Thursday, September 15, 2016

Update 16th September


Boyle’s McGovern Directional Drilling Sponsored GAA Senior Team for Semi-Final.

Boyle had a very decisive win in the senior championship quarter final at Kilglass on Sunday evening;  Boyle 3.15 St. Faithleach's 2.8. The half time score Boyle 1.11 St. Faithleach's 0.3. Boyle were playing with a very strong wind but still 11 points was a generous lead. Boyle are now through to the semi-final in which they will play St. Brigid's on October 2nd. Again there were great performances all-round. Boyle started in whirlwind style and a goal by Darren O'Connor after four minutes meant it was Boyle. 1.6 to Faille’s 0.1 after 6 minutes. Darren had forsook a wedding in Poland to be play and how he played. (He had also changed travel dates to Spain to play v Clann). An early second-half goal by Enda Smith followed by a penalty conversion from Dylan East on 8 minutes saw Boyle leading 3.11 to Faille’s 0.5. Despite a Faile’s penalty goal on 12 minutes it was really game over, barring a disaster. There were huge performances all over the field for Boyle as Faille’s were shell-shocked. Several contenders for 'Man of the Match' but I think that Michael O'Brien, reporting on the victory over Clann two weeks ago in the Roscommon Herald, got the essence of the team by giving it deservedly to 'THE (BOYLE) TEAM. The arrival on the scene of a number of serious young players bolstered by the veterans has resulted in Boyle getting to their first semi-final since 1927 when a Boyle team, 'mainly army' won the town's only Senior Championship. It was very nice to a see a big Boyle support present. So hopefully that will swell  for the semi-final and beyond. Congratulations and a huge well done to all involved.

*Success such as this does not come overnight so a group who deserve to be kept in mind are all the under-age coaches down the years and presently who create the building blocks for such teams. There are too many to mention and of course a very strong probability for omission.   

*The introduction of Ben Kerins meant that he is the third generation of the Kerins family to play senior football for Boyle following his grandfather Liam and his dad Sean. I feel that this is very rare. Perhaps the Feely family Henry, Barry and maybe Finbarr did likewise but I am not sure. Maybe there are others and of course I am open to suggestions.    

Meeting a former student Padraic Sweeney

After the Boyle game on Sunday night I indulged myself with a visit to The Moylurg Inn for a small celebratory analysis I suppose. Being a Sunday night it was a pretty restrained affair. However  I met a former student of mine who I had not met for some time. Padraic Sweeney from Termon, Boyle now lives in the lovely city of Sydney, Australia with his wife Sarah (O’Connor)and has done well for himself. He remembered when I was a teacher of his at St. Mary’s College and doing a little bit extra with him and of that being beneficial to him then and subsequently. It is a fairly rare occasion for former students to mention that a teacher has made a positive contribution to ones progress in life. The negatives often leave a deeper mark, scars maybe in some instances, and it is easier to be critical and I imagine there are a good few teachers who look back with regret for a too rigorous approach in their dealings with students. On the other side I don’t know if there are students who ever have qualms of conscience on how they interacted with some teachers!
Of course it is not just teachers who can give young people a lift but people in all walks of life. Guards, priests, doctors, sports coaches, bouncers, bus drivers; everyone will have these opportunities from time to time.
I remember once ‘thumbing’ home to Fuerty, from Galway on a country road outside Glenamaddy and  another student I barely knew passing me going in the opposite direction on a scooter. After a few hundred yards he stopped, turned and brought me some six miles or so to a more pivotal ‘thumbing’ point. As you can see I never forgot that small incident. ‘Thank you’ are two small words but they have a nice echo.
A more recent incident happened in going through a passport control and when my wife presented her passport and the officer scanned it he returned it with the greeting ‘Thank you Anne have a safe journey’. It was a simple but impressive introduction. * I’ll tell you the location of that incident further down, I’ll just let you mull over it for a minute or two.
If we think about it we will all remember kindnesses, big and small, bestowed on us and people coming to our assistance in times of need or stress. While I shy away from the idea of ‘we are better than others’ in things generally, the community structure in this country, especially in rural Ireland, lends itself to that  mind-set.

In any event meeting and talking to Padraic Sweeney on Sunday night was a very positive validation of what I happened to do then and importantly –as it was a two-way exercise-what Padraic bought into. So thank you too, Padraic for remembering and giving me a lift by relating same.


Mayo versus Dublin Again

Once more into the breach ….from Henry V.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more
……
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'

Thus went the famous rallying battle-cry of Henry V.

Once again Mayo enter the lion’s den. I do not have the statistics to hand of how many times it is now, that Mayo have faced this last hurdle in the GAA championships since their last victory in 1951. There is a book  written by a fine journalist Keith Duggan titled ‘House of Pain: Through the Rooms of Mayo Football’. One can almost feel the hurt in the title. In that ’51 final Mayo defeated Meath to win their second final in a row.
 Mayo 2-8 Meath 0-9 (Croke Park, 23/9/1951).  MAYO: S Wynne; J Forde, P Prendergast, S Flanagan (Capt.); J Staunton, H Dixon, P Quinlan; E Mongey (0-1), J McAndrew; P Irwin (0-1), P Carney (0-5, four free), S Mulderrig; M Flanagan, T Langan (1-0), J Gilvarry (1-1).  Sub: L Hastings for Dixon.

