Local Notes: Community Garden a huge success in Charlestown
The hardworking committee of the Charlestown Community Garden.
The hardworking committee of the Charlestown Community Garden are currently preparing the gardens for the winter season.
They are putting high-quality soil into the raised beds and weeding all the paths and beds to boot.
The garden committee would like to thank Ian and Nuala from O'Donnell's Pharmacy for recently donating a First Aid kit to the garden. Their generosity, help and support is very much appreciated by all associated with the garden. Thanks also to Michael, Josie and Martin Mulhearn for their kindness, generosity and support towards the garden in recent times.
Special thanks also to the people of Charlestown and the surrounding areas for their continued support of this community project. The garden continues to occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of many who admire the terrific work being done by a very committed and dedicated group of people who invest a huge amount of time in the upkeep and maintenance of a facility and project that deserves every bit of support it can get and receive.
The community garden team is as follows: Paddy Casey, Mary and Kay McIntyre, Willie and Breda Doyle, Vera Turner, Sarah McCann, Alison Doohan, Pat Murphy, Ian and Christine Isherwood and Sr Elsie Gilmartin. Special thanks also to John McIntyre and his girlfriend Kirsty who were home from Australia during the summer and helped out in a big way in the garden.
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Lotto jackpot of €13,900 in the weekly draw held on Sunday night, October 27th, when the numbers drawn were 9, 23, 28 and 36.
The winners of the two €50 weekly prizes were Geraldine Griffin-Gannon and Michael Kelly (annual ticket).
The jackpot now stands at over €14,000. Tickets on sale in a number of outlets in the town and are also available on www.smartlotto.ie or via the club's Facebook page.
The club would like to thank all who played and supported the weekly lotto, the support is very much appreciated.
The Rosary will be prayed for the Holy Souls every evening at Lurga Shrine at 7pm during the month of November. All are welcome.
Sincere thanks to all who attended the Coffee Morning for Mayo/Roscommon Hospice held recently in Walsh's Lounge, Charlestown.
Thanks to everyone who gave donations, items for the raffle and all who bought tickets. The amount raised was €960.
Inspire is a young adult faith event (18-40) organised by Achonry Youth Ministry. It will be held at St Brigid's Hall and Theatre, Tubbercurry on Friday, November 15th, at 8pm.
The theme is 'The Relevance of Faith in the Modern World' and the keynote speaker is Louth GAA manager and former All-Ireland winner with Dublin Ger Brennan who will speak about life, sport and faith. Other speakers will join Ger for panel discussions and questions from the audience. It promises to be a great evening.
Free registration at www.eventbrite.ie.
Charlestown Sarsfields suffered a disappointing 2-9 to 1-5 defeat to Ballaghaderreen in the second round of the Mayo U-21 B Championship played at the Ballaghaderreen GAA grounds recently.
The Sarsfields can have few complaints about the result as they were outworked and outfought by a well drilled home side who held the whip hand throughout most of the encounter with a couple of goals at key times seeing them over the line in deserved fashion.
The Sarsfields were always trailing as the home side began brightly and got some good scores on the board early doors with their forward line causing lots of anxiety and trouble for a shaky-looking Green and White defence who never really got to grips with the likes of Calum Coleman and Conor Moriarity as they made life difficult with their movement and scoring ability.
In contrast, the Sarsfields forward line laboured throughout with their final tally of 1-5 indicating the difficulties they had in trying to penetrate a well-marshalled and organised Ballagh' rearguard who harried and hassled their direct opponents into mistakes and turnovers all of which fed into the confidence of the hosts as they were much the better team in the opening half.
The second half didn't bring much in the way of change for the Sarsfields as the home side continued to boss the exchanges and keep the Sarsfields at arms length with some tidy football.
Ballagh' carried a much greater threat in attack than the Sarsfields, notwithstanding the fact that the Sarsfields were never totally out of the contest at any stage. The scores they craved to kick their challenge in earnest never arrived, however, with shots dropping short or going either side of the posts, thus spoiling some good approach play or more importantly draining the life and energy out of the side as Ballagh, in contrast, were much better in front of goal and were a lot more clinical in terms of their ability to score and convert their possession in scores.
