Local Notes: Shane O'Toole, Madogue, Charlestown wins ETTA award.
Shane O'Toole (centre), son of Des and Joan O'Toole Madogue on receiving his award at The Engineering Technology Teachers Association National Conference held in Athenry, Co Galway recently. Shane received his award for taking first place in the Area 5 region (Mayo and Galway) for his project on "Water Generating Electricity and Renewables".
Congratulations are extended to Shane O’Toole, son of Des and Joan O’Toole Madogue on receiving his award at the Engineering Technology Teachers Association (ETTA) National Conference which was held in Athenry, Co. Galway recently. Shane received the award for taking first place in the Area 5 region (Mayo and Galway) for his project on "Water Generating Electricity and Renewables " Shane had an interest in this field and took Technology as an extra subject for his Leaving Certificate. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at ATU, Galway.
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Lotto jackpot of €21,500 in the weekly draw held on Sunday night, April 5, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 1, 6, 19 and 29. The winners of the 3 x €50 prizes were as follows; Mary Regan (online), Chris Walsh (AT) and Bridget Jordan (Lucky Dip).
The jackpot in the latest draw which was held on Sunday night, April 12, rose to €21,600. Tickets are on sale at a number of outlets in the community and they are also available online via the club’s Facebook page. The club thank everybody who supported their weekly draw.
The Sarsfields are finding life tough in Division 2 of the county minor league as they lost out to the Ardmoy amalgamation in round 3 played at the Bofeenaun GAA grounds recently. The Sarsfields were no match for a good and well drilled Ardmoy combination who ran out convincing winners and had too much firepower for a Sarsfields team that were well outgunned in most areas of the pitch. It must be prefaced however with the fact that the Sarsfields are playing with a very weakened hand at the moment shorn of the talents of Sean and Danny Breheny who are unavailable to the team owing to injury and involvement with the county U17 panel respectively. Their absences rob the Sarsfields of their two best players and leaves a gaping hole in the team and leaves them short in two of the crucial key, central channels. They have injuries to other players as well with the likes of Mike Giblin Dean O’Toole, Matthew Horkan, Matthew Murphy and Ryan McDonagh all unavailable for selection which left them with a severely weakened hand and made victory a very remorse prospect as Ardmoy took full advantage and coasted to a cosy victory.
The Sarsfields will be hoping for better luck in their next outing versus Breaffy as they look to get some of their injured personnel back on the pitch to allow them to compete on a more equal footing with all subsequent opponents.
Sarah McEntire and Leah O’Grady extend their sincere thanks to everyone in the parish who supported their recent bake sale in aid of their volunteering trip to Kenya. The event was a great success and they hope everyone who attended thoroughly enjoyed it.
Evening classes start at St Louis’ Community School, Kiltimagh, on Thursday, April 16, from 6pm-8pm for 6 weeks. There are a number of courses available and for further information on the same contact Patricia on 087 7996977 or alternatively email adulteducation@stlouiscs.com.
Charlestown senior ladies travel to Clogher to take on Carnacon on Sunday, April 19, with the throw-in timed for 11am.
There was no winner of the Curry GAA lotto jackpot of €3300 in the weekly draw held on Monday night, April 6, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 2, 7, 16 and 28. The winners of the €20 prizes were as follows; Isobel Flynn, Stephen Maye and Thomas Stenson. The jackpot in the latest draw held on Monday night, April 13, was €3400. Tickets are on sale in a number of outlets and the lotto can also be played online via the club’s Facebook page.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25-card game held in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday night, April 7, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Darby and Breege Leonard. Raffle winners were; Kevin Maloney, Miko Sheridan and James Cafferty. The game takes place every Tuesday night at 9pm in the Yeats County Inn, Curry and all are welcome.
Charlestown U14 girls recorded an excellent 2-6 to 1-5 victory away to Knockmore in round 1 of division 2 of the county U14 league played at the Knockmore GAA grounds recently. The Sarsfields girls scrapped hard for their victory and were good value for it as they withstood some late pressure from the home side to secure the win and get their league campaign off to the best possible start.
