrific football on the night, with the 1-1 contribution by marauding half-back Grace Culloty epitomising the momentum that they had garnered from their previous encounters. Halfforward Elaine Culloty matched her score, with her partner on the ‘40’, Katie Connor, finishing as top-scorer with a personal haul of 0-5.

Meg Kelliher also raised a green flag for Rovers (giving the starting halfforward line a combined total of 2-6), but despite their best efforts, it wasn’t enough to provide them with a third straight success, as Fermoy’s attack were equally adept at finding the target in an open and exciting game. Four points separated the teams at the end of the contest (3-15 to 3-11), but they had a chance to make amends, as their fourth league match awaited them away to Carrigtwohill four days later.

In truth, there wasn’t much wrong with their performance against Fermoy, but it was important that they picked up some additional points in

Carrigtwohill if they had aspirations to compete at the summit of the East Cork League. They faced a difficult task in the opening period of this game, as they were playing against the wind and up a hill.

They were also missing a number of players through injury against Carrigtwohill, but a superb performance during the opening 30 minutes gave them an insurmountable 15-point cushion (2-13 to 0-4) at the midway point in the contest. Once again, Grace Culloty and Elaine Culloty were performing at the very peak of their powers, as they amassed personal tallies of 1-8 and 1-6 respectively. Laura Quirke also registered a 1-1 salvo, and with a total of nine players contributing to the scoreboard, Bride Rovers cruised towards a comprehensive 3-22 to 0-7 winning margin.

The Bride Rovers Ladies Senior Football team have also participated in the Senior ‘A’ Championship, starting with an away encounter against Rosscarbery on Sunday July 28th. Often it is difficult to know what to expect from the first game of a Championship campaign, but Rovers were competing well during the opening half of this fixture, which was proving to be an evenly-contested affair.

However, it was the West Cork outfit that were the more economical of the two teams before the interval, and thanks to their keen eye for goals, they held a 3-3 to 1-5 advantage moving into the second half. These majors by Rosscarbery were somewhat against the run of play, but Rovers still had to increase their performance levels if they were going to turn the game around upon the resumption.

One player who was doing her utmost for the cause, though, was Katie Kelleher, who had found the back of the Rosscarbery net in the first half, and when she added a further three-pointer during the third-quarter, she had given Rovers a timely boost. Yet, they simply couldn’t contain a rampant Rosscarbery forward division, and after they turned on the style during the last quarter, Bride Rovers ultimately succumbed to an emphatic 4-16 to 2-6 reversal.

This defeat came as a disappointment to Rovers, but the scoring prowess of Kelleher, as well as some outstanding saves by goalkeeper Caitriona Vaughan, did offer them hope ahead of their round two meeting with Eire Og at Rathcormac on August 1st.

Once again, there was little to keep the teams apart during the early stages, and though Rovers had a whole host of chances with the wind at their backs in the opening 30 minutes, they found themselves on level terms during the break. With the elements against them as the action resumed, Rovers were less effective, and with Eire Og making good use of the possession that came their way, they suffered their second straight defeat in the 2013 Championship.

Following this set-back, Bride Rovers will now be facing Senior ‘B’ opposition within the next couple of weeks, in what will be a must win games for the Senior Ladies.

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Munster MONEYGALL Saturday June 15th was a very productive day out for the Moneygall Under 16 hurlers, as they travelled to St Patrick’s in Drangan to take part in the Mary Moroney Cup. This was a four-team tournament that also featured Anner Gaels (who are an amalgamation between St Patrick’s and Fethard), Gortnahoe Glengoole and Silvermines, and was arranged following the presentation of a memorial trophy by the Moneygall-based Toohey family to the St Patrick’s club in honour of the late Moroney.

After an eventful start to the action, Moneygall progressed to the semifinal against Anner Gaels, a game which was one by the hosts. They did, however, take on Gortnahoe Glengoole in the shield decider, which was an excellent game of hurling from start to finish. Unfortunately, Moneygall were on the receiving end of a one-point loss (2-8 to 3-4) in this finale, but it did nevertheless provide Moneygall will ideal preparation for their North Tipperary Championship campaign in July.

The Moneygall Junior Hurlers have had a memorable journey in the North Tipperary Junior Hurling Championship, but it did start in disappointment back on June 22nd, when Toomevara enjoyed a two-point hold (2-11 to 3-6) over them in a cagey affair played on a Friday evening in Cloughjordan.

Moneygall had made a positive start to this first round group two battle with three unanswered points, but Toomevara quickly settled into the proceedings, and managed to restore parity to the contest.

They managed to negotiate their way past netminder Barry Ryan from a 21-metre free, but with influential full-forward John Doughan registering two goals either side of it, Moneygall brought a slender 2-4 to 1-6 lead into the second half. The excellent Doughan completed his hat-trick after the restart, but he was ploughing a lone furrow at times up front for his side, and with Toomevara slowly but surely assuming control of the play, Moneygall were two points behind as the game moved into injury-time.

