Local Notes: Kilmovee Foroige Club attend Mayo Foroige 3rd Years Prom Ball.
Members of Kilmovee Foróige Club are pictured at the Mayo Foróige 3rd Years Prom Ball, held recently at the Castlecourt Hotel, Westport. Picture: Trish Forde
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA lotto jackpot of €21,900 in the weekly draw held on Sunday, May 10, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 3, 13, 23 and 24. The winners of the 3 x €50 prizes were the following; Triona Grimes (Lucky Dip- AT), Keith Kavanagh (Lucky Dip) and Catherine McCormack (Online). The jackpot in the latest draw which was held on Sunday, May 17, was a whopping €22, 000.
The Charlestown Organic Community Garden committee are beavering away since the sun finally managed to break through as they go about their work in a very diligent and conscientious manner. The new raised beds look splendid t at the moment as they are being populated with flowers, shrubs and vegetables of all kinds and descriptions. The garden remains a little piece of heaven on earth and continues to draw admiration and plaudits from all corners of the community and across the world wide web as people tune into to what’s happening in the place on a regular basis. There is a terrific committee in place at the moment all of whom give of their time so willingly and they deserve as much support as they can get as they continue to make this little space and place of great beauty and productivity. They also have a very active Facebook page which gives regular and up to date details of what’s happening in the garden on a regular basis hence their number of followers continues to grow and multiply.
Congratulations are extended to Shane Moran, a native of Coppelsurragh, Charlestown on guiding Roscommon to back to back Connacht U17 titles by virtue of their thrilling one point victory over Galway in a terrific Connacht U17 final played at the Tuam GAA grounds recently. Shane is creating quite a stir in Roscommon football circles with his exploits as his team retained the title and in so doing went through the whole campaign unbeaten having won each and every one of their five games which included beating Galway twice and in Tuam which is quite the stellar achievement indeed. He is forging quite the reputation as an innovative and top-class coach/manager and obviously has an aura and presence about him that commands instant respect as he has brought Roscommon to the top of the tree in the ultra-competitive competition that the Connacht U17 championship is. He has an eye for talent and has moulded quite the formidable team and panel of players, and they play with an energy, spirit and determination that is very much emblematic of the whole Roscommon spirit and ethos.
He can now turn his attention to the All-Ireland series where his team will be more than a match for any of the teams left in what promises to be a fascinating quarter-final line-up. Shane’s success caps a wonderful few weeks for Roscommon as they did the clean sweep of all the competitions in Connacht winning the senior, U20 and U17 championships respectively with the conveyor belt of talent available to the Rossies something one can only marvel at and admire as they go about their work in a very thorough manner with the right structures in place to bring through the best talent in the county.
Shane has his backroom team well stacked with Charlestown Sarsfields personnel with Patrick Walsh, Philip and Kiefer Craig all part of a very knowledgeable and tight knit team as their hard work, dedication and attention to detail reached its fruition on the highest possible stage. Shane spearheads the group and provides the leadership and sets the standards which indicates he has a golden future ahead of him as a coach and all within the club and community congratulate him and his fellow Sarsfields colleagues and the remainder of the backroom team on their latest marvellous achievement with another glorious chapter to be written in the next couple of months possibly as Roscommon head for the All-Ireland series brimming with confidence. Shane represented the club at all levels from underage to senior and was also a coach with the club’s senior team in 2025.
A Memorial Walk in memory of the late Deirdre Gillespie will take place on Saturday, May 23, at 11am at the Colm Horkan Memorial Walkway which is located in the grounds of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club. All are welcome to join as the organising committee pay a wonderful tribute to a dear lady who was taken long before her time. All donations raised on the day will go to Sligo Cancer Support and all are welcome to join and come along.
Charlestown Sarsfields regained the winning thread in division 1 of the county U14 league with a morale boosting 2-13 to 0-10 victory over Ardnaree in the battle of the Sarsfields in an enjoyable encounter played at Fr O’Hara Park recently.