A Gavin Honeyman goal hinted at better things to come for the Sarsfields but it was an isolated incident of good play rather than anything sustained with the game taken away from the Sarsfields in the final ten minutes as Ballagh' took full advantage of a mix-up in the Sarsfields defence to score their second and the game's defining score to put real daylight between the teams going down the home stretch.
The home side managed the game well from there to the final whistle with the Sarsfields unable to utter any kind of a response with the result putting Ballagh' through to a quarter-final with the Sarsfields facing a preliminary quarter-final showdown against Ballinrobe, albeit they have home advantage for the same which should motivate the troops to front up and get back on track with a quarter-final spot up for grabs for the victors with the losers facing elimination from the competition.
Best for the Sarsfields on a disappointing day at the office were Gavin Honeyman, Thomas Goldrick, Sean Kilroy, Daniel Harrington, Tadhg Horkan and Paddy Joe Dunleavy.
Social basketball continues in the CBD Recreation Centre, Charlestown, on Tuesday evenings from 9 to 10pm (adults only).
It was another busy week for the Cubs Basketball club with games taking place at all grades and ages. Pride of place goes to the U-14 girls who recorded two excellent victories in the league, thus showcasing the full range of their skills and abilities.
Both victories owed as much to their resilience, spirit and determination as to their undoubted skill and class as they stayed strong to the buzzer to eke out two wonderful wins. Well done to the team and coaches who have instilled plenty of tenacity and team spirit into the girls as they sit proudly near the top of a very competitive division which contains some really good quality teams.
The girls will be looking to maintain their current rich vein of form in their next couple of outings as they strive to keep their unbeaten run going into the very near future.
Poetry classes take place in the Arts Centre, Barrack Street, Charlestown on Monday mornings 10am to 1.30pm. Limited spaces available.
For more information, call 086-8514682.
The death took place at University Hospital Galway of Michael Murphy, Hagfield, Charlestown.
His remains were removed from Horkan's Funeral Home to St James's Church, Charlestown, for Requiem Mass and burial took place in Bushfield Cemetery.
Michael is survived by his wife Marian, daughter Abigail, sons Michael and Keith, daughters-in law, grandchildren, sisters Maureen and Dorothy, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.
The late Micheal, who was pre-deceased by his parents and brother Tommy, was a well known and respected member of the community of Hagfield and beyond. He was a good man who was devoted to his family and took pride in their health and well-being at all times.
He formed a good bond with his wife Marian and together they made sure the family's needs were met and provided for at all times. He was a hard-working man who knew the value of a good day's work for a good day's pay and his passing has caused widespread regret and sorrow in the communities of Hagfield, Charlestown and beyond.
We tender our deepest sympathies to the bereaved.
Charlestown Sarsfields GAA club merchandise is arriving soon along with some old favourites like branded/crested hoodies shorts, socks, gloves, beanie hats, etc.
To avoid disappointment, call into John in Casey's Expert Hardware to place your pre-Christmas order now. Gear is also available for the underage wing of the club (Bord na nÓg), Charlestown LGFA and Charlestown Cubs Basketball Club also.
St Joseph's Community College, Charlestown, host Tuam Vocational School in Fr O'Hara Park in the Senior E Football Championship on Wednesday, November 6th, with the throw-in timed for 12 noon.
Following on from their recent very successful and well-supported 5K series, the East Mayo Athletics Club has launched its Countdown to Christmas Challenge, a 5K challenge which is making a welcome return to the club roster, albeit under a new guise and format.
It consists of four teams running or walking three 5Ks between Monday and Sunday - in your own time and location and whichever team completes the most runs wins the challenge. This is a very popular challenge and the team leaders will be virtually encouraging you and your team all the way as you strive to complete the challenge and get the runs on the board.
All the details regarding entry are available on the East Mayo Athletics Club Facebook where you simply click on the link to enter and access all the details. The event started yesterday (Monday) and finishes on Sunday, December 15th, which is a nice six-week lead-in to Christmas.
The challenge should appeal to all ages and generations with a €20 entry fee per person any time or anywhere. Sign up now or better still form a team and pit your wits and talents against others and see how you fare out.