Custodian Barry Ryan did venture up the field to take a close-in free in the dying moments, but his attempt at goal was turned away for a ‘65’, which meant that they got their Championship run off to a losing start. They had to wait a number of weeks before their next North JHC game, but they were primed for action when the July 20th clash with Kilruane MacDonaghs at Toomevara finally arrived.

Kilruane dominated the opening period on this occasion, and Moneygall were facing the prospect of suffering a second successive championship reversal when they trailed 1-9 to 0-5 at the half-way stage. However, they received a lifeline ten minutes after the restart, as goalkeeper Barry Ryan’s

long-range free somehow found its way to the back of the Kilruane net.

Subsequent points by Damien Martin, Diarmuid Kennedy restored parity towards the end of normal time, but when Kilruane twice went in front during time added on, it looked like they were set to emerge victorious.

Sean Fogarty and Anthony Devereux had other ideas, however, and after they twice cancelled out Kilruane’s white flag scores, they managed to secure their first point of the group stage on a scoreline of 1-14 apiece. With six points to his name from placed balls, Damien Martin was one of the stars on the day for Moneygall, but Diarmuid Kennedy’s 0-2 contribution from the bench was also of crucial importance.

There was still pressure on Moneygall as they prepared for their third group fixture against Roscrea (once again in Toomevara) on Friday August 2nd, but with Chris Doughan and John Doughan registering three-pointers in the opening period, they held a 2-4 to 0-7 lead at the break. Roscrea did reduce the gap to the bare minimum thanks to a goal mid-way through the second half, but with Chris Doughan grabbing his second major of the contest, and Donal Doughan adding a fourth in the closing stages, they were able to record an impressive 4-8 to 1-12 success.

With all six forwards getting in on the scoring act during the course of the tie, Moneygall will enter their imminent final group match against Nenagh Eire Og with plenty of confidence.

The Moneygall senior hurlers had struggled to find form for much of their 2013 Championship campaign, and they needed to step up to the mark for their Senior Hurling Championship Relegation Semi-Final against Cashel King Cormacs in The Ragg during mid-July. The pressure on Moneygall for this game was immense, but thanks to strong defensive displays from Sean Ryan and Phil Fanning, they were able to keep the Cashel attack at bay for the most part.

With a final total of 0-8 (0-5 of which came from open play), half-forward Willie Greene was one of their best performers in this crunch game, but they also had a clinical operator in the shape of corner-forward Ger Kirwan, whose 1-3 haul helped Moneygall to secure their senior status for 2014 with seven points to spare (1-14 to 0-10).

Having finished their group in the North Tipperary ‘B’ Hurling Championship with seven wins from eight matches (giving them a second-placed finish just behind Silvermines), the Moneygall Under 14 have reached the semifinal of this year’s competition. As the top two teams progress directly to the last-four, Moneygall had to await the outcome of the quarter-finals between Burgess/Shannon Rovers Gaels & Ballina/Borris-Ileigh before their opponents were revealed. Details about the time and venue of the club’s semi-final is available on the club’s website.

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CLUB ROUND-UP

Daire WALSH

Ulster ROBERT EMMETS, SLAUGHTNEIL The Robert Emmets club in Slaughtneil produced something of a surprise in the semi-final of the Derry Senior Hurling Championship at the beginning of August, as a second-half major by inspirational half-forward Brendan Rodgers helped them to overcome the strong challenge of Oak Leaf heavyweights Kevin Lynch’s Dungiven in a tension-filled encounter played at Derry GAA’s Centre Of Excellence in Owenbeg.

On paper, Slaughtneil were always going to be the underdogs for this clash, and when they lost the services of key players Peadar Kearney and Eanna Cassidy through injury in their quarter-final encounter, their chances of progressing to this year’s decider seemed even less likely. However, they started against Dungiven in sparkling form, and thanks to points by Gareth O’Kane (free), Oisin O’Doherty and Chrissy McKaigue (who formed a lethal inside forward line) they were three points to the good during the early exchanges.

As expected, Dungiven did eventually settled into the proceedings, and they narrowed the gap to the bare minimum with a brace of well-taken points. The excellent Rodgers subsequently registered his opening score of the day, and though Dungiven continued to keep within touching distance, Slaughtneil were playing with both confidence and belief.

Gerald Bradley was having a major impact on the play from midfield, and he split the posts effortlessly just before McKaigue added his second of the tie.

The north Derry outfit were finding it difficult to deal with the potent Robert Emmets attack, and although their opponents threatened to level matters in time for the break, the deadly accurate O’Kane provided a trio of scores from placed balls to give his side a two-point cushion (0-9 to 0-7) ahead of the second period of action.

