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Laurel you wouldnt happen to know what the Cavan team was would you?

Sorry, the only one who I'd have known was Dermot Sheridan (neighbour's child). Numbers 10 and 14 were the main dangers, I thought.

[Hastings Cup (Under-21)]

Hastings Cup (Under-21)

Longford 1-7 Cavan 1-10

Cavan notched up a second win in wet and windy Mullahoran this morning. Cavan had the wind in the first half and were 0-7 to 0-1 ahead at one stage before Longford drew back some of the deficit to go in 0-7 to 0-4 at half time. Longford made some - but not enough - use of the wind in the second half to dominate the third quarter and led by 1-6 to 0-8 at one stage, but then faded out in the final quarter, with a mistake in defence leaving Cavan with only the goalkeeper to beat and a three point advantage that Longford were never able to close. Longford need to win their final match next weekend against Roscommon to have a chance of progressing to the tournament final.

Patrick Rogers (Mullinalaghta); Pádraig McGrath (Carrickedmond), Kevin Moran (Carrickedmond), Jody Connolly (Granard); Paul Kelly (Longford Slashers), Peter Foy (Cashel), Aidan Rowan (Cashel); Joe McCormack (Killoe, 0-1), John O'Shea (Carrickedmond); Gerard Dennigan (Cashel), Seán McCormack (Killoe, 0-1), Pádraig Berry (Abbeylara); Colin Smith (Longford Slashers, 1-4, 2 frees), Colm Flynn (Ballymahon, 0-1), Enda Gallagher (Fr Manning Gaels).

Subs: Diarmuid Masterson (Dromard) for Kelly, Shane Doyle (Kenagh) for Gallagher, James Hanley (Rathcline) for Dennigan, Mark Duffy (Fr Manning Gaels) for O'Shea.

Was a bit disappointed what they went for last Sunaday at full back. For me thats never going to work and its now we should be working to get a replacement

You would have thought that that lesson had been learnt in Killarney.

So the Declan Reilly nomenclature issue has commenced.  Just as well something has commenced, I suppose.

The Indo refers to Declan "County" (Cornadrung) as Declan "G" Reilly, while referring to the "new" Declan Reilly as simply "Declan Reilly", which may be a bit confusing for the casual observer.

[O'Byrne Cup]

O'Byrne Cup

Longford 0-14 DIT 2-9

Longford were seriously understrength for this one and while they might have sneaked a win, they could equally have been beaten by more, with Damien Sheridan having to make a few good saves. Podgie Davis made his return at corner-forward and was the main scorer for Longford, getting about 9 or 10 points, the majority of them from frees. The rest of the forward line would be relatively new, but to be honest they weren't delivered enough ball to be able to make too much of an impact. The worries for Longford were in the defence and at midfield, where they had more of their first choices available but were seriously outclassed by the DIT forwards at times.

Longford: Damien Sheridan (Dromard); Dermot Brady (Longford Slashers), Barry Gilleran (Longford Slashers), Cathal Conefrey (Dromard, 0-1); Noel Farrell (Colmcille), David Mitchell (Rochfortbridge), Declan "County" Reilly (Colmcille); Bernard McElvaney (Ballymore), Liam Keenan (Ardagh, 0-1); Paul O'Hara (Killoe), Trevor Smullen (Ballymahon, 0-1), Peter Foy (Cashel); Declan Farrell (Colmcille), Kevin Mulligan (Mullinalaghta, 0-2), Padraic Davis (Fr Manning Gaels, 0-9).

Subs: Diarmuid Masterson (Dromard) for Gilleran; Declan "not the County" Reilly (Colmcille) for McElvaney; Padraig Berry (Abbeylara) for Declan "County" Reilly, David Blessington (Granard) for Mitchell.

I suppose we can now embark on our defence of the O'Byrne Shield 

its time for the GAA clubs and county boards to look after their players better.

Correct and that starts at club level.  Why does your club not insist that some of the mentors at a game have at least basic first aid training?   If you are aware of such bad luck with injuries at your club then take the first step and get trained yourself, it's your club?

