Local Notes: Switching on of the floodlights at the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch, Charlestown.
Minister Dara Calleary attended the switching on of the state of the art new floodlights at the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch which took place on Friday, March 20 last.
Friday night, March 20, marked another very significant day in the storied and decorated history of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club as it marked the switching on of the state of the art, splendid new floodlights on the magnificent Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch. This was the final instalment of a six year project which united the community of Charlestown like no other as the switch was flicked on the lights which lit up the Lowpark and the surrounding townlands with a large crowd present to this very special and poignant event, in memory of a man who turned in some great displays in the green and white of the Sarsfields and who was front and centre of many of their outstanding successes over a long number of years.
Colm’s memory will always shine brightly and the lights are a testament to the fantastic work achieved by a very dedicated and core group of people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to get the whole project over the line. There was a large gathering of dignitaries with Ministers Dara Calleary, Alan Dillion in attendance along with a host of local councillors. The county board were also represented with chairman Seamus Tuohy, treasurer Valerie Murphy and secretary Ronan Kirrane all present for the unveiling so to speak. Electric Skyline, who installed the cable and lighting were represented by Sean Corcoran with the Horkan family also present in large numbers. It was Marty (father of the late Colm) who flicked the switch to light up the whole area to a rousing round of applause.
Club chairman Ryan O’Connor delivered a terrific speech which covered all bases and hit all the right notes. He paid special tribute to project manager Sean Higgins who guided the project from the outset and provided the leadership and direction to bring it to fruition, together with a very focused and ambitious committee. Chairman Ryan also stated that the lights represented the culmination of a project that owed so much to the wonderful support they received from all corners of the community, country and abroad as it touched people’s hearts and inspired them to contribute and get behind it in whatever way they could. The club, he stated, possess a tremendous facility which is the envy of clubs and communities across the province and will provide motivation for its players and members to aspire to achieve the highest standards of excellence and performance across all grades, codes and genders.
It was a lovely night for the club and community and a special one for the Horkan family as Colm’s name continues to be spoken about in the utmost of reverence and respect. Well done to all connected as the club continue to provide the best in terms of facilities for its burgeoning membership base.
The first semi-final in the Honour of the Village competition hosted by Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, featured a clash between reigning champions Lowpark and Curry (1) before a packed crowd who thronged to watch a spectacular game of darts which had everybody gripped from start to finish. This was an epic encounter with Curry taking down the champions in dramatic style to qualify to the final for which they will go into as big favourites. Lowpark put up a staunch defence of their title it must be said and hung on for dear life as they pushed their border opposition to the very limit but it was the South Sligo men who held their nerve when the pressure was greatest with Seamus Murphy edging out Lowpark’s John Honan to clinch victory for Curry. It was a marvellous spectacle as both teams threw everything at it in pursuit of victory. Lowpark couldn’t have done any more with a few missed doubles in the singles contests coming back to haunt them but all in all they went out on their shields and can be proud of their performance overall. Their manager Padraig Kivlehan cut a pretty disconsolate figure at the end as he thought the back to back was on but he was most sporting and gracious in defeat as he shook hands with Curry supremo Deccie Haran who was cock a hoop on the back of his side’s game winning mentality as they look forward to the outcome of the remaining semi-final featuring Lurga and Curry (3). Curry (3) go into the game as big favourites to make it an all Curry/Sligo final but Lurga have been the surprise packets to date and have David Tiernan and Seamus Gallagher in their line-up who are more than capable of stepping up when the mood takes them as they have plenty of class and pedigree when it comes to the art of finishing. There will be a full report of this game in next week’s issue plus a date and time for the final.