It was a case of so far, so good for Slaughtneil, but because of the vast experience of the Dungiven men, they knew that they couldn’t afford to rest on their laurels at any point. The decision to move Karl McKaigue from midfield to defence was a shrewd decision, but he was ably assisted in this regard by corner-back Brian Og Corbett, as well as half-back duo Jarlath Mulholland and Cormac McKenna.

Frankie Kelly was also probing effectively in his new role at midfield alongside Bradley, which made it possible for the forwards to garner the kind of possession that they could capitalise on. They hadn’t always made the best use of the opportunities that came their way in the opening period, however, and they needed to make sure that they kept Dungiven on the back-foot as the play resumed.

They certainly begun the half with plenty of attacking intent, and although Se McGuigan was denied inside the opening minute by a terrific pointblank save by Dungiven custodian Ciaran O’Kane, Rodgers was on hand to supply the finishing touches from the rebound. This proved to be a pivotal

score for Robert Emmets, as it offered considerable daylight between themselves and Dungiven.

Rodgers was playing some tremendous hurling for his side, and he raised the white flag on a couple of occasions either side of Dungiven frees, which did give them a fighting as the final-quarter beckoned. There was little Dungiven could do to stop Slaughtneil from dominating territorial possession, though, and following further scores from the reliable pairing of Chrissy McKaigue and Gareth O’Kane, they had built up a seven-point lead.

This wasn’t entirely insurmountable, but Dungiven were now racing against the clock in their quest to return to county final day. Their honourable endeavours did yield a couple of much-needed points, but they were living off scraps for the vast majority of the game thanks to superb performances from the Slaughtneil rearguard.

O’Kane, the outstanding Rodgers and late replacement Eanna Cassidy all added to the Slaughtneil scoreboard before the end, and despite finally having their goal breached in the closing stages when county star Kevin Hinphey expertly converted a three-point opportunity, Slaughtneil were not to be denied a 1-16 to 1-12 victory.

Slaughtneil now moved forward to their first county final appearance since 2009 (when they were defeated by Dungiven), and they will have to overcome the challenge of Ballinascreen, who were most impressive in their last-four triumph. Despite winning the county title on six occasions, they have come off second best in their three appearances in the Derry decider, and have emerged victorious in just one of their last seven showpiece outings.

They have been crowned Champions as recently as 2000, though, and they will be facing a Ballinascreen side that have lost seven consecutive county finals since their last success way back in 1939. The final was due to take place on the weekend of August 24/25, and should prove to be a novel pairing with neither of the competition’s two most successful sides (Dungiven and Lavey) involved.

The Slaughtneil Reserve footballers were also in winning form recently, as they comfortably defeated Swatragh by a margin of 13 points (0-18 to 1-2) at Emmet Park on the evening of Monday August 12th. The final scoreline

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Ulster is slightly misleading, however, as a 0-7 to 1-1 interval cushion meant that there was little to separate the teams after the restart. Yet, with Padraig Cassidy and Enda McKaigue contributing 0-4 apiece, and the McEldowneys, Fergal, Sean and Brendan, also finding the target, they were able to book their place in the next round of the championship with relative ease, while also restricting their opponents to just one point during the entire second period.

Just three days earlier, the Slaughtneil Under 16 footballers were also comprehensive in their championship fixture, as goals from half-back Fergal Brady, as well as devastating forward duo Shane McGuigan and Liam Cassidy, helped them towards a 3-13 to 0-7 winning margin.

ALL SAINT’S, BALLYMENA Played in testing conditions at Creggan on Sunday August 11th, All Saints Ballymena pulled out all the stops against St Joseph’s Glenavy to book their place in the second round of the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship. This preliminary round fixture had been extremely close throughout, but eventually the Ballymena men overcame Joseph’s on a margin of three points (3-10 to 1-13).

Although the championship season in the Saffron County can be completely unpredictable, it was no surprise that the Slemish Park outfit were the firm favourites ahead of this clash, having defeated Glenavy both home and away during the 2013 league campaign.

They were fighting against a stiff breeze during the first half, however, and despite taking the lead with just 30 seconds gone on the clock courtesy of a Michael McCarry point (following outstanding work from the throwin by Sean McVeigh), they found themselves trailing by two points nine minutes in after Michael McCourt (two) and Niall McCann were on target for Joseph’s. This was somewhat against the run of play, as Ballymena had enjoyed a good deal of possession during the early exchanges without fully utilising it, but they did breathe a major sigh of relief when Fergus Cunningham’s effort 14 minutes in floated over the bar when a goal seemed likely a realistic possibility.

This seemed like the perfect time for Joseph’s to push on to another level, but instead it was the Saints who pushed on at the beginning of the second-quarter, as further excellent approach play by McVeigh paved the way for Peter McReynolds and Liam Cassley to set-up Conor Crilly for a clear run at goal. The full-forward was in no mood to pass up this opening, and he proceeded to round Stephen Daly in the opposition net before coolly slotting home from close-in.

