SPORT ROUND-UP
Freshers are beaten after extra-time
The ATU Sligo Freshers Gaelic footballers were beaten after extra-time in their HE GAA Freshers 1 Football Championship quarter-final against DCU Dóchas Éireann on Thursday night last in Dublin. ATU Sligo lost by 10 points, 3-15 to 1-11, at the Dublin City University Sportsgrounds. There were 11 Sligo natives in the ATU Sligo squad and one of these, Drumcliffe-Rosses Point’s James Donlon, was joint-captain.
Sligo entries encouraged for fitness test
Sligo entrants are wanted for Davy’s Fittest Superstars competition, an initiative involving Davy Fitzgerald, Ireland’s Fittest Family co-creator and coach, in association with Londis.
The one-day event goes ahead on Saturday, May 11, at Meath Eco Park, Rathbeggan, Co. Meath. The 1.5km course will feature 13 of the most challenging obstacles from Ireland’s Fittest Family. All monies raised go to Londis’ official charity partner, the Irish Hospice Foundation.
A total of 25 teams (each with four members) will be selected at randon for the event. The winning team will take the title of Davy’s Fittest Superstars as well as €4,000, with an additional €1,000 donation being made to the Irish Hospice Foundation.
To enter, go into your local Londis store or go online at www.londis.ie/fittestsuperstars. Teams that pledge to raise €200 or more (for the Irish Hospice Foundation) will be entered into the draw to take part. The entry also includes a 250-word submission that explains to the judges why your team want to take part in the competition.
The closing date for entries is March 1, 2024. The draw to select the 25 teams is on March 8 and those who are chosen will be notified on the week commencing March 11.
Defeats for schools from west Sligo
Enniscrone’s Jesus & Mary Secondary School, who were recently knocked out of the Connacht GAA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Football Championship at the semi-final stage (a 2-13 to 1-7 loss to Roscommon Community College on January 24), were also eliminated from this campaign’s Connacht GAA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Hurling Championship.
That exit was in a quarter-final played on January 25 – Jesus & Mary lost to Coláiste Chroi Mhuire Spiddal (Galway) at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence, Bekan.
Another west Sligo secondary school, Coláiste Iascaigh, were beaten in the Connacht GAA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘E’ Football Championship quarter-final by St Joseph’s Community College, Charlestown, on the Monday before last, January 30. That game took place at Cloonacool Community Park with Curry’s John Gilmartin as referee.
Rovers link up with Good4U for 2024
Good4U, a family-run health food company based in Sligo, will be the official snack provider of Sligo Rovers for the 2024 season. Good4U supplied snacks for the senior men’s players for their recent pre-season friendly against Galway United in Wesport. The club recently announced – via a social media post – of a partnership between Rovers and Good4U for the upcoming campaign. The award-winning Good4U were previously a snack supplier to Connacht Rugby.
McGuinn is presented with
Ireland caps
Sligo’s Laura McGuinn was presented with her FAI international caps on the Saturday before last at a Deaf Sports Ireland ceremony held in Dublin. These caps were for her participation for Ireland at the qualifiers for the European Deaf Futsal Championships and then the tournament in Italy in October of 2022.
The Calry native, pictured left, was also on the Irish women’s team that competed at the fifth World
Deaf Futsal Championships in Sao Paolo, Brazil, last November. McGuinn, who has had hearing difficulties her entire life, scored three goals at this international tournament in South America – Ireland finished fifth overall. The 23-year-old helped Glenview Stars win this season’s inaugural Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s League and has reached the Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Cup final. She is also a qualified soccer coach.
Final date for Mercy’s LGFA final
Details of the Mercy College’s Lidl Connacht LGFA Post Primary Schools Senior ‘D’ Championship final have been confirmed. The Sligo town secondary school will face Galway’s Coláiste na Coiribe at Swinford Amenity Park, Swinford, Co. Mayo, on Monday, March 4. Next month’s provincial decider starts at 11.30am and extra-time will be played if necessary.
Ex-Rovers Gary returns to club in Fermanagh
Sligo’s Gary Armstrong, the former Sligo Rovers, Longford Town and Athlone Town player, has re-signed for Fermanagh’s Ballinamallard United. The attacking midfielder, 28, who previously played for Ballinamallard in 2018, started on the bench for Ballinamallard’s 6-1 home defeat of bottom of the table Knockbreda last Saturday, a result at Ferney Park that keeps them eighth in the Northern Ireland Football League Championship (second tier). Ballinamallard are at home to Institute this Saturday (kick-off 3pm). Gary Armstrong, who also starred for Carbury FC in the Sligo-Leitrim and District Soccer League top flight, is a grandson of Rovers legend Johnny Armstrong.
Home win for rugby club’s second XV
Sligo Rugby Club’s senior men’s second XV defeated Loughrea 19-14 in a Connacht Junior League Division 1B fixture played at Hamilton Park on Sunday last. This was a fifth win in seven games for Sligo, who scored three tries in front of their home fans at the Strandhill venue. Sligo’s try scorers were Sean Wynne, Louis McVitty and Finn Young. Jacob Fleming converted two of these five-pointers. Sligo lost at home to Buccaneers’ second XV on the Sunday before last in a Connacht Junior Cup last
Sligo quartet have roles with Connacht LGFA
The recent Connacht
LGFA annual general meeting – which took place at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence on Saturday, January 20 – saw four Sligo natives given roles on the provincial executive committee for 2024. Keith Gilroy is vice-president, Martin Seery (the Sligo LGFA chairperson) will again hold the position of treasurer, Liam McDonagh is assistant treasurer and Aoife Connolly is the Connacht LGFA registrar. The aforementioned McDonagh is also on the Connacht LGFA club grading committee.
Gurteen ace will be on TG4 with Athlone
Gurteen’s Roisin Molloy will feature in the first of 12 live fixtures that TG4 will broadcast from this season’s SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division.
Molloy plays for Sports Direct Women’s FAI Cup champions Athlone Town, who are up against the SSE
Airtricity Women’s Premier Division winners Peamount United on Saturday, April
13, at Athlone Town Stadium (kick-off 7.35pm). Athlone and Peamount will also meet in the FAI Women’s President’s Cup fixture on March 2 at Athlone Town Stadium (5pm).
The SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division commences next month – Saturday, March 9 – with Sligo Rovers away to Dublin’s Shelbourne in the opening round (Tolka Park, 2pm).
Kerry legend attends two Sligo functions
Kerry GAA legend Pat Spillane, who also became a household name during his time as an analyst on RTÉ’s The Sunday Game, attended two GAA dinner dances in Sligo last weekend.
He was the special guest for the Owenmore Gaels GAA Club function that took place on Saturday night last at the Sligo Park Hotel – Gaels were celebrating their success of 2023 that saw them win the Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ Football Championship and also reach the Connacht GAA Club Junior Football Championship final. Next up for Spillane was a function the following night, Sunday, when he was at the Coolera-Strandhill GAA Club dinner dance which also took