Local Notes: Presentation evening for Charlestown Sarsfields Bord na nÓg
Charlestown Sarsfields Bord na nÓg held their presentation evening recently where they handed out many medals as the club had a very successful year in both the boys and girls codes with county titles annexed at all underage levels.
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA lotto jackpot of €21,000 in the weekly draw held on Sunday night, March 8, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 6, 9, 12 and 27. The winners of the 3 x €50 prizes were the following; Sharon O’Donnell (online), Susan O’Connor (AT) and Phil Brwon (Lucky Dip).
The jackpot in the latest draw which was held on Sunday night, March 15, was €21,100. Tickets are on sale at a number of outlets in the community and they are also available online via the club’s Facebook page by clicking on the link. The club thank everybody who supported their weekly draw.
The death took place at St Attracta’s Residence, Hagfield, Charlestown of Marty Carty, Cully, Curry, Co. Sligo. His remains were removed from St. Therese’s Funeral Home, Curry to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Curry with burial, following solemn requiem Mass to Bunnacrannagh Cemetery. He is survived by his sister Annie Kathleen, nephew Tom, and family, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends.
The late Marty was one of nature’s gentlemen who had a very kind, gentle and friendly demeanour that endeared him to all in the communities of Cully, Curry and beyond. He was a good neighbour and friend who could always be depended upon to help out and lend a hand in times of need and crisis. He loved a game of cards and was a regular at the many card schools and games that were played in Cloonagh and other venues over the years. He was a decent player who could hold his own with the best and enjoyed a great rapport and camaraderie with his fellow players. Marty was a hardworking man who had a great fondness for the land and this is where he was at his happiest roaming the fields and tending to his livestock. He lived to a great age and his passing has robbed Cully and the surrounding communities of one of its best and nicest citizens. We tender our deepest sympathies to the bereaved.
The Charlestown St Patrick’s Day Parade will kick off at 12.30pm and it’s sure to draw a big crowd to the town and provide some much needed business for the local business community. There’s sure to be the usual wide variety of floats on display from the many clubs, businesses and groups in the town which will provide plenty of amusement and entertainment for the large crowds expected with everything in place to make this the biggest and most successful parade ever as they can only hope the weather plays ball and turns up with plenty of sunshine on display to enhance and add to the occasion.
Charlestown Sarsfields began the 2026 season at senior level with a home fixture against Aghamore in the Centenary Cup. This was the Sarsfields first outing under their new management team of Ruairi Clarke and Alan Kelly with Aghamore also having a couple of new faces in the dugout which made for an interesting backdrop. It was the visitors who claimed the bragging rights however as they took the spoils on a 0-18 to 1-9 scoreline which just about reflects how matters played out on the field as Aghamore put in a strong second half shift as they assumed control and secured the scores to put some daylight between the teams with an eight point scoring spurt in the middle third of the half enough to put the game to bed so to speak.
The Sarsfields fielded a very experimental line-up with a number of players tried out in new positions and there were lots of positives to be gleaned as the exchanges were tight and evenly contested in the opening half. Ciaran Honeyman got the Sarsfields off to the best possible start with a goal in the opening five minutes and from there to half time it was pretty much nip and tuck as scores were swapped regularly to leave the game nicely poised at 1-4 to 0-7 at the first whistle.
Aghamore, however, upped the ante in the second half and hit a real purple patch in terms of white flags as the Sarsfields challenge faded somewhat. The visitors had that little bit more creativity and scoring threat in their attack with an eighteen point haul a good day’s return in any man’s language. The Sarsfields had much to ponder on at the final whistle with lots of rust and early season cobwebs very much in evidence, but they had strong showings from Thomas Holton, Thomas Goldrick, Niall Murphy and Ruairi Cullen as they look to move on and get ready for their next encounter in the competition away to Moy Davitts.
Charlestown Sarsfields begin their division 3 county U16 league campaign with a trip to Ballyhaunis to take on the St Jarlath’s amalgamation on Saturday, March 21, with the throw-in timed for 11am.