This was a confidence-boosting score for Ballymena, who added another point through Andy Morrow on 19 minutes. Yet, just when it looked like they had the measure of Glenavy, the Chapel Hill brigade secured a major of their own when influential midfielder Owen Gallagher palmed home from an enticing Jonathan Phillips delivery. Fergus Cunningham’s subsequent score edged Joseph’s two points in front, but the gap was soon halved

thanks to a fantastic McReynolds ‘45’. McVeigh also chipped in with a fine point for the Saints, but with McCann and McCourt increasing their personal tally late on, Ballymena were facing into a three-point deficit as the second period got underway.

Having won the Intermediate Championship as recently as 2011, it was anticipated that the greater experience of Ballymena would begin to tell as the half wore on, but when they lost the previously impressive McCarry to injury in the opening moments after the restart, their game plan was significantly altered. Indeed, it took them a while to re-organise after this loss, and with 15 minutes left to play in normal time, they were yet to open their account in the second period.

The decision to replace Joe Rafferty with Sean McCambridge was a major turning point for the Saints, though, as the latter’s height advantage gave them an excellent outlet at a time when it was badly needed. His fine fetch, not long after his arrival, eventually found its way to Liam Cassley, who slotted home his side’s second goal from close-range.

The game was now very much back in the melting pot, and when Damian Kelly (another second-half replacement) restored parity with a sweetly struck point, a tantalising finale was in store. With momentum on their side, Andy Morrow’s successful 58th minute free put Saints in the driving seat, and when attacking half-back Emmet Killough added another white flag effort from their next passage of play, it looked there was only going to be one winner.

However, with five minutes of added time announced, it was still possible that Joseph’s could steal the game at the death, and any lapse in concentration by Ballymena was going to be punished by their willing opponents. Thankfully from a Saints point of view, they were the ones who produced the required response, as another enterprising move involving Killough and McVeigh was finished to Daly’s net by the excellent Crilly for his second goal of the game. This lifted a lot of the pressure that Ballymena had been feeling in the dying moments, but with four minutes yet to be played, they still had to keep close tabs on the Joseph’s attack. Phillips, McCann and Luke Devereux points cancelled out Crilly’s latest effort, but the effective Kelly had the final say in the match, as his breakaway point finally confirmed All Saints’ victory on the day.

Ballymena will now take on Rasharkin in the next phase of the competition, and after being put through the wringer by Joseph’s in this game, they will certainly be battle-hardened when they come up against the former. If they are to continue their winning form, they will once again need strong performances from the likes of McVeigh, Killough and Crilly, and with Kelly and McCambridge making pivotal impacts upon their introductions against Joseph’s, it is clear that the bench is going to play a major part in the remainder of this year’s Championship.

Their ability to score goals at crucial junctures in the play was also telling, and they will take great positives from the fact that they never panicked when things weren’t going their way, as Glenavy had threatened to rein in on their parade on numerous occasions.

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CLUB ROUND-UP

Daire WALSH

Connacht KILTUBRID The Kiltubrid Junior Footballers continued their good form in the Leitrim Junior ‘B’ Football Championship at the beginning of July, as they overcame the challenge of their near neighbours Letrim Gaels in a Round Two encounter played at Drumshanbo. With a perfect balance of young and old in their side, Kiltubrid were much too strong for their opponents, and with a number of the team playing at their optimum level of performance, they secured a resounding 6-16 to 1-4 victory.

Having also recorded a win in their opening game of the 2013 Championship, this second successive triumph meant that they were joint top, alongside Aughavas, in their Pyramid Bookmakers Leitrim Junior ‘B’ Football Championship Group. They were pitted against Aughavas in their final group game, which would determine the final placings of the two teams ahead of the knock-out stages.

Knowing that another success would guarantee that they finished as group winners, Kiltubrid worked extremely hard behind-the-scenes to ensure that they achieved the result that they desired, but when this crunch tie finally arrived on August 11th, Aughavas conceded the game to Kiltubrid, whose 100% success rate remains intact as they move on to the next phase.

The club, however, will be face-to-face with Aughavas in the 13-a-side County Championship Final of the Under-14 grade after they booked their place in the final with a victory over Bornacoola at the last-four stage in Fenagh on Friday August 9th. At the time of writing, this decider was expected to have taken place, but any information from this game can be garnered from Kiltubrid’s official club website.

There was some sad news at the end of July in Kiltubrid GAA, as news reached of the sad passing of club stalwart Martin Moran following a tragic accident. All involved in the club extended their deepest sympathies to Martin’s wife Sandra, his daughter Amy, his parents Liam and Carmel, his brothers Michael, Joe and Gerry, his sister Antoinette, as well as the extended Moran and Tivnan families, and the many friends and associates that Martin encountered over the years.