Both sides came into the game on the back of starkly different results with Charlestown having suffered a heavy loss to Ballintubber in round 3 while Ardnaree, in contrast, turned over the afore-mentioned in round 4 which indicated Ardnaree went into the game as warm favourites.
Charlestown threw the formbook out the window, however and togged out a much different team to the one that was mauled by Ballintubber in their previous outing. They thundered into the game from the throw-in and had built up a 1-3 to 0-2 lead after fifteen minutes with points from Luke McDermott with a brace and Alex Pugaciov on top of a fine Tom Naughton goal leaving the lads, in a great position as they caused all ends of problems for an edgy Ardnaree defence.
The Sarsfields, however, failed to build on their great start and went scoreless for the remainder of the half as the visitors slowly but surely worked their way back into the game and hit six points without reply to take a two point lead into the break with the score reading 0-8 to 1-3 which reflected harshly on the Charlestown effort as they left a plethora of scoring chances behind them in latter stages of the half as balls drifted wide or dropped short which undermined their fine first half display somewhat.
The home Sarsfields came out fighting in the second half and upped the ante considerably in terms of their work rate and energy levels. They hit the first three scores of the half with points from Luke McDermott, Daithi Gethins and a fine goal from Tom Naughton putting real wind in their sails as Ardnaree struggled to cope with the Charlestown Sarsfields onslaught and press. Further scores from a marauding Daithi Gethins and McDermott stretched the lead out to six as the North Mayo lads just couldn’t generate any momentum or attacking threat as the Sarsfields tackled with an intensity and determination that was refreshing to see. Further scores from Luke McDermott, Daithi Gethins, and MJ Donohue injected further optimism into the Charlestown ranks with Ardnaree utterly unable to penetrate an impregnable Charlestown rearguard as they tackled manically and presented a formidable barrier behind their impressive goalkeeper Jack Brennan.
The visitors only managed to raise two white flags in the second half with Charlestown tagging on an impressive 1-10 with further points from McDermott and Gethins putting the icing on a wonderful Charlestown performance as they grew into the game and got better with each passing minute. They had leaders all over the pitch with keeper Jack Brennan excelling in goals as he dealt admirably with everything that came his way. Mikey Larkin, Dylan Healy and Ted Munnelly were neat and tidy in the full-back line and were composed and steady at all times. The half-back line of Riain O’Connor, Senan Tiernan and Conor Breheny were superb and got the tackles in at key times and used the ball superbly when in possession. Daithi Gethins and Michael Haran were commanding in the middle of the park and dominated their immediate opponents most notably in the second half when the fat was in the fire.
In attack Tom Naugtton and Luke McDermott took the scoring honours and posed real problems for visiting defence with their pace, movement and trickery really catching the eye not to mention their ability to score as both lads made big dents on the scoreboard from a Charlestown perspective. Alex Pugaciov was very good in the second half as he ran hard and secured all kinds of possession in difficult circumstances and was always a live threat with ball in hand as was Freddie Doherty who grew into the game and was a real outlet of possession for the green and white when the need was greatest. MJ Donohue had a thundering second half as he tackled hard and secured a harvest of possession and put himself about in the middle third and came up with some big plays, Frank Muldoon deserves great credit too for his all action display as he was a willing runner at all times and displayed great vision and awareness when in possession of the football.
Honourable mention to Conor Davern and Rhys Hopper who also enjoyed some good moments with Ross Duffy also making a good contribution when introduced. A rousing performance from the young and eager Charlestown Sarsfields squad and one they will be looking to add another level to in their next outing away to Westport.
Charlestown Sarsfields U14 Development team made it four wins in a row with a comprehensive victory over Mayo Gaels in their latest outing played at Fr O’Hara Park recently. The Sarsfields were much too good for their opposition and were in control from an early stage as they bossed the game in all areas of the pitch. The team is moving well as a unit and there were impressive displays from the likes of Frank Muldoon, Conor Sloyan, Callum Kenny, Rian O’Grady, Anthony Byrne, Caleb Egan, Conor Breheny, Ben McDonnell, Joe Irwin and Ted Munnelly as they put their unbeaten record on the line in their next outing versus The Neale which promises to be a much more stiffer test.
