With the inter-county scene emerging from its slumbers, most of the attention is now being focused towards next weekend and the first round of the National Football League. Before then, however, there’s significant club activity to think about, with two Mayo clubs in action this coming weekend, both of whom are bidding to seal their place in All-Ireland finals, with all the Croke Park glamour this would entail.
Hollymount/Carramore are up against Down and Ulster champions Loughlinisland in the All-Ireland intermediate club semi-final, with the match scheduled for Breffni Park in Cavan on Sunday (throw-in 2pm). The Mourne County side, who played their football at senior level in the county as recently as 2014, will be a tough nut to crack and are captained by ex-Down player Dan Gordon.
Holly/Carra will be hoping that two of their key men – Stephen and Darren Coen – won’t be hampered by the injuries they’ve been carrying. A big performance will be needed from them and, indeed, from the whole team if the South Mayo side are to do it but there’s no reason this shouldn’t happen.
Loughlinisland are 4/5 favourites with Paddy Power to win this one. Match odds here. The winners will play either St Mary’s from Kerry or Meath’s Ratoath in next month’s final, with that semi-final also being played on Sunday, at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.
There’s sure to be a big following from both clubs at Breffni Park for Sunday’s game. For those who can’t make it, however, Local Streaming will be broadcasting the match live online. Full details on this great initiative are here.
At the same time on Sunday over at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon, meanwhile, Ardnaree Sarsfields are set to do battle with another Ulster side for a place in next month’s All-Ireland junior club final. Their opponents are Rockcorry from Monaghan, a club which has in the past featured at senior level within the Farney County before slipping down the grades in recent years.
An interesting fact I certainly didn’t know about Ardnaree until I read it in a piece written by Keith Duggan in last Saturday’s Irish Times was that the area in which the club was located used to be in Sligo but was shifted to Mayo following a border re-jigging in 1898. This was the same bit of shifting that moved Ballaghaderreen into Roscommon but the Ardnaree club wasn’t founded until 1949 and so they’ve always played their football within Mayo. So now you know.
Ardnaree have been installed as the 8/11 favourites to do the business at Páirc Seán on Sunday. Match odds here. It’s another Kerry/Meath showdown, by the way, in the other junior semi-final. This one involves Templenoe (of P Spillane fame) and Curraha who face off at Kilmallock on Sunday.
Best of luck to both Hollymount/Carramore and Ardnaree in their respective semi-finals this weekend. Here’s to both of them booking their tickets to Croke Park next month.
Best of luck to both teams. I will be in Breffni to roar on my home club.
Have read the Keith Duggan article, thanks WJ for the link. However I am going to have to do further research on the Ardnaree switch. It is news to me. It would now seem that I grew up and was educated close to that area in what would now seem a state of some ignorance.
I’m sitting at my desk right now in what was once county Sligo. I love throwing out that old gem now and again to annoy the Ardnaree people here 😉 Back in those days the river Moy used to form the county border and it’s a fascinating little nugget of history.
For all the slagging of the Rossies we do, I have sympathy for their cause – imagine losing the likes of Castlebar Mitchels and Breaffy from the county, even symbollically it’s a blow, as is losing a population of thousands. Will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Won’t make it to either game this weekend, but will be keeping a close ear and eye on Local Streaming (a brilliant and forward-thinking initiative). And the very best of luck to both clubs.
I’m not sure I have much sympathy for the Rossies over the Monksland issue to be honest. They can’t have it every way and the moaning over Ballaghadereen has become annoyingly louder over the years, yet now they’re arguing the exact opposite at the other end of the county.
At the end of the day they’re just local authority boundaries and have little meaning outside of that. If the transfer goes ahead people from this area will still associate with Roscommon if they want to and the clubs involved which have long existed will still be part of Roscommon GAA. Plus it’ll have the added bonus of finally putting the Ballaghadereen argument to bed as they won’t be able to argue out of both sides of their face – claiming Ballagh as theirs on one side of the county while still keeping Monksland in their area on the other.
Then hopefully we can get some peace from them and concentrate on the football.
Declan
It is attitudes like that from people outside the county that we dont want. I am a Roscommon man and you think its ok that they would move 7000 people from a county to another without consultation. We now live in an independent country unlike back when the previous boundary changes were implemented. To think that you would be fine with moving part of Connacht to Leinster is unbelievable. And to think this could happen while a Connacht man is running the country. Lets hope they dont want to give Ballina to Sligo.
This is completely different to Ballaghderreen. The article referred to above is mainly GAA related. The GAA element is only a small part of whats involved. I wont get into here but to hear a fellow westerner say he has little or no sympathy for what is proposed really annoys me. I know this is a GAA forum and I will not turn it into a political issue but please dont comment on something you know absolutely nothing about. Ann Marie makes a very valid point in her comment and its support that is needed from Connacht people. I apologise WJ for using this site for my post but I couldnt let that previous post go without reply. I accept any punishment in advance.
[Deleted].
Best of luck to both Hollymount/Carramore and Ardnaree this Sunday.
Shane I hope Roscommon get to keep Monksland but Independent is not a word I would use to describe this country today but that is enough of politics.
Something I have always wondered about is why the GAA adopted a county structure back in the 1880’s. Counties meant very little, as I understand it, in those days before modern local government, Co Councils etc. The GAA club was based firmly on the parish [defined as the area under the control of a Parish Priest] and I would have thought that the logical follow on from that would be the diocese. GAA histories I have read never mentioned the issue.
On the issue of Ardnaree, that area would naturally have been very much in the Ballina catchment and it would have been natural for them to play in that locale. A hike across the mountain to Tubbercurry would have been the alternative. Not altogether an even steven prospect. Incidentally what about Bonniconlon, was it not also in Sligo?
There was a somewhat similar row in Laois/Carlow some years ago when a player or players on the Laois side of Carlow town [Graiguecullen] wanted to transfer to Eire Óg in Carlow who were motoring well at the time. Mayo had to play an NFL match in Graiguecullen as part of the Laois campaign of sovereignty. I think the player got his transfer based on that same parish rule as Graiguecullen was part of Carlow parish. It is quite common for players in parishes which cross county boundaries to have a choice of which club/county to play for.
Finally, keep right on Ann Marie and pay no heed to Tom’s gripings.
Tom – you’re not allowed to take a swipe like that at another poster. It’s back into the sin bin for you, I’m afraid, for that one.
All – I know I’m partly to blame in linking that Keith Duggan article but if we could keep the discussion on GAA-related stuff and off anything to do with politics and all that I’d appreciate it.
I missed what Tom said above, AndyD, and I’m not particularly bothered by it either to be honest. It would be the first time someone has had a go and I’m sure it won’t be the last! I didn’t say anything that could be deemed remotely offensive in my post above (apart from making what was clearly a joke), so if someone wants to take a personal swipe at me about it, they clearly have a bit too much time on their hands and should probably find something more productive to do with it.
WJ, no intention of getting into political warfare here (I do enough of it elsewhere) but that article did make for a fascinating read.
I was grossly offended by your post as it happens, Anne Marie!
It was an interesting read alright, Anne-Marie, and your comment wasn’t the problem. I just have an aversion to anything that smacks of political debate starting up here so I wanted to nip it in the bud. I’d agree too that anyone taking a swipe at you or anyone else should find a better outlet for their emotions!
Enniscrone was in Mayo for years all political boundaries ,any way mayo for Sam
From the 8th to the 12th century there was part of East Mayo that was known as Ciarraighe. Just thought I’d add that in case any Kerry people would like to join the discussion
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Well done to both teams. What a day out on Feb 6th for both clubs