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One of Galway's best and favourite footballers for the past fifteen years, Declan Meehan announced his retirement on Tuesday night. He informed team manager Tomás Ó Flatharta of his decision at training in Loughgeorge.

Meehan had surgery on a shoulder injury recently and with a few months of rehab ahead he may have felt that he would have struggled to be right for the 2011 championship.

Meehan was one of the most popular footballers on the Galway panel with supporters, team-mates and numerous managers such as John O'Mahony, Peter Forde and Liam Sammon and he has enjoyed a glorious career since he made his debut under Bosco McDermott back in 1996.

The Caltra star won two all-Ireland medals with Galway in 1998 and 2001, and he was for a fair few years, one of the best wing-backs in the game. He was also honoured with All-Stars for his brilliance in both 2000 and 2001.

His fitness levels were legendary within the game and his stamina and pace often found wing-forwards marking him, as he bombed forward, rather than the other way around. His commitment to Galway's cause over the past fifteen years has been exemplary.

Few will forget the glorious goal he scored against Kerry in the All-Ireland final of 2000.

He was also a crucial player for Caltra in their drive to All-ireland success in 2004 and his displays with his club that season were astonishingly good.

Meehan also won an All-Ireland colleges medal lining out at centre-back with St Jarlath's college in 1994.

Quite a stroke by Mr Prenty to locate this in Ballyhaunis 

The Connacht Council of the GAA have welcomed the news that their proposed new €10m Centre of Excellence has successfully come through the planning process.

Last month, Mayo County Council granted permission for the project, and the 30-day period has now elapsed during which any objectors can appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

No appeals have been lodged which means the Council can now commence preparations for making the Centre of Excellence dream a reality.

'We are absolutely delighted with this news. It means we can progress our plans now to build the first provincial GAA Centre of Excellence in the country, and the benefits will be felt by young sportspeople and their mentors all over the province,' said Connacht GAA Secretary John Prenty.

'The permission granted to us by Mayo County Council involves us scaling back our plans in some areas, and we are happy to do that. We addressed worries expressed by local residents in the area and everything is now in place.'

The Council purchased a 60-acre site at Cloonacurry, Bekan - on the Knock-Ballyhaunis road - and Mr Prenty said preparations would begin immediately.

'Contract prices have reduced substantially in recent times, so we should get good value now,' he said.

The centre will feature six outdoor GAA pitches, a 900-seater stand on the main pitch, a state-of-the-art indoor pitch, gymnasium, and related facilities.

'We expect to start advertising for tenders for the work in the coming weeks, and we would hope to have work commenced by late autumn,' added Mr Prenty.

Money generated by rugby and soccer internationals in Croke Park has been earmarked for the project.

'The big winners in this project will be young people from all over the province. The centre is ideally located in the middle of the province, and we now look forward to a day soon when the Centre is used on a daily basis,' said Mr Prenty.

'It is a historic time for the GAA in Connacht. We would hope to have the project completed by 2012.'

Full back Geordan Murphy, hooker Jerry Flannery and backrow Stephen Ferris are the three changes to the Ireland team to take on Argentina in the Guinness series from the team that was named to play New Zealand last Saturday.
Murphy comes into the side in place of Girvan Dempsey and Flannery and Rory Best swap positions between the replacements and starting side from that game against New Zealand. Stephen Ferris returns to blindside flanker after starting in that position against Canada and coming on as a replacement last weekend.

In the forward replacements, Malcolm O'Kelly is named as cover for secondrow. One position is being left vacant and will be confirmed following the appeal by the Ireland team to Alan Quinlan's three week suspension. The appeal will be heard on Friday, 21st November.

Ireland Team (V Argentina, GUINNESS Series 2008, Saturday November 22nd, Croke Park, 14:45)

15 – Geordan Murphy (Leicester)

14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

13 – Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) Capt.

12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)

11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)

10 – Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)

9 – Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)

2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)

3 – John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)

4 – Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)

5 – Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)

6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

7 – David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)

17 – Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)

18 – Malcolm O'Kelly (St.Mary's College/Leinster)

19 – A.N. Other

20 – Eoin Reddan (Wasps)

21 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

22 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

The Ireland team to play New Zealand shows six changes
from the starting team that opened the GUINNESS Series
with a victory over Canada in Thomond Park last Saturday.
Girvan Dempsey comes into the side at fullback and
Tomas O'Leary is selected to start his first international at
scrumhalf, having previously come on as a replacement
against Argentina. Both Keith Earls and Eoin Reddan revert
to the replacements after starting last weekend.