Charlestown Sarsfields lost out to Islandeady in agonising fashion in round 2 of division3 of the county U16 league played at the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch, Charlestown recently. The West Mayo lads came out on the right side of a 4-8 to 2-12 score line with a goal with pretty much the last kick claiming the spoils and the points for the lads from the West. The Sarsfields were gutted at the final whistle as they more than played their part in what was a thrilling encounter with little or nothing between the teams at any stage in the contest. Second half goals from Sean Cassidy and Artiom Gsvrilliuc kept the Sarsfields in it right up to the death but a last gaps strike from Islandeady rocked the Sarsfields as they had no time to reply with the referee’s final whistle sounding from the resultant kick-out. A desperate way for the Sarsfields to lose out but they can console themselves with the fact that they played much better than in their opening round defeat to St Jarlath’s and showed buckets of spirit, endeavour and battling qualities which should stand them in good stead for the remainder of the league campaign. They had good performances from Jack Burke, Jack Healy, Fionn Drury and Tadhg Murphy.
Charlestown Sarsfields senior ladies recorded their first victory in division one of the county senior league and they broke their duck in some style with a resounding 9-13 to 2-6 on the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch recently. The scoreline gives a fair indication of the gulf in class between the teams on the day with the Sarsfields very much on it from the throw-in as they dominated the exchanges and got the scoreboard ticking in their favour early doors. The outcome was never in doubt as the Sarsfields forward line enjoyed a field day in front of goal which will do wonders for their morale and confidence moving forward. The green and white were clinical in all they did with the management team happy to secure their first win of the season after two tough opening round losses to Kilmovee and Castlebar respectively. Next up is an away trip to Carnacon who are rooted at the foot of the table at the moment.
There was no winner of the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Lotto jackpot of €21,300 in the weekly draw held on Sunday, March 29, and the following were the four numbers drawn; 3, 6, 13 and 23. The winners of the 3 x €50 prizes were as follows; Eqidijus Andrulis (Lucky Dip), John Mulligan (Lucky Dip), and Jackie Doherty (Annual Ticket).
The jackpot in the latest draw held on Sunday, April 5, was €21,400. Tickets are on sale in a number of outlets in the town and they are also available online via the club’s Facebook page. The club thank everybody who support their weekly draw.
The Sarsfields travel to Bofeenaun to take on Ardmoy on Tuesday (this evening), April 7, in division 2 of the county minor league with the throw-in confirmed for 7pm.
The Sarsfields host Moy Davitts in Fr O’Hara Park in division 3 of the county U16 league on Thursday, April 9, with the throw-in confirmed for 7pm.
The Sarsfields travel to Aghamore to take on the natives in round one of the East Mayo Junior B Cup on Friday, April 10, with the throw-in confirmed for 7pm.
The Sarsfields travel to Claremorris to take on the locals in the U14 development league on Saturday, April 11, with the throw-in confirmed for 11am.
There was a good turnout at the weekly bridge game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, on Wednesday, March 25, and the following were the prize winners; 1st Mary Lynskey and Tom Dunne, 2nd Paddy Gallagher and Tom Salmon, 3rd Noelle Spellman and Ruth Connor, 4th Frances and Robert Healy. 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 €3000 in the weekly draw held on Monday, March 23, and the following were the 4 numbers drawn; 5, 11, 13 and 22. The winners of the 3 x €20 prizes were Shane Haran, Martin Henry and Megan Walsh. The jackpot increased to €3100 for the draw which was held on Monday, March 30.
The death took place in Blackpool, England recently of Mary Cusack (nee Jordan), formerly of Lurga, Charlestown and sister of Domnick and Michael Jordan. Deepest sympathies are tendered to the bereaved.
Charlestown Sarsfields U14 team, operating in division one of the county U14 league, got their campaign off to the best possible start with a 3-15 to 2-10 victory over Carras in a high scoring encounter played at the Kilmaine GAA grounds recently.
The Sarsfields began somewhat sheepishly and spent much of the first half on the back foot as the home side exercised a fair degree of control over the pattern of play and made the scoreboard tick very much in their favour. They bagged two goals in quick succession to leave the Sarsfields reeling as they used their superior power and physicality to good effect especially around the middle third battleground.
