Local Notes: Ballinrobe GAA tournament in memory of Éilis
Éilis Maloney was a dearly-loved Ballinrobe GAA and LGFA player, referee and club member.
On Saturday next, June 13, one of the driving forces behind the resumption of adult ladies’ football in Ballinrobe will be remembered at a tournament in her honour, hosted by her native club.
Éilis Maloney was a dearly-loved Ballinrobe GAA and LGFA player, referee and club member whose life was cut tragically short in December 2024 when she was just 33 years of age. This Saturday, five local teams with whom Éilis played or had a strong family connection - Ballinrobe, Kilmaine, The Neale, Tourmakeady and Shrule-Glencorrib - will come to Flanagan Park, Ballinrobe to participate in the inaugural Éilis Maloney Ladies’ Football Memorial Tournament in her memory.
In addition to being a day of competitive seven-a-side football, it will be a celebration of Éilis’s life, love of football and the legacy she has left within the club and beyond. Football played a big part in the various stages of Éilis’s life, from underage with Ballinrobe, to schools’ football with Coláiste Muire in Tourmakeady, adult football for a number of years with The Neale and finally a return to her native Ballinrobe, firstly with the Gaelic for Mothers and Others team in 2019 and then as a key member of – and driving force behind – the re-formed junior ladies team from 2022 to 2024. She was also the junior team’s first captain for the 2022 season.
Her sister, Claire, plays her club football with Kilmaine (from where the Maloney family hails), while her mother Carmel is a native of Shrule, against whom Éilis played her last competitive match in October 2024. The Maloney family’s wider connection with Ballinrobe GAA and LGFA Club is strong. Éilis’s brother, Seán, played football with the club for many years, while the family business has sponsored the ladies’ junior team since 2022.
Ballinrobe LGFA Club Chairperson Nicola Macken is encouraging everyone to come along for what promises to be a special day.
“Éilis embodied everything that is good about football: highly competitive yet fair, a tough individual contributor and a complete team player. She also enjoyed her football, she knew how to have fun, both on the field and within the group.
“Saturday is about all of these things: high-quality, competitive football on the field and a sense of fun and friendship off it. It’s not just for members of Ballinrobe GAA and LGFA, it’s a family day and is open to the whole community right across South Mayo. Everyone is welcome,” said Nicola.
The winners on the day will be presented with a cup – sponsored by the Maloney family – in memory of Éilis, recognising the valuable contribution she made to the club and to ladies’ football in the region.
In addition to the competitive games, there will also be an exhibition game involving Ballinrobe Gaelic for Mothers and Others, many of whom played with Éilis.
With entertainment, refreshments and live social media updates throughout the day, it promises to be a day of fun, football and friendship – three things which featured prominently in Éilis’s short but well-lived life.
Registration for participating teams is at 10.30am with games commencing at 11am.
Entry for the public is free of charge but donations to the Mayo Suicide Bereavement Liaison Service can be made on the day.
At the Ballinrobe Musical Society’s recent annual general meeting, long-time members Eugene O'Malley and Tom Heneghan were honoured as Honorary Life Members of the society.
Ballinrobe Musical Society has been nominated for three awards in the Gilbert section at the upcoming AIMS Awards, for their production of . The nominations are as follows: Outstanding Youth Performance for Rhea May Murphy (Young Anna), Best Actress for Lorna Dennehy (Anna) and Best Comedian for Ethan McNea (Olaf). The winners will be announced at the annual AIMS Awards ceremony at the Gleneagle Arena in Killarney on Saturday, June 13.
Ballinrobe GAA Club held its weekly lotto draw on Monday, June 1. The numbers drawn were 13, 15, 23 and 33. There was no winner of the €13,300 jackpot.
The match three winner (€200) was Paddy and Marilyn McTigue.
The Ballinrobe Town under-13 girls’ team recently recorded a hard-fought extra-time victory away to Conn Rangers in the Mayo U13 Girls' Cup competition.
Conn Rangers made full use of home advantage early on and the north Mayo side took a deserved lead. However, a resolute Ballinrobe regrouped, and they levelled matters courtesy of a tidy finish from Emily O’Gorman.
Both sides were full of endeavour and the green and black regained the lead and appeared to be on the verge of victory, until Hannah Grimes netted a late equaliser for the visitors, which forced extra-time.
Extra-time proved to be a tense period of the game, and the contest could have gone either way, nevertheless, Emily O’Gorman netted what proved to be the crucial winning goal for the red and white.
Well done to all involved in what was a fantastic contest from start to finish.
Teresa Mullahy was the winner of €115 in last week’s 50/50 draw conducted by the Tacú Family Resource Centre.
There was no winner of the €13,500 lotto jackpot draw which was held in Garrymore, on Sunday, May 31. The numbers drawn were 11, 19, 28 and 30.
The €50 winners were John Nally, Crossboyne; Marguerite Dalton, Ballinsmaula, and Jason O’Brien, Bettystown.