The remaining four changes are all in the pack with Rory
Best and John Hayes starting at hooker and prop
respectively following their introduction as replacements
last week. The backrow combination also sees changes
with Alan Quinlan and David Wallace, who were both try
scoring replacements against Canada, starting on either
side of the scrum.

The team will be captained by Brian O'Driscoll for the 50th
time.

Ireland Team (to play New Zealand, GUINNESS Series
2008, Croke Park, Saturday November 15th 17:15)

15 – Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster)

14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

13 – Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)

12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)

11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)

10 – Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)

9 – Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)

2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)

3 – John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)

4 – Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)

5 – Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)

6 – Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)

7 – David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)

17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)

18 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

19 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary's College/Leinster)

20 - Eoin Reddan (Wasps)

21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

22 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

In Killarney and Kenmare with Mrs GI this weekend and would welcome any suggestions for some good pubs and restaurant in both locations.  I'm particularly looking for a good GAA pub in Killarney to watch the hurling on Sat evening. Cheers..................

The former Fianna Fáil Minister, Séamus Brennan, died in the early hours of this morning at his home in Churchtown in Dublin.

He was 60, and had been unwell for some time.

Séamus Brennan was appointed Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism on 14 June 2007 but after the resignation of Bertie Ahern he stepped down from the Cabinet.

He had been on the Fianna Fáil front bench, whether in Government or in Opposition, continuously since 1987.

A former General Secretary of Fianna Fáil (1973-1980), he was first elected to the Dáil in 1981.

Born in Galway, he made his home in Dublin from the early 1970s, and represented Dublin South from the time the constituency was created.

[Space-age Hurl]

Space-age Hurl

There might not have been too much of note in O'Moore Park on Sunday as Offaly dished out a 16-points defeat to Laois, but the game did mark one significant event.

Offaly wing-back Diarmuid Horan - whose father Padraig skippered them to their first All-Ireland in 1981 and heralded a glorious new era for hurling - made his championship debut.

However, what was noteworthy was that the 20-year old did not use a hurl made from ash. Instead, Horan used a graphite stick of synthetic materials which has been produced by an Offaly company following almost six years of research.

A number of alternatives to the ash hurl have been tried over the years but the acid test was always going to be when a player felt comfortable bringing it into the heat of senior championship hurling. A Ferbane-based company called Cultec, headed up by businessmen John Grehan and Tom Wright, has spent six years developing the product.

Grehan points out that every other sport in the world has moved away from timber - such tennis rackets, golf clubs, badminton rackets, fishing rods, baseball bats and snooker cues - and that it was only a matter of time before hurling did.

The fact that the Cultec hurls rarely break made them appealing to underage teams - they can be handed down - but Horan's use in senior championship hurling is probably the most significant step forward in the sport in a long time.

The player himself says that he finds it better than the ash stick, pointing out that there is a cleaner and marginally longer strike.

We have all seen the advances in the likes of tennis and golf as science makes a bigger contribution to the rackets and clubs used.

It will be interesting to see the progress which will be made in hurling but there is no doubt, Diarmuid Horan's use of a non-ash hurl in Portlaoise on Sunday represents a milestone for the sport.

Connacht fan critical after Belfast attack
Monday, 14 April 2008 12:13

A 43-year-old man is in a critical condition after being severely beaten in an attack in Belfast city centre early on Saturday.

Connacht supporter Paul Newton was in Belfast for the Magnier's league match against Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday evening

The Roscommon man was attacked outside his hotel in Bradbury Place at around 3.30am on Saturday morning and suffered serious head and facial injuries.

Mr Newton, who now lives in Sligo, has been placed on a life support machine in the intensive care unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Close family members are maintaining a bedside vigil.

The PSNI is anxious to speak to two women who may have been in the area when the assault occurred.

[Bowe and O'Driscoll in Ireland XV]

Bowe and O'Driscoll in Ireland XV

Ireland have recalled Tommy Bowe and Mick O'Driscoll to the starting XV for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland and included Paul O'Connell on the bench. It has also emerged that captain Brian O'Driscoll is a slight injury doubt.