The damage could have been much worse from a Sarsfields perspective but some good last gasp defending as lads put their bodies on the line to keep the scoreboard manageable with a couple of good late scores from Alex Pugaciov and Daithi Gethins kept the Sarsfields in contention albeit they were struggling in several areas of the pitch. They got to half-time trailing 2-5 to 0-6 which they grabbed with both hands as they had played second fiddle to Carras for the bulk of the half.
The Sarsfields management shuffled the pack at half-time and made a raft of substitutions in the hope of injecting some much needed energy and dash into the team. To say it worked would be a classic understatement as the Sarsfields presented a much more formidable and transformed unit in the second half. They took the game to the hosts right from the throw-in and tore into the game with a couple of early points from Senan Tiernan and Daithi Gethins giving their challenge the oxygen it so badly needed. Carras hit back however and negated those two white flags with a double of their own to restore their five point cushion.
The Sarsfields, however, hit a real purple patch as they bagged 2-2 in a matter of minutes with Luke McDermott being the right man in the right place as he made the net dance twice with some tidy finishing. The Sarsfields were making all the running at this and Luke McDermott made an evening to remember on a personal level when he got his hat-trick with another cool, clinical finish to put the Sarsfields six clear as the Carras challenge started to run aground. Further points from Gethins, McDermott, MJ Donohue and Alex Pugaciov put real daylight between the teams as the Sarsfields confidence levels started to flourish.
The Sarsfields managed the game with real composure to the final whistle with their superior fitness and mobility becoming ever more apparent with each passing minute. The Sarsfields had fine performances from the likes of Rian O’Grady in goal with Mikey Larkin, Rian O’Connor, Michael Haran and Rhys Hopper superb in defence. The midfield duo of Daithi Gethins and Senan Tiernan were superb and took complete control in the second half and dominated the aerial and ground combat with some excellent football. In attack Luke McDermott was the scoring hero as he netted a glorious hat-trick after his introduction at half-time with MJ Donohue, Frank Muldoon, Tom Naughton, Ted Munnelly and Alex Pugaciov all making notable contributions to a morale boosting victory for the Sarsfields in what’s an ultra-competitive division.
Next up is a home game against Balla where the Sarsfields will be looking to build on the positives from this performance and eliminate some of the mistakes which hindered them in the opening half.
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Charlestown Sarsfields, operating out of division2 of the county senior league, begin their campaign on Saturday, April 18, when they host Balla in Fr O’Hara Park with the throw-in provisionally fixed for 7pm (check sports pages for confirmation). The Sarsfields get a good test from the West Mayo men in what should be an interesting encounter as games between the two over the years have tended to be few and far between. The Sarsfields management team of Ruairi Clarke, Alan Kelly and Gary Murphy will be hoping to have a full squad to choose from with the honourable exception of Paul Towey who is county tied. The Sarsfields will be looking to get off to the best possible start by securing a win but it won’t be easy as Balla bring plenty of pedigree and ambition and are one of the favourites to secure promotion on the back of having all their best players available to them.
Charlestown Athletic suffered their first defeat of the season when they were defeated by Ballinrobe B in a re-arranged fixture played at Milebush Park, Castlebar recently. The Athletic were down some key men on the day and this had a big impact on their overall performance with the men from the Robe having the better of things on the scoreboard as they claimed the points with a 4-2 victory. Robbie Jordan and Caspar Gawalkiewicz netted for the Athletic as they look to pick up the pieces and go again in their next outing in the league.
Charlestown Sarsfields lost out to Ballintubber in round 2 of Division2 of the county minor league with the South Mayo men prevailing on a 1-12 to 1-9 score line in a lively encounter played on the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch, Charlestown recently. The Sarsfields can consider themselves unlucky not to have gotten something out of a game they were always trailing in as they never went away and kept gnawing at the Ballintubber coattails right to the final whistle.
