Ballaghaderreen - what is the gig?

[The Moon is Down]

Our county council is kind enough to fund Ballagh GAA. How sweet of them. I'm going to ask the next councillor I meet why the overall issue of Ballagh has been more forcefully contested by them. I've lived here all my life and I can barely remember hearing a peep from local politicians. Now that Ballagh is paired with Castlerea as one electoral area maybe a Castlerea councillor on the boil will be opportunistic enough to push this into the agenda.

The town itself most certainly has alot of Roscommon people, with the players who want to have the chance of palying for their county playing for the nearest Roscommon club. The exact split is murky because alot of people from outside the town itself identify themselves as part of the community and they come with perhaps even more baggage than the residents. Even Sligo is within throwing distance, there was always a few Sligoians in Nathy's in every year in my school days. The main street looked like it was decked out by a colour blind event organiser before the 2006 AI finals. It's the place you want to be if you want some championship banter with your drink, that's for sure.

This whole issue isn't even as simple as one family being on one side or the other. As an example, two of Andy Moran's cousins, Seanie McDermott, the Roscommon inter-county corner-back, and Derek Moran play for Western Gaels, a Roscommon club. Even Andy's father is a Roscommon man. It's got to the point now that people actively choose sides as children - do I support my parents' county or do I play with all my school friends at the local club? The whole situation is as complete a mess as you're likely to ever find.

I think the end-game is inevitable and will be that Ballagh GAA will either get an exception to allow its players to play for Roscommon or be forced to play in Roscommon as a club. It may even take decades more, but Ballagh GAA's make-up is becoming less and less hard-line Mayo and more of a mixture of both counties. The idea of a separate club was tried but it didn't take hold and Mayo people should be thanking their lucky stars for that because if one became established Ballagh's Mayo heritage would be washed away in a generation. The writing has been on the wall from the moment Ballagh moved to Roscommon, no matter what the emotional position of Mayo people.

In the interests of accuracy, however belated, Seanie McDermott is a first cousin of Derek Moran's, Derek Moran is a first cousin of Andy Moran, but Seanie is not a cousin of Andy.

[highorlow]

God is trying to move the Mayo border before we kick off the championship!

"Earthquake off coast of Mayo
An earthquake of magnitude 4 struck 60km off the Mayo coast at a depth of 3km shortly before 9 o'clock this morning. A spokesperson for the British Geological Survey (BGS), which monitors seismic activity in the UK and Ireland, said it was a "rare and unusual" event in this area, but added that there are usually about 200 small earthquakes around Ireland every year. Tremors were felt in counties Mayo, Sligo and Galway.

The epicentre was located on a fault system that drops the Slyne-Rockall basins down to the west off the Irish shelf. These faults have had a long geological history and are related to the continuing opening of the Atlantic ocean. Seismicity of this magnitude has not been recorded previously along the fault system in this area but it is now clear that it is still geologically active.



Professor Chris Bean, Director of UCD Earth Institute said "As we know, we regularly get small earthquakes on the West coast of Ireland, caused by plate tectonic stresses from distant plate boundaries. However from time to time the size of these natural events can surprise us, like the Magnitude 4 event this morning about 60 km off the Mayo coast".

[AZOffaly]

Moneygall in Offaly was treacherously given to Tipperary by some Bishop back in the 1800s,

So Obama is actually  a Tipperary man?

No. Moneygall GAA was given to Tipperary GAA back then, the civic county is and was Offaly.

[joemamas]

God is trying to move the Mayo border before we kick off the championship!

"Earthquake off coast of Mayo
An earthquake of magnitude 4 struck 60km off the Mayo coast at a depth of 3km shortly before 9 o'clock this morning. A spokesperson for the British Geological Survey (BGS), which monitors seismic activity in the UK and Ireland, said it was a "rare and unusual" event in this area, but added that there are usually about 200 small earthquakes around Ireland every year. Tremors were felt in counties Mayo, Sligo and Galway.

The epicentre was located on a fault system that drops the Slyne-Rockall basins down to the west off the Irish shelf. These faults have had a long geological history and are related to the continuing opening of the Atlantic ocean. Seismicity of this magnitude has not been recorded previously along the fault system in this area but it is now clear that it is still geologically active.



Professor Chris Bean, Director of UCD Earth Institute said "As we know, we regularly get small earthquakes on the West coast of Ireland, caused by plate tectonic stresses from distant plate boundaries. However from time to time the size of these natural events can surprise us, like the Magnitude 4 event this morning about 60 km off the Mayo coast".

That's it.

Mayo to win the All-Ireland.

Where is Mayo Mick

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

The Earth will shake far more than 4 on the Richter Scale when may do win Sam again.

[Syferus]

I thought the King (a Mayoman, who else?) had left his Massy running outside the window.

[Rossfan]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

[Syferus]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

The Cliffs of Kilmovee.. 

[Jinxy]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Join Roscommon or play in the Mayo underwater football championship.
I know which option I'd choose.

[Captain Obvious]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Join Roscommon or play in the Mayo underwater football championship.
I know which option I'd choose.

Mayo footballers would choke underwater.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Unlike in Roscommon where a small bit of pish-drizzle every year and whole feckn county ends 20 metres under the Shannon 

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Join Roscommon or play in the Mayo underwater football championship.
I know which option I'd choose.

Mayo would still bate Roscommon by 10 points if they had to play underwater. Sure the Rossies would be too busy crying over the ruined sheep fleeces.

[Jinxy]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Join Roscommon or play in the Mayo underwater football championship.
I know which option I'd choose.

Mayo footballers would choke underwater.

James 'Gills' wouldn't!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Join Roscommon or play in the Mayo underwater football championship.
I know which option I'd choose.

Mayo footballers would choke underwater.

James 'Gills' wouldn't!

[Lar Naparka]

Hopefully the next quake will see the whole fcukin place ( the Civic County of Mayo ) dissapear forever under the waves.
Then the Ballaghs will have to join their own County.

Will they f**k!!
The whole lot will do a Seanie Johnston and  they all will head off to Straffan!