The annual general meeting of the Charlestown LGFA (the ladies wing) of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club will take place on Tuesday, November 19, at 8.30pm in the Arts Centre, Barrack Street, Charlestown. Forms to submit motions and to nominate new officers will be shared online over the coming days.
The death took place recently at Sligo University Hospital of Mary Marren (nee Merriman), Fuel, Drimbane, Curry, Co Sligo.
We tender our deepest sympathies to the bereaved.
Vision Ireland Swinford is seeking donations of household items such as chest of drawers, two-seater couches and homewares. For more information, contact Vision Ireland Swinford on 087-4827468 or email swinford.retail@vi.ie.
Accord Catholic Marriage Care is seeking facilitators to volunteer to train as presenters for marriage preparation courses. If you feel you would like to help, contact Aisling at the Accord Centre, Maynooth, on 01-5053112 or email marraigecourses@accord.ie.
There was a good turnout at the weekly bridge game held in Walsh's Bar, Main Street, on Wednesday, October 23. The prize-winners were: 1st, Mae and Charles Quinn; 2nd, Ogie Moran and Tom Ginty; 3rd, Paddy and Patricia Colleran; 4th, Frances and Robert Healy; 5th, Michael and Patricia Brennan.
The weekly game takes place every Wednesday night in Walsh's Bar at 8pm and all are welcome..
The Youth 2000 Connacht Autumn Retreat will take place in the College of the Immaculate Conception, Summerhill, Sligo on the weekend of November 8th to 10th.
Join the gathering for talks, testimonies and workshops. Donation only. Bring a sleeping bag!
For more information, visit www.youth2000.ie or email connaught@youth2000.ie.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25 Card Drive held in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday, October 29th,and the following were the prize winners: 1st, Michael and Mary Lynskey; 2nd, Mary Costello and Miko Sheridan.
The raffle winners were Mary Costello, Kevin Maloney and Miko Sheridan.
Game takes place every Tuesday night at 8.30pm in the Yeats County Inn, Curry and all are welcome with new members especially welcome.
A new book has hit the shelves in recent days entitled 'Our Finest Hour. It is penned by well-known sports journalist, columnist and now book publisher Edwin McGreal where he takes us on a journey through every club in Mayo asking them to nominate and talk about their finest hour on the fields of play so to speak.
It is a fascinating and brilliant read as characters, past players, officers and stalwart club members from every club in the county talk about and discuss what they consider was the club's finest hour and pinnacle of their success to date.
The Sarsfields are well represented as Edwin interviews and chats with some of the personalities who were involved in the club's historic county and Connacht senior title successes of 2001, which still burn brightly in the hearts and minds of all associated with that memorable period in our stellar history where the club and community came together in unison to celebrate never to be forgotten times.
The likes of David Tiernan, who captained us to our greatest triumphs, Aidan Higgins, John Casey, Podsie Horkan and yours truly discuss with Edwin the background to the success, how it evolved and emanated and the impact it had on the town as people came from all corners of the globe to participate and join in the celebrations as the success reached deep into all aspects of the community and moved people like never before.
The lads discuss all aspects of the success with Edwin with lots of humour and fun had along the way which they were keen to get across as it was a journey which contained so many highlights and brought people together like never before. Friendships and bonds were forged that remain as tight today as they did all of 23 years ago and Edwin brilliantly relays the lads' thoughts and opinions in print and describes with great clarity the impact the success had on the lives of the people in the club and town and how it brought nothing but good times and positivity to the area.
Edwin hit on a great concept and produced a terrific publication that goes deep into what drives people involved in GAA at grassroots' level and how any modicum of success is treasured and savoured. The book is available in all local bookshops in the county and is also available online at www.mayobooks.ie, and I would heartily recommend you purchase 'Our Finest Hour' as it will be a wonderful addition to your bookshelf!
The annual general meeting of Castle Kidz Childcare will take place in the facility on Wednesday, November 13, at 8pm. All are welcome to attend.
Activator Pole and Chair Exercises take place in Charlestown Arts Centre at 12 noon on Friday, November 8, 15, 22 and 29. Lift access is available.
The cost is €2 contribution per class. All are welcome.
