[2024-04-17]

St. Marys Rochfortbridge 3-09, Garrycastle 4-07

As the Garrycastle pitch was not playable, similar to half the pitches in the county this week, the Under-14 travelled to Rochfortbridge on Wednesday evening to play St. Marys in round 3 of the league. The pitch was in good condition despite the recent bad weather. 

In the first half Garrycastle started slowly and were a bit standoffish and our first score was by Brian Feeney who followed up a high shot and knocked the ball into the St. Marys goal. The 'Bridge using the cross field wind to their advantage went in ahaead by 2-06 v 1-04 at half time. 

Following the half time break, the Garrycastle team got more involved - working harder for each other as the game went on and started to press the St. Marys goal area at every chance. The Garrycastle defence also started to get on top by tracking their men, the forwards were showing more in front while the runners from deep caused St. Marys problems. 

Tadhg Mulvihill had a another great game in midfield, with Caleb Lynch and Shane Glennan defending very well in the second half. Daragh Donnegan was sold in defence and Brendan Nally worked hard in the forward line. With time running out and St. Marys defending frantically Shane Glennan moved up the pitch and found himself in space to score a goal in the top corner pushing Garrycastle into a 2 point lead. The 'Bridge replied with a point with 5 mins left, however Garrycastle were not going to let this game slip, exemplified by Aaron Costello putting in a huge shoulder tackle late in the second half to show Garrycastle really wanted the win. Although Garrycastle missed two late goal chances, they held out for a well deserved 1 point victory in a very entertaining match.

Scorers on the evening: Tadhg Mulvihill 2-04, Senan Kelly 0-02, Brian Feeney 1-00, Shane Glennon 1-00 & Sheriff Bamidele 0-01.

Team: J Cahill, Eoghan McCormack, S Glennon, Daragh Donegan, R Conor, C Lynch, C Joyce, T Mulvihill, A Mulvihill, C McCormack, S Bamidele, J Dunne, S Kelly, B Feeney, B Nally. 

Subs: L Stankard for R Conor (30mins), D Sleator for C Joyce (30mins), S Gonzalez for B Feeney (30mins), D Murphy for C McCormack (30mins), A Martin for J Dunne (40mins)  A Costello for E McCormack (40mins), O Kelly for A Cahill (45mins), T Gallagher.

[2024-04-03]

Millmore Gaels 1:09, Garrycastle 2:12

The U14 team travelled to Ballymore on Wednesday evening to play Millmore Gaels in round 2 of the league. The pitch was in excellent condition which seemed to suit the team, who had a great start and stormed into a 2:08 to 0:02 lead by half time. Excellent work rate by Luke Stankard in the defence who controlled the game providing a great platform to the attack. Tadhg Mulvihill had a brilliant game in midfield causing Millmore Gaels all sorts of problems. 

In the second half Millmore Gaels proved they were not going to lie down and fought back into the game, with 4 unanswered scores and pressured Garrycastle to the end. However, Garrycastle were not going home without the 2 points and with some brilliant defending by everybody survived a frantic last 10 minutes, including multiple goal line blocks as the defence put their bodies on the line, not to mention a penalty save by James Cahill, and managed to close out the game. Well done to all in a highly entertaining match.

Scorers on the evening: Senan Kelly 0-04, Tadhg Mulvihill 1-03, Brendan Nally 1-02, Brian Feeney, Luke Stankard & Conor McCormack 0-01 each.

Team: J Cahill, J Pozarowski, S Glennon, D Sleator, L Stankard, C Lynch, C Joyce, T Mulvihill, A Mulvihill, C McCormack, S Bamidele, J Dunne, S Kelly, B Feeney, B Nally.
Subs: E McCormack for Sleator (30mins), S Gonzalez for B Feeney (30mins), J O'Brien for J Dunne (40mins) & A Martin for S Bamidele (40mins)

Garrycastle 1-10, St. Brigids 1-04

What a performance from our Under-12s on Monday evening last (October 16th), in the final game of the tournament when they played St Brigid’s. This team stood tall and proud for the national anthem, and they carried this pride into the game playing with determination and gusto providing great entertainment for the large crowd. All players received their medals afterwards which were well deserved on a great performance. 

