[2024-04-14]

We had one under-12 league match over the weekend with our Red team getting a run out on St. Lomans astro pitch against a very strong home side.

Given matches being called off and rescheduling, we travelled with just 17 players with 11 of these u12 again next year.  The future is certainly bright for these young players who battled so hard against their physically bigger opponents. We tagged on some terrific scores throughout the game with the pick coming from Senan Keena and Nathan Dolan. 

However they say goals win games and Lomans who had some outstanding young players themselves were very clinical in front of goal. Overall we were delighted with our lads with some of the younger lads like Lorcan Farrell, Tiarnan Frawley and Yod playing out of their skin.

Red Team:

Sam Dolan, Michael Kelly, William Redmond, Yod Zelalem Ayenew, Stephen Gaffey, Jason Doolan, Tiarnan Frawley, Adam Wojcik, Senan Keena, David Dolan, Nathan Dolan, Dylan Fox, James Dillon, Lorcan Farrell, Tiernan Sweeney, Colm Kelly, Daniel Lane. 

[2024-04-15]

The under-11 and under-12 teams were up against Padraig Pearses this evening as part of the St. Brigids Tournament. 30 players got full games and the lads deserve great credit for how they dealt with brutal weather yet again.

In game 1, the under-12s battled very hard in an entertaining game against Padraig Pearses. Pearses settled quicker and with the aid of the strong wind aimed to build up a healthy lead. Ollie Welton, Breandáin Galvin and Tristan Allen put their bodies on the line to repel the relentless attacks. Grateful for the wind on their backs, Garrycastle took control of the second half with William Redmond, Jack McCauley and Captain on the evening, Adam Woijcek, leading the attacks. A huge effort was put in by all with some dogged tackling and blocks being put in by Noah Atwi. Despite losing by a few points it was a hugely worthwhile run out.

Anyone in attendance at the under-11 game couldn't helped but be impressed by the skills on show. Paul Fallon was outstanding as he always is in defence with Stephen Gaffey impressing at centre back. Our two midfielders Tiarnan Frawley and Kayden Mccormack along with our entire forward line got scores which is very rare indeed. Our Captain on the evening, Sam Dolan, was on song at full forward and finally a special mention to Tomas Leech, Cian Miller and Tomas Galvin who came up from our u10 group this evening and looked more than comfortable at this age group.

[2024-03-29]

It was a special occasion at the weekend as our under-12s kicked off their league campaign. For the first time since 1993, we are fielding 2 teams at this age grade showing the great work that has gone into our underage development in recent years.  

Our Green team lined up minus many regulars against a strong Delvin side. Despite being much smaller in stature they put in a terrific performance losing out by a few scores.

Green team: Cian Miller, Tiernan Sweeney, Paul Sleator , Lorcan Farrell, Tomás Galvin, Paul Fallon, Ollie Whelton, Josh Byrne, Daniel Pugh, Lucas Keogh, Kayden McCormack, Kai McCormack.

Our Red team made their way to Kinnegad to face the fancied home team. Despite trailing by 11 points midway into the second half our lads put in a huge fightback scoring 2-04 without reply. However the final whistle came just too early with a one point loss in the end.

Red team: Tiernan Frawley, James Dillon, Adam Wojcik, Harry Killion, Yod Zelalem Ayenew, Dylan Fox, David Potapovs, David Dolan, William Redmond, Kacper Wziatek, Daniel Lane, Sam Dolan, Jason Doolan.

Overall there were two great team performances with the lads getting extra experience on the big pitch. Special thanks to our parents who made such an effort travelling to Delvin and Kinnegad on the Friday of a bank holiday weekend.  

[2024-03-22]

Our under-12s kicked off their year with home matches under lights against St. Vincent's of Offaly as part of the St. Brigids Tournament. 

For many it was their first time to play on the bigger pitch and the heavy ground was testing for both teams. 

In Game 1, our under-11s despite playing into a strong second half wind, just about got the win. Everyone played their part with some standout performances from Daniel Pugh, Stephen Gaffey, Harry Killion and our captain on the night, Lorcan Farrell. 

