Articles in the GAA Category

Four stories from County Monaghan have been selected to appear in a fascinating new book on the GAA – written by people at the heart of the association nationwide. ‘Grassroots: Stories From the Heart Of the GAA’, is a treasure trove of GAA memories, tales and incidents spanning over 150 years. “the book generated an incredible response from every county in Ireland, as well as from the Irish abroad,” said author and journalist, PJ Cunningham, who collaborated with Croke Park on the publication. “I have included stories not only since ...

Colm Shalvey The Monaghan Football Championship season reaches a key point this weekend with the last round of group games in the Greenfield Foods SFC, McElvaney Recycling IFC and Universal Graphics JFC. Reminder: The SFC and IFC group winners will advance to semi-finals, with second- and third-placed teams contesting quarter-finals. A tweak to the relegation process will see the bottom two teams in each Senior and Intermediate section enter an additional group. After three further rounds, the bottom two will be demoted. The top team in both JFC groups will meet ...

With every team having played at least twice in the Monaghan Club Championships, it is time to assess the state of affairs, says Jack Madden Covid-19 has had an impact on the fixture list, but with vaccinations continuing to be rolled out, changing rooms reopened, and the magic date of October 22nd approaching, fingers crossed it will be all about football from here on in. SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 1 The table has a rather unorthodox look to it, with the only two teams to have played three games occupying the ...

COLM SHALVEY REPORTS As the temperatures drop, the club football championships heat up this weekend with ful lrounds at Senior, Intermediate and Junior levels. Saturday’s Greenfield Foods SFC Group One games feature repeats of two 2020 knock-out games. Scotstown will be expecting to continue their winning form when they host Carrickmacross. Scotstown defeated Carrick twice in last year’s championship, including a comfortable victory at the semi-final stage, and they have back-to-back wins to their name going into this one, while the Emmets will be looking to bounce back from a heavy ...

Jack Madden reports The life of a GAA club is more of a cycle. It is a series of cycles. Eras come and go, but the club lives on. They survive, they excel in the effort of volunteers, in the work of members of the association, die-hards of the club. Cycles often come full circle, but nothing comes full circle in the absence of momentum. And who creates that momentum? Us. For Cr emartin Shamrocks, the journey started in 1934. An era of short-lived peace between two world wars allowed the ...

In his All-Ireland final post mortem, JACK MADDEN dissects Mayo’s melancholy and concludes that Tyrone’s clinical game management struck the fatal blow This was the year the phoenix was supposed to rise from the ashes. One with a youthful innocence, an arrogant ignorance to all the hurt. This was supposed to be a new beginning. And in some sort of twisted world, it is. The emotion is left to fester in the form of a rock, sitting in the throats of those who are now known as losers. Thoughts are beyond ...

Colm Shalvey reports The AM Hurleys Senior and Junior Hurling Championship Finals took centre stage in Clontibret last Sunday, producing two contrasting games. Castleblayney remain as dominant as ever in the SHC after completing their second five-in-a-row since the turn of the century with a convincing win over Carrickmacross. It was a fourth consecutive double-digits final win for Blayney, who have now lifted 19 SHC titles since 1999. Carrickmacross, who reached this stage for the first time since 2005 after a progressive year, showed spirit in a much-improved second-half effort, but ...

JACK MADDEN There is a certain ambition involved in winning. When success comes, the most driven teams generally keep achieving. Success breeds success. In Monaghan GAA circles, Scotstown have been the epitome of this for the best part of a decade. But players can only do so much. Management can only do so much. The essence of the GAA is community, and with over seventy senior men’s players alone, Scotstown have a bigger community than most. New chairman Shane Stirrat is trying his best to be the glue that holds the ...

COLM SHALVEY The Monaghan Football Championship season is up and running, with the second round of group games taking place this weekend. The regular reminder that league form (perhaps more so than ever this year) comes with a health warning arrived last weekend, as the likes of Scotstown, Inniskeen, Latton and Aughnamullen reversed recent league defeats to make winning starts to their championship campaigns. Scotstown gave a reminder of their determination to retain the SFC with a convincing win over Magheracloone. The holders made light of the absence of Conor McCarthy ...

HARPS PRAISE FOR SECOND HALF GOAL SCORER DOHERTY MONAGHAN HARPS 2-08KILLANNY 1-10 Monaghan Harps lifted the last of this year’s Platinum Tanks Reserve Football League titles after a pulsating finish to last Sunday’s Division 1A Final against Killanny in Cremartin. The Harps started strongly with scores from Michael Galligan, Oisín Fagan, Lochlainn Power and Evan Doherty to Killanny replies from Daniel Leegan and Daryl Traynor. The Harps would play almost threequarters of the game with 14 men after the sending-off of Nathan Lavery and although a well-taken goal by Galligan moved them ...