Full marks to the U11 lads who were by far the best supporters on the night, helped along by the Hot Chocolate they consumed. Well done to the team managers John Murphy, Alan Kelly and Thomas Keena. Team: James Cahill, Daniel Sleator, Eoghan McCormack, Aaron Costello, Adam Wojick, Aoife McHugh, Darragh Donegan, Jamie Costello, Robert Connor, Rory Houlihan, Senan Kelly, Casper Joyce, Aidan Martin, Senan Keena, Daniel Murphy, Brian Feeney, William Redmond, Tristan Allen, Dylan Fox, Adam Naughton, Jason Doolan, Kasper Wziatek, Jan Pozarowska.

Under-13 Coach Contact for 2021

For all enquiries related to the Boys Under-13 group in 2021, please contact Paraic Joyce on 087 2122095.

Training times for this group may be found on the Training Schedule page.

Division 2 Semi-Final vs Tubberclair, October 6th

The under-14 boys competed in the division 2 semi final on Sunday, and had a very difficult time against a strong Tubberclair side, losing heavily in the end. It was a game in which Garrycastle were always under pressure to stay in touch but the sending off of a player in the first half turned the game very much in Tubberclair’s favour.

The Garrycastle lads battled bravely but  were unable to make any inroads against a more balanced and cohesive Tubberclair team.  

Under-14 Championship - 2019 

Garrycastle will compete in Division 2 of the 2019 County under-14 championship.

Division 2 comprises of Caulry, Garrycastle, St. Josephs, Tubberclair, Killucan, Cill Óige, St. Marys Rochfortbridge and The Downs.

The Schedule is as follows (as always, this is subject to change, so please check the fixtures page for details of when/where games are to be played).

Fixtures :

Results:

1. September 15: St. Josephs 1-07, Garrycastle 1-07 

2. July 11: Killucan 3-02, Garrycastle 8-11  Match Report 

3. July 25: Cill Óige 2-06, Garrycastle 9-10  Match Report 

4. August 8: Tubberclair 4-06, Garrycastle 2-07  Match Report  

5. August 22: Garrycastle 4-08, Caulry 4-09 

6. September 5: The Downs 0-02, Garrycastle 11-12 

7. September 22: St. Marys Rochfortbridge 2-05, Garrycastle 2-09 

Championship Table:

The current championship table and all match results may be found on the Westmeath GAA Website.

Under-14 Div. 2 Championship vs St. Josephs : September 15th 

Garrycastle 1-07, St. Josephs 1-07

The Garrycastle U14 boys had a busy four days in the championship culminating with this hard earned draw against St. Josephs on a Sunday morning re-arranged fixture. On the previous Thursday evening they had a comfortable win against the Downs and needed to keep up the momentum going into this game to keep their championship ambitions alive.

The game opened at a blistering pace with Jack Mulvihill scoring a goal right from the off. Garrycastle kept up the pressure and converted a couple of frees but St. Josephs piled on the pressure and dominated the closing stages of the first half taking some good scores including a goal to leave the Garrycastle lads two points down at the break.

In the second half Garrycastle had some excellent passages of play but were finding it difficult to break down the St.Joseph’s defence. They managed to outscore their opponents though in a tough second half thanks to some excellent free taking from Sean O’Donoghue to leave the teams level at the final whistle. They now go into the final round of games knowing that a win will advance them into the knock-out stages of the competition.

Results:

1. March 18: Millmore Gaels 0-0, Garrycastle 0-0 (Garrycastle concede walkover)

2. March 24: Garrycastle 2-00, Moate All-Whites 1-16

3. April 4: Mullingar Shamrocks 4-09, Garrycastle 0-05

4. May 2: Garrycastle 0-03, Athlone 3-05

5. May 6: Caulry 5-15, Garrycastle 1-05 

6. May 16: Garrycastle 2-09, St. Loman's Mullingar 5-13

7. May 30: Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-18, Garrycastle 5-05

League Table:

The current league table and all match results may be found on the Westmeath GAA Website.

Under-14 Leinster Féile : June 29th

The under-14 boys played in the Leinster Féile and they beat Walterstown (Meath) in the first round, before losing to Raheny (Dublin) and Newtown Blues (Louth) in rounds 2 and 3. They performed very well despite a small squad who found themselves running out of steam in the second half of the last game.

Under-13 Leinster Cross-County League : April 12th.

GARRYCASTLE 1-09, MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 3-10 

After a long wait since the group stages, Garrycastle welcomed Mullingar Shamrocks to Garrycastle on Friday evening for the semi-final of the Under-13 Boys cross-county Leinster football league.

