It’s the big GAA championship kick-off this weekend. And you can blame Covid that it’s no longer happening in Gaelic Park, New York, on the first weekend in May like it used to. Covid gave the GAA an opportunity to do a serious job on their fixtures and give dedicated time to the club and the county in the so-called Split Season. Instead of the Big Apple kick-off, now the action begins in west London where London play Mayo in Ruislip. I’m sure Mayo readers don’t need reminding that it’s 75 years since they won the Sam Maguire Cup.
Mayo has a promising young player in Kobe McDonald, but manager Andy Moran says the 18-year-old Leaving Cert student won’t play in Ruislip and his championship debut will be delayed until a possible Connacht semi-final against Roscommon later in the month.
Then on Sunday, it’s the turn of Roscommon to head for Gaelic Park. A few years ago the Connacht GAA Council said that the annual trips to London and New York were expensive for the counties and the Council, who provide financial support. But I think they are safe for another year at least. Meanwhile back in Connacht Sligo will probably start as favorites to beat Leitrim at Markievicz Park on Sunday.
There is also football championship action in Ulster, Leinster and Munster. It’s a really big game in the Athletic Grounds, Armagh, when the home team take on Tyrone. Armagh, who have lost three consecutive Ulster finals, did win the Sam Maguire Cup via the back-door route in 2024 and they will be fancied to beat Tyrone, who finished in the bottom half of the Division Two table in the recently completed National League. But as I have often said on these pages before, anything can and does happen in the Ulster championship. In Leinster recently crowned Division 3 champions Carlow will fancy themselves at home to Wicklow at Dr. Cullen Park, while Longford who recently won the Division 4 final, are unlikely to upset Westmeath in Pearse Park. Cork who got to the Division Two final ten days ago should be much too strong for Limerick at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. |A few weeks back when Tipperary and Waterford met in the National League in Thurles the official attendance was 141. When these two division four counties meet in Fraher Field on Sunday the attendance should hopefully be much larger.
