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Great to see James back involved. The emergence of Westport is a huge bonus for Mayo as it has traditionally been a soccer and rugby bastion. The more interesting news this week is the proposed transfer of Donie Vaughan to Castlebar from Ballinrobe. Will seriously strengthen their hand if true.

Jerusalem debacle, sexual assualt claims, the Russia Files, and now net neu-f**king-trality disappearing. Hope them hicks that voted for Trump never are able to stream a porno into their trailer again.

This is more of what I'm saying about our inability to understand the USA. You mention Jerusalem and net neutrality as if they were two areas in which Trump is out of line with American thinking. He's not. Congress, both Reps and Dems have repeatedly backed this policy. Few Americans can understand any system that does not allow capital influence decision making therefore a web provider accepting payment to promote one product/site over another is like mother's milk to them. Time to be thankful you live in a highly regulated EU.

[And the energy on the left to remove him]

It doesn't matter what you're hearing, if I'm being honest. Trump appeals to a segement of the right, but no one else. It sets him at a severe handicap in general elections as in all but the last one (because the other nominee proved equally divisive) you need to solidify your base to win. Trump didn't even come close to doing that even at his brightest moment. And the energy on the left to remove him will be just as great as any passion there is for him on the alt-right.

Even the democrats won't be able to fumble the ball like the did last year a second time.

There is no left as we understand it. Even Sanders would pass for a Conservative in Ireland. College educated liberals will shout for women's rghts and LGBT rights but economically they couldn't give a sh**e for the low waged, unemployed etc. Trump doesn't either but he has them convinced he does. If you know any tradesmen in USA ask them what they think. You'll be surprised.

Lots of new players training with Galway currently especially as the Corofin players will likely be missing for most it not all the league and there are a number of senior players who will also miss the league as they are recovering from injuries.

Called up are Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh (Leitir Mor), Peter Cooke (Moycullen), Sean Kelly (Moycullen), Ronan Boland (Michael Breathnach), Cein D'Arcy (Caherlistrane), John Maher (Salthil), Eoin Finnerty (Mountbellew-Moylough), Rob Finnerty (Salthill), Dessie Conneely (Moycullen), Ciaran Duggan (Annaghdown), Frankie Burke (Annaghdown), Evan Wynne (Salthill).

Called up from the past two minor teams are Sean Mulkerrin (Oileain Arann) and Evan Murphy (Salthill).



Back after missing 2017 due to injury are Patrick Sweeney (Killanin) and Adrian Varley (Cortoon Shamrocks).

Cillian McDaid (Monivea Abbey) has joined Carlton in the AFL.

Thats Sam sorted for this year then. The Aristocrats are back!

Lots of new players training with Galway currently especially as the Corofin players will likely be missing for most it not all the league and there are a number of senior players who will also miss the league as they are recovering from injuries.

Called up are Sean Andy O'Ceallaigh (Leitir Mor), Peter Cooke (Moycullen), Sean Kelly (Moycullen), Ronan Boland (Michael Breathnach), Cein D'Arcy (Caherlistrane), John Maher (Salthil), Eoin Finnerty (Mountbellew-Moylough), Rob Finnerty (Salthill), Dessie Conneely (Moycullen), Ciaran Duggan (Annaghdown), Frankie Burke (Annaghdown), Evan Wynne (Salthill).

Called up from the past two minor teams are Sean Mulkerrin (Oileain Arann) and Evan Murphy (Salthill).

Back after missing 2017 due to injury are Patrick Sweeney (Killanin) and Adrian Varley (Cortoon Shamrocks).

Cillian McDaid (Monivea Abbey) has joined Carlton in the AFL.

I'm not a Trump supporter, nor a Republican but have children living in the States and a very wide circle of friends and relations across the country. Some are die-hard Republicans, others very active Democrats. Some are former Democrats who are now Trump-Republicans but I know no Democrats who were former Republicans.

Watching people discuss American politics on the Board and elsewhere is like listening to Europeans discussing American gun culture. We just don't get it. We know what we think is the rational approach to guns, we know what a sane response to gun violence should be but we can't get the measure of the the gun-toting brigade. It's the same with Trump. You would imagine that he is in a weak position (if he headed a European democracy he'd be gone) and since we didn't expect to see him get there we don't expect him to survive. But we are judging by European standards and as such judgements are flawed.

I am amazed by the people I know to be well balanced people in secure employment, who would be moderates at home here who are Trump supporters. East coast Democrats are very liberal on social issues but have no feel for the working class. This is what Trump has tapped into. And if we think that he will be easily defeated we have learned nothing. The more the Democrats concentrate on liberal social matters the more they isolate themselves from the white-working class who rightly or wrongly see themselves as the great contributors and the least beneficiaries.

I can't wait to see the back of Trump but based on what I'm hearing I give him a better than 50% chance of getting a second term.