On a very windy evening, which made playing conditions difficult, Garrycastle had 17 players available for the match which was played as 13-a-side. Having won the toss, the Mullingar team played with the wind in the first half, and started the game brightly, kicking over some fine scores in the opening minutes. The Garrycastle lads struggled to get into the game in the early stages, and playing into the strong wind, found it difficult to retain possession. Indeed, it was from an unforced error from a Garrycastle kickout, when possession was lost out the field, that the visitors took full advantage and struck for the opening goal of the game. 

When the Garrycastle lads did retain possession, they showed glimpses of the ball handling skills that have become a trademark of this team, but they were constantly under pressure and seemed to be at somewhat of a size and strength disadvantage all over the field. The visitors pressed home their advantage, and struck for a second goal on the stroke of half-time to widen their lead. At half-time, the scoreline read Garrycastle 0-02, Mullingar Shamrocks 2-06.

Turning to play with the aid of the wind for the second half, the Garrycastle lads came out of the traps strongly, and started to put their passing game together, with wave after wave of attacks putting the visitors defence under huge pressure, and starting to pull back the half-time deficit. However, after playing themselves back into the game, a momentary lapse in concentration saw the Shamrocks side break quickly from defence and score an opportunistic goal against the run of play.

To their credit, the home team piled on the pressure, but the visitors lead was just too large and as time ran out it was the Mullingar side who triumphed and who now move on to the Leinster Final.

The final score on the evening was Garrycastle 1-09, Mullingar Shamrocks 3-10.

We wish Mullingar Shamrocks the best of luck in the final, and hope they bring the silverware back to Westmeath!

Overall, this cross-county league has been a valuable learning experience for this group of talented players. Although they lost out on this occasion, it sets them up nicely for the under-12 and under-14 leagues over the next few months.

Huge thanks to the support on the night, and to all the support during this league campaign.

Many thanks also to the team management of Mick Mannion, Darragh Shine, Jim McHugh and Ger O'Donoghue for bringing them this far.

Panel on the night:

Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Van McCay, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Niadh Shine, 

Sean O'Donoghue, Andrew Henson (0-04), Aaron Keegan (0-02), James McHugh (0-01), Kealan McNamara, 

Brandon Devaney, Nathan McKeon, Dean Grehan Monaghan, Darragh Glennon (1-02), Oisin O'Donoghue.

County Under-14 League, Div. 1 : March 24th

GARRYCASTLE 2-00, MOATE ALL-WHITES 1-16 

Match report to follow...

County Under-14 League, Div. 1 : April 4th

MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 4-09, GARRYCASTLE 0-05 

Match report to follow...

Under-13 Leinster Cross-County League : February 23rd.

WOLF TONES/CLONBRONEY (LONGFORD) 2-04, GARRYCASTLE 5-14  

Round 3 of the Leinster League organised under-13 cross-county league saw the Garrycastle squad head north to Edgeworthstown in Longford to play a combined Wolfe Tones/Clonbroney side. This was the final game of the group stages of the league, and at stake was the opportunity to top the group, and progress to the competition semi-finals.

Unusually for this group, they started very slowly and found it hard to get into the game in the opening stages, looking  tired, with a lot of unforced errors and giving the ball away too easily, and when in scoring positions, kicking a lot of aimless wides. However, after the first 10 minutes or so, the team started to play as we know they can, and finished the first half strongly with a great goal, and the forwards started to find their range, kicking over some excellent points to lead at the half-time break on a scoreline of 1-07 to 1-01. It needed some staunch defending to keep the home team to just the two scores in the first half. 

As the second half started, the team were instructed to keep the play simple, and not to over elaborate when in possession. This advice bore immediate results, as the Garrycastle lads started to play their brand of football, passing the ball at speed and with some great running off the ball stretched the home side all over the pitch. The space created was put to great use as the forwards started to string scores together to put the match out of the grasp of the home side. When the Wolf Tones/Clonbroney side did attack, the Garrycastle defence stood firm, and with some excellent tackling and interceptions, initiated multiple attacks of their own. The home side were simply not able to compete with the Garrycastle lads in full flow, and the game was made safe by some late scores.

Overall, this really was a game of two halves, with the Garrycastle lads slow to get into the game at the start, but once they settled and started playing to their own strengths, the result was really never in doubt.

