SPORT ROUND-UP
Carbury FC will take on Calry Bohs
The curtain-raiser to the new Sligo-Leitrim District Soccer League (SLDSL) season is on Saturday week, August 27, when Carbury FC, last season’s Super League champions, play Calry Bohs, who won the Premier League in the 2021-22 campaign. This Champions Cup fixture is scheduled for all-weather pitch of MacSharry Park, the SLDSL headquarters (kick-off 7.30pm).
Meanwhile, clubs are asked to register their players via FAInet. The clubs’ registration fees for 2022-23 covers them for the registration of 20 players – additional players registered will cost €20 each. Fees to be sent to Sligo-Leitrim treasurer Robert Kennedy. If registration fees aren’t paid then a player is not registered and therefore can’t play.
Camogie stage for St Molaise Gaels at Croker
St Molaise Gaels, the country’s youngest camogie club, was represented at the national adult championship finals of the Camogie Association on the Sunday before last at Croke Park in Dublin. Players from the north Sligo club’s U-8 and U-10 camogie panels were were chosen as the Connacht side to compete in the day’s GAA Go Games camogie exhibition – against Tyrone’s Cúchulainn an Ghleanna.
Ed Mullane, coaching officer with St Molaise Gaels, said: “The girls were a huge credit to their families and club as they took the big occasion in their stride and enjoyed every minute of it.
“This group of girls are playing camogie and Ladies Football a few times a week and the best thing about coaching them is seeing them bond as a group of friends and have plenty of fun.”
At Croke Park on August 7, Kilkenny won the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, beating Cork, Galway took Intermediate honours (with Cork as runners-up) and the Junior title went to Antrim, who defeated Armagh.
Meanwhile, St Molaise Gaels, who’ve adopted the ‘we are one’ model, serves the north Sligo areas of Maugherow, Grange, Cliffoney, Mullaghmore, Ballintrillick and Castlegal. The club offers Gaelic football, hurling, Ladies Football and camogie.
Conference for coaches is at ATU Sligo
A regional coaching conference is taking place at ATU Sligo on Friday, September 2. This three-hour course (6.30pm to 9.30pm) is for sports coaches involved in the coaching of children and teenagers. Local coaches will get the opportunity to hear from two renowned speakers in coaching and youth development, Sergio Lara-Bercial and Nicolette Schipper-van Veldhoven. The iCOACH KIDS Coaching Conference is a Sport Ireland Coaching initiative as part of the European Week of Sport. It will be overseen locally by the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership (SSRP). Register for the Sligo conference at www.sportireland.ie. The fee is €10.
For further details, email Kate Frahill, a Community Sports Development Officer, SSRP, at kate@sligosportandrecreation.ie.
“Around 80% of coaches are working with children and teenagers.
“If we are going to attract children and teenagers into sport and physical activity –
CROKE PARK EXPERIENCE: Mollie Watters, a camogie player with St Molaise Gaels, was at Croke Park on the Sunday before last as part of the St Molaise Gaels camogie panel that took part in the GAA Go Games exhibition game that featured in the finals day for the Camogie Association’s All-Ireland adult championships.
COACHING CONFERENCE: A number of well-known sports coaches and administrators attended the launch of Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership’s hosting of the iCOACH KIDS Coaching Conference at ATU Sligo on Friday, September 2. Back, Ross Lappin (ATU Sligo), Pat Tuohy (Summerhill College), Deirdre Lavin (Sport Co-ordinator, SSRP), Kathleen Kane (Sligo LGFA), Jean McConnell (Sligo RFC). Front, Conor O’Grady (Sligo Rovers Academy), Kate Frahill (SSRP), Liam Óg Gormley (Sligo GAA).
and keep them involved – we need to consider how sport is perceived, how the coaching of sport is delivered and what the values of sport are,” said a statement from the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership. “Sport and physical activity should provide positive meaningful experiences for each and every young person. “Children and teenagers’ needs in sport are different to adults.
“Therefore, the sporting opportunities for children and teenagers need to take account of this and establish an environment that is childfriendly,” the statement added.
Self-defence seminar is on this month
Sligo Taekwon-Do Club (Sligo TKD) is holding a self-defence seminar on Saturday week, August 27, at their base in Cleveragh Industrial Estate (12pm-4pm). This month’s seminar will be conducted by Carl Smullen, one of the country’s leading self-defence instructors.
Funding obtained from the Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership means this seminar is free to attend. Meanwhile, two of Sligo Taekwon-Do Club’s black belts, Nicola McCutcheon (third dan) and Michael Guckian (second dan), have been promoted at a national black belt grading event.
The club, whose lead instructor is Stephen Kohlmann,
are enrolling for the new term that begins on Monday, September 5. To register, go to stephenkohlmann.wixsite.com/sligotkd.