I know in our own club last year we organised a rota of volunteers (the majority of them qualified nurses, but with one or two people who had taken first aid courses as well) and managed to cover every match. The main work involved was in ensuring that the load was spread among all the volunteers - there were arrivals and departures from the set of volunteers due to personal circumstances, but overall things worked out pretty well. The other job involved was making sure the medical kitbag was kept stocked.

[Hastings Cup (Under-21)]

Hastings Cup (Under-21)

Longford 1-10 Leitrim 1-5

An understrength Longford team (missing most of the eligible Senior players) drew away from Leitrim in the second half after having been level at half time. Good performances from Bernard McElvaney, Paul Kelly and Colin Smith. Emlyn Mulligan (cousin of Longford players Shane and Kevin Mulligan) got almost all of Leitrim's scores.

No programme for the €10 entrance fee, but from memory the Longford team was:

Cillian Burns (Killoe); Pádraig McGrath (Carrickedmond?), Diarmuid Masterson (Dromard), Kevin Moran (Carrickedmond); Gerard Melia (Cashel), Mark Duffy (Fr Manning Gaels), Paul Kelly (Longford Slashers); Joe McCormack (Killoe), Bernard McElvaney (Ballymore); Gerard Dennigan (Cashel), Peter Foy (Cashel), Aidan Rowan (Cashel); Enda Gallagher (Fr Manning Gaels), Colin Smith (Longford Slashers), Shane Doyle (Kenagh).

Subs: James Hanley (Rathcline) for Melia, Jody Connolly (Granard) for McGrath, Niall Mulligan (Longford Slashers) Kiernan (Fr Manning Gaels) for Rowan.

We felt that he didn't come up to inter-county standard and that was after watching him a number of times

Jaysus, talk about a hostage to fortune. If Dolan does join the family circle in Westmeath (Dessie Snr as trainer next year??), then I'd back him to score a hatful if they come across Roscommon in the qualifiers or somewhere.

Dessie Sr. is otherwise occupied with Leitrim at the moment. Dessie Sr. was training Ballymahon at the time that Frankie was "living" there.

A properly motivated Frankie would be a benefit to most county teams.

Aye, but "properly motivated" is the money quote there. The second year that he was playing with Ballymahon, he did feck-all for them - they got to the final, but were hammered by Clonguish with Frankie only managing a single point and being there in body but not in spirit.

The danger is that an improperly motivated Frankie could do a lot of damage off the field.

Why does Cavan have thsi tag of being big payers, they cant be any better or worse than most other counties.

I think Cavan spent something like €1 million last year on the county team. The figures were in the Celt the week before last in the County Convention report.

Wonder did he make discreet enquiries into Longford? He has form there ye know with Ballymahon.

I'm sure that "flat" in Ballymahon where he was "living" would still be available.

Hope he did only to be told to eff off.

Who did he think we were? Cavan?

To be honest, I doubt if we could have afforded him - in either sense of the word.

The oul crayonese isn't the fun it used to be at all

It still has its moments:

the year Luke Dempsey's men wove, not a thread but, a rope of confidence through the heart of Longford football

a tumultous year for all with a sky blue hue north west of the pale

[someone]

Ulster scotch seems more like an accent than a language.

Surely yis are missing a trick down there in Pure Mule Country.

Get Biffo Cowen to hand over a couple of million for an Offaly Translation Board to be sited in, say, Ferbane. It's every bit as distinctive and incomprehensible a language as anything that the Laird Lord o Airtigerven has come up with so far and there must be someone in Shinrone or Shannonbridge whose rights are being trampled on by the Government's indifference to your distinctive culture.

LaurelEye, President-for-Life of the Mullinyarta-Scatch Langwitch Societie (currently seeking €20 million or so in grant aid to preserve our unique dialect that no-one else in Longford understands).

[A new beginning beckons]

Another year beckons, another year of Crayonese....

A new beginning beckons

29 December 2006

Year after year, it had been the same old story for the Longford footballers. But not in 2006 as ace attacker Brian Kavanagh is happy to acknowledge.

Last summer Longford made it into the last 12 of the All-Ireland for the first time since 1968 and locals say the county's finest have no longer any fear.

