Mayo men flying the flag for Ireland in San Diego at the World senior Men's Lacrosse Championship.
Don Preston Irish Senior Men's Coach
“My family's from Mayo, a place called Killeen
There's a church on top of the hill there. They all moved during the famine
where they went to Columbus, Ohio, and from there they went
west. And a couple ended up in California where I was born. Don explains how he moved to Ireland in 2004 and played
and was involved in setting up a team in UCD.
When his playing career was over he moved back
to the USA to become a college Lacrosse coach. He states how he has coached in
my different schools but always stayed in touch with the Irish set up
Doe first coached the Éire team with his
friend and colleague Richie Moran before getting in touch with head coach Matt
Curran who got him involved in the senior
men's team.
With the World Championships now finished Don
believes that Ireland Lacrosse is in a great place after finishing 12th in the
world and that at can achieve higher placings in future competitons “I think
we've got a lot of talent potential more on the score ability and shooting
sides and defensive side as take advantage of the adjustment in roles from 20
minutes to 15 quarters. The first ever solo scrimmages after only a couple of
training sessions getting folks dialed in and learning each other your names
and whatnot. has been pretty good. The first game came out pretty good”.
Thomas Burke (35 YEARS Old No. 6)
Next we hear from Thomas Burke who is the only
player on the Irish squad that has played professionally. He tells us “ how the
Burke side of his family originated in Mayo before they moved stateside. He
grew up in Long Islands in New York
where lacrosse is as popular as football down south and baseball and in the
islands. So lacrosse is everywhere. So I started as a little kid from
Massapequa, New York and it's a great lacrosse program. I played high school lacrosse in college at
SUNY Cortland, I played professionally for three years for the Boston Cannons
for two years and then New York lizards for a year..”
As the veteran of the Irish Burke’s Irish career began back in 2014 and
he had played in every tournament since then
This was his third world outdoor championships along with a number of
indoor and box games as well. Burke gives us his thoughts on representing
Ireland. “ I definitely didn't take it for granted. I've had an awesome
opportunity to put on the green / white jersey everytime i can and I hope to do
it a few more times before I eventually retire. “ I definitely have some gas
left in the tank and would love to possibly give another
opportunity to represent Ireland's maybe in box maybe in the European
Championships or maybe in the worlds again if given that chance.
Conor Kelly Irish Goalkeeper no. 9
The Mayo connections don't stop as nex we
speak to goalie Conor Kelly whose dads daily come from Claremorris County Mayo
. Conor details his early lacrosse career before he made the Irish team. “ I
started playing in third grade. And originally played, like midfield and attack and then actually hurt my back
when I was in eighth grade gave goalie a try. It's pretty good at it and then
stuck with it”.Kelly explains how he
played at the highest college level possible. “I went to high school at
Haverford school, just outside of Philadelphia, and then went on to play at
Notre Dame which is a division 1 college which is the highest level of the game
in the country”.
Kelly goes on to reveal how he first heard
about the Irish lacrosse set up.”So I actually threw through a former teammate
at Notre Dame in 2017. just asked me if he knew I had dual citizenship with
Ireland and asked me if I was going to try out and I was like, I don't know
what you're talking about. He's like, You should try out and so I've actually
already missed one of the tryouts for the 2018 team in New York, which would
have been closer in Philly and then drove up to Boston that next weekend, to
try it out.``. Since the original try
out Kelly has represented Ireland at every
major tournament since even being picked as one of the captains for this
world championship .” I have since
played on the 2018 World Team outdoor 2019 Indoor team 2022 Euro box team and
now this time around in San Diego for the worlds”.
Conor
who is now one of the more experienced players looks back to 2018 when he got
that first call stating that “it was an incredible feeling. You know, my
parents never played neither did grandparents from Ireland, you know, didn't
know anything about lacrosse. And you know, fortunately, my grandma got a
chance to watch me play at Notre Dame and no you know, I don't even think I
can't comprehend how much it meant
to her . You know, to watch me represent Ireland. And you know, all my
extended family could not be prouder.”
Pat
Smyth Defender )no 91)
Next up we have defender Pat Smyth who points
out to us that his “grandmother is an Eagney from Ballyhaunis in Mayo. Pat who
grew up in Philadelphia details how lacrosse is a huge sport in the area and
how he has played it from a young age. Pat has only recently graduated from
college where he played lacrosse to a high level. “I played lacrosse at St.
John's University in Queens for five years. graduated in 2021.”
He then goes on to describe how he got onto
the involvement in the Irish mens set up. “I think I saw something or during
the 2014 World Championships I saw Ireland play being a dual citizen. I said I
would try out and attempt to make the team. Like Kelly Smyth has played in
every tournament since and hopes to play in a few more if he gets the
opportunity”.
Smyth reminisces about getting his first call
up in 2018 and how he felt “ It's just an immense amount of pride and joy. It's
such a great honor to be able to represent the great country of Ireland and
play for my heritage and represent the
country where my grandparents came from.”