Markievicz and Scarden are smoke free
Sligo GAA’s county ground, Markievicz Park, and its Centre of Excellence at Scarden are now smoke free. This means that all pitch viewing areas at both venues will be smoke and vape free zones. Five clubs – Curry, Eastern Harps, Shamrock Gaels, St John’s and St Molaise Gaels – have made their grounds smoke free as part of the GAA’s Healthy Club project, with Owenmore Gaels (Connolly Park), Ballymote (Corran Park) and Coolaney-Mullinabreena (Nace O’Dowd Park) also getting involved in the process to have their grounds become smoke free.
“The focus is not about clamping down on people. It is about encouraging people to quit smoking and also about not having people around our grounds smoking in any form around young people,” said Trevor Coen, who chairs Sligo GAA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee.
“For those that feel they have to smoke or vape, we will be providing designated areas near the perimeters of these grounds, but we will be encouraging people to abstain during games,” he added.
New sponsors for a Rovers academy team
The Sligo Rovers U-17 women’s team has a new main sponsor up until the end of the 2023 season. Avenue Mould Solutions, located in Finisklin, will sponsor this team, part of the Sligo Rovers Academy, that is halfway through its current campaign.
Part of the Nolato Group, Avenue specialises in the design, manufacture and validation of high-precision, multi-cavity plastic injection moulds and contract injection moulding for the medical device, diagnosic and pharmaceutical industries. Conor O’Grady, head of the Sligo Rovers Academy, said: “We are extremely grateful to Avenue Mould Soluitions who are coming on board to support us with this sponsorship.
“The company employs a lot of local people in their base at Finisklin and are showing their support to the community once again with this sponsorship.”
Coyne signs for Bit O’Red’s WNL squad
The Sligo Rovers senior women’s team have signed teenage goalkeeper Anais Coyne, an 18-year-old from Mansfield, Texas. She played
women’s soccer at Legacy High School in Mansfield. Although eligible for selection for last Saturday’s SSE Airtricity Women’s National League home fixture against Bohemians, a game Rovers lost 2-0, Coyne wasn’t named in the matchday squad. Current regular Amy Mahon
started and Farrah McDonagh was the back-up goalkeeper. Should she feature in upcoming WNL games, Coyne will be the fourth goalkeeper to represent Rovers this season. “I had the choice of playing college soccer in the US, but ultimately I decided to forego that and come to Ireland instead because I thought it would be a cool opportunity to come here. Family circumstances brought me here too,” said Coyne.
First-choice netminder Kristen Sample is currently recovering from an arm injury sustained on May 7 – in Sample’s absence Amy Mahon has stepped up.
Major jackpot in St John’s GAA lotto
The jackpot in the St John’s GAA Club lotto is now almost €20,000. The next lotto draw, for the jackpot of €18,300, takes place on Sunday week, August 27. Tickets are available from lotto outlets and also online via the St John’s GAA website, www.stjohnsgaa.ie. In the most recent draw, held on Sunday last, there was no jackpot winner. The four winners of consolation prizes (€25) were as follows: Jennifer Nugent, Brendan Donoghue, Bridie Beirne and Catherine Collery.
Easkey GAA’s sympathy to Calleary family
Easkey GAA Club have extended condolences to the Calleary family, Ballina, on the death of Doris Calleary (née Brogan). Doris, who passed on Wednesday of last week, was originally from Easkey.
Her husband, Sean, was part of the last Easkey team to win the Sligo Senior Football Championship in 1966. Sean was inducted into Easkey GAA’s Hall of Fame in 2017. Their son, Dara, is a serving TD and a member of Fianna Fáíl.
“Easkey GAA extend condolences to the family and friends of Doris Calleary. Doris and her family have been great supporters of the club for many years,” said a club statement.
Meanwhile, Easkey-St Farnan’s hurling held a successful car wash and cake sale on the Saturday before last at Feeney’s, Dromore West. The winner of the hamper was Damien Melvin.
Triathlon fever is coming to Hazelwood
Sligo Triathlon Club are hosting an Olympic distance triathlon at the Hazelwood Demesne next month – on Sunday, September 11.
Next month’s event, which is part of Triathlon Ireland’s National Series, consists of a 1.5k swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run. The swim will be two laps of a course using the sheltered Halfmoon Bay at Lough Gill.
For the cycle, participants will tackle a single loop which encompasses Dromahair and Calry, with a few hills along the way.
Finally, the run features three loops of a course on the flat trails of Hazelwood forest. There are still places available. Register online via www.sligotriathlon.ie.
FUTURE STARS: U-8 and U-10 camogie players from St Molaise Gaels were at Croke Park on the Sunday before last to feature in the GAA Go Games exhibition as part of the Camogie Association All-Ireland finals day.
GAA president will open stand in west Sligo
The official opening of the new stand at St Patrick’s GAA Club’s facilities in Seamie Donegan Memorial Park, Dromard, takes place on Saturday, September 3 (11am). The stand will be named after Conor Brady, a St Patrick’s player who died tragically in Las Vegas in November of 2013. At the time he was based in the US and working in Washington DC.
