Leitrim GAA take this opportunity to wish the Roscommon U21s the very best of luck against the Dubs in the Cadburys All Ireland U21 Football Final tomorrow (Saturday 3rd May) in Tullamore (Throw in 3pm).
The Rossie Supporters will no doubt be out in huge numbers as they were in Carrick on Shannon for the Connacht Final against Leitrim.
Best of Luck Lads.
02-May-14 by Leitrim GAA
Leitrim GAA Golf Classic
As we approach Championship time Leitrim GAA will be hosting a Golf Classic at Carrick on Shannon Golf Club on the 17th May,the eve of our encounter with Roscommon in the Connacht Championship. We finished in fourth place in the Allianz Football League, lost out to Tyrone in the Hurling final, reached the u21 Connacht football Championship final for the first time since 1998, won the minor Connacht football League final and retained the FBD title in January. Not a bad start to the year you might add. However, to compete at this level, requires extensive training schedules, much travel, the provision of medical care and many other hidden costs .We are also advancing our Centre of Excellence in Annaduff and will hope to complete the project this summer.
The committee will be offering prizes to the value of €1000 with complimentary tickets to the Leitrim v RoscommonÓgame on the following day to all participants. Gallogly Catering will be sponsoring a meal to all players and we are indebted to Niall for this generous gesture. We would welcome sponsorship from all supporters who might wish to sponsor a Tee Box if not able to enter a team. Entry fee is €200 for a team of four and a great day’s fun is guaranteed with the opportunity to meet many players from the past with a number of celebrity individuals who have already indicated that they will be present. For Tee times contact Joe Lowe Manager Carrick on Shannon Golf Club on 071 9667015 or secretary.leitrim@gaa.ie.
Contact any member of the committee for further information. Organising Committee, Barry Donnellan, Josie Murray, Oliver Curran, Gerry Hickey, Seán Boylan, Diarmuid Sweeney and Joe Flynn.
24-Apr-14 by Leitrim GAA
Unique Four County Initiative to Get People Back from Abroad
While Leitrim, Roscommon, Longford and Cavan all have eyes on the upcoming championship there is a bigger prize available for them on May 8th in the Longford Arms at 8pm. Ahead of the big games the four counties are combining in a unique initiative to get their people home from Canada, Australia and other corners of the world.
“The question all four counties are asking is what can we do as family, Sports people, Clubs, communities, networks, Counties etc to support/create/generate local economic activity?”
So if you are involved in a club in any of the four counties or indeed are a parent or aunt/uncle/granndparent we would like you to come along to the “Play Your Part – Help Get Your People Home” Event on May 8th.
Under the umbrella of the Upper Shannon Erne Future Economy project, a group of people have been working to come up with ways to create employment in this region which is made up of Roscommon, Longford, Leitrim and Cavan. These are private business owners in the main who are giving time out of busy schedules to give back to their areas and are serious about making this work. They have the backing of the Four GAA County Committees, County Councils as well as the strong support of Bord na Mona and Connect Ireland.
In Ireland, we tend very quickly to be able to identify how we know someone through our connections whether we are in Roscommon, New Zealand, New York or London we tend to quickly find how a person is connected to someone we know. This project is asking Irish people to hone these skills to see how they can be the “link or connector” to ensure any chance of a business setting up a European base has its base in Ireland and hopefully within one of these four counties.
Each of the four counties has seen many of their female and male players leave their clubs and in some cases county teams in order to seek work abroad. The Group have identified that the Connect Ireland Initiative which provides incentives to “connectors” – people who use their contacts around the world to encourage companies/small business to set up in Ireland – as a tool to help bring people back. There is a financial reward for the “connector” per job but the bigger value is the opportunity to help create jobs back in your local county or region.
On the night, Shane Curran, goalkeeper for the St Brigid’s All-Ireland winning club team 2013 and businessman will be the guest speaker along with a panel of experts from each of the other 3 counties. There will also be an insight into how you can get involved in creating jobs in this region by seeing how this has worked for other parts of Ireland. To find out more check out www.leitrim.ie or contact 071 9650496 or nwhyte@leitrimcoco.ie
18-Apr-14 by Leitrim GAA
Please be are aware that there are two Rule changes, passed at Congress, which became part of the Rule Book on 22 March, which directly effect the message delivered on the pre-Christmas DVD “Rule changes of Gaelic Football 2014” and a hand-out issued at that time.
These two changes are:
(1.) To act by deed, word or gesture of a racist, sectarian or anti-inclusion/diversity nature against an opponent is now an Immediate Ordering Off Infraction (Straight Red Card).
(2.) The penalty for Repeat Category I Infraction is changed to:
Three (3) x Double Yellows within 48 weeks = 1 game suspension;
Three (3) x Yellow followed by a Black card within 48 weeks = 1 game suspension
OR
A combination of both (totalling three (3)) within 48 weeks = 1 game suspension.