Martin was a highly-regarded athlete, but was also a rising star of many underage teams for Kiltubrid. He was a part of the Under 16 squad in 1988 that secured the league and championship double, and was known for his pace, agility and bravery on the field. Thanks to his trusty left-foot, he was able to bail Kiltubrid out of trouble on a number of occasions, and was a constant threat to opposing defences throughout his time with the club.

Following his untimely death, a massive number of people visited Martin’s home, as well as the funeral mass, which was a firm indication of just how popular a character he was. The guard of honour offered on the day was also a touching tribute to Martin, who will undoubtedly be remembered by all those who are currently involved with the club, along with those who will represent Kiltubrid in the future.

As a mark of respect to Martin, a minute’s silence was held before

Kiltubrid’s Championship meeting with Carrigallen on Sunday July 28th.

There were also a couple of bereavements in the club at the start of August, as Frances Dowler’s sister, Gladys Saunders, passed away in England, and John Cotter, the father of Drumcong resident Michael Cotter, was laid to rest in Cork at the beginning of the month.

The Championship campaign of the Kiltubrid Senior Footballers came to an end on the evening of Saturday August 3rd, as they were on the receiving end of a comprehensive defeat to Melvin Gaels in a one-sided affair played at Drumkeerin. Though their efforts on the day couldn’t be faulted, Melvin Gaels ultimately had nine points to spare (2-11 to 1-5) in the end, and Kiltubrid finished bottom of the group as a consequence. In order to secure their senior status, Kiltubrid had to compete in a relegation semi-final, and even though they had a second opportunity should they lose this game, it was nevertheless essential that they produced a positive response to their Melvin Gaels reversal.

The Kiltubrid minor team had much better fortune in recent weeks, as they got their Minor Football Championship run off to a fantastic start with an impressive 3-20 to 1-6 victory over Bornacoola on August 6th. There were a number of fine performers on the day – Stephen McKeon and Patrick Meehan contributed 1-1 each, while Stephen McLoughlin chipped in with a 1-2 haul – but the 0-8 tally of top-scorer Owen Dolan proved decisive on the day.

There was a great weekend of celebration in Kiltubrid during the August Bank Holiday weekend, as Sinead Foley and Donal Ellis’ wedding ceremony took place in Drumcong. At around the same time, club man Brian McKiernan celebrated his 30th birthday, which occurred on the same week as the birthdays of fellow Kiltubrid members Raymond Harris and Helen Tighe.

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COOLANEY/MULLINABREENA Saturday August 10th was the date for a titanic Sligo Senior Football Championship Group D encounter between Coolaney/Mullinabreena and Geevagh at Kilcoyne Park in Tubbercurry, but despite playing some sparkling football on the night, the vast experience of their opponents proved crucial in the end, as Coolaney ended up on the wrong side of a 0-18 to 0-15 full-time scoreline. The physicality of Geevagh was a major deciding factor in the game as well, and Coolaney were always at a disadvantage from this point of view.

However, this didn’t mean that Geevagh were in full control of the contest from start and finish, and indeed it was Coolaney/Mullinabreena who were the quicker out of the blocks. With Darren Coleman in lively form, the Nace O’Dowd Park outfit edged two points in front with ten minutes gone on the clock, and when half-back Denis O’Rourke had to be replaced at an early stage in the contest, things were starting to look somewhat ominous for Geevagh.

However, their midfield pairing of Shane McManus and Kevin Byrne were starting to get a stranglehold on the proceedings, and with county minor star Kevin Henry also growing into the game, Geevagh were posing plenty of problems for their south division counterparts.

Nevertheless, Coolaney were continuing to force the play into the opposition ‘45’ at every available opportunity, and the tie was firmly in the balance as the sides lined up for the start of the second period. It was at this point that Geevagh started to show what they are capable of, and with Kevin Byrne (two) and Jimmy O’Reilly splitting the posts with fine efforts, they were throwing down the gauntlet to Coolaney.

To the credit of Coolaney/Mullinabreena, they once again came up trumps following this Geevagh scoring spree, and thanks to further contributions to the scoreboard by Kieran Finan and Shane O’Brien, they had restored parity for the fourth time in the evening by the time the 45th minute mark had arrived. Yet, when the outcome was still firmly in the balance, it was Geevagh who were able to push on to another level, and in half-forward Jimmy O’Reilly, they had an extremely potent performer.

During the closing quarter, he registered a trio of terrific points from play, and he was joined by Keith McGrath and Tomas O’Reilly in raising white flags, as Geevagh turned the screw on their game opponents. As was predicted, Coolaney battled until the very end, and the late dismissal of Geevagh centre-back Eamonn McDonagh did offer them hope during the dying embers of the play, but they ultimately came up short against their eastern rivals.