Charlestown Athletic FC recorded a double success over Westport Utd B recently. First up they recorded a 5-1 victory over the Covies in the quarter-final of the McDonnell Cup with Robbie Jordan and Joe Joe Glynn netting a brace each with Damien Ward also getting on the scoresheet in what was an impressive all round team performance.
They back that up days later with an equally convincing 5-0 over the same opposition in division 2 of the Mayo league with ace goal getter Robbie Jordan once again on the scoresheet as he netted another double with Damien Ward, Johnny McNulty and Gareth O’Donnell also getting in on the act as Athletic brought their A game to the paddock and underlined their fine form with another mightily impressive performance.
There was a big turnout for one of the highlights in the bridge calendar, President’s Prize Night which was held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, on Wednesday, May 6, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Hilary McDonagh and Tom Ginty, 2nd James Mooney and Mary O’Connell, 3rd Carmel Moffitt and Hilary McCrohan, 4th Frances and Robert Healy.
Well done to Charlestown Sarsfields ladies Abby Conway and Nicole McLoughlin who lined out with the Mayo U20 team against Galway in the Connacht U20 championship which was hosted by the Charlestown Sarsfields Club at Fr O’Hara Park. The grounds were in immaculate shape with the sun beaming down on a pristine surface and well done to Siobhan Doherty and Ciaran McBrien who had everything organised to a tee as the two teams played out an enjoyable encounter.
It was a proud day for the Conway and McLoughlin families as Abby and Nicole lined out on their home sod and both can be pleased with their performances with Nicole offering plenty in terms of dash, movement and enthusiasm in attack while Abby steadied the Mayo defence when introduced at half-time and cleared her lines with diligence as Mayo lost out to a strong and well balanced Galway side. The girls are key members of the Charlestown Sarsfields senior ladies team and have been very much to the fore in the team’s early season league performances hence their call-up and selection for the Mayo U20 team. They are very dedicated young women and take their training seriously and have bright futures ahead of them as they strive to improve and fulfil their potential. The Sarsfields also had a presence on the Mayo management team with Sinead Halligan a selector which made it a proud day all round for the Sarfields Ladies Club to have such a strong contingent on a Mayo underage team.
Charlestown Sarsfields secured their first victory in Division 2 of the county senior league with a hard fought, but deserved 1-12 to 0-13 victory over East Mayo neighbours in a spicy derby which had a nice bit of bite and snarl about it. Both sides had their shooters available for selection with Paul Towey lining out for the Sarsfields and Kuba Callaghan taking his place in the Ballagh full forward line.
The opening exchanges were dominated by the visitors as they zipped into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead with Niall Towey raising the sole Sarsfields flag. Ballagh continued to make most of the running and pushed their lead out to four as their dominance in the middle third continued unabated. Paul Towey sprung to life for the Sarsfields however and kicked a fine score which his brother Niall matched minutes later to reduce the Sarsfields deficit and stay within touching distance.
The Sarsfields revival continued as Gareth O’Donnell kicked a fine score with Towey clipping over a nice free to tie the scores with the half-time whistle almost upon them. Ballagh had the final say however as Kuba kicked the final point of the half to leave the game nicely poised at 0-7 to 0-6 with Ballagh holding the slight edge.
The second turned into a game very much of two halves as fortunes ebbed wildly in a topsy turvy final thirty. Ballaghaderreen dominated the third quarter and cemented their control by kicking six points on the bounce to take the game away from the Sarsfields as the home side’s struggles in the middle third remained a pressing issue.
The Sarsfields challenge looked to be floundering but from nowhere they conjured up a terrific move which ended with raiding corner back Alan Woods finishing expertly to the net to inject new life into an ailing home challenge. The goal fuelled the Sarsfields recovery as they started to get some real traction in the middle of the park and points from Ben Crean, Paul Towey and Ruairi Cullen brought the sides level as Towey caught fire in the closing stages and stamped his class all over the game with the next two points both of which was his in the making and taking. The latter score from Towey put the Sarsfields in front for the first time in the game but Ballagh ended a ten minute scoring drought with a point from Kuba Callaghan to restore parity with everything still very much on the line as the clock ticked down.
