Sports
Oileaín Árainn secure Comórtas Peile title
It was a weekend of highs and lows for the Galway teams competing in Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta last weekend. Clubs from around the country descended upon Maigh Cuilinn for the annual competition in search of being crowned the All-Ireland Gaeltacht champions of 2014.
With five trophies up for grabs in men’s and ladies Senior and Junior competitions, as well as a ladies Intermediate cup, teams from the Connemara Gaeltacht were victorious in three grades. Oileaín Árainn won the men’s Junior competition while Bearna and Maigh Cuilinn took home the ladies Intermediate and Junior cups respectively.
There was heartbreak for Galway clubs at Senior level as sides in both codes fell to strong teams from Donegal. Mícheál Breathnachs lost out to Cill Chartha in the men’s final while An Tearmann beat An Fhairche in the ladies decider.
The Senior final proved to be a step too far for Mícheál Breathnachs as the physical toll of a long weekend of football seemed to hold them back in Monday’s game. There can be no doubt that the Galway team were given the tough side of the draw as they were forced into playing a game more than most of their opponents.
Their weekend got off to a tough start on Saturday as they faced off against the champions of the last two years, Gaoth Dobhair. A late point from Maidhc Ó Conghaile was enough as Mícheál Breathnachs scraped by in a bruising encounter, 1-11 to 2-7, before requiring extra-time to get past Cill tSeadhna of Mayo later that evening. The Connemara side needed to come from behind again to see off An Ghaeltacht of Kerry in Sunday’s semi-final.
By the time the Senior final kicked off on Monday afternoon, the effort of a fourth taxing game in 48 hours looked to be beyond Mícheál Breathnachs. Already without Peadar Óg Ó Gríofa, Kevin Walsh’s men also had a number of walking wounded heading into the final. When midfielder Tommy Ó Conghaile was stretchered off 10 minutes into the Monday’s game, things looked bleak for Mícheál Breathnachs, not only in terms of the game they were playing, but also with an eye on the opening round of the football championship this weekend.
All this being said, most teams at full strength would have had difficulties beating a hugely impressive Cill Chartha side. Their starting 15 had a number of Donegal stars, past and present, as well as youngsters who will surely represent the Tír Conaill men in the future. The spine of the Cill Chartha team was featured county star Ryan McHugh, his All-Ireland winning brother Mark, and former-Donegal player Michael Hegarty.
Extended report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
LESS than a third of a second proved the difference for one Galway rower who came up just short of a medal at the European Rowing Championships in Lake Bled, Slovenia last weekend.
Siobhán McCrohan of Tribesmen Rowing Club missed out on a podium finish by a whisker, finishing fourth in the lightweight single sculls on Sunday.
It was Ireland’s best performance at a meet where Irish rowers failed to take any silverware.
The Canadian born Claregalway resident was lying sixth after 1,500 metres of the final but she powered home with the fastest final 500 metres.
Her late rally came up just short of a medal by 0.27 of a second behind Czech Republic’s Kristyna Neuhortova who took bronze.
Gold medallist Ionela Cozmiuc of Romania dominated the race, and finished almost three seconds clear of silver medallist Evangelia Anastasiadou of Greece.
McCrohan qualified for the final after winning Friday’s repechage, which she led from the start, and she had finished second in her heat.
A two-time Galway Sports Star recipient, McCrohan was making her return to international action for the first time since 2016, according to Rowing Ireland.
Describing her as an “incredible woman”, Tribesmen Rowing Club said that it was proud of McCrohan’s efforts and she was “inspiration to us all”.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway United 3
Athlone Town 1
THERE are games in every season which will never live long in the memory, and this was one of them for Galway United, despite John Caulfield’s side extending both their winning run at home, and their lead at the top of the First Division.
The league title now looks a formality after United stretched 12 points clear at the top of the table thanks to this win, and Waterford’s draw with Longford Town 24 hours later, and with this Bank Holiday weekend’s double round of fixtures marking the half-way point in the season, United can begin the long goodbye to the bottom tier.
This made it nine wins on the spin at home, a run which began with the play-off semi-final win over Longford Town at the end of last season. They have now won 15 of their 16 games this season – they finished last season with 17 wins from 32 games. This is just different gravy altogether.
There is still one issue that someone at the club really needs to address and that its the antics, for want of a better word, on the bench. Caulfield has already served a one-match ban for being sent off and his assistant manager, Ollie Horgan, has served a one-match ban for five yellow cards.
Club coach Chris Collopy is now one booking away from a ban of his own after a yellow card on Friday night – and Caulfield also went into the referee’s notebook. There seems to be a clampdown from match officials throughout the league on backchat from the bench – and some of the men in black have completely lost the run of themselves when dishing out cards like they were sales reps from Hallmark.
That said, if you know how fragile these officials are, then stop giving them the excuse to flash a yellow or red at the bench, especially for petulant outbursts and rattle-throwing that we have seen at times throughout the two divisions from grown men who should know better.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
By Pádraic Ó Ciardha
THE away jerseys and the Factor 50 will both be in the bag this Saturday as the Galway senior footballers take their first trip out of Connacht in this championship campaign and head to Cusack Park in Mullingar to take on Dessie Dolan’s Westmeath.
After the torrid rain and, let’s be honest, torrid enough football that marked the Tribesmen’s opening game in Group 2 of the All-Ireland SFC against Tyrone, the Galway management, players and supporters will be hoping for something a bit more seasonal to kick off the June Bank Holiday weekend.
A win on Saturday (5pm) will keep Galway on track for top spot in the group and a direct path to an All-Ireland quarter-final, something that would make a repeat of last year’s journey all the way to the decider a whole pile easier.
Pádraic Joyce’s men should be heading into the game full of confidence as well. Even if the three-point win over Tryone a couple of weeks ago wasn’t the easiest on the eye, the way Galway managed the game should have pleased the manager.
Once the rain drenched Pearse Stadium before throw-in in that one, and especially once Tyrone were reduced to 14-men, it was always going to be a case of minimising the mistakes for Galway and keeping the opposition at arm’s length. Yes, Galway probably went too far in terms of caution and, yes, they failed to go for the kill when they had the chance, but they had a handle on their opponents throughout and whenever Tyrone looked like clawing their way back level, Galway came up with a response and protected their lead.
Saturday should offer the Tribesmen the opportunity to open up a little more and, hopefully, they’ll respond by going for the jugular when the chance presents itself.
That being said, Joyce will have warned his players against taking Westmeath lightly. There’s no denying that when the draw was made, last year’s Tailteann Cup winners were seen as the probable whipping boys in a very tough-looking group. Last Saturday’s performance against Armagh will have made people sit up and take notice, however. Having led for most of the match, Westmeath were very unlucky to come out of the Athletic Grounds empty-handed with Conor Turbitt’s late goal propelling Armagh to a 1-13 to 1-12 win.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
UHG chef named Aramark’s Healthcare Chef of the Year
Additional night-time water supply restrictions across a number of Galway supplies
Galway hospitals to hold info meeting in the city this week
Galway’s Leaving Cert students generally happy with their first ever State Exam
Galway man jailed for 11 years for rape and sexual abuse of his young niece
East Galway farm sells for €1.3 million
Official opening of Galway’s new pedestrian and cycle bridge
OPW Minister to meet Council engineers on ‘flawed’ motorway design
Detached home in Knocknacarra has host of amenities nearby
Survey finds one in five retailers in Galway want to go fully cashless