A Christmas Craft Fair will be held at Carracastle Community Centre on Sunday, December 1, from 10am to 2pm. If you would like to have a table on the day, please contact 085-7704647 to confirm your place and for more information.
There was no winner of the Curry GAA Lotto jackpot of €3,600 in the weekly draw held on Monday night, October 28th, when the four numbers drawn were as follows 4, 7, 18 and 23.
The winners of €20 weekly prizes were Donal Henry, Veronica Doyle and Eoin, Conor and Lorcan Waters.
The jackpot now stands at €3,700 and tickets can be bought at various outlets or by logging onto the club's social media pages.
A meeting of the Legion of Mary takes place every Tuesday evening in the Charlestown Pastoral Centre at 8pm. All are welcome.
Charlestown Sarsfields suffered an agonising one-point defeat to Ballinrobe in Division 7 Under-15 Grading League development quarter-final played at the Ballinrobe GAA grounds recently.
The Sarsfields looked dead and buried at a number of different junctures in a game that ebbed and flowed wildly with the home side almost coughing up a nine-point lead as the Sarsfields roared back into contention in the closing stages of the second half.
The South Mayo lads played much the better football in the opening half with two goals putting them in a real position of dominance as the Sarsfields lads found themselves hemmed in for most of the opening thirty minutes.
Ballinrobe led by nine at half time which paints a pretty accurate picture of how the first half played out with the 'Robe lads sitting pretty and odds on to advance to the next stage of the competition.
The second half proved eventful to say the least as the Sarsfields thundered into the game and rocked the home side back on their heels in pretty emphatic fashion.
The Green and White lads threw caution to the wind and took the game to the hosts in stirring fashion with a Dylan Pilcher goal giving them just the tonic needed to inject new-found energy and life into their dormant challenge.
The Sarsfields tore into their opposition and started to find their range in front of goal as Ballinrobe struggled to contain the rising tide that was coming at them from all corners and directions of the field.
Incredibly, the Sarsfields had drawn level as the game entered injury time and looked to have all the momentum as the home side hung on for dear life to a game that looked to have drifted away from them in a startling manner.
There was to be one final twist, however, as the 'Robe lads created one final attack from which they landed the final and defining score of the game to snatch the victory and leave the Sarsfields floored as their second-half comeback came up short in the most dramatic of fashion.
Heartbreak for the Ssrsfields but their performance was full of vim, spirit and courage as they forced their way back from the dead to clinch the most unlikely of victories.
They still have a chance of advancing to the semi-final but are depending on results elsewhere with their fate lying very much in the hands of others.
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts competition held in Walsh's Bar, Charlestown, on Sunday night, October 27, as The Duke and The Gripper went head to head in another intriguing instalment of the weekly classic.
Podsie was on duty in the referee's chair and did an admirable job as both men towed the line impeccably.
The Duke grabbed control of the match from the off, winning the first two sets with some imperious throwing as he hardly missed a dart when in and among the double. Gus, in contrast, was a bag of nerves and struggled to match the level of his opponent, and thus found himself two sets down and staring into the abyss at the beginning of the third which was a must-win for the red destroyer.
Credit to him he steadied himself and found some composure from somewhere and this took him far into the third and saw him clinch it with a gutsy double top in the fifth and deciding leg extending the game into a fourth set.
The Duke was not best pleased as he took to the ochie for the beginning of the fourth with some missed darts at double eighteen in the previous still very much playing on his mind.
Gus was looking to take advantage of the Duke's distracted concentration and this he duly did, winning the first two legs in convincing style as the Duke continued to berate himself on the back of some wayward throwing. The Duke has that innate ability to pull himself back from the brink, however, and this he did brilliantly as he dug deep into his box of tricks to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. He stunned his opponent as he reeled off three legs on the spin to pull the rug from under the red man's comeback with his final dart landing plum in the middle of the bull's eye bed to set off wild scenes of celebration and incredulity in his large band of loyal supporters.
To say Gus was stunned would be an understatement in the extreme as he stared at the board almost forlornly having looked odds on to take the game to a fifth and deciding set. It wasn't to be however as the Duke fired on his superhero cape to seal his eighth title of the season and boy did he celebrate accordingly!