Three wins from three outings in the league part, has the Garrycastle lads topping their table, and the league semi-finals now beckon for this group of talented players.

The final score saw Garrycastle win out on a scoreline of 5-14 to 2-04.

Garrycastle u13 panel on the day:

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Van McCay, Killian Keegan (1-00),

David Carter, Niadh Shine, Andrew Henson (1-03), Sean O'Donoghue (0-01), Aaron Keegan (1-03),

James McHugh (1-03), Kealan McNamara (0-01), Dean Grehan Monaghan (1-00), Brandon Devaney (0-01), Dylan Frawley (0-01), Oisin O'Donoghue (0-01), Darragh Glennon.

Well done to the Garrycastle panel as everyone contributed to the three group wins. Many thanks also to the parents for travelling to Edgeworthstown and supporting the players.

A huge thank you is also due to the Wolfe Tones / Clonbroney team, for the much appreciated food and drinks after the game.

Under-13 Leinster Cross-County League : February 9th.

GARRYCASTLE 3-08, ST. PETERS DUNBOYNE (MEATH) 1-05 

Round 2 of the Leinster League organised under-13 cross-county league saw Garrycastle welcoming the St. Peters GAA Club from Dunboyne in Co. Meath to Garrycastle on Saturday afternoon. Even with the distraction of a Rugby international being played on the same afternoon, 19 players togged out to play the match. 

Both Garrycastle and St. Peters had won their first round matches, so this was always likely to be a tight encounter, and so it proved. The first half of this match was real end-to-end football, played at a frenetic pace. Both teams were making light of the poor conditions, and took some excellent scores from play. Midway through the first half, the Garrycastle backline was breached and St. Peters scored a well worked goal. To their credit, the Garrycastle lads regrouped and responded in excellent fashion, by scoring the next two points.

Indeed, they may have had a goal of their own, but the crossbar came to the aid of the St. Peters goalkeeper and the danger was cleared.

At half-time, the visitors led by a single point on a scoreline of St. Peters 1-02, Garrycastle 0-04.

Garrycastle considerably upped their work rate as the second half started, and carried the game to the visitors, pushing high up the field, and playing some fast ball into the forward line, who took maximum advantage scoring two goals and two points in quick succession, to leave them in the driving seat. As expected, the visitors came back strongly, and hit a purple patch of their own, knocking over some fine points. However, the Garrycastle lads would not relinquish their lead so easily, and tackled hard for every ball, and ended the match the stronger to take a well deserved win. 

Every player on the pitch gave 100% effort, and in the end it was some smart play from the Garrycastle lads, aided by their fitness as legs tired on the heavy pitch, that gave them the win.

The final score saw Garrycastle the victors on a scoreline of Garrycastle 3-08, St. Peters Dunboyne 1-05.

Team: 

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Van McCay, Niadh Shine, David Carter, Killian Keegan, Sean O'Donoghue, Andrew Henson (0-02), Kealan McNamara, James McHugh (0-03), 

Aaron Keegan (0-01), Dylan Frawley (0-01), Nathan McKeon (1-00), Brandon Devaney, Darragh Glennon (2-01), 

Oisin O'Donoghue

Massive thanks are due also to the parents who brought food in for the visiting team, and for helping out in the kitchen.

Under-13 Leinster Cross-County League : February 3rd.

ST. MANCHAN GAELS 2-02, GARRYCASTLE 4-15 

The Garrycastle Under-13 Boys are entered into a cross-county league organised by the Leinster council. Garrycastle are drawn in a group of four teams, alongside St. Manchan Gales (Offaly), St. Peters Dunboyne (Meath), and Wolfe Tones/Clonbroney (Longford).

The matches are played at 13-a-side, with unlimited substitutions, using the full pitch size.

Garrycastle started their campaign in this competition, with a visit to the St. Manchans Gaels club in Doon on Saturday morning. St. Manchans is an amalgamation between Doon, Tubber and Ballycumber. As befits games this early in the year, there was more than a hint of frost in the air as the Garrycastle lads togged out. In all, 19 players were available which is an excellent turnout for this time of year.

