Gaa Club semi final results

In ths post I will talk about the Gaa club results from the weekend in  the two semi final matches that took place over the weekend Derrys slaughtneil v Dublins St vincents. St vincents were the bookies favorites to advance to the final but the underdogs came up on top.

Slaughtneil V St Vincents

The match took place on Saturday the 11^th of Februray in Pairc Ester in newry at 2pm

Slaughtneil half back Chrissy mc Kaigue had a superb game to help his club advance to the club all Ireland on st patricks day in croke park.

Mc Kaigue scored 4 points from play. Slaughtneil were leading at half time they had terrific team spirt which was spired on by there loyal fans.Slaughneil kept driving forward. The St vincents started crumble and lose structure, black cards were shown to Brendan Egan , Cormac diamond , dirmid Connolly and ger brennan. St vincents couldn’t get threw slaughneils solid defence. Vincents had the games only goal chance when vincients shane carthy flicked the ball at the goalsbut slaughtneils goalkeeper Anton Mc Mullan made an excellent save.

Eoin varley of st vincents got another point in the second half but it was all to late for st vincents . paul Bradley had an injury time free to secured them there plae on st patricks day. The game finished slaughtneil 0-12 to st vincents 0 -10 points two points between the sides in the end.The derry and ulster champions were deserving winners and played with such team spirt. They shocked and tore apart st vincents who will be disappointed not to reach the final. Slaughneils will now face kerrys dr crokes in the final.

Dr crokes v Corofin

The second All Ireland club final took place at 4pm the later of the two matches in the limerick Gaelic grounds.

Dr crokes controlled much of the first half and looked to be too much for the galway side. A goal from Gavin o shea and Kieran o leary scoring 5 points from play in the first half. leaving it 1-07 to 0-05 at half time . Dr crokes were up by 5. The game wasn’t over yet corofin started to hit back in the second half at dr crokes showing great heart.

Fees from colm cooper and daithi casey extended croke lead in the second half. Corofins Jason leonard kicked an excellent point to keep them in the game , then corofins Dylan wall closed the lead town to four after he added two more points.Dr crokes daithi casey set up Jordan kiely for an goal that he blasted to the back of the net. Dr croke proved to be to strong for corofin and the game finished Dr cokes 2-11 corofin 0-8. Corofin last won the senior all Ireland in 2015. Dr croke now advance to the club allireland where they meet Derrys slaughtneil.

THE FINAL

Dr crokes V slaughneil

Dr crokes last won the club senior all Ireland in 1992 when colm the gooch cooper was the team mascot.They have come close on a several occasions but never able to cross the line. In 2007 they reaxhed the final and played Armaghs Crossmaglen rangers and the game ended in the draw and dr crokes lost the replay. This is the only medel colm the gooch cooper doesn’t have. After coming back from a long road injury he hopes his experience and the new youth on the team they will get over the line this ST. Patricks day.

Slaughtneils are use to winning they have both ulster senior hurling and caomoige champions they also reached the all Ireland final in 2015 losing to corofin so they will be back to win. It will make for an muchly anticipated game betwewn croke and slaughneil on st patricks day.

 Allianz league Football  Round 2 

           In this post I will talk about round two of the Allianz league.

           Round two took place Saturday 11  and 12th of February.                                           

Mayo v Kerry

 Up fist on Saturday the 11^th of February was Kerry v Mayo. Mayo travelled down to Austin Stacks Park in Tralee to face the kingdom. There was a lot pressure on mayo after loosing to Monaghan at home the week before. Mayo wore a new away kit that was black and red and was generating a lot of talk on social media about the new alterative kit . I have to say I am a fan of it myself.

The first half Kerry easily bet the mayo defence. Kerry missed a few goal chances one of which was a penalty chance, which was superbly saved by the mayo keeper David Clark. Andy Moran wearing the 26 jerseys doing his best to keep May in the came kicked an excellent point from a difficult angle. Kerry went back down the field and Barry john Keane got a cracker of a goal after missing a goal opportunity earlier in the half when it went over the bar but he didn’t make the same mistake this time. The first half ended Kerry 1-09 mayo 11 points.