A few weeks on since its completion and the 2006 championship season is being viewed down in the midlands as the year Luke Dempsey's men wove, not a thread but, a rope of confidence through the heart of Longford football.

It was almost August before Dempsey's dynamos were forced to call it quits in the championship.

So many days in the sun, so much potential revealed.

These days, county attacker Brian Kavanagh has been recognised around town by fair-weather football fans and afficionados like never before.

And he doesn't mind admitting that he's enjoying the limelight.

"It's great. There's been a tremendous feedback from our championship run," he says.

The team has got great publicity all year and it's probably an awful long time since a Longford squad was held in such high esteem by the people of the county.

Being on the television a couple of times has done wonders for the exposure of Longford football.

Definitely in other years, the county team wasn't noticed nearly as much."
Just like Longford, Brian sprung into the mind's eye of football fans north, south, east and west following his powerful performances through the Leinster SFC and thereafter in the All-Ireland qualifiers. His was a season to behold; Longford's a season to remember as the one that lit up the qualifiers like no other team managed to do. According to their lightning quick corner-forward, Longford remain work-in-progress.

"We're still a coming team; we haven't arrived at our best yet.

"The squad is made up of an awful lot of the lads that played against Galway when we won the All-Ireland Vocational schools title in 2003.

"Fourteen of the team that played under 21 this year are eligible again in 2007 and the pressure they'll be putting on the lads on the senior team can only benefit everyone."
Reflecting on what was a tumultous year for all with a sky blue hue north west of the pale, the Ardagh St. Patrick's clubman says he will never forget meeting Kerry in round four of the qualifiers when, sadly, the team met its waterloo.

"We lost but didn't let ourselves down and I think the supporters would go along with that. What stands out for me looking back on that day in Killarney was reception that around 8,000 Longford fans gave us as we ran out for the kickabout before the throw-in.

"Most of them travelled the guts of 150 miles which showed tremendous loyalty and commitment.

"The big thing for us was that we didn't want to flop on such a stage but after having played Dublin and Derry we knew what we were capable of and we didn't lack for confidence or heart, especially after seeing how Dublin did after our game with them.

"It seems like our man Kavanagh epitomises the 'new' Longford which has a swagger to its game, an innate belief that they're as good as the best around and the ambition to match their skills, pace and strength which courses through every sector of the team.

In fairness, Longford football's renaissance has been pretty well sign-posted.

A hugely impressive Fr. Manning Cup (under 16) triumph in 2001 signalled the advent of a wave of confident, skilful and ambitious young footballers - the now 20 year old Kavanagh among them.

And while Louth shocked them in the 2003 Leinster MFC, their star continued in the ascendant with the winning of the 2005 Hastings Cup.

Add in a brace of Leinster under 21 semi-final and another couple of under 21 final placings and the picture of emerging talent becomes all the clearer.

So when the bulk of those players were carefully stitched into a team already embroidered with such 'old' hands as Damien Sheridan and the Barden brothers, there was something definitely cooking inland.

Under Luke Dempsey's watch, there has been a vivid sense of bonhomie built up about the camp and this camaraderie has been manifest in the team's improved performances over the duration of 2006.

The past year represented Brian's first full year with the Longford seniors and he freely confesses that sliding up the scales from under 21 to seniors did require a certain adjustment.

"It was a huge step-up.

"The difference in physicality between the grades is very noticeable and the quality of ball that you get as a forward is much better.

Luckily for a forward, Luke (Dempsey) encourages the lads to let the ball into the forwards as quickly as possible which suits me!"
Of course, Brian didn't collect any medals for all his and Longford's heroics in the past year.

Among all the highlights was the low point last spring when Laois triumphed in the Leinster Under 21 decider.

"It was very disappointing, especially after we had beaten Kildare - the defending champions - in the semi-final.

"That Laois team had won the All-Ireland minor title three years ago and were supposed to be the favourites but we beat them but then Kildare beat us by two points which was a real sickener," explains Brian who featured at full-forward on the Longford under 21 team of 2006.

One of the stars of St. Patrick's run to the Longford intermediate final of 2005 (along with county colleague Liam Keenan), Brian says he wasn't as surprised as most people in Longford and further afield that things panned out the way they did in '06.

