Mayo Club Football.

[ballinaman]

Anyone going to support Davitts on Sunday? I'll pop my head into Croker anyways.

[spuds]

Cannot make it myself but thought this bit in Mayo news was funny if a little flowery. Be a massive achievement if they can win. Best of luck to them.

Some Davitts GAA club characters came out to talk football when we visited Irishtown and Ballindine last week

Willie McHugh

"Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi, American football coach.

AROUND Irishtown and Ballindine the weather depicts the mood of the region. St Brigid's Day and the universe axis rotates towards spring. But on this tropic it's gone a cog or two beyond. The flags of hope unfurl on an afternoon plucked from high summer.
Chances are it was a day like this that inspired Raftery's famous lines, "Anois teacht an Earraigh beidh an lá ag dul chun síneadh" as he ambled along the N17 heading home to Mayo.
They've already carved their own permanent niche in the history of Ireland around here.
In the normal scheme of things Michael Davitt might have rocked the cradle of the Land League movement in his native Straide. But he had his finger on a stronger pulse where the real passion of Mayo swells. He torched the first kindling twigs of his dream in a field near Irishtown on April 20, 1879. From there he fanned the flames of the rebellion that gave the land back to the people.
His spirit lives on. The harrow of time has cultivated his legacy into the fields of Cloonmore, Lisduff, Leface (Kearns country) and Woodstock where it will harvest in abundance for ever more. Festooned with flags and bunting Irishtown is putting its best foot forward this week. The All-Ireland club final against Milltown-Castlemaine beckons for the local team.
A journey that started out in early spring with an O'Mara Cup fixture against Hollymount/Carramore will play out its final chapter of the marathon it became in Croke Park on Sunday. People are eyeballing glory and their special place in the annals of football greatness around Ballindine and Irishtown this week.
Gretta McManus owns the Corner Shop and Hair Salon in Irishtown. Appointments for a perm are at a premium now. Gretta had stepped out momentarily, handing the reins to her able deputy Josie Canny.
St Brigid's crosses jostle for position on the shelf with Davitts caps and headbands. Religion has to give way but then it has always arm wrestled with football for the high ground around those parts.
Josie's son Alan and his girlfriend Caroline Mooney will be hanging on to every word winding down the wires to Brisbane on Sunday. Ditto with her son Ronan in Toronto. Mum will be in Croke Park with the rest of the parish watching the history unfold.
The daffodils are in flirtatious bloom on the road west towards Ballindine.
In McHugh's Cost Cutter shop, the upbeat mood of customers and staff is infectious. The young man at the checkout is a tad prouder wearing the red and black. Albeit the Texaco uniform, it also doubles as the club colours.
Despite his Claremorris lineage, Keith Cawley is firmly behind Davitts. "They're a great team and their lovely brand of football deserves success. Parish rivalry is for another day."
John Stagg of Stagg Betting is reluctant to take wagers on the outcome this week. "To tell you the truth, I'm happier not to. It wouldn't seem right to me because I'd prefer to support them as I've been doing all along. This is about more than placing bets."
A former Hollymount footballer, he's a veteran of many an honest to goodness tussle with the border boys. His attitude illustrates the way it is right now in all neighbouring clubs.
Places like Milltown, Dunmore, Ballyhaunis, Claremorris, Garrymore, Hollymount/Carramore and indeed every other club in Mayo are throwing in their lot with Davitts and Clonbur who contest the junior final in the opener on Sunday. Both clubs carry the best wishes of two counties up the N4.
Joe Reapy, Davitts' PRO, acknowledges other inputs. "The Centre of Excellence in Bekan has been available to us for training and challenge matches and also the Claremorris Athletic indoor arena. It's important we thank them publicly because their help is not something we take for granted."

LAST week two curious lads from Castlemaine arrived in town looking for the inside track and a video on Davitts. A case of bravery trespassing into madness on their part.
'The Wild Colonial Boys' left empty-handed with a parting shot from one wag echoing in their ears. He assured them Roche, Conroy, McNamara, Boyle and the rest would afford them a real time example of Davitts' game-plan in Croke Park on Sunday.
Frank and Mary Clarke run Clarkes in Ballindine but, if truth be told, it's more than a pub. Football is the currency they trade in here. A welcoming fire, copious cups of coffee, (or stronger if you've the mind for it) and genuine raillery rank high among the many fine trademarks of this famous establishment.
Any mention of Davitts right now triggers the word discipline in the discourse. It's Pete Warren's well-worn mantra.
But, while Frank acknowledges what the manager has now instilled into this team, he takes exception to the perception of Davitts in the past.
"I'd be inclined to regard it as commitment that was sometimes mistaken for indiscipline. We've got a lot of bad press but some of the teams we were playing weren't always angels either.
"Sometimes we're regarded as a crowd from outer space and it's time we put that myth to sleep. I've never witnessed any violence. Even from a business point of view, in running this pub, I've never had a minute's trouble here and we have plenty of banter from both sides of the border. But never a wrong word is spoken and that says something."
Pa Kirrane is the godfather of football in this bailiwick. From just inside the Galway border, Pa's involvement with Davitts spans six decades. He still possesses the same boyish enthusiasm as when the club was formed in 1951.
"We played as Ballindine for a while, we disbanded, and reformed, and then played as Ballindine and then Irishtown," he explained. "Then in 1974 we came together and had a meeting and decided we'd call the club Davitts. We won the O'Mara Cup and South Mayo Junior in 1975. "I became manager in '78 and we got to the Intermediate Final that year, and again in 1980, before we won it in 1981. In 1983 we got to the County Senior Final against Knockmore losing in controversial circumstances."
Pa could improvise also. The story of the John Treacy substitution deserves an airing.  Joe Reapy tells it best.
"We were playing an underage match and John got a final warning before the interval. John was a bit fiery and we knew he was in danger of getting the long walk in the second half. His brother Jimmy was injured so Pa ordered John into the showers for a good washing at half-time. He put a clean jersey on him and gave him a slip of paper. John presented himself to the ref as substitute Jimmy Treacy for the second half starting off with a clean slate again."
In 1986 Davitts played Castlebar Mitchels in the county senior semi-final with the game going to a replay. Laurence Daly remembers the day vividly.
"My father died that morning. We could have got a postponement but I wanted to play because the team was so tightly-knit and I couldn't let them down. That unity exists to this present day. There's one thing about Davitts, we're all for one and one for all. This group of players have that also but then it's inbred into every Davitts player."