Garrycastle started slowly, showing signs of the winter layoff, with no real intensity being brought to the game. There were a number of handling mistakes in the first quarter hour, but slowly the Garrycastle lads worked their way into the game. The forwards were taking some great points when the ball was moved in quickly to them, and a great move started in the backline saw the ball moved quickly up the field and a great goal taken. However, a little bit of over confidence then crept into the play, and on a number of occasions, the ball was over-played and possession turned over, where a simpler use of the ball could have have resulted in further scores. The home club took some advantage of this, scoring a goal and two points of their own. At half-time, Garrycastle had a comfortable lead on a scoreline of 2-10 to 1-02.

The second half saw a very different Garrycastle side emerge, fighting for every ball and starting to make some fine runs and taking scores when presented. This was a much improved second half from all of the players, and it was great to see the players working hard for each other to take control of the game. A highlight of the second half was the tackling when not in possession, and some great link play through the centre of the field.

There is certainly room for improvement, but for the first outing of the year, it was good to get a match win under our belt. Many thanks to the St. Manchan Gaels team for a very fair and competitive game.

The final score was Garrycastle 4-15 St. Manchan Gaels 2-02

Garrycastle Panel:- Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Van McCay, Niadh Shine, Keelan McNamara, Andrew Henson (0-02), Sean O’Donoghue (1-03), James McHugh (0-04), Aaron Keegan (0-01), Nathan McKeon, Brandon Devaney (0-01), Dean Grehan (2-00), Dylan Frawley (0-02), Darragh Glennon (1-02).

2018

Under-14 squad photo for 2018:

Back row:

Conor McCarthy, Conor Sheehan, Conn O'Hara, Bill Carmody, Jack Mulvihill, Andrew Ruane, Tom Daly, Frank McKiernan, Cian McCormack,

Front row: 

Mathew Connor, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tadhg McKiernan, Brian Mulvihill,  Ben Donegan, Jake Hanniffy, John McBride, Oisin Nugent

Absent from photo:

Charlie O'Brien, Isaac O'Neill, Jamie Carroll, Killian Redmond, Mattie Wozniak, Nathan Jackson, Thanh McCay

2016

Westmeath Under-14 League

Garrycastle will play in Division 1B of the Under-14 League in 2016.

Division 1B includes Garrycastle, Millmore Gaels, Caulry, Kilbeggan/St. Josephs, Shannon Gaels, Lilliput Gaels, Athlone and Moate All-Whites.

Under-14 fixtures may be found on the Fixtures page, as they are announced.

Match results will be available on the Results page.

2014 Information

News / Fixtures / Results

Under-14 Championship, Division 2, Final.

The Garrycastle Under-14 team competed in the Division 2 final in this years county championship, against Miltownpass. The match report can be seen here.

Although ultimately unsuccessful on the day, the under-14 team had a great year, and the displays this year must augur well for this group in the future.

(Click to see a larger version)

Back Row:

Ian Carroll, Joe Carmody, Mattias O'Neill, Brian Ruane, Patrick McKiernan, Robert Kelly, Jack Fitzgerald, Jason Nugent, Eoin Mulvihill, Dara Mulvihill.

Front Row:

Cillian Lyons, Robert O'Brien, Dylan Keegan, Dara Kenna, Andrew Monaghan, Tommy Stevens, Fergal Mullin, Danial Guinan, Owen Keogh.

Under-14 League :

The U14 results and league table for the Westmeath Fé 14 Football League Division 1B can be found here.

Results:

08/3/2014    Athlone 5-13, Garrycastle 2-5

29/3/2014    Garrycastle 10-12, Tyrellspass 1-2

10/4/2014    Maryland/Tang 5-18, Garrycastle 1-9

24/4/2014    Garrycastle 3-13, Tubberclair 5-11

08/5/2013    Caulry 4-05, Garrycastle 4-11

22/5/2014    Garrycastle 4-05, Moate All-Whites 1-05

05/6/2014    Garrycastle 1-6, Millmore Gaels 3-11

Garrycastle finished 5th in Division 1B with 6 points.

Under-14 Championship:

For the County Under-14 championship, Garrycastle are drawn in Division 2. The first part of the under-14 championship is played on a league basis. Garrycastle are drawn with Millmore Gaels, Shandonagh, Kilbeggan/St. Josephs, Killucan and Milltownpass.

