Wednesday, August 29, 2012

This is a picture of a good Boyle team from 54/55 ish. The team includes the late Louie Warde of Behy, Boyle, who died less than two weeks ago.
The team is as follows:
Back Row, left to right: Dominick Slein/ Tony Casey, Rock of Doon/Kieran Dodd, Main St. who was home recently/Tommy Doyle, Corrigeenroe who now lives, I believe, in Rosses Point/ Tommy Derby, Termon/Tim Lynch, veterinary surgeon, father of Barry. Timmy played for Roscommon and Connacht/ Charlie Feely father of Odran.
Front: Thomas McDermott, Behy/ John Joe Nerney/ James McCormack, if I knew anything of James I forget it now/ Jarlath Campbell was from Swinford, worked in Lowe's, subbed with Ros. went to Canada and came back to Castlebar/Tom Wynne father of Gary/Christy Coughlan was from the Corrigeenroe area/Louie Warde, Behy/Sonny Regan. Oddly there are only 14 players togged. It would be unlikely that Sonny played as he featured mainly as a 'supporter'. The pic. was taken in the Abbey Park, from the background evidence.
Louie also played for Ballinameen of course and was by all reports a very good player.
Grange had a team also, a bit earlier, with Miko Lavin and co. as did Corrigeenroe around 1950.
(Click on the pic. to see full group)  

Sunday, August 26, 2012


The Club extends sincere thanks to all Club members and friends from the Senior, Minor and Ladies Clubs and the wider "GAA family" who helped in many ways during the past week to pay fitting respect to our colleague Eoin and in their efforts to assist and comfort the Lavin family at this difficult time.

Thanks also to all who helped with the church gate collection for Rehab at the weekend. Thanks, on behalf of Rehab, to all who contributed so generously to the collection.

Playing activity will resume gradually in the coming week. Our U12s are scheduled for summer league action on Sunday next. Details will be provided at training.

The McGovern Directional Drilling Intermediates will play Fuerty in Fuerty on Saturday evening next (see fixtures for details) in the final group game in the Intermediate Championship. Support will be appreciated for this vital game.

The Cooney Motors/ Cooney's Centra juniors are awaiting details of their next outing in the Junior B Championship.

The National Automation Limited minors will resume training for their upcoming Division 1 Championship fixture versus Roscommon Gaels which will be played within the next few weeks.

The U8s and U10s will have blitzes in the coming weeks. Preparations will also resume for upcoming Keenan Cup and Garda Cup competitions.

Fully paid up Club members are asked to submit applications in writing to Club Secretary Kathleen Hanmore, for consideration for purchase of All Ireland Football Final tickets by this Friday evening 31st August. Numbers will be extremely limited and a draw will be made for whatever numbers are available.

The Club wishes Father Alan Conway every success in his new Parish of Roscommon and we thank him for his ministry in Boyle.

Congratulations are extended to Saoirse Wynne (daughter of Gary and Ann Wynne) on winning the silver medal in the U10 hurdles at the Community Games National Finals in Athlone at the weekend.Well done also to Roisin Wynne and Ruth Cox who participated in athletics and to Clodagh Sheerin and Roseanna Callan who represented Boyle in gymnastics in the Community Games National Finals.

Ladies Football;
The U14s’ play Shannon Gaels on this Monday evening. The Junior Ladies play Shannon Gaels on this Tuesday evening in the Abbey Park in the final group game of the Junior A Championhip. They will play the County Semi-Final on Saturday next in the Abbey Park. Their opponents will be determined by the placings following the last round of group games.

Go raibh maith agaidh.
Martin Dolan/Tony Conboy.

 

Sunday, August 19, 2012


                                         Eoin Lavin.

Tuesday; 1.40. Apart from the players who are to meet at Trojan or as advised, the remainder of the Boyle G.A.A. personel are requested to meet at the Church at 6, in the Boyle colours if possible,  to form a guard of honour. t.c. 
Mon. 2 p.m. Matters of sport paled into insignificence in Boyle on Saturday night last when the news broke of the fatal accident which took from us  popular young minor player Eoin Lavin. Eoin was a member of last year's County title winning Division 1 Minor team and he was a member of last year's County U16 panel and there were strong hopes that he would go on to represent his club and his county with distinction in the future. He was ever present at all Club activities whether training or playing with his colleagues or by the side of his father Aidan (our Club Chairman) in Abbey Park when carrying out Club duties, always unassuming and impeccably mannered. The thoughts and prayers of all Club members and indeed the entire community are with his father Aidan, his mother Trudy and his sister Vicky and the extended Lavin Family at this difficult time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.

All scheduled Club activity involving the Club (including the Ladies Club and the Minor Club) was cancelled at the weekend as a mark of respect. Details of rescheduled games will be notified when arranged.