Sympathy is extended to Des Cassidy, Hagfield, Charlestown, on the death of his sister Mary Gallagher (nee Cassidy), Cloonamna, Kilmovee, Co. Mayo. Deepest condolences are tendered to the bereaved.
Charlestown Sarsfields lost out to Eastern Gaels in a high scoring Canon Henry Cup encounter played at the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch, Charlestown on Good Friday last. The Sarsfields fielded a very experimental fifteen with five seniors in their ranks with the likes of Jack Corley, Ben Crean and Ciaran Honeyman spearheading their challenge on what was a cool but benign night for football with calm conditions very much the order of the evening.
Eastern Gaels brought plenty of passion and energy to the park and had the better of the opening half as they looked threatening and menacing in attack with their first half haul of 0-8 scant reward for their overall dominance. The Sarsfields, in contrast, were very much reliant on the kicking skills of the wily and experienced Colm Maye who kicked three of their 0-4 total with Cian Towey weighing in with the other solitary point to leave the visitors 0-8 to 0-4 in front at the interval.
The second half was a much more lively affair as both teams attacked at will and scores flowed freely on both sides. The Gaels, truth to tell, made most of the running and had the Sarsfields defence in all kinds of bother with their pace and hard running, but the Sarsfields had an uncanny ability to score goals at key times which kept their challenge afloat as they continually pegged back the visitors when they were threatening to run riot.
Twice the Gaels led by seven and eight points respectively at different junctures of the second half but goals from Ben Crean, and Ciaran Honeyman hauled the Sarsfields off the canvass and kept their challenge buoyant as the Gaels struggled to diffuse the persistent Sarsfields goal threat.
Once again the Gaels extended their lead to six but another superbly taken goal from Cian Towey kept the Sarsfields interested and reduced the deficit to a one score game as the visitors struggled to keep the gate closed at the back.
To their credit the Gaels kept responding and kicked two further points to stretch the lead to five once again but the Sarsfields always sensed some vulnerability in the Gaels full back line and they duly preyed on these frailties in the second half with Colm Maye blasting home brilliant fourth goal for the Sarsfields to reduce the Gaels lead to two points with everything still up for grabs in terms of the victory.
The Sarsfields carried a real live threat whenever the ball came anywhere near the Gales full back line and could have bagged a fifth goal but for Colm Maye to pull up just as he was about to pull the trigger with his hamstring giving way at precisely the wrong moment. He did manage to punch the ball over the bar to narrow the gap to two but that was as good as it got for the green and white with the Gaels kicking the final score of a breathless second half to secure the win on a full-time score line of 2-18 to 4-9. Those in attendance got a great hour’s entertainment with the Sarsfields best served by Colm Maye, Cian Towey, Ben Crean, Ciaran Honeyman, Niall Towey, Darragh Casey and James Gallagher.
The 2026 Honour of the Village trophy is going to go across the border with two Curry teams due to contest the final following the outcome of the remaining semi-final which took place on Thursday, April 2 last. Curry (2) saw off the challenge of giant killers Lurga with relative ease as they came through on a 5-2 scoreline. Lurga, to their credit battled hard all evening and served it up to a much fancied Curry squad but they lacked the depth of the Curry lads who have a star studded team at their disposal with few if any weaknesses in their line-up.
Lurga had their moments with Seamus Gallagher and David Tiernan raising the roof with some of their scoring as they hit some big numbers when among the trebles but Curry never lost their composure and the match winners at the back end to close out the contest and secure their final berth against their fellow brethren in what promises to be a real showpiece which is sure to draw a huge crowd to Walsh’s with the parish of Curry expected to throng to the venue and watch their two teams slug it out for the honour of being crowned the 2026 Village champions. There will be a full report of the final and how it played out in next week’s column with all eyes firmly on the decider which is a novel pairing indeed.
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A Gaelic blitz takes place at the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA grounds on Sunday, April 19, from 2pm-4pm and children from 2nd class-6th class are eligible to play and take part. The event is hosted by the 2nd year Charlestown Foroige Club. There is a €5 entry fee and the club are hoping for a good response to their blitz competition. To register, visit the Charlestown Foróige social media pages (@CharlestownForoige), where the registration link is available.