Results:

24/7/2014    Millmore Gaels 7-10, Garrycastle 3-4

14/8/2014    Shandonagh 1-08, Garrycastle 6-14

28/8/2014    Killbeggan/St.Josephs 3-06, Garrycastle 5-18

11/9/2014    Garrycastle 2-17, Killucan 3-11

30/9/2014    Milltownpass 1-13, Garrycastle 3-07

4/10/2014    Garrycastle 7-17, The Downs 4-08

Division 2, Semi-final

2/11/2014    Garrycastle 1-14, Millmore Gaels 1-05

Division 2, Final

8/11/2014    Garrycastle 1-11, Milltownpass 1-15

2013 

End of year trip - Paintball!

The Under-16 and Under-14 squads had their end-of-year outing on Saturday (Nov. 2nd), when they decamped to Dublin to check if all the evenings playing Call of Duty, Battlefield and Medal of Honour on their Playstations and X-Boxes would translate into advanced tactics in a day-long session of paintball! 

Whether their tactics were good or not is open to debate, but it was an extremely happy group who returned to Garrycastle having expended huge amounts of ammunition, and effort, during the day.

[Photo courtesy of Matt Ryan]

After such a huge outlay of effort, it was only fitting that the entire group was treated to food in Supermacs in Moate on the way home.

Well done to all involved!

Training

Training times for Under-14 squad are Mondays from 7:30pm to 9:00pm, and Thursdays from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. 

Training is held on the pitch in Garrycastle.

News / Fixtures / Results

The U14 results and final table for the Westmeath Fé 14 Football League Division 1B can be found here.

Results:

02/3/2013    Garrycastle 7-16, Caulry 3-05

09/3/2013    Moate All-Whites 2-05, Garrycastle 3-10

23/3/2013    Garrycastle 3-07, Athlone 5-12

11/4/2013    Garrycastle 7-07, Millmore Gales 2-03

25/4/2013    Tubberclair 2-03, Garrycastle 1-07

09/5/2013    Garrycastle 3-03, Maryland/Tang 7-15

23/5/2013    Rosemount 6-10, Garrycastle 1-07

Garrycastle finished 4th in Division 1B with 8 points.

For the County U14 championship, which starts on a league basis, Garrycastle were placed in Division 2.

The results and final table for the Fé 14 Football Division 2 (League Championship) can be found here.

Results:

20/6/2013    Garrycastle 3-07, Moate All-Whites 3-13

04/7/2013    St. Marys Rochfortbridge 3-17, Garrycastle 2-04

18/7/2013    Garrycastle 4-12, Kilbeggan/St. Josephs 6-12

01/8/2013    Coralstown/Kinnegad 6-12, Garrycastle 0-07

15/8/2013    Garrycastle 1-06, St. Malachys Ballinagore 7-09

Garrycastle finished bottom of Division 2 with 0 points, and did not qualify for the knockout rounds.

2012

Westmeath Division 4 champions 2012 !

Under-14 Management team for 2012

The Under-14 side will be managed in 2012 by Michael Mannion. Michael will be assisted by Rowan Mulvihill and Paddy Kenny.

Contact Michael Mannion by phone at 087 8031137, or by e-mail.

Training

Training times for Under-14 squad are Mondays from 6:45pm to 8:00pm, and Thursdays from 6:45pm to 8:00pm. 

Training is usually held on the pitch at Cornamaddy National School.

News / Fixtures / Results

The U14 results and final table for the Westmeath Fé 14 Football League Division 3B can be found here.

The results and final table for the Fé 14 Football Division 4B (League Championship) can be found here. 

Westmeath Under-14 team  (October 29th, 2012)

Congratulations to Cathal Mannion and Bill Kelly, both members of the Garrycastle under-14 team, who played for the Westmeath under-14 team today in a 3-county blitz in DCU. The Westmeath team beat Wicklow and Dublin to win the blitz. Both lads played in both games. Well done to Bill and Cathal!

End-of-year trip

The under-14 and under-16 squads enjoyed an end-of-year trip to Lahinch to partake in some watersport based activity to mark the end of the football year, on Saturday October 27th.

Match Reports

Fé 14 Football League Championships Division 4 Final - September 8th, 2012.

Garrycastle emerged victorious over near neighbours Tubberclair in the U14 Division 4 final, played in Rosemount on Saturday. On a perfect pitch and on a near perfect day for playing football, an excellent team performance delivered the first under-14 championship for the club in recent  years.

