Articles in the GAA Category

TRAINING ALLOWED IN PODS Colm Shalvey reports Pitches all over the country were once again full of activity this week after a lengthy pause, as underage training finally resumed almost four months into 2021. As part of the gradual easing of Government guidelines finally easing, juvenile training was belatedly permitted to return via pods of 15 on Monday on a non-contact basis. There was a tangible sense of excitement and anticipation as scores of teams across Monaghan in different codes were among the many all over the country to get back to ...

COLM SHALVEY A charity in memory of Emyvale juvenile player Luke Aughey has so far raised over €13,000 in aid of mental-health resources. Emyvale GAA posted: “On May 25, 2019, we l ost our dear friend and club player Luke Aughey. At the age of just 16, Luke left us far too early. He is remembered fondly and missed so much by so many of his friends and all those associated with the Emyvale GAA Club. In March of this year, Luke’s parents Deirdre and Barry, along with his family, set ...

NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE SET TO START ON MAY 8/9 Colm Shalvey reports With the long-delayed 2021 intercounty GAA fixtures being released by drip feed, but yet to be confirmed by Croke Park, attention this week turned to the various championship draws. The provisional Allianz National Football League fixtures have Monaghan due to host Armagh on May 15, but if, as expected, the county loses home advantage for one game for last month’s breach of the training ban, that will have to be played at an alternative venue. Monaghan are set to be ...

As part of the slow, phased restart of sporting activities, golf courses are preparing to be among the first to reopen on Monday week (April 26). The Golf Ireland ‘Return to Golf’ protocol has been published. The main restrictions include: Golf Clubs can reopen from Monday, April 26 for members only; Golfers must only travel from within their county or within 20km of their home to play golf. In the initial phase, the Irish Government have decided that participants in sport and exercise activity must be from no more than ...

MCENANEY ADMITTED A “SERIOUS ERROR” AND HAS APOLOGISED Colm Shalvey reports Monaghan GAA await the outcome of an investigation by Croke Park into a “breach of the Covid-19 regulations and guidelines” via a senior football training session in Corduff understood to have taken place on the last weekend in March. Monaghan GAA moved quickly after Thursday’s Irish Independent report to suspend senior football manager Séamus McEnaney for 12 weeks, while they also face the likelihood of losing home advantage for an Allianz Football League game next month. Monaghan GAA County Board Chairman ...

The much-published Covid-19 training rules breach by Dessie Farrell and his Dublin team prompts JACK MADDEN to wonder whether the current fixtureless limbo for Gaelic football is really a level playing field when it comes to scrutiny There is something special about being part of a team. The individual cogs, divided in role, united in purpose. United in commitment, in passion and in desire to achieve. The relationships formed simply cannot be described in words, the bonds that link the chain create a feeling that will always be indescribable to those ...

COLM SHALVEY Powering over the finish line of their lengthy lockdown challenge, Lough Egish brothers Ciarán, Tony and Breandan Ward have raised over €27,000 in their marathon fundraiser for SOSAD Ireland. Over 95 days of their daily runs at the Aughnamullen GAA complex walking track, the trio covered an amazing 1,700km. Their JustGiving page received donations of more than five times their original target of €5,000 in aid of SOSAD, helping the Irish suicide-prevention and bereavement-support charity to set up a branch in Monaghan Town. Breandan Ward provided us with the ...

Colm Shalvey reports This year marks two decades since the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship underwent its biggest structural change in a century with the introduction of the qualifier system, which took place under the presidency of Scotstown man Seán McCague, who of course led Monaghan through the successful era of the late 1970s and ‘80s. Those heady days were a distant memory for Monaghan by the turn of the century and the first few years of the qualifiers would prove to be dismal for the county. A heavy loss to Armagh ...

JACK MADDEN talks to Shane Rice, the Scotstown fitness coach negotiating an exciting career path through the uncharted waters of the global pandemic A global pandemic-driven re-evaluation of life brought about many changes in people’s lifestyles. Unemployment was surging and schools were closed. We soon realised the only thing worse than no time was too much of it. Enclosed within the four walls of our own homes, doing the shopping became a weekly highlight. Soon the word “virtual” was virtually unavoidable. Online interaction, for all its faults, provided an escape hatch. ...

Colm Shalvey reports The return of non-contact sports training for children, along with a re-opening of golf (PICTURED) and tennis for all ages, are under consideration as part of the Government’s plans to ease Covid-19 restrictions next month. The Government’s plan for managing the virus, The Path Ahead, commits to cautiously beginning to ease restrictions in April. Golf Ireland last week released its fixture list for 2021, planning to adapt to the delays by starting the championship season no earlier than the end of May. Mark Wehrly, Director of Championships with ...