The Sarsfields host Ballaghdereen in Fr O’Hara Park in the U14 development league on Saturday, April 18, with the throw-in confirmed for 11am.
The Sarsfields travel to the Ray Prendergast Memorial Park, Ballintubber to take on the locals in round 3 of division 1 of the county U14 league on Monday, April 20, with the throw-in time confirmed for 7pm.
Charlestown Sarsfields senior team begin their division 2 league campaign at home to Balla on Saturday, April 18, with the throw-in confirmed for 7pm. This is a tough opening assignment for the Sarsfields as the West Mayo lads are one of the favourites to secure promotion to the top division and have a decent squad of players available to them who are sure to ask plenty of questions of the Sarsfields who begin the 2026 season with a new management team in the dugout. The Sarsfields will be leaning heavily on the likes of Gareth O’Donnell, Matt Lenehan, Ruairi Cullen, Jack Corley, Patrick and Thomas Goldrick et al to provide the experience and class to get them over the line.
With county star Paul Towey unavailable for most of the early rounds of the league, the Sarsfields forward line is weakened considerably but they have been moving well in some early pre-season competitions with youngsters such as Cian Towey or Paddy Joe Dunleavy expected to feature and provide some much needed assistance to the likes of Ben Crean, Matt Lenehan and Ciaran Honeyman who will be charged with leading the Sarsfields attacking threat.
The need to secure points and wins in the early rounds of the league is always imperative and the Sarsfields are keenly aware of the need to get off to a good start hence the importance of securing two points against Balla is not lost on the players and management as a win would provide just the tonic for everybody connected with the team.
There was a good turnout for what was Easter prize night in the weekly bridge game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, on Wednesday night, April 1, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Hilary McDonagh and Tom Ginty, 2nd James Mooney and Mary O’Connell, 3rd Michael and Pat Brennan, 4th Frances and Robert Healy, and 5th Pat and Paddy Colleran. The game takes place every Wednesday night at 8pm in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown.
The death took place at Mayo University Hospital, Castlebar of John Cahill Carrarea, Curry, Co, Sligo. Deepest condolences are tendered to the bereaved.
The Legion of Mary meeting takes place every Wednesday evening at 7pm in St. James’ Church, Charlestown . All are welcome. For more information contact Phil on 086 3946233.
Could you take 7,000 steps a day throughout April? Walk anywhere, any time and help support Family Carers Ireland while raising awareness for carers nationwide. Sign up at www.familycarers.ie/get-involved. For more information see www.familycarers.ie/stepup.
Charlestown Sarsfields U16 team lost out to Parke/Keelogues/Crimlin in the latest round of fixtures played in division 3 of the county U16 league played at the Parke GAA grounds recently. The west Mayo lads came through on a 4-8 to 3-6 score line in a game where goals was very much the key currency with Parke holding the upper hand in the all-important three pointer column. The Sarsfields competed well in the main and served it up to the hosts for the majority of the contest but the home side were slick and quick in attack and had that little bit of extra guile and nous throughout the field and this proved crucial to the overall outcome at the final whistle. The Sarsfields did battle hard and never backed away from it at any stage with goals from Ethan Honeyman, Artiom Gsvrilliuc and James McCann keeping the Sarsfields in contention and their challenge buoyant for most of the second half.
Best of luck to the U16 girls who take on Ballinrobe in the division 2 league final in the coming days. They qualified on the back of a terrific victory over Kiltimagh Giants in the semi-final coming from 15 points down to storm their way back into the contest as they trailed by a point with seconds to go with Lottie Gallagher stepping up when the pressure was at its greatest to nail two two free shots from the free throw line to secure a last gasp one point victory as the hooter sounded almost immediately after the second free throw hit the netting. It was dramatic and heart stopping stuff from the Charlestown girls as they displayed fabulous grit, spirit and determination to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and set up a final showdown with Ballinrobe. A wonderful team performance and well done to all and special mention to the coaches Edel Kennedy and Susan Gallagher who have worked wonders with this team and panel all season with just one hurdle left to jump as they prepare to face Ballinrobe in the final.
