Local Notes: All the latest news from Claremorris
Caoimhe Monahan took this striking photograph of a fox rambling through the snow in a field behind her house in Claremorris.
Every sports club faces its own challenges and hurling in Claremorris is no different. The national game, which dates back to Cú Chullainn, is the fastest and most exciting field sport in the world. It requires skill, fitness and bravery. It can be a magnificent spectacle, and the All-Ireland senior final, when televised globally, has drawn gasps from worldwide admirers with no connection to Ireland.
Adult hurling in Claremorris, however, faces challenges from all sides. Like everywhere in Mayo, Gaelic football is the dominant sport. It is played by men and women, girls and boys. Rugby is popular too, as is soccer. Indeed, for the sports enthusiast, there can be few locations in the world with the amount of sports facilities per capita. And there’s plans on the table for an indoor sports centre to add to the stock of football pitches, astro facilities, swimming pools, golf, athletics, handball and tennis facilities to name just a few.
All these sports and leisure activities draw on the available pool of potential players. Hurling is doing well in Claremorris at underage level, but when players hit 17 or 18, there are many other distractions.
“We have a junior team,” David Hurley, one of the local club officials, told the , “but I’d like to see us really competitive in the county championship and beyond.
"Hurling struggles to find a niche in the crowded field for a number of reasons. There aren’t many clubs in Mayo, and there are so many other sports and activities. On top of that, because the sport is not played that much in Mayo, county-wide competitions are often made up of a few teams with competitions not always completed. It’s the poor relation in the GAA in the county.”
Mr Hurley is appealing to anyone living in the region, who might have a hurling background from their native county or from college, to contact the club. Claremorris Hurling Club needs coaches and managers, as well as players.
“A town the size of Claremorris should have a strong competitive club that would go on to win things at adult level. We have a good underage structure up to 18 years of age, but then lads go off to college and cannot commit to every sport and hurling suffers as a result. We have a junior team, and I’d like to see us having two adult teams in the club – one that would be really competitive and win things, and one for players who didn’t want the same level of competition and commitment, but still wanted to play hurling. That would be the ideal situation. So if there are any lads out there with a hurling background, from a hurling county who would like to play competitively, or could coach or manage teams, we’d love to hear from them.”
Prospective players or coaches needn’t be from the town; they can be from neighbouring towns too. The club can be contacted through its social media pages.
Hollywood excitement has descended on the villages of Ballyglass, Mayo Abbey and Facefield, as six films are being made in the area. The films are part of a fundraiser for Mayo Gaels GAA Club who wish to develop an astro-turf pitch in conjunction with the local school.
The films being made for the fundraiser are local version of ‘Rocky,’ ‘Braveheart’ and ‘The Field,’ as well as Irish favourites, ‘Waking Ned Devine,’ ‘Kilnascully’ and ‘Father Ted’. The films will have local actors and directors and will be shown at a gala, black-tie awards night in the McWilliam Park Hotel on March 15th.
Each film-making crew is carrying out its own unique fundraising events in the area, and ask for support. Tickets for the awards night can be had from Goretti Gibbons on 087-6923867, Alan Prendergast on 087-9273200 or Derek Vahey on 087-0512528. Tickets are also available online.
Garrymore have now formed a Rounders team. Rounders is a fun mixed sport. GAA Rounders is one of the four official GAA sports included in the original GAA charter back in 1884 along with Gaelic Football, Hurling and Handball.
Rounders is a bat and ball game and is not that dis-similar to baseball. Indeed, it is generally accepted that Baseball is derived from Rounders in some form or other, as it has been played on this island for a couple of hundred years and was probably brought to America by the early settlers.
Anyone interested in taking part in Garrymore Rounders can contact the club through its social media pages. A Rounders WhatsApp group has been set up within the club. Practice sessions take place on Sunday evenings at 5pm. Newcomers are always welcome.
Seamus Waldron was the winner of Claremorris GAA’s 50/50 jackpot last week. Seamus started the year off with an €800 win on a ticket bought in The Shamrock.
Like a lot of GAA clubs around the country, Garrymore GAA Club has signed up to the GAA Heathy Clubs initiative, and is now a smoke and vape-free area. The club asks all members and supporters to refrain from smoking and vaping on their grounds at all times.
As part of her fundraising efforts for this year's Dublin City Marathon, Megan Commins held a 5k Run/Walk on New Year’s Eve in Garrymore. Megan is running the Dublin City Marathon to raise funds and awareness for Childline.
Well done to everyone who took part and completed the 5k. Congrats to Michael Kelly who came first overall. The club extends thanks to all who helped with the refreshments and all the stewards. The results are as follows: Men’s section: 1st, Matthew Gill; 2nd, John Reilly; 3rd, Thomas Reilly. Women’s section: 1st, Connie Kelly; 2nd, Joanne Forde; 3rd, Lynda Hession. Juniors: 1st Under 18 Boy: Michael Kelly, 1st Under 18 Girl: Lily Hession.