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Though they were understandably disappointed to have suffered a defeat on in such a closely-fought outing, there was still plenty of positives to be taken from the game. Centre-back Barry Kivlehan was a defensive lynchpin for his side, and despite leaking 18 points to the opposition, brothers Sean and Conor Gorman also stood out alongside him.

In difficult circumstances, captain Brendan Coleman competed well in the middle-third, while Kieran Finan and Shane O’Brien can also be happy with their performances on the day, as they amassed a grand total of 0-9 between them. Their next group fixture took place eight days later against St Mary’s in Bunninadden Community Park, as the Belfry Senior Football Championship continued to progress at a rapid pace.

Before their Championship bow, Coolaney/Mullinabreena had been idle for close to six weeks, as their league campaign had concluded at the end of June. They were defeated by Castleconnor in their final league game at Bonniconlon, and finished the term with a healthy fourth-placed finish.

The Coolaney Seniors may have fallen short in their division, but the Under-14 side did ensure that some silverware made its way into the club’s hallways, as they captured the ‘B’ League crown with a fine victory over Ballymote in Bunninadden on July 26th. With a panel of 19 players – spearheaded by the management team of Gerry Mullen, Stephen Barrett, Darren Coleman and Colin Marren – this was a magnificent achievement by the young Coolaney outfit, and it should provide them with plenty of confidence and belief in the coming months and years.

Coolaney/Mullinabreena were one of many clubs that had participants at the Sligo GAA/GPA Elvery’s Youth Camp in the Owenmore Gaels GAA club in Collooney between the 24th and 28th of June. A camp for boys aged between 13 and 15, Sligo inter-county stars David Kelly, Pat Hughes, Brian Egan, Colm McGee, Charlie and Ross Donovan were the coaches in attendance, and as well as imparting knowledge of the skills and attributes needed to make it as a top-class footballer, they also talked about life at the top level of Gaelic Football.

These camps are being held across the nation, with high profile intercounty stars such as Bernard Brogan (Dublin), Donegal All-Ireland winning captain Michael Murphy and former Hurler of the Year Michael Fennelly (Kilkenny) amongst the 120 players that are involved in the coaching of the teams at each camp. It is the latest in a long line of joint ventures between the GAA and the Gaelic Players’ Association, and is designed to give young and aspiring players an insight into how an inter-county player operates.

During the week-long camp, there were various activities based around conditioned games, skills developments, mental preparation, sports nutrition and athletic development. All those in attendance received a limited edition Elvery’s Sports Pack, and there was a skills competition in each camp, with the winner receiving the glamorous prize of a luxurious Lenovo laptop. These initiatives are an excellent way of keeping kids of a young age involved, as well as maintaining a connection with the local community during the summer months.

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Give Your Club a Helping Hand Just imagine what €10,000 would mean to your local club. Extra kit for the juvenille teams? The chance to build a hurling wall? Repairs to the facilities? No need to worry about utility bills for a year?

Now imagine that you are in a position to help your club get that €10,000.

Because you and every GAA fan around the country have the chance right now to make a real difference to your local club just by signing up to the new GAA Club offer from Liberty Insurance.

Just get a quote for either motor or home insurance from Liberty Insurance via www.libertygaa.ie before October 13th, nominate your local club and they are in with a chance of winning that €10,000. It couldn’t be easier!

If you then go ahead and take out your policy with Liberty Insurance they will donate €50 to your noninated club. The more people who sign up, the greater the financial return for the club. It’s a simple and easy way to help your club raise much-needed funds.

Don’t worry if your policy is not up for renewal right before October 13th – it doesn’t stop you getting a quote. And the more nominations your club gets, the greater the chance it has of winning.

So go on, get your quote and get your friends and family on board and who knows, next year your club could be unveiling a new addition to the club facility named just after you!

For more information, visit www.libertygaa.ie

Study online with Hibernia College for a University of London qualification.

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Now enrolling for the following online programmes: • B.Sc. in Management • B.Sc. in Business • B.Sc. in Creative Computing • B.Sc. in Computing & Information Systems • Diploma in Management (for graduates)

• Onsite workshops in local centres throughout Ireland • Apply directly to Hibernia College • Scholarships available

Live. Learn.

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SKINS MAKE SENSE A thick skin is required in business. To get to the top, and more importantly to stay at the top, then one has to be prepared to put in the work, have the dedication and the hunger to continue, even when the ‘going gets tough’. That philosophy is one that SKINS CEO Jaimie Fuller lives by and translates into his globally successful business.

Fuller, who sat down with Club GAA Magazine on his whistle stop tour of Ireland, is a unique character and SKINS is a unique product.

SKINS is a revolutionary clothing brand that allows athletes of all levels to train to the maximum ability. Founded by Brad Duffy, who took a concept of gradient compression, whose original purpose was to help circulation for the old, sick or infirmed, SKINS has become arguably the preeminent sporting apparel in the world.