Even though Longford's lot looked a pretty dim one after their 19 points defeat to Dublin in the 2005 Leinster SFC quarter-final?
"We were missing a lot of players for the game with Dublin last year; fellas like Trevor Smullen and Liam Keenan.

"In fairness, Dublin were phenomenal that day. But at the start of 2006, I thought 'why couldn't it be Longford's year'. Westmeath won the Leinster title in 2004 I knew we weren't that far off their standard.

"At least we were knew we were nowhere near as bad as the 19 points defeat suggested."
A year later and it was very nearly Dublin who were making all the headlines for the wrong reasons when the two sides clashed again in the provincial championship on June 4th at Pearse Park.

"We played some great stuff against Dublin and should have beaten them," Brian says of the 0-13 to 1-12 setback for Longford.

In the dressing-room after the match, we felt we had short-changed ourselves and that we had let them off the hook.

"We played very well but all the talk in the media after the match was about Dublin and how poorly they had played.

"I suppose the papers do that to sell papers but it was very annoying for us." Longford retained their focus though and handed Waterford a 1-16 to 1-9 thumping in round one of the qualifiers.

"The win over Waterford was another boost because they had beaten Cavan in the last round of the league, in Cavan, and only lost to Kerry in the championship by eight points so we reckoned it wasn't a bad scalp at all."
So what was the side doing particularly well on the field of play?
"We were mentally strong but very fit as well and we had built up our stamina to the extent that our second half performances were our best."
On July 1st, Longford hosted Declan Browne's Tipperary in round two of the qualifiers and again impressed as they sauntered to a 1-23 to 1-10 win.

Brian, a right handful at 6'2" and fighting fit 13 stone, hands much of the credit for the win over the Premier County to his defensive colleagues.

"The backs were great but, overall, there was a great cohesion about the team and good linking-up between the different areas of the team.

"Tipp had won the Tommy Murphy Cup the year before and were said to be on the up.

"But we played well and didn't give them much of a look-in."
With Tipp out of the way, the Longford momentum took a quantum leap as the media belatedly acknowledged the team as the surprise packets of the qualifiers.

Their new moniker would be suitably gilded with a terrific win over ambitious Derry on July 15th in round three. Longford's 1-16 to 2-12 win shook football's hierarchy.

Even allowing for Longford's gung-ho approach to the game, it was widely thought at that time that Longford's odyssey was about to come unstuck at the hands of the Oak Leafers.

"Like most games we played, we went in as underdogs and rightly so.

"They had beaten Tyrone in Omagh, holding them scoreless in the first half on the way to winning the game.

The fact that Paul (Barden) landed a free from over the 45 metre line added to the drama of the game.

"We showed a lot of character to come from behind on a couple of occasions. Beating them in front of our own fans was probably the most enjoyable game of the year for me.

"The supporters were very vocal and there was a terffic carnival-type atmosphere at the match which was really brillant."
All good things have to come to an end, it is said, and Kerry's 4-11 to 1-11 victory, eventually burst Longford's bubble.

"Things just didn't click for us but we didn't disgrace ourselves and I don't think we let anyone down."
And what of 2007?
The pressure will surely be on to at least match the exploits of 2006?
"We'll just have to deal with it.

"The league will come around first and it would be nice to get promotion but the important thing is that we get a settled team, build up our fitness and make sure that we approach every match with confidence in the belief that we can win every time we go out."

http://hoganstand.com/Longford/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=70492

28) The Stadium Director at Croke Park is?

Peter McKenna

72) Who am I? I play with a club called Courtwood, my name has a poetic sound and I won an All Star award in 2003?

Fergal Byron (Laois goalkeeper)

48. Mullahourn ,Mountnugent, Munterconnaught

Mullahoran is not on the Meath border. Believe me, I live right beside it and I know! It borders Mullinalaghta and Abbeylara in County Longford, as well as Ballymachugh, Lacken and Gowna in County Cavan, going anti-clockwise from west. Meath only comes in on the far side of Lough Sheelin.

The third one is definitely Maghera - on the road between Virginia and Carnaross.