Wicklow Senior Hurling Éire Óg vs Glenealy

 

Éire Óg Greystones 2-12

 Glenealy 2-19

 Pearse Park

 Eoin Horkan

 

A ten-point haul from Gavin Weir saw Glenealy run out comfortable winners on Saturday evening in Arklow.

 

From the referee's opening whistle Glenealy took complete control of this opening round game. They had taken a two-point lead early on with strikes from Gavin Weir and Danny Staunton.

The first major turning point of the game arrived eight minutes in when Weir controlled a ball before rounding the defender but his goal-bound effort was kept out by opposition net minder Dan O’ Neill who touched it over the bar. In the same play, Éire Óg center back Stephen Kelly came off with an ankle injury , this led to a number of positional changes for his side. In the next play a long ball into the Éire Óg square was bundled into the net by Gary Hughes with ten minutes on the clock.

 

Once this purple patch ended James Cranley free after a great run James Cahill narrowed the gap slightly before Hughes added a minor to his tally. The second quarter of the half began with another Cranley free for the north Wicklow side. Glenealy were finding scores easier to come by as two Weir dead balls followed by a final effort by James Byrne.

With six minutes left on the clock Staunton managed to catch a ball from goalkeeper Driver to slot over; he did the same moments later in between an effort from Paddy Marrinan. The final score of the half came from the free takers Weir and Cranley.

 

The second half started off with a bang as recent transfer back to Greystones Andy Walsh rose higher over Warren Kavanagh before rattling the back of the net, within a minute Walsh nearly doubled his goal tally, but his effort flew over the bar. Another Pooch (Cranley)  dead ball had put Éire Óg right back into this tie. A change of markers on Walsh seemed to change the game as Sam O’ Dowd kept Walsh from causing any more damage. At the other end Staunton doubled his account for the game in between another effort from Alan Driver.

 

The response from Greystones was immediate as Pooch moved out to the half forward line to raise two white flags. There was confusion in the ground as the scoreboard had Glenealy much further ahead. Just as it looked like the momentum was swinging back in the favor of the north Wicklow side the opposition had other ideas. Staunton rose highest before laying off a ball to team mate Matthew Traynor who drove through the defense before firing home the second major of the day. With a quarter of the game to go both sides started to empty the bench and Cormac Byrne goal scorer from last night made an immediate impact firing over to extend his side's advantage before the aforementioned Weird added two more to his tally for the day.

 

This game and especially the final ten minutes of this tie turned into a shootout between Weir and Cranley. It was Cranley who scored first before Weir cancelled his effort out. It was then the turn of Marrinan to get in on the act.  The last five minutes were quite exciting as the two sharp shooters kept slotting over. In what was the final play of normal time Walsh caught his final ball of the game before being dragged down. This led to a penalty which was expertly dispatched by O’ Neill  who came up from his net. In almost a fitting ending to the game Weir made sure his side would come out victorious while he would finish on double figures.

 

 

 

 

Éire Óg Greystones Dan O’ Neill (1-0p); Kristin Flynn, Peter Keane,Tom Meyler; Paddy Igoe, Stephen Kelly, Daniel Burns; Alec Bartak, James Cahill; Paddy Marrinan (0-2), Billy Cuddihy, Luke Dorgan; James Cranley (0-9 5fs), Mick Walsh, Andy Walsh(1-1)

 

Subs Used: Anto Byrne for Stephen Kelly, Peter Quinn for Andy Walsh, David Lynch for Luke Dorgan, Josh Barry for Kristin Flynn.

 

 

Glenealy: Joey Driver Jnr Cian O’ Neill, Warren Kavanagh, Ronan Manley; Tj O’Neill. Sam O’ Dowd, Andrew Lynch; Matthew Traynor(1-0),Danny Staunton(0-5);Gavin Weir (0-10),Alan Driver (0-1),James Byrne (0-1);Gary Hughes(1-1) ,Michael Óg O’ Neill, Jonathan O’Neill Jnr

 

Subs Used; Cormac Byrne(0-1) for Jonathan O’ Neill Jnr,Thomas Doyle for Warren Kavanagh, Jack Kavanagh for James Byrne, Paul O’ Brien for Tj O’ Neill, Lorcan Byrne for Andrew Lynch

 

 

Referee Chris Canavan

Sligo Lacrosse ( European Championship)

 

Luke Moloney No. 19

 

Luke was born in Easkey, County Sligo, but his journey into lacrosse began much farther afield.