Right from the off, Garrycastle opened brightly, and had 3 points on the board from Jack Brody, Cathal Mannion and Brian Ruane, before Tubberclair opened their account with a well taken goal to level the scores. Tubberclair were threating at this stage, and it needed some fine clearances from Bill Kelly and Brian Kenny to steady the Garrycastle team. However, this Garrycastle team has shown in recent months that they do not let setbacks discourage them, and they responded well with further points from Ross Mulvihill following an excellent solo run, and Enda Moran who was buzzing around the half-forward line. Garrycastle were now starting to take over in midfield with Cathal and Oisin Langan to the fore, well supported by Eoin Mulvihill and Joe Carmody winning a lot of ball on the half-back line. A well worked free from Cathal saw Philip Monahan in to open his account with a point, before the same player capitalised on some excellent work from Conor Mulvihill and a fine pass from Oisin to finish the ball to the net. Garrycastle were in the ascendancy and an immediate point from Ross stretched the lead before Oisin, taking a well delivered pass at speed, scored Garrycastle's second goal. Tubberclair responded with a good point from play, but Garrycastle were firing on all cylinders now and in the space of two minutes added two further goals from Enda, the second of which was a bullet which would have graced any game. As the half came to a close, Cathal pointed a close-in free to leave Garrycastle leading at half-time on a score of 4-8 to 1-3.

As the second half began, Tubberclair pushed forward strongly, and now it was the turn of the Garrycastle defence to come to the fore, and they responded, with Bill Kelly, Mark Denby and Brian Leahy in turn making good clearances. Garrycastle were now starting to dominate all over the pitch, and another solo goal from Enda, after Jack Brody had won breaking ball in midfield, effectively finished the game as a contest. Another goal shortly afterwards from Jack Brody, after a move almost spanning the length of the field involving Eoin, Brian Ruane and Enda was a highlight of the game. The extremely warm weather was now starting to have an effect on the energy levels of both teams, and as a little tiredness set in, an unfortunate clash on the field required Brian Ruane to leave the field, greeted by an appreciative round of applause from the sizeable Garrycastle support present. As the game progressed, and as he has done so many times this year, Cathal again showed his high level of fitness and football skill to capitalise on a short pass from Philip to go on a mazy run through the defence before scoring low to the keepers left. With just over 15 minutes to go, Garrycastle started to empty the bench to give all players present some game time, and during the resulting reshuffle, Tubberclair added a point following on from a sideline kick, before scoring a goal with a cheeky chip over Sean Mulvihill's head in the Garrycastle goal as he emerged to block the incoming forward. Tubberclair were encouraged by this to push forward, and a sustained period of pressure earned them a 45-meter free, from which they scored another goal following a goalmouth scramble as the free dropped short. Now Tubberclair pushed forward, but twice in the space of a minute were denied scoring opportunities following two excellent blocks from Brian Leahy. Tubberclair were rewarded with a point from a close-in free, but immediately after this, the tireless Enda Moran kicked over another point, following a well-worked move out of the back line. As Tubberclair pushed forward again, it needed a strong clearance from Caolan Jameson to keep them at bay. As the game entered the last couple of minutes, Tubberclair tacked on another point from a 45-meter free, but this was Garrycastle's day, and with almost the last kick of the game, the ball was worked into Eoghan Kenny who was totally unmarked on the 14-meter line, and he finished coolly to the net to bring the scoring to a close.

Great celebrations from the assembled spectators greeted the final whistle, as Garrycastle won out on a score line of 8-9 to 3-6. Huge cheers erupted as team captain Bill Kelly accepted the Division 4 championship shield from Michael McHugh from the Westmeath minor football board.

Overall, this was a very successful end to a season which has seen huge effort from the players and the management team. All the hard work in the training sessions, challenge matches and championship run paid off handsomely. Great credit is due to the management team of Mick Mannion, Rowan Champ Mulvihill, Paddy Kenny and Jonathan Dunning for all their hard work, dedication and belief in this group of players. The future is surely bright for this group of players and underage football in Garrycastle!

Starting lineout and scorers:

Sean Mulvihill, Mark Denby, Brian Leahy, Brian Kenny, Joe Carmody, Bill Kelly, Eoin Mulvihill, Oisin Langan (1-0), Cathal Mannion (1-2), Enda Moran (3-2), Ross Mulvihill (0-2), Jack Brody (1-1), Brian Ruane (0-1), Conor Mulvihill, Philip Monahan (1-1).