Final Score was 4-04 to 2-05. 

In Game 2 our lads were in great form. The Dolan cousins David, Nathan and Sam shone throughout with Adam Wojcik and Kacper Wziatek dominating affairs around the middle. 

Final Score in this game was 3-05 to 0-04.

Shout out to our young refs Killian Redmond and Tom Daly who recently completed their referees course. Great performance on the night lads!!

The under-12 boys and their management team were delighted to receive training tops sponsored by Forefront Events. Seamus King of Forefront Events, who is based in Australia and is himself a former player with Garrycastle, was back in his home club to make the presentation. 

Many thanks to Forefront Events for their kind sponsorship, we wish them every success in the future. [2024-02-26]

[2023-09-24]

We were delighted to get the invite to the BER Murtagh tournament in Killucan today which focused on under-10s only.

We had 3 group games against The Downs, Lilliput Gaels and our final game against Shandonagh. 

Despite the tricky conditions our lads played brilliantly with their performance improving with every game. There were some great scores on show in particular from our inside forwards Daniel Pugh, Tiernan Sweeney and Lorcan Farrell. Defensively Stephen Gaffey and David Dolan proved difficult to get by and there were plenty of blocks and dispossessions from all our defenders. 

Our youngest player Cian Miller was not overawed in the slightest and showed some great skills and ability never giving the ball away. We came out on top in all 3 group games bringing us into a last match against Mullingar Shamrocks.

This match started very well for our lads but our possession didn't turn into scores. Shamrocks ran out deserving winners by 3 pts in the end. 

This was an excellent days football with all our squad getting plenty of Football. Thanks to Killucan who really took care of the lads on the day in what was an excellently run tournament.

[2023-09-24]

Our under-11 team were delighted to take part in the Larry Nugent Tournament in Caulry today.

There was loads of Football for everyone with games against Tubberclair, Maryland Tang, Castledaly and Caulry.

On the day Lorcan Farrell performed heroics at times in goal. Jason Doolin grew in confidence with every game and defended superbly. Jack McAuley was a very welcome addition to the lineup and showed his ability throughout. Senan Keena kicked some great scores along with feeding good ball into the forwards. 

Best wishes to one of our stalwarts William Redmond, who suffered an injury in our last game. Get well soon William!

[2023-09-10]

The Downs hosted the Pat Walsh Tournament over the weekend which provided a great run out for our talented under-11 team.

We had 3 group games with the first game versus Killoe Óg of Longford. Our lads were quick out of the blocks in this encounter with Rory Holohan and Nathan Dolan getting plenty of scores. Our dominance continued in the second half with some terrific defending by Harry Killion and Conor Gayson in particular. Another highlight was a terrific team goal finished to the net by David Dolan.

Our second game was a more local affair against Killucan. The first half was nip and tuck with not much between the teams. We had 10 subs throughout the games today and all got a run in the second half. Strong showings from Ollie Whelton and Dillon Fox were a highlight of this game, with the lads building confidence and belief coming in our last group game.

Here we came up against Gowna of Cavan who were very impressive in their first 2 games. With a chance available to play the host club, for these young players there was plenty to play for. Gowna raced out of the blocks opening up a 3 point lead. With over half our team still under-11 for next year it looked like we might struggle against a physically bigger Gowna side. However when the pressure was on the lads started to play their best football. Senan Keena made his first start of the day and really drove the team on from the half back line. With Jamie Costello and Adam Wojciech relentless in midfield the Garrycastle lads finished strongly.

The stage was now set for the last game against host club, The Downs. With the heat on the day and the intensity of the first 3 games it would have been easy to not bring our A game. However our lads started very well and were ahead by two at half time. The second half again we chipped over a few more scores before the Downs extra physicality finally started to kick in. For the last 5 mins they played some outstanding football feeding off the strong local support, as our lads started to tire. Our lads never gave up and played their hearts out right to the end of the game. With this level of dedication, the future is very bright for this group of players.