“I grew up in Manchester from when I was about eight to twenty,” he explains. “I picked up the stick as a kid and started playing lacrosse in primary school. Then in secondary school, I moved on to field lacrosse, and it just took off from there.”

For a young man from Sligo, pursuing a career in lacrosse was never going to be straightforward. Yet through hard work and determination, Luke made it happen.

“My first start with the Irish team was in 2019 at the U20 European Championship in Prague.”

 

 

 

 

 

Conor Shears  ( Defender)

 

Another member of the Irish squad we hear from is Conor Shears, who shares his strong roots in County Sligo. “My grandfather’s family was all from Curry in Sligo,” he explains. “I have too many second cousins to count—my mom had 51 first cousins, all born in Ireland.”

Shears has visited Ireland several times: first as a toddler, then again around the age of ten, and more recently for training camps with the national team. His grandfather, Patrick Henry, was himself a Gaelic footballer who played for the Curry club, adding an extra layer of family tradition to Shears’ connection with the sport and the country.

Mayo Lacrosse ( European Championship)

 Don Preston Coach

“My family is from Mayo, in a place called Killeen, where there’s a church on top of a hill. They left during the famine, first settling in Columbus, Ohio, before eventually moving west. A few of them ended up in California, which is where I was born.”

Don talks about moving to Ireland in 2004, where he played and helped set up a team at UCD. When his playing career ended, he returned to the USA to coach college lacrosse. He mentions that he has coached at many different schools but has always stayed connected with the Irish lacrosse scene as he was always interested in staying in touch with his families heritage

“My family didn't leave Ireland to be forgetting  I am carrying on the Irish legacy as a coach and hope to make us proud.”

After the Euros in Poland this week Don explains how this is my "twentieth year with Ireland lacrosse.” Don first coached the Éire team alongside his friend and colleague Richie Moran. Later, he got in touch with head coach Matt Curran, who brought him onto the senior men’s team.

This achievement has to be put into context the men  went from 12th to 4th with only three training sessions. “ This has taken a lot of time and communication from the boys, especially training on their own and letting us coaches how they were getting on.”

Qualifying for the worlds was part of the plan” We came to qualify for the worlds and also to win but unfortunately the last two games didn't go our way. It's a special group we have looking forward to Japan and hopefully the Olympics”

Liam Horkan (Attacker)

We spoke to a number of Irish senior Lacrosse players with Mayo roots.

Liam  traces his Irish roots to his grandfather Martin, who hails from Claremorris, County Mayo. Though born and raised in Malden, Massachusetts—a city just outside Boston—Liams connection to Ireland remains strong with Mayo, Galway and Cork

Introduced to lacrosse at a very young age by his father, Marty, who was also his youth coach, Liam  began his playing days with Malden Youth Lacrosse. Alongside that, he competed for the Tomahawks Lacrosse club team out of New Hampshire. Liam now goes to Conn College.

 

Pat Smyth    ( Defender)

 

Defender Pat Smyth traces his roots back to Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, through his grandmother, an Eagney by birth. Growing up in Philadelphia—a city where lacrosse thrives—Smyth picked up the sport at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks. He went on to compete at a high level during his five years at St. John's University in Queens, graduating in 2021.

Even though US  born Smyth details how he was proud to play for Ireland. ” To play for my heritage, and to stand for the place where my grandparents came from was a dream come true.”

 

Ciaron Costello (Defender)

Costello tells us how his “grandmother, Josie Scott (nee Morrison), is from Ballina. Her farm was  in Ballinahagnish”

We then get details regarding Ciaron's career so far.

“I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Went to Highschool at St. Michaels College School in Toronto and played lacrosse at Robert Morris University afterwards. This is my third tournament with Team Ireland. I’ve played in the European championships ‘22 and World Championships ‘24 with the men’s Box team. This is my first tournament with the men’s field team.”

Jack Doherty ( Midfielder)

Doherty tells us about his Mayo roots, which are from  his grandmother who was born in  north Mayo in 1943.”My grandmother left her home in Killala  in the 60’s and settled in Long Island New York where she still lives.”

I am from Garden City on Long Island. I played for coach Jack Moran at Chaminade high school and played 4 years at D3 Skidmore college.”