Subs: Jack O'Connor for Brian Kenny (27 mins), Conor Macken for Brian Ruane (inj. 38 mins), Caolan Jameson for Eoin Mulvihill (42 mins), Shaun Dalton for Joe Carmody (42 mins), Cian O'Brien for Mark Denby (50 mins), Colm Henry for Jack Brody (50 mins), Eoin Kenny (1-0) for Cathal Mannion (55 mins), Loic Gately for Enda Moran (55 mins). 

Fé 14 Football League Championships Division 4 Semi-Final - August 30th, 2012

Garrycastle under 14s played Killucan in the championship semi-final of their division last Thursday evening in Kinnegad. Our lads played to their full potential form start to finish and won convincingly.

Best for Garrycastle were Brian Leahy at full back and Bill Kelly at centre back. In the forwards Conor Mulvihill at full forward was in great form with Philip Monaghan and Brian Ruane working off him to take some fine scores. This is a great achievement for a team that started with five under 12s. Also to mention that we had 21 lads togged out on Thursday and they all played their part. Next up is the final against our neighbours Tubberclair in Rosemount this Saturday 8th September at 2pm.

Under-13 - 5 August 2012

Our U13s played two 10 a side games against Oranmore from Galway last Sunday morning.They are trained and managed by former Galway star Sean Og DePaor so were well able to play football. Both teams made light of the soft ground conditions to produce a very entertaining game with some excellent scores.Both games were very tight up to half time but a great effort from the lads after the break saw them win both games and win the match by an aggregate score of 12 points.

Panel on Duty: Cian O'Brien, Keith Emerson, Jack O'Connor, Eoin Kenny, Shane Duffy, Phillip Monaghan, Scott Duffy, Robert Kelly, Ian Carroll, Joe Carmody, Charlie O'Connor, John Moran, Jonathan Henson, Dara Mulvihill, Eoin Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Robert O'Brien, Kevin Lawless, Andrew Monaghan, Jack Fitzgearld, Patrick McKiernan, Owen Keogh, Ferghal Mullin and Dylan Keegan.

Under-14 Championship - 21 June 21st, 2012

Garrycastle 6-14, Castledaly 3-5 

Garrycastle's first outing in this years championship was played away against Castledaly last Thursday evening. With both teams missing a number of starters due to injury, this was going to be a tough encounter for our lads to get two points from the game. Garrycastle had some good defensive play from Cathal Mannion and Bill Kelly early on. Castledaly found it hard to break down our back line and when the ball broke down, our midfield of Philip Monaghan and Jack Brody were ready to deliver great ball into our forwards resulting in some fine points from distance. For the balls that dropped short we had Conor Mulvihill towering over the Castledaly backs, laying off ball for our forwards Enda Moran and Cian O' Brien to finish to the net. Garrycastle made a number of changes in the second half in which a number of players played very well including Ross Mulvihill and Joe Carmody. Castledaly had a good spell in the second half in which they scored three goals until our lads settled down again to finish strongly.

Team: S Mulvihill, B Leahy, B Kelly, M Demby, C Mannion, S Duffy, J Brody, P Monaghan, M McKiernan, E Moran, S Dalton, C O'Brien, C Mulvihill, C Mackan.

Subs used: J Carmody, R Mulvihill, B Ruane, I Gately, J Moran.

Under-14 League - May 10th, 2012

Garrycastle 4 -11, Tubberclair  2-07

Garrycastle U 14 played their final league game last Thursday away to Tubberclair. The game was evenly matched with some fine performances from both teams. In goals, Seán Mulvihill had a great game, saving a number of shots off the line. In the backs, Shane Duffy and Eoin Mulvihill had very strong performances. Philip Monaghan and Oisín Langan delivered great ball into the full forward line where Conor Mulvihill and Eoin Kenny finished them off with great scores.

Team: Seán Mulvihill, Mark Denby, Brian Kenny, Brian Leahy, Shane Duffy, Bill Kelly, Eoin Mulvihill, Cathal Mannion, Oisín Langan, Philip Monaghan, Jack Brody, Seán Dalton, Eoin Kenny, Conor Mulvihill, Mark McKeirnan. 

Subs: Cian O'Brien, Conor Macken, Matthew McBride.

Under-14 League

Garrycastle 1-07, Kilbeggan / St Joseph's 1-07

A great performance was put in by this young squad of players, and after hitting the cross bar twice they can count themselves unlucky not to get the result they deserved. They finished strongly and it was nearly as intense as the match in Croker. They showed that they were proud in wearing the jersey.