Well done to The Downs GAA Club who hosted a great day. Our lads were delighted to play against teams from 5 counties in excellent facilities. We look forward to coming back again in the future.

It's been all go for the Garrycastle Under 11s in recent weeks with lots of activity on and off the pitch.

Before taking their team building trip to the Tailteann Cup Final at Croke Park, the players put in a strong performance against Rosemount in a mid week challenge on the Astro.

With the Cúl Camps in full flow, the squad took a break from their regular midweek training before making the short journey to Athlone GAA on Saturday 16th July to take part in the Westmeath GAA All County Blitz.

Fielding two teams on a glorious morning, the squad put in great performances against Athlone, St. Joseph's and Millmore Gaels.

Squads for Saturday's All County Blitz:

Garrycastle Greens:
Casper Joyce, William Redmond, Jamie Costello, Senan Keena, Ruairi Houlihan,  Robert Connor, Jason Doolin, Roman Bornus, Aaron Costello 

Garrycastle Reds:
James Cahill, Darragh Donegan, Daniel Sleator, Michael Kelly, Breandan Galvin, Brian Feeney, Sergio Gonzalez, Senan Kelly, Daniel Murphy.

On a warm Wednesday evening, Garrycastle welcomed Offaly side, Doon Erin Rovers to Westmeath for a tough Under 11 clash. 

Despite the heat, both sides showed great energy and determination to play out 2 very evenly matched games. Thanks again to our friends in Doon for travelling over, and we look forward to a rematch.

Squad for the match with Doon: 

Aaron Costello, Adam Wojick, Breandan Galvin, Brian Feeney, Casper Joyce, Daniel Sleator, Daniel Murphy, Darragh Donegan, Dylan Fox, Eoghan McCormack, James Cahill, Jan Pozarowski, Jamie Costello, Jason Doolin, Kealan Byrne, Michael Kelly, Robert Connor, Roman Bornus, Ruairi Houlihan, Senan Farrell, Senan Keena, Senan Kelly, Sergio Gonzalez, Valerio Bellassai, William Redmond.

Saturday saw Garrycastle host their first home match of the Westmeath Go Games series, as they welcomed Millmore Gaels to The Castle.

With 23 players available on the day, Garrycastle put in another impressive performance as the squad continue to improve week on week.

Saturdays squad: 

Aaron Costello. Aidan Martin, Brian Feeney, Casper Joyce, Daniel Sleator, Daniel Murphy, Daragh Dolan, Darragh Donegan, Dylan Fox, Eoghan McCormack, James Cahill, Jamie Costello, Jan Pozarowski, Jason Doolin, Kealan Byrne, Robert Connor, Roman Bornus,  Ruairi Houlihan, Senan Keena, Senan Kelly, Sergio Gonzalez, Valerio Bellassai, William Redmond.

On a breezy Saturday morning, a 17 player strong Garrycastle squad made the short journey to Castledaly for the latest installment of the

GAA Go Games. Facing opposition from Castledaly, along with Moate All Whites, the team performed brilliantly in all their matches and put all their hard work in training into action.

The Garrycastle squad on the day:
Aidan Martin, Breandan Galvin, Brian Feeney, Daniel  Sleator, Daniel Murphy, Daragh Dolan, Darragh Donegan, Eoghan McCormack, James Cahill,  Jan Pozarowski, Jason Doolin, Michael Kelly, Roman Bornus, Senan Keena, Senan Kelly, Valerio Bellassai, William Redmond.

It was another busy week for our Under 11 squad with a midweek challenge match followed by the weekend's rounds of GO Games.

On Wednesday evening the squad made the short trip to Tubberclair, putting in a strong performance against our neighbours. Fielding two teams, the players showed great determination and skills in both games. Thanks to our friends in Tubberclair for hosting, and we look forward to a return match in Garrycastle soon.

Wednesday's Squad:
Adam Wojick,  Aidan Martin, Breandan Galvin, Brian Feeney, Casper Joyce, Daniel Murphy, Daniel Sleator, Daragh Dolan, Darragh Donegan, Dylan Fox, Eoghan McCormack, James Cahill, Jamie Costello, Jan Pozarowski, Jason Doolin, Kealan Byrne, Michael Kelly, Robert Connor, Ruairi Houlihan, Roman Bornus, Senan Keena, Senan Kelly, Senan Farrell, Sergio Gonzalez, Valerio Bellassai, William Redmond.