The stand will be opened by GAA president Larry McCarthy. This coming Saturday, August 20, there is a clean-up of the club grounds in preparation of the event on the weekend after next. Club members and friends who are available to help out should contact Gerard Clarke.
Sligo RFC are away to rivals Ballina
Sligo RFC’s first XV are away to Ballina this Saturday in a Connacht Senior League fixture. This second round fixture takes place at the Mayo club’s facilities at Heffernan Park, Ballina (2.30pm start). Sligo, with former player Paddy Pearson back as head coach, were due to play Galway Corinthians at Strandhill’s Hamilton Park on Saturday last– but this round one game was postponed because it is understood that the Galway side were unable to field a team.
Sligo are also scheduled to play Galwegians at Hamilton Park on Saturday, September 3, and Buccaneers at Dubarry Park on Saturday, September 17. On Saturday last Athlone’s Buccaneers lost by a point at home to Galwegians, 27-26, despite scoring four tries compared to the visitors’ three in this Connacht Senior League opener.
Online draw for Garth Brooks fans
Drumcliffe-Rosses Point GAA Club are holding a fundraising draw that will be of special interest to Sligo’s many fans of music superstar
Garth Brooks. The prize on offer is two tickets for one of the American country and western singer’s five concerts at Croke Park next month – the one scheduled for Friday, September 9. To enter this online draw to go drp.gaa.ie or check the club’s Facebook page.
Sligo applicants are wanted for LGFA’s ‘BUA’
Sligo applicants are sought for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s ‘BUA’ initiative. This leadership and life-skills programme, based on the theme of ‘Believe, Unlock Potential, Achieve’, is aimed at females aged 16-19 years of age.
BUA, now in its second year, will be conducted through expert-led workshops and self-reflection, with participants then putting their enhanced leadership skills into practice through a club action project.
Beginning next month and concluding in March of next year, it will consist of five leadership training sessions (done remotely) and two LGFA-specific modules.
The BUA programme ambassador is Dublin Ladies Football star Lyndsey Davey. West Sligo native Mícheál Naughton, who is the LGFA national president, is looking forward to the upcoming BUA programme. “It will provide participants with tools for life and I would hope to see many of the participants fulfilling leading roles within the LGFA in the years to come,” he stated.
The closing date for applications for the second BUA programme is Friday week, August 26. Register on the LGFA website, ladiesgaelic.ie.
Sowa secures top spot in cycling event
The leading competitors in round eight of the Sligo Cycling League, which was held on Wednesday evening of last week, were Jacek Sowa (Bottecchia Cycling Club), Darren Clancy (Innisfree Wheelers Cycling Club) and Pat Murtagh (Bottecchia Cycling Club). With two rounds of the competition
to go, Patrick Murtagh (Bottecchia Cycling Club) leads the overall standings, with Seamus McGowan (Leitrim Glens Cycling Club) and Conal Sexton (Bottecchia Cycling Club) placed second and third respectively.
Rosses Point duo are picked for Connacht
The Connacht men’s team for the upcoming Golf Ireland Men’s and Women’s Interprovincial Matches features two Rosses Point golfers, Sean Flanagan and TJ Ford. Dublin-based Flanagan, a former member of County Sligo Golf Club, now plays out of Portmarnock, while Ford represents County Sligo Golf Club.
Also selected for Connacht are Harry Gillivan (Westport), Allan Hill (Roscommon),
David Kitt (Athenry), Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little), Liam Nolan (Galway) and Simon Walker (Roscommon). The interpros, a three-day event, begin on Tuesday next, August 23, and will continue until Thursday, August 25. The host club is Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort in Co. Kildare. Connacht won the men’s interpro competition last year
– TJ Ford
was part of Connacht’s winning team, so too Galway Golf Club’s Joe Lyons, a former winner of the West of Ireland at Rosses Point.
Last year was the first time that the men’s and women’s interpros took place simultaneously at the same venue – Ulster won the women’s competition.
Maguire makes first start for Ballinamallard
Sligo Rovers defender
Peter Maguire made his first appearance for Fermanagh’s Ballinamallard United, where he is on loan until January of 2023. Last Saturday Blacklion native Maguire started the Northern Ireland Football League Championship fixture for Ballinamallard, who were away to Antrim’s Ballyclare Comrades in the season’s opener. The centre-back, part of Rovers’ first team squad this year, played the full 90 minutes in a game that ended 0-0.
Meanwhile, Collooney’s John Mahon, the former Rovers player, wasn’t in the matchday squad for St Johnstone’s 4-0 away loss to Glasgow Rangers in a Scottish Premership game on Saturday last.
ROONEY’S DAY: Sligo U-16 Gaelic footballer Eli Rooney, Player of the Match in last Saturday’s Fr Manning Cup final against Wexford at Longford’s Pearse Park, is pictured with his dad, Aidan. Eli, a member of St Mary’s GAA Club, scored 1-3 in Sligo’s seven-point victory, 2-12 to 2-5.