Jack always has his grandmother on his mind when wearing the Irish Jersey as he wears yellow boots so she see him play on tv.

 “She had surgery on her right eye and can’t see as well anymore, that's the reason I wear my yellow boots.”

 

Joe Walsh ( Goalkeeper)

One of the best goalies in the tournament was Walsh who explains to us his Mayo links. His mom’s side have strong Mayo links

“My link is on my mom’s side. Her grandmother is from   Ballintubber, the name is Corley. As in Corley’s Abbey.”

Joe lives Coronado, California I played locally before playing  lacrosse at Colgate University (Hamilton, New York) before  also playing McGill University (Montreal, Quebec).

As a final word the boys look back on the tournament the general consensus was that “We fought to stay within striking distance the whole game but ultimately ran out of time. Our goal is to have the opportunity to play England again in Japan in 2027. We hope to get even if the opportunity comes about

Galway Lacrosse ( European Championship)

 

Aidan Dempsey ( Midfielder)

 

Aidan, who grew up in Washington, explains  to us after the tournament how it felt representing his father's Irish heritage . His father Niall was born and raised in Castleblankney, East Galway. Aidan said  “Playing for Ireland makes me truly realize where my family comes from as well as where I live. My dad being from Galway I have had the opportunity to travel and visit numerous times. It is the most beautiful country and being able to represent that country on a stage like the European Championships is truly a dream come true”

 

 

Conor Foley (Attacker)

 

The final word of this tournament comes from one of the competition's top scorers. Foley who was a top performer throughout  details to us how his roots are from Galway.

 

Foley's grandfather John Foley  had an interesting life as he lived in New York before moving back to  Inverin Galway  at the age of six and eventually inherited his  fathers farm.”

His life then turned again when  “in the 50’s himself and his wife went to Boston and settled there.”

 

Conor himself is still based there and played lacrosse from a young age. “ I  played division 1 at Umass Lowell for 3 years and then played at Umass Amherst for my last 2 years. I graduated last spring  2024.He  decided to represent Ireland over his native USA which was brilliant for the senior side as he was very in touch with his strong links to the west of Ireland in particular

 

“ Having family over at the tournament means so much to Foley wearing the green jersey fills me with immense pride.”

Wicklow Intermidiate Hurling Glenealy vs Bray Emmets

 

Bray Emmets 1-15

 Glenealy 1-16

 Kilcoole Gaa

 A last-minute Cormac Byrne goal proved decisive in Kilcoole on Friday evening.

 

It was Bray that started this game stronger on Friday but after a couple of early wides a Glenealy free from Lorcan Byrne gave them the before Alan Conyard goal bound effort doubled the lead.

The north Wicklow side managed to narrow the gap when Mayo man Art Óg O’ Sullivan drove over from long distance.

The long ball into Conyard was causing trouble early on with John McIlhenny managing to extend the gap after picking up the breaks.  It was then the turn of Brendan Hawes whose long-range ball inside went long over the bar. With ten minutes on the clock there were two between the sides as Senan Croke split the posts.

With scores firing over at both ends, Darragh Leacy put three between the sides before the score of the game. Just on the quarter mark Bray put a ball over the sideline, Alex O’ Dowd stood up to cut it  over from an acute angle.

This score kicked the Emmet’s into gear lead by Willie Cash who opened his account from play before adding two more from dead balls in between a Mikey Lee minor from play. Just as it looked like Brau would go in ahead at the break, Byrne managed to give his side the lead with two fine frees.

 

Once the game restarted the first goal game inside three minutes as Mikey Lee raised a green flag, Cash added two more from play as the momentum had swung completely. The reds then started to play again with Charlie Cruise raising a flag from play along with two more placed balls from play. It was turning into a battle between Byrne and Cash who would be the top scorer as they traded scored before the ten-minute mark.  The Bray forward line seemed to be getting on top as Cillian Ryder and Conor Broderick kept the scores ticking over. Further efforts from Cash and Broderick kept a goal between the sides even though Byrne was narrowing the gap every time he could.

When the clock hit ten minutes to go Cash and Cian Byrne looked like they had done enough but this wasn't the case. Three frees from Glenealy, two from Byrne and the final one off the hurl of Aaron Meade. This had two between the sides as the game went into added time. As the ref was about to finish the game the sliotar landed into the hands of substitute Cormac Byrne who rounded the defender before rattling the back of the net and winning the game for his side.