*It was in checking a little for these lines that I came across the following. “55 years later Mayo players Willie Casey, Paddy Jordan and former GAA President Dr Mick Loftus (brother of Dr. Colm Loftus, Boyle)  belatedly received their All-Ireland senior football medals. Though squad members, they had not appeared as substitutes in the final and had initially been denied their medals”.

There is a legend of a famous curse in that a priest suggested that Mayo would never win another All-Ireland until all the members of the winning team of ’51 had passed away. That was supposedly because they had been disrespectful with their celebrations in the vicinity of a funeral. None of the team would ever give credence to that story. There are just two of that team still alive, the great full back Paddy Prendergast and the ‘flying doctor’ Padraig Carney. He got the appendage ‘flying’ as Mayo flew him back to Ireland from the U.S for a number of games and also from California to New York to join the team there for a U.S. tour.     

While they have lost so many times before what are their chances this time? Personally I feel that Mayo have often had around ten fine footballers on their team but have not had the full package. It looks a bit like that again this year with very good players in the O’Connors', O’Sheas', Keegan, Boyle, Higgins and so on but they have question marks too especially at full back. A given is that Mayo must not concede early goals and that they can extend the periods of very good play that we have seen in their previous games.   

The Dublin team not only have a fine starting team but are now in the position Kilkenny were a number of years ago in that they have up to ten recognisable substitutes. It is unfortunate that Mayo have come up against very good teams in their All-Ireland finals and this Dublin team is one of the best. I believe that Dublin will win and could win by a generous margin if the self-belief in Mayo wilts. Still there is the mantra that if you are not there you have no chance at all.  
Someday the gods will smile on Mayo and heaven’s gates will open. Then not only will Mayo people rejoice but most GAA people outside their immediate opposition will rejoice with them. It could even be Sunday.   

Pre-Match Handshake

The teams lining up to give the opposition a pre-match handshake has been a pretty recent appendage. It is in the manner of ‘give respect get respect’ and sportsmanship et al. Personally I think that it is a false distraction for players who can rarely have any belief in it. It got a jolt on Sunday last when a Cork camogie player’s supposed handshake was a first salvo in hostilities rather than the sporty hello that is de rigeur. It was funny and honest!
Talking of hostilities there have been a number of serious incidents causing hurt at games in this region-Sligo and Roscommon-in recent weeks. They have been absent for the most part from games prior to that so I imagine that the GAA will want to stamp out this behaviour quickly and decisively.

*Oh yes the airport at which the passport inspector was polite and welcoming was …Dublin.  

‘Learn to Live Wisely’
This was the heading of an advertisement on page 33 of the Sunday Independent that caught my eye. It went on to outline; “Those seeking an understanding of our existence and the world in which we live are invited to attend an introductory course in practical philosophy which shows that there is an underlying unity to everything and that this holds the key to a happy, fulfilling and peaceful life”. That is a big prize.
Anyway the introductory courses start between Monday September 19th and Saturday September 24th and lasts for 11 weeks. One venue is the Glasshouse Hotel Sligo. Amongst the headline topics from week 1 are Practical Philosophy, Self-Knowledge, Awareness, Living in the Present, Living Justly, Developing Reason in Ourselves and In Truth, Who Am I? and four more.
In college I attended Philosophy lectures with a Franciscan professor for a short time but felt somewhat overawed by it. Like many things I would like to dabble but I am probably too lazy for the challenge. From my earlier brush with it I remember one sentence from Descartes ‘I think therefore I am’ ! www.practicalphilosophy.ie for information.        


The Paralympics
The competitors in the Paralympics show huge courage and fortitude. Last night I watched Eoghan Clifford from Galway win a gold medal-having earlier won a bronze- in pursuit cycling.  Colin Lynch later won a silver also in cycling but the greater achievement was that of Katie –George Dunlevy with Eve Mc Crystal in the cycling time trial. Their emotional reaction showed how much it meant to them. In swimming Ellen Keane was overjoyed to win a bronze medal in the 100 m breast stroke. Her generous attitude was demonstrated as she hugged the winner Katarina Roxon of Canada. All this follows from earlier medals from  Smyth and McKillop leaving Ireland with 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze. But if ever the adage that it is ‘the taking part that counts’ it is at the Paralympics. That is victory in itself.  

Greetings

John Austin Beisty…..Thomas called and I had a chat with him. His taxi driver was a bit impatient and I was in working gear so the next time I’ll be more prepared.  

Paddy and Grainne hi. Just linking. I presume Paddy you are keeping an eye on the team’s progress.


                           

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