SKINS products are the only high performance apparel to take into account compression levels needed to increase oxygen delivery to active muscles while in motion. This is called dynamic gradient compression.

Among the benefits that SKINS clothing range provide: • less lactic acid build up, more muscle oxygenation – and better circulation • more muscle power • wicking – to draw moisture away from the skin • temperature control, whether it’s hot or cold • 50+ UV protection The company worked with the scientific and industrial research organisation in Australia to develop a device capable of taking multiple readings of the human body in motion. They then hooked up SKINS athletes and for the first time ever, were able to accurately measure compression on muscles in motion – as they change shape with increased levels of oxygenfuelled blood pumping through them.

The fabric in SKINS is warp knitted using multiple fine quality yarns to give superior performance.

Warp knit fabrics have no natural stretch – instead, the spandex mix ensures specific levels of elasticity and perfectly controlled compression.

For a compression product this is superior to using circular knit which has natural stretch, making it hard to maintain the correct level of compression.

Circular knit fabrics are also less durable and likely to run if snagged.

While he never reached the heights on the field of play, ‘my talent was inversely proportionate to my passion’ Fuller took a lifelong passion for sport and when the opportunity came up to acquire SKINS in 2002, it was an opportunity that he couldn’t turn down.

“I was looking for something that would be more stimulating than what I was working with at the time. The company became available. It was something that I thought I could make a living at and I went ahead and purchased it. I knew that if we embraced the technology and introduced it to the world of sport, because it enhances circulation and improves your recovery, it could turn out to be a success, which it undoubtedly has.

“Athletes would find that when they started to wear the SKINS product that they could train hard one day and the next day instead of waking up and hobbling into training, they were able to train at their normal level, because the SKINS product enhanced their recovery significantly. Their business is performing to the maximum ability and they saw the benefits that SKIN products could provide them. The critical thing about the product

is that when somebody tried them, saw the results and began to tell their teammates, that’s when things really began to happen. Not only were Australian sports sides and athletes using the product, we were selling, yes selling SKIN products to the likes of Manchester Utd and Chelsea in the Premier League, which was an unbelievable situation to be in.”

While some may scoff at the notion of Ryan Giggs, flying winger of Manchester Utd wearing tights underneath his shorts, there was sound reasoning for that, as the SKIN product increased circulation in the player’s body and allowed him to perform to his optimum ability.

One of the key differences that set SKINS apart from the competition is that, rather than working with the clubs as a whole, the company worked with the Strength & Condition coaches, along with the doctors within the respective clubs, so that they can keep a yard ahead of the competition.

“The technology is so simple, and anyone with a medical background knows how the product works. Once you understand that concept and apply it to sport, the light bulb goes off. Another key thing that we found was the testimonials that we received from people within the industry. They weren’t testimonials from players, but from medical professionals, who said that it was exactly what they were looking for etc.

“An additional thing that they told us was that they didn’t have to force the players to wear the product. When the players saw the benefits that came from wearing SKINS, they had no hesitation in using them into the future.

“We also invited a number of scientists to take some studies of our products, to show the effective nature of them. It all started with a conference call that we had with the doctor of Manchester Utd, and while he understood and agreed that our products did what we said, he didn’t have any interest in trialling our product without there been some proof of what we were saying.

It is a genre that didn’t exist before SKINS came along and is something that Fuller is justifiably proud of.

“Well I think we created a genre”, he says. “Under Armour do a brilliant job in providing a comfortable product that sits under a jersey. Their product serves one purpose, ours serves another.”

While SKINS adds another layer to your sporting endeavours, Fuller is keen to quash any speculation that using SKINS products will suddenly turn an average player into an All-Ireland winner at the click of a finger.

Sport has suffered over the last number of years with various drug scandals that have seeped their way into cycling and athletics, to name but two sports. Fuller believes that the core values, which are at the heart of what SKINS represents, serve the company well.

“For me I draw the line, at these tweaks, at genetic mutation. If you put a pair of SKINS tights on it isn’t going to enable you to run a 100m faster.

What it does enable a person to do is to finish their training and train the following day equally as hard as they did the previous day.

“If you can do that, then you will perform better. Some people think that there is some sort of binary connection to what we do, like certain swimsuits change your profile, but there isn’t a little engine in our products that can make you go faster.

“You don’t sell product to the likes of Manchester Utd without having a proven track record in been able to deliver a top class product and I am proud to say that we have such products.”

One can confidently predict that SKINS will continue to grow and prosper in the years to come, and not by the skin of their teeth either.

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Chasing better performances is the goal of every player and coach in hurling and football and the dynamic fluctuation in training techniques and methods has provided a confused landscape as to which program design will suit both the individual player and the team as a whole.

As the pre-season approaches the usual battery of tests are executed to ascertain the player current fitness status but what if a test were available which precedes all tests and the results provide the formulae to design a bespoke training programme guaranteed to improve performance and ultimately success. The answer is Genetic Performance.

