Articles in the GAA Category

The club championships are hotting up, with Ballybay and Clontibret the front runners so far in the Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship. by COLM SHALVEY Last year’s Gormley uPVC Senior Football Championship finalists Ballybay and Clontibret became the first teams to qualify for the 2013 semi-finals with wins in Round 2A last weekend. Conor McManus stole the show as Clontibret defeated league leaders Scotstown in Ballybay on Saturday, with the Ulster All-Star forward kicking 1-8 (all but two points from play) in a virtuoso performance. The 2012 runners-up were surprisingly comfortable for most ...

Free-scoring forward Cathriona McConnell believes every single Monaghan player who featured in last weekend’s All-Ireland ladies SFC semi-final can play even better next time out. In a clear declaration of intent ahead of the all-Ireland decider on September 29th next, the Donaghmoyne dynamo is convinced the Oriel county can ratchet up their performance another notch or two after seeing off Galway by 0-16 to 0-11 at Kingspan/Breffni Park. “We played very well in the last 20 minutes against Galway but I’d say, overall, we only played around 80% of our maximum ...

Monaghan 0-16 Galway 0-11 By MARY GRIMES MONAGHAN senior ladies are through to their third blue riband final in six years thanks to a gritty 0-16 to 0-11 victory over Galway in their All-Ireland SFC semi-final duel at Kingspan/Breffni Park. In what was a titanic struggle, both sides gave it their all but, ultimately, a late flurry of scores from the Oriel county served to book their passage through to yet another national decider. Monaghan elected to start Yvonne Connell in the middle of the park along with the fully fit Amanda Casey while Eileen ...

Blackhill 1-11 Sean McDermotts 0-12 By COLM SHALVEY BLACKHILL are through to their first Junior Football Championship Final since 2004 after they edged past Seán McDermotts in an exciting semi-final at Drumhowan last Sunday. A goal just before half-time by Hugh Byrne was the crucial score of a closely-fought game which saw Blackhill hold off a final-quarter comeback from the Seáns. That strike helped Blackhill take a six-point lead at one stage and although the Seáns got right back into it with five in a row, Dermot Daly’s fifth pointed free saw the mid-Monaghan ...

Emyvale 1-15 Oram 0-08 By JOHN GRAHAM EMYVALE possessed too much power and strength in depth for a battling Oram side as they booked their place in the final of the junior football championship for the second year in a row in this entertaining and at times quite exciting contest that was played in somewhat blustery conditions in Smithboro on Sunday afternoon last. Emyvale started well but Oram gradually played their way into this game to the extent that they wiped out an early three points deficit to go on and take the lead ...

Mayo eased through to the All-Ireland Minor Final with victory over Monaghan last Sunday. And even for those who anticipated Mayo’s quality, there was the shock factor, Monaghan losing heavily after looking in fine fettle when they won the Ulster Final. by COLM SHALVEY Monaghan’s minor football 2013 odyssey came to a disappointing end at Croke Park last Sunday, when the All-Ireland MFC semi-final against Mayo proved a bridge too far. After a very successful year which saw Monaghan end long waits for Ulster minor league and championship titles, it was unfortunate ...

Mayo 3-19 Monaghan 1-12 By JOHN GRAHAM THERE was to be no fairytale ending for Monaghan, as a place in the final of the All Ireland Minor Football Championship proved a bridge too far against a rampant Mayo team in what turned out to be a very one-sided encounter in Croke Park on Sunday last. Mayo won with 13 points to spare and while Monaghan might have fared a little better they really were out played, outclassed, out thought and out fought by a very well drilled Mayo side who played with precision, passion ...

If there is one word that sums up Monaghan supporters this year, it is probably: brilliant. Monaghan’s disappointing defeat last Sunday at Croke Park means their long-awaited moment in the sun has to wait. by COLM SHALVEY Sunday proved to be another fruitless trip to Croke Park for Monaghan’s loyal supporters, but it was a long hot summer for the Farney Army, who had an unprecedented level of success to cheer.With the seniors and minor footballers both winning Ulster titles on the same day for the first time ever in Clones ...

Monaghan’s minor footballers will look to extend a great season further when they take on Mayo in Sunday’s All-Ireland MFC semi final at Croke Park. by COLM SHALVEY Croke Park should be a sea of Blue and White as Monaghan hope to make the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final when they take on Mayo in Sunday’s semi-final. This year has already seen Monaghan end a 24-year wait for an Ulster minor league and, more importantly, a 68-year Ulster MFC drought, but these players are not content to rest on their laurels, as ...

Monaghan Harps 0-18 Doohamlet 0-05 BY COLM SHALVEY MONAGHAN HARPS made a winning start to the Gormley uPVC SFC when they saw off an understrength Doohamlet in Clontibret last Saturday. The Harps were never really troubled in this one against a Doohamlet side who were without injured county star Colin Walshe, as well as county minor Barry McGinn, midfielder Greg Duffy and top scorer Paul McArdle, who is in the USA. The Harps had good performances from Emmett McArdle, Niall Hahessy, Michael Galligan and Gary White, while Martin Hughes and Niall Connolly worked hard for ...