31 thoughts on “Club lottos and draws”

1. Well done WJ – great idea. Clubs are really struggling and need every bit of help they can get. I’d urge everyone to support your local club.

2. Where are Carnacon LGFA and Caiseal Gaels Hurling? Kilmoremoy LGFA? Is there a club called Moytura promoting hurling in the Ballinrobe Shrule Cong area? Or a hurling club in Ballyvary? Are hurling and football GAA clubs operating under the same banner in Castlebar and Westport? I understand a dual player could not play, for example, football for Breaffy and hurling for Castlebar unless Castlebar had separate hurling and football clubs.
   And also that two clubs in a county cannot both have the same name – Castlebar Mitchels?
   Living outside the county for over 50 years I’m not as in touch with club affairs as I might be but I do believe I heard of those mentioned above in the past. Of course new hurling clubs can disappear if a key promoter leaves an area for one reason or another.
   How many clubs incorporate both the men’s and ladies game? Are Moy Rovers GAA and LGFA the same club? Likewise Kilmovee Shamrocks?

3. Thanks AndyD, I’ll do some more digging on all those and add them in. Carnacon and Kilmoremoy LGFA are obvious omissions, I did search for a Carnacon lotto and couldn’t find any details but I should of course have still put them on the list.

   Keep the suggested additions coming, everyone, as I want this list to be as complete and accurate as possible. No more than yourself Andy I’m living outside the county for decades now so there are a a few blind spots in my knowledge about the club scene back in the county.

4. Mayo GAA also posted details last year of club lottos, in which they provided useful info on cut-off times for weekly draws. That’s here: https://mayogaa.com/club-lotto/. I’ll add that link to the end of the post I’ve done as well.

5. AndyD, I think the reason why they clubs are excluded are because they’re not football clubs. The LGFA are a separate organisation, although some clubs have them under the same umbrella. Ballyvary hurling club is only up to minor as far and I know. Moytura has folded, they haven’t been on the Mayo GAA fixtures lists for a few years anyways. Caiseal Gaels have only ventured into senior hurling last year. Tooreen covers the Aghamore area.

6. Edit: GAA football clubs, Carnacon and Kilmoremoy are indeed football clubs, but under the LGFA umbrella. Hope this helps AndyD and WJ.

7. Thank you Willie Joe… just did one for my home club…first time ever!! Great idea and delighted to get the chance.
   Hope you and all on the blog are keeping well. We’re moving through the hardest time but we’re getting there. Take care and thank you. Maigheo go deo!!

8. Thanks Justin – I’ve added Ballyvary and Caiseal Gaels (both hurling), as well as Carnacon, Kilmoremoy and MacHale Rovers (LGFA), to the list, though I can’t find any lotto/draw details for any of them. At least they’re there now and if those clubs run lottos I can add the details as they become available.

   I have Tooreen listed separately but it may be that their fundraising happens within the Aghamore umbrella. I’ll try to find out more on that and update accordingly.

   The real head-scratcher on the list, though, is Castlebar Mitchels. The hurling and LGFA wings have lottos but not Mitchels themselves. Does this mean they’re as flush as the Dubs are for cash and so don’t need to fundraise in this way? Or simply haven’t gone online with their endeavours yet? Both seem unlikely. If anyone can shed any light on that, I’d be interested to know what the story is there.

9. Great initiative WIllie Joe. Would it be worthwhile adding a link to this detail where you have the Home/about/Fixtures/results so that it can be there as a resource that is readily located when there are more blog posts?.

   it would be a shame for this list to get lost in the history of the blog postings.

10. Thanks FDB, I’ll definitely find a home for it somewhere so that it can be easily seen and located.

11. Castlebar Mitchels had a lotto in years gone by(10 years +) but as far as Im aware it wasn’t very successful. The hurling club is separate and they have maintained their lotto. While Castlebar have the advantage of a large local population that does not transfer to a large support for the club. Many of their home league games have extremely small numbers in terms of supporters. A huge amount of those working and living in the town would play with or support other clubs in Mayo. Its not the fault of the Mitchels its just what happens in large urban areas. I know of plenty friends /relatives around Mayo that would support their local GAA club lottos, even if they have no interest in the team but feel its important for that sense of community. I live in Castlebar and you often see the lotto envelopes from Breaffy/Parke/Ballintubber/Islandeady at the shop counters and in the pubs. Dont think this happens in any other clubs out side the large towns. I assume that Castlebar focus their energy into the shops in Mchale park to make money. At Mayo matches they have huge numbers of volunteers in these shops. With no supporters at any matches last year and maybe none this year this source of income is gone and im sure its hitting even a big club like Castlebar hard.

12. There’s also a St. Brigids Ladies team in North Mayo, Willie Joe, they cover all Killala, Kilfian, Lacken and Moygownagh area.

13. Andy, in Castlebar the hurling, ladies and mens club are 3 totally different and separate clubs, hence their names Castlebar Mitchels, Castlebar Mitchels Hurling club and Castlebar Mitchels Ladies Football club. Separate organizational and administrative structures and very separate financial structures. Separate codes and separate sports.
    There is still a real ignorance in many people with regards to the GAA and LGFA and an assumption that they are both the same. St. Mary’s is the ladies football club in Aghamore, Kilmoremoy likewise for Ballina, Carnacon likewise for Ballintubber. However more ladies clubs decided to remain with the GAA clubs name, as it was founded prior to the LGFA.
    Some clubs have chosen to go down the route of the “one club” policy, but not many and even that initiative heavily stresses that the financial structure of the joining clubs remains separate.