 

 Bray Emmets: Dara Maloney, Dan Kennedy, Peter Kiely, Mickey Timmons; Matthew McGovern, Sean Kenny, Ciaran Kelly,; James Byrne, Art Óg O’ Sullivan (0-1); Senan Croke (0-1), Cian’ Byrne(0-1), Conor Broderick(0-2); Cillian Ryder(0-1),William Cash (0-8 3fs),Tristan Doherty.

 

Subs Used; Mikey Lee (1-1) for Tristan Doherty, Sam Kearney for Cillian Ryder, Fiachra O’ Dunaigh for Sean Croke, Shane Anders for James Byrne.

 

 

Glenealy: Keith Lawless; Lee Kavanagh, Stephen Cruise, Keane Furlong; Brendan Hawes(0-1), Emmet Ronan, Jack Veale; Lorcan Byrne (0-9fs), Alex O’ Dowd(0-1); Darragh Leacy(0-1), Aaron Meade (0-1f), Charlie Cruise(0-1); John McIlhenny (0-1), Alan Conyard, James French

Subs used: Jack Byrne for Keane Furlong, Cormac Byrne (1-0) for Lee Kavanagh, Andrew Lynch for Brendan Hawes, Tj O’ Neill for Alan Conyard

 Referee Paul Porter

Junior A Championship Avoca vs An Tóchar

 

An Tóchar 1-9

 

Avoca 2-10

 

Avondale

 

A clinical display from Avoca saw them win their opening round game of the Junior A championship in Rathdrum Sunday afternoon.

 

Within a minute of the whistle being blown Avoca took the lead when full forward Andrew Doyle slotted over. The opening ten minutes were all An Tóchar but a strong rearguard action from the opposition kept them out until Ryan Healy fired over a dead ball to level the tie.  In the scorching heat in Rathdrum Avoca managed to keep their opponents at bay after another sustained period of possession before breaking away and taking the lead threw Doyle this time from a free on the ten minute mark.

It was clear as the half went on that both attacks were finding it difficult to penetrate the defense. The lead was doubled when Paddy Harper burst down the wind before splitting the posts. The last ten minutes of the half saw scores flying in at other end Joseph McDonell had  the lead down to the minimum before Avoca’s wingback Dean Power raised the first orange flag of the game.  It looked like Avoca were now in control but two efforts from Brian Medlycott had the gap narrowed again. The decisive moment of the half came on the cusp of the whistle when captain and center back Mikey Fahey found himself in the right place to bury a goal for the black and amber.

 

Whatever was said to the side in navy and blue at the break kicked them into gear even after Adam Tuke had extended his side's lead early on. The next ten minutes belonged to Roundwood scoring a goal and three with no response. The first of these was a minor score off the boot of Ryan Healy  before the same man rattled the net moments later. The score was levelled twelve minutes into the half when Joao Vitor Faguendes slalomed through for his side. The momentum was totally with the side now and a Martin Gaffney score had given them the lead with twelve left on the clock. Just as it looked like they would run away with the tie up stepped  Conor Doyle for the opponents to take the lead with his side's second two pointer, this one a free of the deck. The last ten   minutes saw scored fly in from both sides Jim Murray extending his sides advantage  before another Healy  dead ball had the game back to the minimum with seven left on the clock. With a draw looking inevitable, up stepped Afam Arslan who found himself at the edge of the square to fire into the net. Both sides traded  scores at the death with Oisin Cullen firing over before Doyle nailed a 45 to ensure victory for his side.

 

An Tóchar: Hugh Kenna; Gavin Staunton, Sean McHugh, Killian Byrne; Roan Hayes,Josh Healy, Dale Brady; Piaras Morris, Martin Gaffney(0-1); Brian Medlycott (0-2), Joao Vitor Fagundes (0-1), Liam Kenna; Joseph McDonnell (0-1) JJ Brady, Ryan Healy(1-3 2fs)

Subs Used: Oisin Cullen (0-1) for Liam Kenna, Brendan Kennedy for Joseph McDonnell

 

 

Avoca: John Harper; Aaron Tuke, Liam Dickenson, Dean Carter; Dean Power (0-2 2ptr), Mikey Fahey (1-0), Sean Fleming; Conor Doyle (0-3 1 45 (2ptf), Conor Short; Adam Arslan(1-0), Stephen McCauley, Paddy Harper (0-1); Jim Murray(0-1), Andrew Doyle(0-2 1f), Adam Tuke (0-1)

Subs Used: Joe Sinnott for Conor Short, Kian Fluskey for Stephen McCauley, John Porter for Dean Carter, Jack Murphy for Dean Power.