Cloonacool Players thank all the audiences who came from far and wide to view and share the fun of "Daughter From Over the Water" at recent stagings of the production in Cloonacool and Tubbercurry respectively. Your support was and is greatly appreciated and the cast and production team wish to acknowledge the same.
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, on Sunday night, April 5, as the Magician and Boom Boom locked horns in another interesting instalment of the weekly classic. Governor Gus was imperious in his role as match referee and kept law and order seamlessly. The Magician, back in the final for the second week in a row, was keen to atone for last week’s defeat and started off in the best manner possible as he skated into a two set lead with heavy scoring and sharp finishing.
Boom Boom was all at sea in the first two sets but gradually found his range in the next two and levelled the match with a lovely 138 finish the fourth leg of set four to set up a deciding fifth set. The Magician steeled himself ahead of the start of the fifth and seized the early initiative by winning the first two legs as Boom Boom’s form floundered. He regained some composure to won the next leg but the Magician was in no mood to surrender and hit the stops early in the fourth leg with a couple of tons putting him in prime position to take the set and the match. His nerve held out as he rattled off three brilliant darts to take out 148 with his final dart nestling in the heart of double fourteen as McGowan sank to the floor in a mixture of relief and jubilation as he finally brought his losing streak in finals to an end. This victory, his second of the season, owed much to his resilience and spirit as it did to his ability and he cut a mightily relieved figure as he stepped onto the winner’s podium to take the acclaim of his loyal band of followers. Boom Boom was, as ever, most gracious in defeat and was first to admit the better player won on the night.
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Kilmovee.
Kilmovee FRC together with Kilmovee Community Centre will be commencing a Breakfast Club starting 2026/2027 School Year. For expressions of interest email to kilmoveehwc@gmail.com.
The Active Age Group meets every Thursday in Kilmovee Community Centre from 11am – 2.30pm. Go along from 11am for tea/coffee/chat, exercises around midday, lunch at 1pm with Bingo afterwards. It is a lovely way to spend a few hours in good company, get some exercise and a good lunch. They look forward to welcoming you. The cost is €10 a week plus annual membership.
Fr Joseph extended thanks to all who participated in the Easter ceremonies in the four church areas of the parish. Sincere thanks to the sacristans, altar societies, servers, readers, Eucharistic Ministers, choirs and musicians who enriched the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter.
Sympathy is extended to the family and extended families of Aidan McDermott, who died in Dublin. He was nephew of Michael Keane, Sinolane, Kilkelly. May he rest in peace.
Please return Trócaire Boxes to the church soon as possible and use cash or cheques rather than coins. Thank you for contributing to the Annual Trocaire Collection, your contribution is much appreciated.
Kilmovee parish will organise a Day Pilgrimage to Lough Derg on May 25. Call Fr Joseph on 086 160 5373 for more details.
Amanda McGuinness, an Autism specialist and a parent living in a multi neurodivergent family will be providing a series of free workshops for parents and carers, as follow: April 21, Understanding Autistic Experience; on May 19 Understanding Autism and ADHD; and on June 16, Understanding Autism and Puberty. Those workshops takes place in Kilkelly Community Centre (F35EP60) from 7 to 9pm. To book your place or for more information, contact Bernadette on 089 4179929 or email bmoran@kilmovee.ie.
Noreen and Michael Costello are hosting their Annual Tea Day on Friday, April 17, from 10am to 6pm at Culmore, Kilkelly, F35AW72. All are welcome.
Kilmovee Community Centre are hosting a Tea Day on Thursday, April 16, from 11am to 1pm in The Thatch. All welcome.
A sincere thank you to everyone who supported The Boston Tea Party fundraiser in aid of Kilmovee NS and Kilmovee Swimming Pool. Whether you attended, purchased raffle tickets, sponsored prizes, or contributed in any way, your generosity is truly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support.
Ballaghaderreen is running their ‘Get into Golf’ programme for new beginner ladies which commenced yesterday, Monday, April 13 ,at 7pm in the clubhouse with an introduction night, meet and greet and some light refreshments. No experience or golf clubs needed. Watch out also for the Junior registration dates. Further details available at 087 1463628/ ballaghaderreengolfclub@gmail.com.