Bowe has been rewarded for his sparkling form for Ulster by replacing Geordan Murphy on the right wing.

It is the 23-year-old's first involvement with Ireland since he started last August's World Cup warm-up match against the same opposition.

Murphy was given a torrid time by opposite number Vincent Clerc in the 26-21 defeat by France and is omitted from the squad altogether.

O'Connell missed the opening two games of the Six Nations because of a long-term back injury sustained during the World Cup, but Ireland's pack leader and vice-captain completed his recovery on Magners League duty for Munster at the weekend.

O'Driscoll is promoted to the starting line-up - he was included among the substitutes against Italy and France - where he will pack down alongside Donncha O'Callaghan.

Munster lock O'Driscoll replaces Malcolm O'Kelly, who drops out of the squad, in the only other change to the starting line-up from the narrow defeat in Paris.

Leinster's Shane Horgan, who was also in the running to replace Murphy, continues on the bench.

Head coach Eddie O'Sullivan revealed there is a slight doubt over skipper Brian O'Driscoll.

O'Sullivan said: 'Brian's calf tightened up in training. He should be fine but we'll see later in the week. Luke Fitzgerald is on standby as cover. If a player gets a niggle early in the week then it's always a concern but the match is on Saturday.

'We need a player on standby just in case he doesn't make it, but it's just a precaution. I'm not worried about him. Brian is a power runner and does pick up the odd niggle.'

There has been a growing clamour for Bowe's inclusion and O'Sullivan confirmed he could no longer ignore his claims to selection.

He said: 'Tommy is playing really well and has forced his way into the team. He has really been putting his hand up.'

O'Sullivan added: 'Paul O'Connell is back and has forced his way into the 22. One of the locks had to drop out because of that and it was a tough call on Malcolm.

'But Mick did well off the bench in Paris and that justifies his place in the team.'

Ireland team for RBS 6 Nations match against Scotland at Croke Park on Saturday:

G Dempsey (Leinster); T Bowe (Ulster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), A Trimble (Ulster), R Kearney (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), E Reddan (Wasps); M Horan (Munster), B Jackman (Leinster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster).

Replacements: R Best (Ulster), T Buckley (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Easterby (Llanelli), P Stringer (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), S Horgan (Leinster).

Fabio Capello is set to become the richest coach in international football when he signs for a £6.5million-a-year contract to be the next England manager.


The Football Association board have approved a deal that will see Capello earn £4million annually after tax - the same as England captain John Terry's £130,000-a-week.


The size of the salary is an indication of the FA's determination to sign a 'world-class' coach after the failure to qualify for Euro 2008 cost them at least £12million and probably considerably more in terms of damage to the England brand.


The final details of the contract are expected to be hammered out today, after which it will be announced that Capello will bring three or four fellow Italians with him for his coaching staff, including his trusted aide Franco Baldini as his assistant.


The 61-year-old has also expressed a desire to have English coaches as part of his set-up as well, and will decide who these should be at a later date.


Contrary to some reports however, Baldini will not fulfil the role of the FA's technical director.


FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said: 'Discussions have continued throughout yesterday between the FA and Fabio Capello's advisors.


'The FA board has also approved Capello's appointment as England manager subject to the successful conclusion of these contract negotiations.


'I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion.'


The FA board approved the appointment through a conference call, although at least one member felt the decision could have waited until next week's full board meeting on December 19, given the size of the contract.


FA chief executive Brian Barwick is keen to get the deal sewn up, however, and sees little to gain from delaying the decision.


Barwick is also comfortable with Capello's plans for his coaching staff, especially since the Italian himself proposed having English coaches as part of his set-up.


There will not be an immediate announcement of who these might be - candidates suggested have included Stuart Pearce and Alan Shearer - as it will be Capello who chooses them.


Baldini, who has worked with Capello at his former clubs Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus, said: "Capello will be England coach for sure.


'I understand the FA has, in principle, said 'yes' to me doing this job as well. If I do not, I think Capello will still be England coach, but maybe he will be a little less comfortable.'

Ulster Rugby has this morning confirmed that Mark McCall has resigned from his post as head coach, with immediate effect.

McCall, who was appointed to the head coaching role in the summer of 2004 has been under pressure following Ulster's recent run of poor form culminating in a 32-14 defeat to Gloucester in the opening round of the Heineken Cup at Ravenhill on Friday.