Well done to Claremorris Handball Club member, Kuba Jankowski, on his success at the juvenile tournament in Galway, last week. Kuba was runner-up in the Under-13 Plate Tournament.
Handball is a sport for life, with competitions for all ages, and Claremorris has been a very successful club throughout the years.
Re-turn recycling bins will be delivered next week to Taugheen Community Centre. The Community Council asks people to donate any bottles/cans with the Re-Turn logo, as every bottle or can donated will be recycled and the proceeds will go towards the community centre/future developments.
Eight local GAA players will feature in the 2025 Sigerson Cup – the senior championship for third-level students. University College Cork first won the trophy in 1911 and the current holders are the University of Ulster. The last local winning captain was Stephen Coen, who led University College Dublin to victory in 2018.
The locals involved this year are the Mayo Gaels duo of Jack Fallon (University of Limerick) Seán Keane (ATU Galway) Claremorris’s Cathal Joyce (UL) and Darragh Joyce (DCU DE,) Davitts men, Fenton Kelly and Jack Melvin (both UL,) Garrymore’s Mark Gibbons (TUS Midlands) and Eastern Gael, Ethan Owens (ATU Galway). Best of luck to all of them on the sporting field and academic hall.
Christmas Tree recycling
The novelty of the Christmas tree and decorations wears a bit thin in January with even the non-shedding natural trees, signalling that they have enough of the festivities. Natural trees make good firewood if they are left for a while, the branches and needles are lively fire-starters. But not everyone has a chainsaw and not everyone has a chimney in their house or apartment, and we don’t all burn solid fuel. And a redundant Christmas tree simply abandoned outside looks really miserable – especially as St Patrick’s Day approaches.
But there is good news. As is often the case, Mayo County Council has stepped in and offered a solution in the form of recycling points across the county – one of which is based at the council’s offices on Kilcolman Road. The recycling point is located in the car park, so don’t try dragging your tree through the revolving door that leads into the offices. Trees can be dropped off up until Saturday week, January 25th, and you need to have all decorations removed.
Congratulations to Senan Guilfoyle of Eastern Gaels, a student at the University of Limerick, Jack Keane of Hollymount/Carramore, (University of Galway), Garrymore’s Eoin McGreal (University of Limerick) and Davitts’ Jack Melvin (also of UL), who were awarded bursaries by Connacht GAA last week.
The bursary scheme awards members of the GAA who are active members in their higher education club. The initiative provides financial assistance to students who have displayed potential and commitment on the Gaelic games front.
“The purpose of this bursary scheme is to honour young people who have excelled in the GAA,” Connacht GAA Council Games Manager, Cathal Cregg said, at a ceremony which took place in the Connacht GAA COE in Bekan, on Saturday, January 4th. “This year we have selected 62 outstanding people, all of whom will contribute to the GAA club and life in their colleges. Not just players, but also young administrators who are involved in their college as team trainers and club officers are also beneficiaries in the scheme.”
President of the Comhairle Connacht, Vincent Neary, paid tribute to the parents and guardians of these recipients in supporting these young people with both their academic and sporting lives and to the colleges for their promotion of Gaelic games.
The late Seamus Waldron
The sudden and unexpected death has occurred of Seamus Waldron, of Cottage, Ballyhaunis, at his home.
Seamus was predeceased by his parents James and Nellie and his brother Michéal. Seamus is deeply regretted by his brothers John (Ballyhaunis) and Padraic (Cloonfad), sister Carmel Keane (Claremorris), nephews Michael and Henry, nieces Charyl, Patricia, Shauna, Sarah and Maria, great-grandnephew Cody, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, relatives, friends, neighbours and his best friend Richard Cruise.
Seamus was laid to rest in Ballyhaunis Cemetery after Funeral Mass in St Mary’s Church, Logboy.
May he rest in peace.
The death has occurred of Rose Callaghan (née Fahey) of Derry, Tavrane, Kilkelly, and formerly of Ballydaff, Taugheen, Claremorris.
Rose died peacefully at Mayo University Hospital on January 3rd. She is deeply regretted by her loving husband Tom, daughters Annmarie, Michelle, Niamh and Louise and son Michael; eight grandchildren; brothers Tommie (Ballydaff), Liam and Michael: sons-in-law and daughter-in-law; brother-in-law; sisters-in-law: nieces, nephews and her wide circle of friends.
Rose was laid to rest in Urlaur Cemetery after Funeral Mass in St Patrick's Church, Glann.
May she rest in peace.
