Lights go out at premier Mayo GAA venue

by Aiden Henry

The flood-lighting system at MacHale Park in Castlebar has been hit by an electrical malfunction.

With the cluster of Mayo club championship quarterfinals, semi-finals and finals in many grades from senior to underage due to be held over the next number of weeks, the news that none of these games will be able to be held at the venue under lights will put extra strain on the Mayo GAA fixtures committee.

The reason is that the entire spectator stand has all to be rewired due to health and safety issues.

This will not alone take a number of months to do but will also be very costly.

According to a Mayo GAA official, it will be the early next year before this work will be completed.

As a result there will be no games played in the counties premier venue under lights until this work is completed.

However, it is hoped to have the work completed before the start of the 2023 Allianze National Football League.

Not being able to hold games under lights in Hastings Insurance McHale Park has already had a negative effect as The Connaught Telegraph believes that RTÉ Sport looked to screen live the Breaffy versus Ballintubber and Castlebar Mitchels versus Knockmore Mayo senior club championship quarterfinal games this evening.

But this request couldn’t be granted due to the present lighting situation.