GER CONROY won a county senior medal with Claremorris in 1971. His son Michael captains Davitts now. "I came here in '76 and got involved with the club at under-age. I'm teaching in Irishtown for the last thirty-five years and the excitement this has brought to the kids in the school is unreal.
"I'd also say the whole community is uplifted by it. Recession just doesn't come into it right now and people are so united. It has brought a new dimension to parish pride and I'll never forget the pride I witnessed the night of the Connacht Final. You only see that in rural clubs."
Liam Griffin lives in Irishtown. "The optimism is unreal. Everyone from the tot in the cot to the most mature person in the community has a spring in their step. I think of great players from the past who are emigrants now but the amount of them who returned for the matches is unbelievable and gives the team a great boost.
"And the ones who cannot make it back because it's not always that easy are in our hearts too and we know how much this wonderful journey means to them and makes them long for home."
Louis Treacy is fulsome in his praise of their youth policy. "All the lads on this team are products of the underage structure we have here. They were the first under-12 team from the club to play in division one and they have been in a county final right through the levels every year since.  And we have to give full credit to Pete Warren.
"I was a bit sceptical of bringing someone from outside because we had lads in before and it didn't work. But fair play to Pete because discipline was needed here and he brought that and the players are fully behind him and would go through iron for him. It's a measure of the type of man he is."
Pa Kirrane again. "He has two great selectors with him in John Treacy and Jarlath Trench. I believe Jarlath's speeches would put the hair standing on the back of your head and he travels from Foxford for every training session. He couldn't have two better men on his shoulder. I sang, 'The Fields of Athenry' for Pete below in Burke's of Irishtown the night we won the semi-final and as far as I know Ger [Conroy] walked out until I was finished."
Pa Kirrane will sing in Ballindine and Irishtown again.
They are busy readying themselves for the greatest day in the history of a proud club. Michael Davitt will lend his support from the Veranda of Heaven. And Joe Reapy was right. They had no time for winter in Ballindine or Irishtown this year. The early football promise of last spring blossomed and now nears fruition.
From Irishtown to Idaho and Ballindine to Boston this odyssey has gripped the imagination.
The dream still lives. Davitts' alarm clock is ticking loud.

[ross4life]

All the best to Davitts on Sunday never easy v any Kerry side but i think Michael Conroy will fire them to victory.

[Farrandeelin]

Hopefully Davitts can do the business on Sunday. All-Irelands are not easily won, especially against Kerry opposition. I'm sure the whole county will be behind them for the big occasion.

[macdanger2]

Good luck to Davitts

[highorlow]

Anyone going to support Davitts on Sunday? I'll pop my head into Croker anyways.

I'll be there shouting for them. Hope they do it.

[Tubberman]

Best of luck to Davitts - would be great to see them bring back an All-Ireland title.
If I was staying in Dublin for the weekend I'd be in Croker to shout them on (and Clonbur), but am heading west for the match in McHale park and won't make it back up on time.

[Farrandeelin]

Meanwhile, back to the bread and butter stuff of the Sweeney Cup in North Mayo Knockmore defeated Ballina Stephenites by 3-15 to 1-7.

[ballinaman]

Up Davitts.....looking forward to croker today

[mannix]

good luck to davitts

[maigheo]

Davitts in trouble early on in croke park.Davitts 0.02  Milltown castlemaine 1.05

[ballinaman]

down by 4 at the half and miltown value for it. micky c and mcnamara playing great stuff.

[ballinaman]

Never got going in the 2nd half. Miltown were a slick outfit, you'd know they were playing senior Kerry football a few years ago.

[macdanger2]

Hard luck on Davitts, very disappointing for them.

[boosabum]

Another poor day in HQ for Mayo football.
The galway boys take home the bacon albeit very luckily in my opinion and the mayo lads unfortunately get a bit of a lesson.
Hopefully they can bounce back, still a great achievement