    Size 5, I agree totally with you. I’ve been living in Castlebar longer than where I’m originally from, and could never understand how so many neighbouring clubs could infiltrate the town and it’s businesses. I know one thing, an Eastern Geals lotto ticket would not make it onto the counter of a Ballyhaunis shop!
    Castlebar also has huge financial competition from 3 soccer clubs, a rugby club, tennis and golf whereas more rural clubs might have no competition at all.

14. Pebblesmeller,
    What you say about Eastern Gaels and Ballyhaunis is interesting. Would not an Eastern Gaels customer be welcome in a Ballyhaunis shop? Customer welcome but not their lotto ticket?
    I live in and sell lotto in a small town where there are four neighbouring clubs selling lotto regularly and all are welcome. The town recognises that it depends on business from its entire neighbourhood to survive. Similarly the local town club recognises that it needs support from its neighbours to survive and the neighbouring clubs recognise that too. Not that any of this recognition reduces rivalry on the football pitch and the slagging when selling lotto is not without comment either. As I say, we all live out of each others pockets. Long may it continue.

15. Great work there Willie Joe – as always.

    In other news, taking the advice of JP, a few posts back, I watched back Balla v Kiltimagh in the Inter final, looking out for Barry Duffy in particular.

    Have to say, while he showed flashes, and they were good, overall he didn’t really stand out. I was impressed by Garry McHale, and Mattie Flanagan’s goalkeeping was top class. He seems to have a mighty kick, and though his long range frees were off, he could develop consistency there.

16. I really love the coloured map and all the club logos and borders. Will try and download it and print it out.

17. I find that map very interesting, just trying to work out which club has the largest area and which club has the smallest area, could be a good quiz question.

18. I think the map is certainly interesting. I heard from a fairly good authority that Cill Chomáin is the largest parish by area, and that would also be one of the larges parishes by area in Western Europe.

    I’d likely think in terms of club however, there are some clubs that seem to take in a number of parishes – Westport being one and Crossmolina another from what I can see.

    Smallest is probably Inisturk (if they have a club – the map has it in blue but I don’t believe they have a club) otherwise it’s likely Ardnaree.

19. I forgot about Clare Island – I know they have a pitch and I recall seeing a programme about a young lad from Clare Island who was a keeper for a mayo underage team.
    I don’t know if they have a club proper though.

20. Well, that news tonight that inter County gaa is no longer considered elite sport will have serious repercussions g for the inter County and club scenes. Then leo says he can’t see any more than 50 people at events this year. It shows that the government will not be opening up the country any time soon.

21. FDBinashui,
    I cannot figure how you reckon that Claremorris GAA takes in more than one parish, When you consider that Eastern Gaels, Davitts, Garrymore, Hollymount, Mayo Gaels are all within a few miles of Claremorris there does not seem to be much room for other parishes. Knock seems to be the only possible outlying area but I’m fairly sure that they are not part of Claremorris GAA. Incidentally, according to my map there are two Carrowmore’s near Hollymount, one to the north and one to the south. Which is Hollymount amalgamated with?
    Re the size of Kilcommon, I’m sure that there are also large parishes in Alpine areas, Scotland, Norway and some other European locations. There are areas of Kilcommon where you would not meet many footballers, unless they were holiday makers,. Of more importance is the population of various club areas and I have long wondered how large urban clubs manage to cater for all the youngsters in their areas

22. Knock is within Aghamore’s boundaries, AndyD. They used to form the same parish once – indeed, they may end up doing so again.

    All – I’ve now established a home here on the blog for this information on club lottos. I’ve created a widget on the panel on the right for it and there’s a click-through link to this post so that should keep it visible.

23. Wolf – If you include Aughagower then Westport has the biggest area, but players from Aughagower can play for other clubs so Kilcommon has the biggest area and the smallest area is Ballina.

24. I don’t think I mentioned Claremorris AndyD. I did mention Crossmolina however that was based on a notion that Keenagh may have been in its own Parish, but I’m not certain of that.
    Agree that there are large swathes of Kilcommon that you won’t meet man nor beast (Footballing or otherwise), but I believe the record for that particular title would have to stand with Ballycroy according to this https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30755565.html
    As for Kilcommon being the largest Parish in Western Europe, it was a Priest that gave me that little snippet of info, so I’d consider him to have been of reasonable authority on the various administrative districts of his church, but he could indeed have been wrong. More likely the case is that the Civil Parish of Erris is the largest in Europe, if this resource is anything to go by.
    https://www.johngrenham.com/browse/county_civil.php?county=Mayo

25. and looking at the same map, it looks like Crossmolina is its own parish and not an amalgamation, so that my notion dispelled.

26. @Andy D, if the Parish borders were 100 % adhered to than clubs would struggle, for years Claremorris took big numbers from inside Carramore borders, likewise Garrymore and Hollymount have no defined borders.

27. well done Willie Joe – super idea. Would you have a contact for the person who designed the poster of the map of Mayo with all the clubs included? It would be great if the colour posters were available to buy

28. Fontaines – it says on the graphic that it was produced by Joe Cantwell of @gaafanzone (on Twitter). I’ve just checked that Twitter account now, though, and it appears to be inactive since 2018. I’ve no other information on this, I’m afraid.

29. Willie Joe I met a man here in Navan today who told me he was skinned by Joe Corcoran in a league game in Navan. Using your archive I could tell him the year was 1973.what a source of information.
    Any chance of identifying the managers over the years. I remember a manager in the seventies that wanted towels for the players after games. I think he was Benson from Swinford __every one thought he was mad!!!

30. Good to know you had the info to put him straight, Jr! Identifying the managers (I assume you mean Mayo ones?) should be a straightforward enough task, though it’s not a list I’m planning to include in the archive.

31. Willie Joe he is a great character and would love to see Mayo win one. He is a great man to tell a yarn but won’t allow anything smotty.