Andy Myers midfielder no.34
Up next is Andy Myers whose father has a very
strong Mayo Heritage. “My Irish
connection is on my father's side of the family. So his parents were
born in Ireland. They were born in County Mayo, a little town called
"Party". Myers explains how he has moved around a lot when he was
younger and even still now. “ So I was born in Chicago, Illinois, and then
ended up moving to Kansas when I was about 9 years old. So I grew up there. I
started playing lacrosse there, went to high school there, everything like
that. And then I've kind of moved around a little bit. I lived in Wisconsin and
Ohio now I live in Virginia, but yeah, my formative years were all in Kansas.”
Myers gives his dad the credit for getting him
involved in the Irish Irish mens set up . “ It
was through my dad , he had seen that there had been, you know, an
Ireland national lacrosse team and knew that I obviously had my citizenship.
So, you know, we actually went out to Denver in 2014 Because it's not that far
from where I grew up. So we went out to Denver to watch the team in the 2014
world championships”.
Myers has worn the Irish jersey since then , he believes “ It’s a huge honor.
Obviously like any chance to represent my heritage but also get to play you
know, on on the world stage right getting getting to play in some European
Championships and World Championships. It's a special experience and I think
you know, it's just really unique. So I'm just very, very grateful and very thankful
and again, kind of a full circle. feeling every time I'm able to put on the
Irish jersey just knowing my family's
heritage and you know, the people that have given me opportunities you know, in
this sport, it's a pretty cool thing to be able to experience and say that I've
been able to do and accomplish in my career”.
Myers is hopeful he can make another couple of
appearances once his injuries from this tournament clear up.
Brian Smyth attack/ face off no.88
Brian Smyht has had an interesting tournament
beginning as an attacker and finishing as Ireland's face off guy( players that
win possession after a goal or beginning of each quarter). .
Smyth;s connections come from the Mayo border
in Ballaghaderreen. He explains how on one of his trips home his family brought him to a Mayo vs
Dublin match cementing his “ grandfather's
Mayo roots”.
Brian is another member of the Ireland squad
that played a very high level of lacrosse in College after grouping up and
playing in Long Island New York .”Yeah, I went to Duke University, and I was
fortunate enough to play five years there.where I started as a face off guy
before changing to attack..
This was Brian's first time representing
Ireland on the world stage. “I unfortunately missed out on tryouts when I was in
college for the previous world games and wasn't really thinking about it until
my dad mentioned it as he is over in Ireland quite a bit. He got me thinking
about it again. So I tried out at the US tryouts in New Jersey. And then on to
Limerick. Limerick last year. Yes, Limerick was last July”.
After that push from his dad Smyth discloses
his thoughts on playing for Ireland and representing his heritage.” It was very cool going to the trials. It was
just a great experience as I've never
played outside of the Usa . So just
being in a different country. Seeing people from where I'd gone for my cousin's
never really played. So it was cool seeing Irish people playing and hearing
about their experiences playing in Europe and then this whole experience has been
great. A lot of cool banter and some good times.”
Smyth has had a great experience in San Diego
and hopes to represent Ireland as many times as he can in the future whether at
European international or even the Olympics if Lacrosse get the call for 2028.
Jack Galvin Midfielder No. 34
Last but not least we have one of the stars of
last years U21 side Jack Galvin
Jack grew up in Cape Cod and started playing
lacrosse in grade 3 after his friends told him to stop playing soccer. Jack's
Mayo connections come from his father Jarlath who was born and raised in
Ballina.
Jack is still a college student. “ I play
division 2 lacrosse in Assumption . It's
a school in Worcester, Massachusetts. “ He has one more year left before
he graduates.
Galvin was originally picked for the Irish U19
team which turned into the U21 side who played in Limerick last year and
finished 7th at the World Championship .
Galvins initial start with the Irish set up
came from his mother and work. “My mom used to work in Boston. She heard about
the Ireland Lacrosse team through a
co-worker. And I tried out because it was originally the U 19 team. But because of COVID and whatnot. I got
delayed here. So it became the U 21 , so
I tried out for the team in America and then there were two tryouts in
Limerick. So I made the team and then
once the games were on, we just went out and played.
Jack describes the initial feeling of making
the first Irish underage squad along
with the senior one now “I was really excited. You know playing for a country
where you are parents comes along with
the majority of the rest of your family.So it's really cool and it means more
to me everytime I put on the Irish jersey.
So a couple
of months after the tournament in Limerick Galvin received word he would
be part of the Senior mens set up in San Diego which he said “ was an amazing
achievement and he hopes that he will get more opportunities to represent
Ireland in the future.”
Corey McMahon
The man in the jumper is Corey McMahin who would have been one of Ireland's star players in the tournament in San Diego only for breaking his collarbone weeks before the tournament. McMahon Mayo roots can trace back to the Hennelly’s in Ballyhaunis
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