Charlestown Sarsfields minor team, operating in division 2 of the county minor league begin their campaign with a trip to Breaffy on Sunday, March 22, with the throw-in time confirmed for 11am.
A whirlwind of comedy, suspense, romance and greed, plus a few fibs. Cloonacool Players are ready to entertain you in the hilarious "Daughter from Over the Water " on Thursday, March 19, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22, at 8pm in Cloonacool Community Centre. The strong cast includes John McIntyre, Mary Kathleen Johnston, Pat Feeley, Darragh McGarry and Dennis Ross. With backstage expertise from Sean Calvey, Agnes Durcan, Sinead Davitt, Declan Hannon and crew. All look forward to entertaining you. Not to be missed.
The U11 girls suffered an agonising loss to Lakesiders in their latest outing in the U11 county basketball league with the game going right to the final buzzer before the Lakesiders grabbed a late basket to snatch the spoils. The girls can be proud of their display as they played some sparkling basketball and were somewhat unlucky not to get something out of a game that was played at a cracking tempo throughout. The girls have shown a lot of promise in the league in all their games to date and are shaping with real potential as they look to bounce back quickly and atone for this narrow defeat in their next outing.
Purple Day or Epilepsy Awareness Day will take place on Thursday, March 26. Please visit purpleday.org for more information.
Atlantic Care is currently looking for compassionate and reliable caregivers to support people in their own homes. This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference in your local community. Experience is welcome but not always essential, as training and support can be provided. Flexible hours may be available. If you are kind, dependable, and interested in helping others live independently at home, they would love to hear from you. Contact Nollag at 094 9014028 or nollag.mchale@atlanticcare.ie to apply or discuss further.
There was a good turnout at the weekly bridge game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown on Wednesday night, March 4, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Frances and Robert Healy, 2nd Michael and Pat Brennan, 3rd Nora McVeigh and Maura Kilcoyne, 4th Mary Lynskey and Tom Dunne. The game takes place every Wednesday night at 8pm in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown.
There was no winner of the Curry GAA lotto jackpot of €2,700 in the weekly draw held on Monday night, March 2, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 4, 5, 9, and 21. The winners of the 3 x €20 prizes were the following; Mary Loftus, Malachy Maher and Shereda Davey. The jackpot in the draw which was held on Monday, March 9 was €2800.
The Achonry Pioneer dinner dance takes place in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Friday, March 20, at 8pm. Tickets cost €40 per person and there will be a three course meal served with tea/coffee on the night. Music will be supplied by The Duets. To book your ticket and for more information contact Thomas on 087 2344338.
The 6th Annual Colm Horkan Memorial Run will take place on Sunday, May 17. Registration opening soon for an event that continues to attract huge interest from all corners of the community, county and country and has firmly established itself as one of the main highlights in the town’s social calendar. More details in the coming weeks but there will be the usual suite of options with the 5k, 10k and half marathon options available to cater for all the participants individual choices.
The AGM of the CBD Sport and Recreational Centre will take place on Wednesday, March 18, in the Centre at 8.30pm. All members are requested to attend as the committee reflect and look back on another busy and successful year which saw footfall increase markedly with the building continuing to attract new activities and initiatives aplenty. New members are most welcome and the committee deserve your support as they have put in a huge effort over the course of the last twelve months and put the building on a firm financial footing.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25-card game held in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday, March 10, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Ivan Maloney and Mary Costello. Raffle winners were Joe Mahon, Breege Leonard and Mary Costello. The game takes place every Tuesday night at 9pm and all are welcome.
Well done and congratulations to the Charlestown U16 girls basketball team who qualified for the All-Ireland Club Championships in Gormanstown, Co Meath on the weekend of April 18/19. The girls secured their qualification on the back of victory over Crossmolina in what was in essence a league decider with the Charlestown girls coming through in good style albeit they had to withstand a tough and stern challenge from a very good and skilful Crossmolina side.