There was only one point between the sides at half time. Mayo looked more confident in the second half Andy Moran with his second point of the match steadying mayo. Cillian O’ Connor really drived mayo threw out the match with a total of nine points in the match. Mayo’s Tom Parsons got a red card with seconds left in the second half. Mayo ended victorious with the full time score Kerry 1-10 mayo 15 points. Kerry will be disappointed after a great start the week before with the win over Donegal. But mayo will be happy with the two points and players coming back from injury

             Dublin v Tyrone

 On Saturday tyrone took on Dublin in Croke Park on Saturday evening in terrible wet and windy conditions. Tyrone got the opening point with a free from peter harte. Tiernan mc cann go a black card after 15 minutes. Niall sludden brilliant point extended Tyrone’s leaded. Johnny cooper then got a point leaving it Dublin 0-3 Tyrone 0-5 at half time. There was a large crowed in croke park for this trilling came 28,000 spectators. Tyrone’s Sean Kavanagh came on in the second half wearing the number 20 jersey. Dean rock penalty was saved brilliantly by Niall Morgan. Then Tyrone’s Aidan mc crory no 22 from the half back line buried the ball low and into the back of the net.

Some off the ball action between Johnny cooper and mark Bradley resulted in a yellow for cooper a red for Bradley. Tyrone now down the 14 men. The Tyrone dug deep and Nail Sludden who was excellent threw out got an other excellent point. After 62 mines Ciaran killkenny was the first Dublin footballer to score from play. Tyrone really putting pressure on Dublin threw out the game. Dublin’s Jack Mc Caffrey had to go off injured and Dublin had all their subs used so both sides were down the 14. With only a few minutes to go Dublin were behind dean rock kicked a massive pressure free and kicked it over the bar. The game needs in a draw Dublin 0-10 Tyrone 1-07. Dublin still unbeaten, Tyrone will be disappointed they didn’t hold out.

                                              Roscommon v Donegal

Donegal played Roscommon in dry Hyde Park in Roscommon. Donegal looked to be the stronger team in the first half but Roscommon still lead at half time 1-07 to 0-7 points thanks to Ciaran murtagh goal.

Donegal come out in the second half firing two quick points by Michael murphy and Ciaran Thompson. But a late goal chance from Roscommon’s Ronan stack could have won the game for the rossies, but Donegal’s keeper did well to block down the shot. Donegal then cleared the ball back up the field where eoin mc Hugh kicked the winning score for Donegal the game finished Roscommon 2-9 Donegal 0-16.

Gaa History facts

In this post I will talk about the History of the gaa and some key facts.

How was the gaa founded –The gaa was founded by a Clare man named Michael Cusack. Michael Cusack was a teacher. Cusack encouraged all the children to participate in sport. When Cusack was at a hurling game on Easter Monday in 1884 the game had to be stopped on numerous occasions because they were playing with two sets of rules, there was no standardized set of rules. This gave Cusack the idea that a set of rules had to be standardized for both hurling and football. He had to establish a committee to govern the Irish sports. Cusack meet with several other people and on the 1^st of November 1884 in Hayes commercial hotel in Thurles Co. Tipparary the first meeting of the Gaelic athletic association commenced. The seven founding members were Michael Cusack, Maurice Davin, and John wyse power, John McKay, J.P Braken, Joseph O Ryan and Thomas St. George Mc Carthy.

Archbishop Thomas croke introduced new rules that forbid members of the gaa from playing foreign sports such as cricket and tennis.

The gaa consisted of hurling, camogie Gaelic football both male and female as well as handball.

Micheal Cusack

Croke park- In 1908 a journalist named frank dineen borrowed money and bought the ground where Croke Park is today. In 1913 the gaa came to ownership when they bought the land from him. The ground was called croke park in honor or archbishop Thomas croke, one of the gaa first patrons. Croke Park is Irelands largest sporting arena and accommodates 82,300 people. The stands are all named after the founding members; the Cusack stand, the daverin stand, and the Hogan stand. Hill 16 got its name from the 1916 Easter rising. The Irish nationalist staged a rising against the British. Buildings on Connell street got bombed and in the after math the rubble was brought to croke park to construct a viewing mound for spectators in the north end of the stadium now known as hill 16. The hill is well known for the Dublin gaa fans takeover when Dublin are playing.

Gaa History facts 

• On the 1^st of November 1884 the gaelic athletic association was founded.
• 1887 Tipparary won the first hurling all Ireland and limerick won the first football all Ireland
• In 1967 the first international rules were played.
• 1971 the first all Ireland club chamionships were played Roscrea won the senior hurling and east Kerry won the senior football.
• 1974 the ladies gaelic assiosiation was founded in thurles.
• 1904 the first official camogie matchs were played.
• The all Ireland championship medels are in the form of a celtic cross and based on the design of the monasterboice. And are made of pure gold.
• Padraig carney is the only surving member of the last mayo all Ireland winning team he was called the flying doctor as he moved to America and become a doctor mayo used to fly him home to play matches.He played senior for mayo in 1945 while he was still a minor.
• The most successful in the all Ireland senior championship are Kerry wining it 37 times.
• No ulster team has ever won the senior hurling championship.