The one (1) game suspension is applicable to the next game in the Competition in which the third ordering-off occurred at all levels, except Senior inter-county League and Championship.
31-Mar-14 by Leitrim GAA
Leitrim GAA Supporters Club 2014
1st Prize
€5,000
Sister Antonio Monaghan
Athlone
2nd Prize
€2,000
Liam Faughnan
Annaduff
3rd Prize
€1,000
Cloone GAA
4th Prize
2 nights B&B + Evening Meal for 2 at Kilronan Castle
Tomas Mc Hugh
Mohill
5th Prize
2 nights B&B + Evening Meal for 2 at Hollyrood Hotel
Tomas Prior
Dublin
6th Prize
2 All Ireland Football Tickets
Simon Foley
Kinlough
7th Prize
2 All Ireland Hurling Tickets
Cathal Matthews
New York
8th Prize
€100
Ballinamore Sean O hEslins GAA
9th Prize
€100
Prof. John Crown
Dublin
10th Prize
€100
Padraig Mc Crann
Jamestown
Thanks to everyone who supported our Annual Fundraiser and of course our generous sponsors.
22-Mar-14 by Leitrim GAA
Buy your Leitrim Supporters Club ticket online
You can now purchase your Leitrim Supporters Club ticket online. Just click this link for more information on how you can help the cause. Thanks for your support.
18-Feb-14 by Leitrim GAA
Connacht GAA promotes GAA Rounders during 2014.
One of the key targets set by the Connacht GAA Inclusion and Integration Committee for 2014, is to promote the development of GAA Rounders in Connacht. As part of this promotion, Joe Donaghue, President of GAA Rounders, attended a recent meeting of the Connacht Inclusion and Integration Committee. He presented a Rounders Bat, together with the Rules of GAA Rounders and the GAA Rounders Strategic Plan 2013-2016, to all the five County Inclusion and Integration Officers in Connacht, in order to help promote GAA Rounders in each of the five counties in Connacht.
Mr Donaghue informed the meeting that Rounders was included in the GAA charter back in 1884. He said that GAA Rounders is played by all age groups from Primary School children all the way up to and including senior level. There are mixed teams where boys and girls, men and women can play on the one team. As GAA Rounders is a limited contact sport it is perfect for both recreational and competitive play and it also develops good hand eye coordination.
However, Mr Donaghue stated that out of the 21 GAA Rounders Clubs that currently exits in Ireland, there are just two official GAA Rounders Clubs in Connacht, i.e., Athenry, Co. Galway and Ballintubber in Co. Roscommon. According to the GAA Rounders Strategic Plan 2013-2016, it is hoped that more GAA Rounders Clubs will be established in Connacht in the near future.
If you are interested in setting up a GAA Rounders Club or finding out more about GAA Rounders, you can visit their website at www.gaarounders.ie or you can contact Joe Donaghue, President of GAA Rounders at 0877523003 or Shirley Roche 0872021749, Secretary of GAA Rounders.
Photographs from the meeting are available here.
17-Feb-14 by Denis OBoyle, Connacht Inclusion and Integratio
We would like to invite you to our second annual Ard na Spéire 10km and 4km Run/Walk in memory of the late Sandra Earley. This years event will take place on the 23rd February at 2pm in Kilclare, just outside Carrick on Shannon, County Leitrim.
Sandra was a member of the Kiltubrid Ladies Football club and sadly passed away two years ago from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Last year we held our first annual Ard na Spéire run/walk in her memory in aid of the Heart House at the Mater Foundation and thanks to the huge generosity of the hundreds of people who supported our event we raised over €20,000 for the charity.
This year we are pleased to be supporting a local, very worthwhile charity – Billys World. Billys world Ireland are aiming to build a wonderful adventure theme park for families with children who have special needs and their siblings – a place the whole family can enjoy together. This park is planned for a location just outside Carrick in memory of a special little boy Billy Byrne who sadly passed away on the 24th March last year of a very rare chromosomal disorder, Pallister Killian Syndrome. Please visit www.billysworldireland.com to read about where your money will be going and who will benefit from your donation.
Also keep an eye on our Facebook page for details, and If you are looking for more information, willing to provide sponsorship or give donations please call Anja – 087 1337322 or Micheal 086 3862196
If there is anyone who cannot attend/participate in the Ard na Spéire run on the 23rd February and would like to donate something in memory of Sandra to our chosen charity Billys World please do so by using the link below.
http://www.mycharity.ie/event/ardnaspeire/
As always your support is greatly appreciated and we hope to see you on the 23rd! Check out our poster here.