The girls stayed the course however and got the job done in thrilling fashion and they can now look forward to representing Mayo in Gormanstown which is a very prestigious honour indeed. Well done to team coaches Karena Finn and Phillip Craig who have got a great tune out of the girls all season and have them playing at the very peak of their powers with the more to come as they get ready to take on the challenge of an All-Ireland club competition.
The Sarsfields, competing in division one of the county U14 league, travel to Garrymore to take on the Carras amalgamation in round one on Monday, March 30, with the throw-in timed for 5.30pm.
Charlestown Sarsfields senior ladies have their second outing in division 1 of the county senior league when they travel to Castlebar to take on the Mitchels on Sunday, March 22, with the throw-in provisionally fixed for 11am (check sports pages for confirmation).
Charlestown Sarsfields senior ladies team opened their 2026 division one senior league campaign against near neighbours Kilmovee Shamrocks recently in what was an intriguing match-up to say the least. The Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch was in pristine condition for a game that drew a large crowd to the splendidly appointed venue. It was the Kilmovee ladies who took the honours however as they prevailed on a scoreline of 4-14 to 3-10 in what was a high octane encounter that saw plenty of goalmouth incident as evidence from the final result.
The Sarsfields were always playing catch up against a slick and pacy Kilmovee forward line who were well on top through the opening half and were in firm control at the interval as they had amassed a good lead and made good use of the fresh breeze at their backs. The Sarsfields needed a strong start to the second half but it didn’t materialise as the visitors continued to keep them at arms length with some clever use of the ball as they keyp it in the hand and used the wide open spaces to telling effect.
Credit to the Sarsfields, however, they never threw in the towel and enjoyed a golden spell midway through the second half which saw them reduce the deficit to three points at one stage and looked to be holding all the cards as the Kilmovee challenge looked to be floundering. Two goals from Katie Gavin and Ella Brennan proved central to the Sarsfields revival but that was as close as they got, as Kilmovee held their nerve and secured a couple of crucial late scores to keep their lead intact as the Sarsfields challenge ran out of steam with the Kilmovee ladies keeping a firm grip of the contest as the clock ticked into the red. The Sarsfields, while disappointed to lose, displayed oodles of commitment and spirit which bodes well for the rest of their campaign. Chelsea Doherty was the other goal scorer for the Sarsfields in a game that had lots of positives for their new management team as they look to bed in some new players with young Siofra McGuiness making her debut off the bench and scoring a fine point to boot. The Sarsfields will be looking to atone for this defeat in their next outing which has yet to be confirmed.
It was another busy, interesting and entertaining week in the Honour of the Village darts competition hosted by Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown. Large crowds flocked to the splendidly appointed venue to view some well contested, exciting matches with all teams having a good modicum of support behind them as they made their way to the ochie. Curry (2) avenged the defeat of their teammates Curry (1) by seeing the challenge of Sonnagh with the Curry squad coming through on a 5-2 scoreline. It wasn’t as one sided as the final score might indicate as Sonnagh more than put it up to their opposition in each and every one of the doubles and singles matches. Curry got the job done however and secured their place in the hat for the quarter-final draw.
In the other game of the week Lowpark gave everybody a firm reminder of their class and pedigree with a convincing 5-1 victory over Cloonaughill with their trebles and doubles very much on the money as they remain the dark horses in the competition proper. The squad has plenty of depth about it with manager Padraig Kivlehan very shrewd in his team selections and match-ups and it will be interesting to see who they pull in the quarter- final draw as they remain dangerous opponents for any team left going forward.
There is only one game down for decision this week as past winners Tavneena enter the fray once again as they pit their wits against Curry (2) in what looks an intriguing game on paper with lots to like about it in terms of form and match-ups as these are two teams with real designs on winning the trophy. There will be a full report on this game plus draw news in next week’s column as the competition heats up with the cream beginning to rise to the surface.