Ballagh’s cause wasn’t helped when indiscipline crept into their game as they shipped two costly black cards which they would rue as the Sarsfields continued to make hay in the art of winning possession. Sarsfields keeper Kenneth Brennan earned his corn too, it must be said, as he pulled off a couple of crunch saves at pivotal moments which added oxygen to the home challenge and buoyed them up for the final frantic run to the line.
Late scores from Towey with a class point and a boomer from Conior McArdle raised the noise among the home support as the Sarsfields completed a fine comeback as Ballagh left with nothing having looked odds on to claim the spoils when they led by six with less than ten minutes remaining.
A fine win for the Sarsfields with excellent performances from Alan Woods, Niall Murphy, Paddy Joe Dunleavy and Eoin Flannery in defence. Eoin Murphy ploughed a lone furrow in the middle for the Sarsfields and battled away gallantly with Paul Towey the jewel in the attack for the Sarsfields as he caught fire at precisely the right time in the second half to guide them to victory ably supported by his brother Niall with Ruairi Cullen, Ben Crean and Gareth O’Donnell really coming to the fore in the closing stages.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25-card game held in The Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday, May 12, and the following were the prize winners; 1st James Cafferty and Mary Costello, 2nd Miko Sheridan and Paul Flannery shared with Mary O’Hara and Veronica McCarrick. Raffle winners were; Kevin Maloney, Miko Sheridan and Breege Leonard. The game takes place every Tuesday night at 9pm and all are welcome.
The Tavneena NS 5k/10k takes place on Saturday, June 6, starting at 11am. Check out the Tavneena NS Facebook page and scan the QR code or click on the link to register. Cash registration is also available on the day.
Charlestown minor ladies played out a thrilling 4-8 apiece draw with Hollymount in the latest round of fixtures played in division 1B of the county minor league played at Sarsfields GAA grounds recently. This was a terrific spectacle from start to finish as the two teams traded score for score and this was very much the theme of the match right to the final whistle. The Sarsfields looked dead and buried at different stages of the second half but fought tooth and nail to haul themselves back into contention which they duly did, and they almost completed a magnificent comeback by taking both points but for the final whistle to sound just as they looked on the verge of snatching a sensational victory. It was a great team performance from all the girls who donned the jersey as they emptied the tank and invested every drop of sweat in their bodies to get something out of a match that looked to have gone from them midway through the second period.
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts competition held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown on Sunday, May 10, as Podsie and The Duke fought out another entertaining instalment of the weekly classic. Governor Gus was at his imperious best and handled this old firm clash superbly and let the play flow from first dart to last. This was the first clash between the old firm in quite some time and it was, as always, feisty but sporting as both men brought their A game to the ochie.
The Duke roared into a two set lead with some magnificent darts but Podsie, as befits the champion he is, bounced straight back to win the next two sets and set up a single set shootout with both men having their guns smoking. The Duke got first run on the champ in the decider as he swept into a two-leg lead but Podsie drew on all his class and experience to haul him back as he took legs three and four to set up a thrilling final leg decider. The Duke got first run ashe banged in successive 140s but Podsie responded again with a maximum to remain firmly on his coattails.
The crowd were totally invested in what was unfolding before their very eyes as they created a rambunctious atmosphere with The Duke getting first shot at a double as he sized up double eighteen with two darts resting uneasily in his hand. His first dart grazed the wire and bounced to the floor as the crowd let out an audible gasp of disbelief. He paused before releasing his second and when he finally sent it on its way it looked destined for one place only and that was the centre of the double eighteen bed. It nestled right in the heart of the green baize as the Duke raised his hands to high heaven in celebration. Podsie clapped the victor and showed his class and grace as he hugged the Duke as both men embraced warmly and shared a beer as the conversation drifted long into the night. This was another classic to go with the many epic finals they have shared over the best part of a decade with the viewing figures going through the roof as the competition continues to reach deep into the world wide web.