 

Referee James Phelan

Wexford vs Athlone Womens LOI

 

Wexford 0

 

Athlone Town 2

 

A brace from teenager Emma Mooney was enough to see the Midlands side cement their place at the top of the table on Saturday night in Wexford

 

It was the home side who started the brighter with two chances coming inside the opening minutes both were well defended by a resolute Town defense. After this early scare the Athlone side battled back into it with the front three of  Madison Gibson, Kelly Brady and  Roisin Molloy starting to look dangerous. With eight minutes gone on the clock a Gibson cross/shot just evaded Molloy at the back post. With a quarter of the game gone Molloy had a great chance but like her winger on the opposite side no one could get the decisive touch on her cross.

Just as it looked like Athlone and gained control it was the home side who nearly took the lead but Megan Plashcko stood strong to keep out a Lauren Kelly effort. The heat in the southeast seemed to have an effect as both teams found it difficult to run  through the opposition instead it was great passing and team play that proved pivotal. The last two chances before the water break both fell to Molloy again but unfortunately she couldn't press home the advantage leaving the sides level at the first break.

 

Once the tie resumed chances became harder to come by as both management sides changed tactics which led to a much cagier game. Just as it looked like it would be level at the break the table toppers created two chances. The first of which fell to Gibson whose strike was saved before the rebound was cleared off the line. Just before the halftime whistle Molloy broke down the wind before finding Mooney who slotted home for her first goal of the season.

 

After the interval both defenses  seemed to have their opponents number for the opening fifteen minutes. The Town midfield started to battle back momentum and eventually created two more strikes on the Wexford goal. These were ultimately kept out by a strong rearguard action.

The tie looked like it had then been levelled after the second water break the linesman had other ideas having the flag up for offside. With both sides making subs in the last few minutes, this seemed to energize the home side with Ellen Molloy and then Ciara Rossiter firing in shots in anger, another of which troubled the goal.

The decisive goal came with eight minutes left when Mooney found herself in the right place to acrobatically put the ball past O’ Sullivan.

After last week's game against Treaty todays along with their own three points and other results meant it was a great day for Athlone.

 

Key Moment/ Talking point I didn’t actually think there were any key moments bar the two goals. It was a tough Batlle from start to finish.

 

Talking Points: None either bar a couple of half penalty shouts.

 

 

 

Player of the match; Roisin Molloy,

From the opening minutes Molloy was causing damage. She kept up her energy till she was substituted with ten minutes to go. She also assisted Mooney with both goals with some excellent play. With her attacking prowess she made Wexford play to defenders on her wing to keep her quiet but they couldn't manage to do it.

 

Manager Reaction; After the full time whistle we get the thoughts of victorious manager Colin Fortune.

 

 

Fortune begins by saying “ it was a great win in tough conditions and he are delighted with the three points, Wexford is always a tough place to come and they always give us a battle.”

 

Fortune side had a great day after a slip up away to Treaty last week on top of their win today one of their nearest rivals Shelbourne got beaten 3-1 in the Dublin Derby. Fortune details how “  he was happy with that but still adds there is a long way to go in the season.”

 

Finally Colin praises goal scorer Emma Mooney. “ Unbelievable that at only 15 years of age, her second appearance for us keeps an eye on that name. She is definitely one for the future, her overall display was excellent.” 

 

Wexford: Maria O’ Sullivan, Orla Conlon, Della Doherty, Lauren Dwyer, Becky Cassin, Aoife Kelly, Ellen Molloy, Lauren Kelly, Ciara Rossiter, Freya De Mange, Aisling Roche.

Subs Used Leah McGrath for Lauren Kelly, Siun Murdiff for Oral Conlon.

 

Athlone Town: Megan Plashcko: Kellie Brennan, Katie Shine, Shauna Brennan, Natalie McNally; Hannah Waeshc,Sarah Rice, Emma Mooney; Roisin Molloy, Madison Gibson, Kelly Brady.

Subs Used: Isabelle Ryan for Roisin Molloy (84th minute)

 

Referee: Ian O’ Keefe