The genetic profiling determined by taking the test will indicate your strength and limitations as an athlete. The information available from the test includes such things as muscle fibre type (slow twitch/fast twitch), the ability to remove lactic acid, the potential increase in VO2 max and the ability to increase anaerobic threshold.

There are many more performance indicators highlighted on the test report that could be essential in the assessment of the modern day GAA athlete.

The demands of Hurling and Gaelic Football cut across a multitude of

different components of fitness ranging from speed, speed endurance, strength and strength endurance; therefore having the correct information in regards to both the potential and limitations of the athlete across the spectrum of needs of a GAA athlete allows the coach and player to focus on how to build upon their genetic template.

Athletes no longer have to rely on the concept of one size fits all training program with the hope that it may improve performance, Think about it .You are getting a service manual on how your body works, a tailor made training program designed on your genetics’, a nutrition guide so you can nourish your body in order to optimize its function Taking the Genetic Performance DNA swab test couldn’t be simpler and it is completely non-invasive. When you receive the kit, simply follow the instructions, send us back the swab, and once we receive it, we will perform the scientific analysis.

Contact Genetic Performance and take the first step forward toward future success

www.geneticperformance.ie Hello@geneticperformance.ie

Going the Extra Mile AN EXPERIENCED AND EXPERT FLEET MANAGEMENT COMPANY THAT TAILOR MADE PACKAGES TO SUIT ANY CORPORATE NEEDS Jensen Fleet Solutions are 100% Irish owend, professional and realiable fleet management service with over twenty years of leasing experience. The company offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise that has brought it to the fore of their industry, with tailor made packages to suit any corporation’s needs.

FLEET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Based in the easily accessible Ballymount Road, Dublin 12 Jensen Fleet provide a complete service for Corporate, Private and Public customers. They offer guaranteed savings in all aspects of Car Leasing, Van Leasing, Professional Fleet Management and Full Vehicle Servicing, Car Hire and Van Hire.

“Your vehicles and drivers are essential to your business. However, organising services, dealing with breakdowns and administration are time -consuming, costly and frustrating. Fleet Management tackles these problems by using Jensen Fleets expertise and know-how to organise and manage these tasks for you, so you can focus on your core activities explains Leanne Nolan co director, “Our Fleet Management goal is making sure all your vehicles are running to their maximum efficiency, ultimately saving you time and money.”

What makes Jensen Fleet stand out from the rest is their unique personal touch, their size and their extremely competitive rates, saving businesses a lot of money each year.

“We know we can save businesses money. If you are a start-up company looking for 1-2 cars or a bigger company looking for 20 cars, come to us and we will find a package that will suit your needs. We know what it’s like to be in the initial stages of a business and appreciate the many factors involved in getting your business off the ground. We are also a wholly owned Irish company, employing 8 people,” says Leanne, adding, “From Vehicle Sales, Finance, Car Leasing, Accident Repair & Servicing, we offer the full range to suit your companies needs.”

CONTRACT HIRE Whether you are a small business or a large multi-national your fleet is vital to how your business operates. At Jensen Fleet Solutions their contract hire & car leasing plans provide your business with a vehicle of your description at a fixed rate over a fixed period of time. “We can offer corporate companies competitive terms on all the new cars and vans. Leasing cars offers you access to any car or van with minimum upfront payments.”

There is no risk in relation to depreciation or resale cost – at the end of the lease just hand back the car. It is a cost effective way for a business in Ireland to fund and run their companies fleet. Fixed cost budgeting and improved cash flow. It also removes administration of supplying, servicing & disposing of your vehicles.

Industry knowledge “We plan on growing our business from year to year to stay competitive in an ever changing industry.

“At Jensen Fleet Solutions we provide our industry knowledge with a high degree of personal service combined with a competitive pricing policy allows us to get the best deal to suit our customer needs,” says Leanne, adding, “We are 100% owned and an Independent Multi Franchise provider. From Renaults to Audi’s we can source the lot. Jensen Fleet Solutions prides itself on the availability of a variety of packages to suit our customer’s needs, whether it be to manage an existing fleet or to quote for new business, we are prepared to go the extra mile for our clientele.”

If you’re looking for short or long term car hire or a flexible alternative to car leasing & contract hire find out more about Jensen Fleets convenient and inexpensive way to get on the road.

For further information log onto www.jensenfleet.ie

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P: 01 460 5250 - E: info@jensenfleet.ie

www.jensenfleet.ie

Get behind your club

â‚Ź50 for your local GAA or Camogie club when you take out a new private motor or home policy

PLUS a chance to win

â‚Ź10,000 for your club with any new private motor or home quote.

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libertygaa.ie Offer ends October 13th 2013.Terms and conditions apply, view libertygaa.ie. Liberty Insurance Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.