The home side went into the interval 1-5 to 0-4 in arrears with Ballintiubber kicking on in the early stages of the second half as they pushed their lead out to five points. The Sarsfields needed a tonic and quickly and it duly arrived in the shape of a Cian Towey goal which hauled them right back into contention and gave them a real shot at winning.
The Sarsfields started to apply some real heat around the Ballintubber goal but a plethora of missed chances cost them dearly which included a missed penalty with the Ballintubber keeper making a series of terrific last ditch saves to maintain their tenuous looking lead as the Sarsfields continued their assault. Sadly, from the home perspective, the missed chances came back to haunt them as the visitors chipped over a couple of late scores to close out the game and make away with the valuable two points on offer.
The Sarsfields were best served by Mason McCudden who was outstanding in the full back line with Shea Haran, Dean O’Toole, Matthew Horkan, James Cassidy, Cian Towey and Rhys O’Connor doing their utmost to drive the Sarsfields forward at all times.
An oga event with Olive will be held on Sunday, April 12, from 7pm-9pm at Carracastle Community Centre. To book your place and to find out more information, contact Olivia on 085 1971372.
The music circle with John and Isabela Hoban will be held on Monday, April 13, from 7pm-8.30pm at Carracastle Community Centre. All are welcome to sing a song, play a tune, recite a poem or simply listen. Free entry. Tea and refreshments served and all are welcome.
The 6th Annual Colm Horkan Memorial Run takes place on Sunday, May 17. The East Mayo Athletics Club are inviting all to take part with the usual suite of options available re distances and races of your choosing. There will be a 5km, 10km and half marathon options on offer to cater for all athletes/competitors choices and all information regarding the same is available on the East Mayo Athletics Club Facebook page. The club extend their deep gratitude and thanks to main sponsors Hegarty’s Cantra, Bellaghy and Charlestown Service Station Supermacs for their kind and generous support.
The event remains one of the highlights in the town’s social and entertainment calendar and draws support from all across the country. There is the option of purchasing a commemorative t-shirt to mark the occasion and full details on this are also available on the club’s Facebook page. There has been a terrific response to date and with upwards of six weeks to go planning and training programmes are already in place for many would be participants/competitors. More details and news in the weeks ahead.
There was a good turnout at the weekly 25-drive held in the Yeats County Inn, Curry on Tuesday, March 31, and the following were the prize winners; 1st James Cafferty and Mary Costello, 2nd Joe Mahon and Mary O’Hara. Raffle winners were Miko Sheridan, Mary O’Hara and Breege Leonard. The game takes place every Tuesday night at 9pm and all are welcome.
There was a good turnout at the weekly darts game held in Walsh’s Public House, Main Street, Charlestown, on Sunday, March 29, as the Egg and the Pillock squared off in another interesting instalment of the weekly classic. Governor Gus had his hands full in the referee’s chair as tempers became frayed on occasions with Gus having to lay down the law to the two combatants in no uncertain manner. The Pillock was in rampant form on the night and blasted his way into a two-set lead with some stupendous firing as he blew the egg away with a battery of big scores and even bigger doubles. The Egg was dizzy trying to match the level of his opponent and, truth to tell, he looked a beaten docket ahead of the start of the third set with the Pillock in full flow as he stepped forward full of swagger and confidence. The Egg did briefly threaten a revival of sorts when he took the opening two legs but Kenny was in one of those moods when all he lacked was a Superman cape as everything he hit seemed to turn to gold. He levelled the set at two legs apiece with an outrageous 170 finish and took control of the fifth and deciding leg with a maximum putting him in the box seat for victory.
He was in no mood to give the Egg and inkling of an opening and duly closed out the match with a treble 18, double 18 blast to seal a 3-0 whitewash thus clinching his third title of the season in typically swashbuckling fashion. The Egg was in a spin as he had little time to conclude what actually happened such was the blitzkrieg he was exposed to by a rampant Kenny. This victory leaves him poised to have a right go at the lucrative Easter circuit with his game in tip top shape to challenge Podsie and the rest of the top seeds.
