Wednesday, 16 January 2013 14:15

Westport United's planned facility at the Demesne.AN unseemly row is threatening to divide a west Mayo sporting community, The Connaught Telegraph can reveal.

The level of pure begrudgery over the allocation of €200,000 to Westport United for a new stadium development can only be described as disappointing.

Of all the applications lodged by Mayo clubs and organisations for sports capital funding last year, none were as worthy as United’s.

There was little question about that.

Here was a club that had lost its drive, ambition and determination for a period after losing a protracted planning battle over the proposed building of new pitch facilities at Mountbrown, a number of miles from the town.

Many of those involved in the initiative were surely tempted to walk away due to the frustration of losing the biggest  challenge of their life to bureaucracy.

But they picked themselves up after a new site was acquired from Lord Altamount closer to the town centre at the Demesne.

Once the club’s application to the Department of Sport was deemed valid, a huge onus rested on the shoulders of Minister of State Michael Ring to support such a magnificent development, particularly so after the local town council had sanctioned a generous grant of €100,000.

Tuesday, 18 December 2012 14:44

Daniel Gorman: Combined well with Dave Cameron in the centre of the field for the Mayo League in their clash with the Inishowen League on SundayInishown League 4 Mayo League 2 ...... SELDOM in football can a silver lining be found in close proximity to the dark cloud of defeat, but if you looked hard enough in Buncrana on Sunday evening last there was one to be seen.

Mayo had just lost to the Inishowen League in their final Oscar Traynor group game and that should have put paid to their chances of advancing in the competition.

But then word came through that Sligo had gained a point from their clash with Donegal – a result that saw Mayo finish

in second position and with a place in the next round assured.

That will definitely be another long away trip, most likely it seems to Wexford. At least though the county team enters the new year still competitive, and that is a major positive for the sport in the county.

From a Mayo perspective it was hard to argue with the result. When a team concedes goals of the nature that Mayo did on Sunday, defeat is nearly always the end result. It might sound harsh but it’s a fact of sporting life.

Tuesday, 20 November 2012 13:14

The late Jeremy DeeTHE tragic death of Jeremy Dee, Bekan, Ballyhaunis, has plunged Mayo sport into a state of shock and sorrow.

He died at Mayo General Hospital shortly after his car was involved in a collision on the road between Cloonfad to Williamstown around 9.15 last Sunday morning.

The tragic accident occurred as he was travelling from his home to Tallaght, Dublin, for the FAI Women’s National   League fixture between Shamrock Rovers FC and Castlebar Celtic. The match was cancelled as news of the accident emerged.

His daughter, Ciara, and another passenger suffered non life threatening injuries in the crash.

As coach and women’s football development officer with Castlebar Celtic, he attended all of the senior squad’s matches  throughout  the country.

Jeremy, aged 51, had been responsible for the club entering the national league in 2011 and was proud of the number of Celtic players being selected for the Republic of Ireland.