Archive News
Inept second half display as hurlers collapse against Tipp
Date Published: {J}
Tipperary 2-17
Galway 0-14
STEPHEN GLENNON
Galway senior hurlers, their management team and supporters were left with much to ponder, after the Tribesmen scored just one solitary point in a second half display that bordered on the inept in this bewildering National League encounter in Thurles on Sunday.
Having arguably produced their best 35 minutes of hurling of the season at half-time, to lead 0-13 to 1-6 at the change of ends, Galway simply, and inexplicably, fell asunder in the second period while the home side just grew more and more into the game. The fact that Galway were outscored 1-11 to 0-1 in this time tells its own tale.
In many respects, that old Galway failing came back to haunt them. As we have seen so many times in recent years, Galway play some breathtaking hurling when they are in the ascendancy, but once they are called upon to ride out those periods when opposition sides get a meaningful run on them, they are unable to do so.
Call it a mental brittleness or lack of leaders, but the chickens well and truly came home to roost in Semple Stadium, once again, on Sunday. To be quite honest, it may not be a bad thing as, it would appear, Galway’s unbeaten five-game run heading into this game only served to paper over the cracks.
Of course, this is not to wholly devalue the side’s successful Walsh Cup run, or their subsequent victories over lowly Limerick and Waterford in the League, but if Galway were looking for a side against which to measure their championship title aspirations, then 2009 All-Ireland finalists Tipperary were it.
Yes, Tipperary had a full complement of players to pull from, while Galway were again without their club-tied Portumna contingent. That said, one imagines there was not a single Galway player out there on Sunday who does not harbour ambitions of lining out against Wexford in the first round of the Leinster championship in May. If so, they have some soul searching to do.
Just take a look at Kilkenny, who, similar to Galway, were without their Ballyhale Shamrocks players for their clashes against great rivals Tipperary and Cork. Although they suffered defeat in both games, Brian Cody’s fringe players fiercely contested each and every ball with an insatiable hunger and appetite. No more so than John Mulhall, who tallied 1-3 from play against Cork.
Against Tipperary, not one Galway player even came close to making a similar contribution and when called upon for a response by Tipperary in the second half, too many of their players went hiding. Consequently, a four-point interval lead was overturned, and John McIntyre’s side can feel fortunate that the margin of defeat was only nine points in the end – given Tipp also hit 11 second half wides compared to Galway’s three.
The players are not the only ones with a case to answer here, either. By the time the Galway management made their first change on 54 minutes, Tipp had entered three fresh players into the fray in Paul Curran, WIT’s Fitzgibbon Cup sharpshooter Timmy Hammersley and Gearóid Ryan, withdrawing their All-Star centre-half back Conor O’Mahony, NUIG’s Fitzgibbon hero Seamus Hennessy and first-half goalscorer John O’Brien.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
People’s living conditions less than 100 years ago were frightening. We have come a long way. We talk about water charges today, but back then the local District Councils were erecting pumps for local communities and the lovely town of Mountbellew, according to Council minutes, had open sewers,” says Galway County Council archivist Patria McWalter.
Patria believes we “need to take pride in our history, and we should take the same pride in our historical records as we do in our built heritage”. When you see the wealth of material in her care, this belief makes sense.
She is in charge of caring for the rich collection of administrative records owned by Galway County Council and says “these records are as much part of our history as the Rock of Cashel is. They document our lives and our ancestors’ lives. And nobody can plan for the future unless you learn from the past, what worked and what didn’t”.
Archivists and librarians are often unfairly regarded as being dry, academic types, but that’s certainly not true of Patria. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she turns the pages of several minute books from Galway’s Rural District Councils, all of them at least 100 years old.
Part of her role involved cataloguing all the records of the Councils – Ballinasloe, Clifden, Galway, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Portumna and Tuam. These records mostly consisted of minutes of various meetings.
When she was cataloguing them she realised their worth to local historians and researchers, so she decided to compile a guide to their content. The result is For the Record: The Archives of Galway’s Rural District Councils, which will be a valuable asset to anybody with an interest in history.
Many representatives on these Councils were local personalities and several were arrested during the political upheaval of the era, she explains.
And, ushering in a new era in history, women were allowed to sit on these Rural District Councils – at the time they were not allowed to sit on County Councils.
All of this information is included in Patria’s introductory essay to the attractively produced A4 size guide, which gives a glimpse into how these Rural Councils operated and the way political thinking changed in Ireland during a short 26-year period. In the early 1900s, these Councils supported Home Rule, but by 1920, they were calling for full independence and refusing to recognise the British administration.
“I love the tone,” says Patria of the minutes from meetings. “The language was very emotive.”
That was certainly true of the Gort Rural District Council. At a meeting in 1907, following riots in Dublin at the premiere of JM Synge’s play, The Playboy of the Western World the councillors’ response was vehement. They recorded their decision to “protest most emphatically against the libellous comedy, The Playboy of the Western World, that was belched forth during the past week in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, under the fostering care of Lady Gregory and Mr Yeats. We congratulate the good people of Dublin in howling down the gross buffoonery and immoral suggestions that are scattered throughout this scandalous performance.
For more from the archives see this week’s Tribunes here
Date Published: 23-Jan-2013
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Date Published: 29-Jan-2013
Athenry FC 1
Kilbarrack United 2
(After extra time)
For the second year in succession Athenry were done in extra time in the FAI Junior Cup as last season’s beaten finalist’s came from behind to snatch an excellent game in Moanbawn on Sunday afternoon.
On a heavy pitch that was only playable following extensive groundwork by club officials all morning, the home side were by far the better side in the opening half, but failed to take advantage of a number of opportunities that came their way.
An Alan O’Donovan penalty gave them a merited advantage just after the restart, but thereafter were on the back foot as Kilbarrack took over, but for all their pressing, the home rearguard were dealing comfortably with their forays.
However they were struck a body blow just six minutes from time, as big striker Keith Kirwan was left all alone at the far post to head the equaliser and from that point on the Dubliners were the better side.
They started off the extra time in the ascendancy and enjoying all the momentum before striking for a good winning goal on 104 minutes. A strong bench allowed them to make some necessary changes and it was not a facility that was available to Athenry manager Gabriel Glavin.
With Gary Forde and Gary Delaney out through suspension following their sending off against OLBC in the previous round, and Seamie Crowe injured, it left their bench rather threadbare with just a number of young squad players available.
Playing with the aid of the slight incline and any wind advantage going, the home side had a Connor Cannon effort on target in the opening minute, while John Meleady was just over with a flick at the other end.
Meleady then tested Andrew Walsh who saved comfortably, before the goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant double save on 14 minutes.
Firstly he went full length to push away a Meleady shot and was then back on his feet to parry David Jackson’s close-range rebound.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
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