Next weekend's Club Lotto draw is also being postponed.

The Club also extends its sympathy to the Ward Family, Behy, Boyle on the death of Louie Ward, a former club player in the fifties and the father of a family that is synonomous with GAA in Boyle and Ballinameen and indeed throughout the County.

The Club congratulates Mrs Cooney, Abbey Terrace on celebrating her one hundreth birthday last week, and all of our players, male and female, who received the Leaving Cert results.

Go raibh maith agaibh,

Martin Dolan

P.R.O. Boyle GAA Club

086 2413529

Sun. 8.05.
The general public are requested to delay  plans to visit the Lavin family at this time. This is to afford the family the necessary time and space to reflect.

Also it should be recognised, when visiting, that parking is an issue and hazardous. So care is advised.

The house will be open to the public from 4 p.m. Monday to 4 p.m. Tuesday, after which it will be private. Removal will take place on Tuesday evening to St. Joseph’s Church, Boyle for 7 p.m. with Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday at 12 noon.   

Sunday 2.30 p.m. Boyle GAA Club is shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of Eoin Lavin. The thoughts and prayers of the club membership and indeed the whole community are with parents, Aidan and Trudy, sister Vicky and the extended Lavin and Roddy families. t.c.

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Garda Cup competition, which is an Under 14 competition and is also for teams in the North Western Board region, will also be commencing within the next month. Both of those competitions are closely linked with the Boyle Club.
The U 16s suffered a narrow defeat to Padraig Pearses in the Division 1 Championship in the Abbey Park on Sunday evening.
The National Automation Ltd minors will resume their Division 1 League campaign when they travel to Castlerea to take on the home side at 7.30pm on this Tuesday evening.
The Cooney Motors/ Cooney's Centra team will play Kilglass Gaels on Sunday next in the Abbey Park at 6pm in the Junior B Championship.
The McGovern Directional Drilling team earned a well merited draw against Eire Og in the County Intermediate Championship in Strokestown on Friday evening last. Boyle held a one point lead at half time and while both sides had opportunities to take control of the game, missed chances resulted in the issue being in doubt up to the final whistle. Boyle management gave debuts to a number of playersand the experience gained at this level will benefit those players in the longterm.They now have a win and a draw in this tight group. They will travel to Fuerty on Saturday next to take on the home side at 7pm in the final group game in the Intermediate Championship. It is hoped that as many supporters as possible will make the journey to provide encouragement in this vital fixture. Congratulations are extended to Margaret Clarke, Patrick Street and her husband on their recent wedding.
Boyle Ladies Club
Boyle Ladies made it three wins from their opening three games in the Junior A County Championship, and therefore top the table following their good win over St Marys in the Abbey Park on Saturday evening last. They will have one further fixture in the group stages of the championship against Shannon Gaels. See fixtures for details.
Go raibh maith agaibh,
Martin Dolan/t.c.
P.R.O. Boyle GAA Club
086 2413529  

Saturday, August 11, 2012


Sat. 11.30. Intermediate Championship @ Strokestown.
Boyle 0.10 Eire Og 0.10.
Since the consensus amongst Boyle supporters was that a draw was a reasonable result for Boyle then perhaps the reality was that we were a tad lucky to come away with a point in the end. Again Boyle had a good first half and led at half time on the score Boyle 0.7 Eire Og 0.6. The quality of play fragmented in the second half as chances were not converted and long intervals existing between rare scores punctuated by wides on both sides. While Eire Og, playing with a breeze- on an ideal evening in a fine Strokestown pitch- started with a point Boyle matched their score with a good point, from Lochlainn Conboy, on 3 minutes. Eire Og went ahead a minute or so later but a very good move led to Jim Suffin finishing with a very good point on 8 minutes for Boyle. Eire Og went ahead by 2 points but these were pegged back by Conboy and Donie Smith points on 15 and 17 minutes. In fairness the quality of the play, on both sides, was good as the teams strove to play decent football with good efforts at appropriate passing and plenty of effort. Tactics also came into play and in this the roving Colm Brennan shone, hovering up a lot of loose ball and moving it forward with a tidy economical effort. Boyle went 2 points ahead with 2 Donie Smith points, one a free and the second a fine effort following a fine pass from his brother Enda. However Eire Og stayed in the game and equalised having missed a real goal chance mid- way through the half. Boyle would have been satisfied when they went in a point up following a Conboy free. Boyle 0.7 Eire Og 0.6.