Áine Tighe
PRO Kiltubrid Ladies Gaelic Football Club
10-Feb-14 by Aine Tighe PRO Kiltubrid Ladies GFC
Presentation to Connacht FBD League Winners 2013 & 2014
The medal presentations to members of the Leitrim FBD Senior Football teams of 2013 & 2014 will take place in Coxs Steakhouse Dromod on Saturday 22nd February 2014 at 9pm.
All supporters welcome to attend.
09-Feb-14 by Diarmuid Mac Suibhne Runai
06-Feb-14 by Collette Fox
27-Jan-14 by Colette Fox – PRO
The Jim Lynch Hall of Fame Award is presented by the Leitrim Supporters in Dublin in honour of one of its founding members & former county player of the 50/60’s Jim Lynch.
This award means a lot to the supporters in Dublin & to the recipients who are recognised for a lifetime of service & contribution to the GAA in Leitrim. The award also means a lot to the Lynch family and every year since its inception a member of the Lynch family has presented the award. So I would like to especially welcome Jim/Martina who is with us tonight
This year’s hall of fame winner Matt Gaffey came from Galway as a secondary school teacher to Marian College Mohill in 1968 and in 1971 was Manager of the first Mohill Senior team to win a Senior Championshi since 1929. In 1971 Matt was what we call multi tasking’ as he also managed local neighbours Eslin to win the Leitrim Junior Championship the same year.
Matt’s involvement with the Mohill club has been a long and distinguished one. From the early 80’s Matt started managing under age teams and thus began an era of huge success for the club enjoying success at virtually every grade including U-14, 16, 18 and 21. The titles brought home are too numerous to mention but worthy of note are back to back U-21 championships in 85 & 86, minor championship & league doubles in 83 & 86 and U-16 titles in 95, 96 & 97
Matt again took up managing the senior team in the late 90’s winning the intermediate championship in 1999. He gained promotion with this team and consolidated the clubs position as a force in senior football again.
Matt resumed involvement with the underage teams and success continued when the U-14’s won the county championship in 2011. Over the years Matt worked with many great club men most notably the late BrendanÓgallagher, John Dugdale, Pascal McKeon, and Peter Logan.
Also important was Matt’s ability to bring people from all walks of life and different abilities to the Park. There is no doubt that football under Matt’s tenure ship was as inclusive and unprejudiced a place as it possibly could have been, and many a young man was kept out of mischief as Matt corralled them to the park and threw them a jersey. Numerous players who pulled on the Green and Gold of Leitrim had played under Matt at club or school level.
Gaelic football retained an elevated status on the Marian College curriculum and it gained a reputation for nurturing football talent in Leitrim. A rich history of sporting success became the hallmark of the school right up until its amalgamation into Marian College Community School in the mid noughties. Marian College was inscribed into many pieces of silverware over the 40 year period Matt was involved. The successes included a number of Corn Breffni titles in the 80’ & 90’s. It’s biggest day was when they won the Connacht Colleges C Final in 2004.
Matt has coached school teams and club teams for over 40 years. He was involved in over 50 FINALS, with 36 wins, 33 of them with Mohill.
One of Matt’s main goals is to pass on some of his knowledge to the younger generation of coaches in Leitrim. A GAA tutor for 12 years he qualified as a master tutor in 2008 and has become heavily involved in the GAA Coaching programmes. He is a member of the Connacht Council Coach Education Committee. He is also involved in developing policies and strategies at national and provincial level which will improve the game played, the standard it is played at and the safety and enjoyment of those playing them. Over his career his contribution to sport has been acknowledged by Matt receiving among other awards:-
1986 CIBA Giegy Leitrim GAA Clubman of the Year
1999 Rehab People of the Year Award
2006 Invitation to meet the President in Aras An Uachtaran for outstanding contribution to sport
2009 Special Award for Coaching in Connacht Colleges over 40 years
2010 Exceptional Services to Sport – Leitrim Sports Council
2011 AIB National Coaching and Development Award. AIB recognise one person in Ireland for their contribution to football coaching
Matt has made an enormous contribution to Mohill GAA Club, St Finbars Hurling Club, Mohill Town Soccer Club and Marian College Basketball teams. He was known as the penalty king with the Mohill Town Soccer team and he is a huge Man Utd fan.
Over the years Galway men through their footballers have caused many difficult days for Leitrim Supporters. We can be truly grateful that this very proud Galway man came among us and got fully involved in transferring his football expertise to Mohill and our proud county.
tonight we honour his contribution to the GAA in Leitrim but Matt’s greatest contribution over 5 decades has been to the well being of youth, and the fitness and health of young men in his club, community and county.
There is no more fitting person to be inducted into the Jim Lynch Hall of Fame than Mohill’s Matt Gaffey.
26-Jan-14 by Eamonn Duignan