The establishment wing of the Republican party will be delighted with the result despite the tightening of the Senate majority.

Serious wrangling will be done to produce and pass a reconciled Tax Bill before Christmas.

Steve Bannon comes out worse than Trump from this debacle and he'll find it increasingly difficult to get populist, non-conformists on the slate for next year's Senate elections. With 25 Democrats and only 8 Republican seats up for election, the Republicans will be short odds to hold if not increase the Senate majority with middle of the road candidates.
Democrats haven't a viable candidate (as yet) to oppose Trump in 2020 and when they do they will need someone who can inspire both  black and hispanic voters that they are serious about reform (unlike Hillary , who took their votes for granted) while reaching out to the disillusioned white working/labouring class who swung hard to Trump.

Despite how much he is disliked the system favours Trump as the incumbent. If the Republicans can rein him in a little he will still be hard beaten.

Peter Kay cancel's huge sellout tour!!

I hadn't got tickets but Twitter's going mental with the amount of people having bought them as Christmas gifts!

Apparently there is a serious family difficulty involved so it's understandable that he has cancelled.

Mayo run both. Even age competitions are the main competitions. U 11, 13 and 15 played from August onwards. U17 dropped a few years ago due to poor interest.

Some very impressive players on Westport's U21 side. Great to see the third town in the county beginning to emerge as a football power.

It's always encouraging to see fellas like Pat, John Maughan, Kevin McStay etc who are the constantly the targets of trolls, loud-mouths and pub experts continue to deliver.

Prenty made sure that all ties involving two of Roscommon, Galway and Mayo were on a Sunday I see..

Do you have a point?

Financial. Obviously.

And do you agree or disagree with their being scheduled in this way or would you prefer that it was done randomly?

The sad thing is you just knew there would be some poxy sideshow coming down the tracks after this game. A tunnel bust-up this time.
Mourinho is so predictable and yet the soccer journos lap up his utter shite. I grew up as an avid United fan and I still support them but to be honest if Kildare stay up in Div 1 this year I would be more pleased that anything United do in the Premier League.
As I said I still like the club, but I have no time for the way they go out to play. Look at their attacking options yesterday and see how they ended up playing.
As for Lukaku...I see his stats and it says he is a class act, but then you see him barreling around with the ball pinballing off his shins and into defenders...he has to stick that chance. Imagine van Nistelrooy passing that up...
To be honest I am just jealous of City too and it is impossible to dislike lads like Silva and de Bruyne.

I'd be embarrassed if the club I supported was a vehicle for Qatar, with it's brutal laws and human rights record, to try and promote itself.

You'd have no problem supporting City then as it's owners are from the United Arab Emirates, one of the countries to have broken diplomatic relations with Qatar and currently imposing economic restrictions on them. Perhaps you'd be better worrying about a set of owners who allegedly have drained €1 billion from Utd.

Anybody want to comment on legitimacy of Onecoin/OneLife

[Roscommon among others were graded Junior in the 1930s.]

Roscommon among others were graded Junior in the 1930s.
Our second AI was the Junior in 1940 which was our first team.
We then went up to Senior with some success.

You are now clutching at straws. Roscommon applied to be graded at Junior level at the 1938 Connacht Convention, following the move made by Leitrim the previous year. This is/was a move open to any team (most recently a right exercised by Kilkenny). Roscommon played Junior in 1938, '39 (losing the home final to Dublin) and '40 when they won the competition. The following year Ros lost by single point to Galway in the Connacht Final (a Galway team that lost three All Ireland Senior Finals). It is arguable that Roscommon would have held their own in the Senior Championships of '39 & 40 against a declining and internally divided Mayo and an emerging Galway.

At any rate a team can still apply to be regraded to Junior but despite their chances of winning being improved there is no rush to do so. At club level a club can apply to be regraded downwards at any time. That rarely happens either. My own club haven't won a senior club title in almost 50 years. In that time we played Intermediate for two years when Senior Championship status depended on Senior League status. In all that time nobody in the club would dare suggest dropping to Intermediate even if it meant winning. Our local Secondary School won a Hogan Cup in 1977 and an All-Ireland B title in 1996 (Teams knocked out in early round of A were eligible to play B). Anybody in any of the 5 or 6 clubs that contributed to the 1977 team can name that team. Only the families of the 1996 team remember who was on that team.

There is no desire to play in secondary competitions. Players are ambitious. If the players in the counties due to play in the new second tier hurling championship (Joe McDonagh Cup) were given the option of playing in that competition or the Senior Hurling Championship they would vote en-bloc for the upper grade.

Face facts. Secondary competitions are a Ponzi Scheme sold to the gullible. They allow the "Elite" to play more "high-profile" games, hog publicity and sponsors. They undermine the great value of representing your school/club/county even against outrageous odds. It's a continuation of the "everyone gets a medal" Irish dancing mentality that has a place up to U-14 grade.