The second half did not have the quality of the first. When Donie Smith put Boyle further ahead things looked good but it was Eire Og who pulled back with 3 points (2 frees) and they led 9 points to 8 after 9 minutes. Then there followed a scrambling scoreless period of 10 minutes or so. Boyle missed converting a good goal opportunity but  Donie Smith levelled matters on 19 minutes with a fine point from near the side-line. The result became a lottery and Mark O’Donohoe saw a good opportunity come back off the post. Boyle looked to have stolen the result with a Conboy free in injury time but Eire Og levelled matters from another free, with the last kick of an interesting game.

This very new Boyle team looks like the team we will be seeing, for the most part, into the future. The absence of the leadership and driving qualities of Seanie Purcell was certainly missed and it seems as if he will be an absentee for the campaign. Goalkeeper Ciaran Beirne did very well with one particularly fine save in the first half. The full back line was stretched by a lively Eire Og full forward line but Boyle held out though the frees proved costly. Indeed through the field it was more or less parity of esteem with Boyle’s quality performances coming from Donal Smith, Colm Brennan, Ciaran Beirne and Darren O’Connor. David O’Callaghan had one particularly majestic catch in the second half. Hopefully we will see more of that. The management too deserve credit for good prompt decisions here. Awareness and concentration are key when the two man full forward line is in play, with either side, as a ‘loose man’ creates confusion on marking systems.

I might as well abandon my mission for FISTED POINTS, through which I had hoped we would become a market leader, as it has patently not attracted any devotees. There were a couple of very good opportunities for the medium in this game.

Anyways, in summary, a good first half, a messy and pretty unproductive second half, a reasonable result and we now have to go to Fuerty (whose result this week end against St. Barry’s has to go into the computer to see where things stand) next week end and get a positive result and that will not be too easy.   

The Boyle team: Ciaran Beirne, Colm Brennan (probably my ‘Man of the Match’), Kieran Supple (good to see him back), Marc Goldrick, Aaron Sharkey, Killian Cox, Michael O’Donnell, David Callaghan (Capt.), Enda Smith, Mark O’Connor, Cian Smith, Jim Suffin, Donal Smith, Darren O’Connor, Lochlainn Conboy with Karl Feighan, Mark O’ Donohoe and Cian Beirne. The referee Paddy Neilan had a good game and looks like a serious referee for the future. Strokestown deserve credit for their fantastic facilities.  This was a lot better than a depressing wet evening last Autumn when Boyle had two bitter defeats at the same venue. t.c.              

Monday, August 6, 2012


Mon. 1.40. The following were €20 winners at the most recent drawing of prizes for the Club Lotto Draw;- Bernard Shannon,Michael and Michelle McGrath,Tommy and Monica King, Lorcan Egan, Odran and Pauline Feely, Tony Collins, Laura Button,John Dillon, Betty McDermott and Caroline Beirne. The house prize was won by Maura O'Connor. The jackpot wasn't won and it will stand at €1,700 for next Saturday night's draw which will be held in The Patrick's Well with Team 'B' in charge.
The U14s lost to St.Brigid's in the Abbey Park on Thursday lasst in a super game. Although having lost, the lads can hold their heads high after an excellent display.
The U16s will host padraig Pearses in the Abbey Park in the Division 1 Championship on Sunday evening next 12th August at 6pm.
The National Automation Limited minors are currently in the final stages of preparation for the upcoming minor championship and the last rounds of the Division 1 League.
The McGovern Directional Drilling team lost to Roscommon Gaels in the O'Gara Cup on Saturday evening last in the Abbey Park.

They will play Eire Og in round 2 of the Intermediate Championship on this Friday evening at 7.45pm in Strokestown's new pitch. All Club supporters are asked to lend their support.

The Cooney Motors/Cooney's Centra juniors  played Kilglass Gaels on Bank Holiday Monday-see results elsewhere.
An important North Western Board meeting will be held on this Thursday night in Tulsk Clubrooms- Club delegates have been notified.
The Club executive asks whoever borrowed the Club's first aid kit from the Clubroom to return same immediatly. It's absence was sorely felt when needed at a game at the weekend.

The Club extends is commiserations to the Roscommon minors and management on their agonising loss to Kerry on Sunday. No doubt this gallant band of players who have given been unbeaten in 5 Connacht League games and 3 Connacht Championship games and have given us many happy memories, will bounce back from this reverse and become adult Roscommon football stars in the future. Thanks especially to our 3 Club representatives, Enda Smith,Tadhg McKenna and Brian Furey who have now graduated from the intercounty minor scene and we look forward to Evan McGrath continuing his minor career with Roscommon next year.  

Ladies CLub;
Boyle Ladies are scheduled to play St Mary's in the Junior A Ladies Football Championship on Saturday next. See fixtures for details.
Go raibh maith agaibh,
Martin Dolan/t.c.
P.R.O. Boyle GAA Club

086 2413529     

Thursday, August 2, 2012