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown on Sunday, March 8, as Boom Boom and The Duke locked horns in another terrific instalment of the weekly classic. Governor Gus was imperious in his role as match referee and kept law and order impeccably. The Duke played with real intent in the opening set and took it comfortably as he finished on the bull in the fourth leg to assert some control early doors. The second set followed a similar pattern as the Duke continued to hold sway with his finishing that bit sharper than his opponent hence he established a 2-0 lead with Boom Boom very much in a bind as he just couldn’t find any kind of consistency when among the doubles.
The third set was a thrilling affair as Boom Boom finally found some consistency with his finishing and this stood him in good stead as he fought his way back into contention by taking the set on a 3-1 scoreline. The fourth set saw The Duke open with the darts and he could not have asked for a better start as he banged in a couple of big ton plus scores to build up a big lead and won the race to the double in a canter and took out double eighteen with real precision.
The second leg was a belter which the Duke just about edged as he hit double ten with his final dart with Boom Boom poised to step in with double sixteen seemingly at his mercy. He didn’t get the chance to fire an arrow however as The Duke held firm to leave him one leg away from victory with Boom Boom once again left to rue some missed chances. The third leg was a microcosm of the match as Boom Boom looked to be holding sway only for the Duke to step in and pilfer it and clinch the match as he took out 148 with all the swagger one associates with a top-class marksman. Boom Boom was bereft as he looked nailed on to extend the match to another leg with at least six darts in his quiver and double eighteen at his mercy. The Duke, however, always finds a way when the need is greatest and this was how it played out as his final dart nestled in the heart of double fourteen to set off big celebrations in his loyal band of supporters. This victory, his third of the season, owed as much to his composure as it did to his class as he savoured the victory and enjoyed the celebrations that followed. Another terrific end to a great spectacle in a competition that continues to excite and capture the imagination like no other.
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Michael Grady, Clooncah, Lisacul launched his new book "I Wonder If I Had Turned Right", recently in Gortaganny Hall where Michael was joined by locals, neighbours and friends and a great night was had by all.
Michael who is better known as Haulie was born in Clooncah, Lisacul, County Roscommon, son of the late John and Eileen Grady in 1953. At first he worked in the UK, and later returned to his native Lisacul, to set up home and raise a family. In 2023 he experienced health issues which meant he had to leave regular work aside. So, then his thoughts turned to the idea of writing a book and he earmarked a period of 12 months to have it completed. Haulie set to work on the book and with help from others it took shape. The book entitled "I Wonder If I Had Turned Right." is dedicated to the memory of his late parents John and Eileen Grady.
It is a good and easy read and is suitable for all ages. The book has had many signings since then. Included in the book are ten old Irish songs Haulie learned from his ather over the years. The book is available at various outlets locally and online from Amazon.
Stations of the Cross takes place in Kilkelly Church at 7pm and Kilmovee Church at 7.30pm each Sunday evening during Lent.
Accord Ballaghaderreen Accrod offer a confidential counselling service where couples can explore family relationships. Accord counsellors can help if relationships are under stress. To book a face to face counselling session call Accord Ballaghaderreen on 087 9972503.
The numbers drawn on March 7 were 24, 33.34, and 43. There were no winners. The monthly draw winners are as follows; January 2026 Jim Casey, Tony Rafter, and Danny Egan. February - John Roddy, Kieran Regan, and Coleen Duffy, March Aoibhe and Caomhe Duffy, Tommy Duffy and Cormac Mellett.
Once again, there will be a music seisiún after 10am Mass today, St Patrick's Day in the Thatch Cottage with Kilmovee Comhaltas and friends. All are welcome to play an instrument or sing a song to mark Lá Fhéile Pádraig!
Kilmovee Swimming Pool are currently recruiting for Lifeguards for the coming season (approx. 08 June - 29 August). Check out their Facebook Page for more information or email kilmoveeswimmingpool@gmail.com. The closing date for applications is 5pm, on March 18.