The 39-year-old officially tendered his resignation yesterday evening and Ulster Rugby Chief Executive Michael Reid held a press conference today at Ravenhill at which he formally announced the resignation of Mark McCall and read the following statement.

'Mark McCall tendered his resignation to myself and Chairman Cecil Watson yesterday evening. This offer was considered and accepted with regret by the Professional Team Management Committee later last night.

'I have met this morning with Steve Williams who has taken charge of team affairs with immediate effect.

'The poor results this season have been very difficult for us all and ultimately have brought us to where we are today, however, I believe strongly that the following is recorded.'

'Mark McCall has been an outstanding committed Coach for Ulster, meticulous in his preparation he endeavoured to create an environment of empowerment for the players.

'During his three years in the job, nine players received International recognition, a greater number of new caps than at any stage since the game turned professional, and an achievement which was down to the player identification and hard work of Mark and Allen Clarke.'

Warren Gatland has been appointed the new coach of Wales, his New Zealand province Waikato said.


The Welsh Rugby Union were due to hold a press conference later today to announce their new coach but Waikato, where Gatland has been coaching for the past three seasons, broke the news early when they announced he was leaving New Zealand.


'The Wales coaching job was an opportunity too good to turn down for Warren who had aspirations to continue as an international coach,' Waikato Rugby Union chief executive Graham Bowen told the New Zealand Press Association.


'The Waikato Rugby Union fully supports Warren in his decision to coach at international level again.'


Gatland, 44, who coached Ireland from 1998 to 2001, said he was thrilled by the appointment.


'I've been given the opportunity to coach at the highest level,' he said.


'While it was a hard decision to make to leave Waikato it is the ultimate dream for me to coach at this level again.'


Gatland played 17 tour games for New Zealand between 1988 and 1991 but never played a test for the All Blacks.

The Wales coaching job became available in September when Gareth Jenkins was sacked after his team were knocked out of the World Cup by Fiji.

2007 GPA/OPEL Gaelic Players Hurling Team of the Year:

Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford)

Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny)
Stephen Lucey (Limerick)
Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny)

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)
Ken McGrath (Waterford)
Mark Foley (Limerick)

James Fitzpatrick (Kilkenny)
Michael Walsh (Waterford)

Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)
Ollie Moran (Limerick)
Dan Shanahan (Waterford)

Andrew O'Shaughnessy (Limerick)
Henry Shefflin (Kilkenny)
Martin Comerford (Kilkenny)

Enough of the anthem, flag, newspaper crap, what do you think the result will be ?

Ireland 20 France 16  (I live in hope.................)

I know this topic has probably been done to death on here, but Im looking to upgrade the Club website to something decent and I'm just wondering what are the approx costs involved and who would ye recommend to do a proper job in terms of setup etc.

Cheers

Might as well get this started.  An update from the Galway camp below -

Diarmuid Blake is out of Galway's plans for Sunday's NFL Division 1A clash with Louth in Dowdallshill.

The centre back from Milltown was forced to retire with a hamstring injury during last Sunday's game against Westmeath, when Galway came from behind to win, and he wasn't able to train on Tuesday night.

"It's definitely not looking good for Diarmuid. If he's ruled out, he'll be a big loss," said Galway boss Peter Ford.

"However, we're not badly off in terms of cover as Declan Meehan came on as a sub last Sunday and Kieran Fitzgerald and Gary Sice are back in training."

Another must win game for Galway on Sunday.  A good win v Armagh must be built on, but definitely cannot afford to go a full half without scoring again !  PJ's return last time out combined with the introduction of Niall Coleman was crucial and in the end was the difference between the sides.  Coleman has to start this Sunday as his abrasive nature is exactly whats requied in this team at the moment.  Looks like we are still without the 2 Meehans, Fitzy and Gary Sice so team selection will not be a whole lot different from last day. 

Kildare are going very well at the moment and a win on Sunday wouldn't leave them that far off a semi spot.  I know their missing Sweeney but not sure who else is out through injury.  John Doyle is going great guns and hopefully Blake will at least break even here, if not, expect Damien Burke to be given the role of man marking him.

Galway have a very good record v Kildare in recent years, so Galway by 2 for me (hopefully !)