On Saturday the squad had an early start for Round 4 of the Westmeath GAA Go Games series. Taking on teams from Castledaly and Moate All Whites, the Garrycastle team once again showed their skills and team work with strong performances in both games. With some great passing and very well taken scores, a lot of credit must go to this squad of players who have shown great determination, putting in hard work in training every week to continue improving their skills and team work. 

Saturday's Squad: 

Aidan Martin, Breandan Galvin, Brian Feeney, Daniel Murphy, Daniel Sleator, Daragh Dolan, Darragh Donegan, Eoghan McCormack, James Cahill, Jan Pozarowski, Jason Doolin, Michael Kelly, Roman Bornus, Senan Keena, Senan Kelly, Valerio Bellassai, William Redmond.

Under-11 Challenge Match vs. Castledaly, June 23rd, 2021

At a recent event hosted by the Garrycastle U12 Management team the achievements of these young men was recognised for their commitment to training and development during the year.

Matches, Tournaments & League achievements:

Ballinalee Invitational Tournament - a great display of football to come out on top beating the Longford Champions to win the Tournament.

League winners - fulfilling all fixtures with an average of 20 players per game and finishing with a scoring average of approximately 5-11 per game.

Outright winners of the Jim McHugh Tournament this year with an average of 20 players per game.

This is the first time the club have secured the McHugh Memorial Cup since its inception, so credit to this group of young men for their efforts. They now take their place in the clubs' history book!

Both the Ballinalee Invitational Trophy and The Jim McHugh Cup were on display with players and family treated to food during a medal ceremony in the new club facilities.

Two awards were also presented on the night:

1. Most Improved player - This award went to Dylan Frawley, who showed exemplary attitude throughout the year, with an application and dedication to training, willingness to learn and an all-round positive attitude.

2. Player of The Year - This award went to the player who went above and beyond the call of duty on and off the pitch, did every task asked of him by management with diligence and professionalism and showed what perfecting your skills is all about. That award went to Van McCay, and by all accounts was a worthy winner among his teammates. 

Special thanks to Dessie Dolan and Conor Cosgrove who presented the awards on the night and who both offered some inspirational words on the value of hard work and building lasting friendships through sports and the GAA. I'm sure we would all agree they both speak from experience and hopefully those words will resonate with this team.

Finally a special thanks to all the parents for their commitment to their sons development on the field. Without the efforts of each and every one of them it would be very difficult for the Management Team to build a team.

Merry Christmas to all. See you on the pitch again soon.

Garrycastle 5-12, St. Manchan Gaels 2-10

For the first time since the tournament was inaugurated in honour of the late Jim McHugh back in 2013, the Jim McHugh Memorial Cup was won by a Garrycastle Team, fittingly captained on the night by his grandson James.

Please go to the dedicated Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament page for full details on the 2019 competition.

Match Report:

Garrycastle welcomed St Manchans Gaels to AIT on Friday night last to play the Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament Cup final. The lads knew what was at stake with this match as Garrycastle themselves have never gotten their hands on this particular piece of silverware. 

It carried a lot more weight this year as there were a couple of McHughs involved, with James captaining the team while his father Jim was on the management team. Garrycastle took a good hold of proceedings by putting up a handful of scores without reply from the opposition in the opening minutes of the game. St Manchans Gaels however were not there to make up numbers and got right back in contention before the break; they had proven in the semi-finals when playing a very strong Shamrocks team that they never know when they’re beaten coming back from 8 points down at half-time to win by a couple of points. 

Garrycastle were very aware of this threat and had to ride the storm for the first 10 minutes of the second half in very tough conditions. They then proceeded to take a firm hold of the game and saw it through to the end to secure a well-deserved victory on a scoreline of 5-12 to 2-10. 

It was fitting on the night that James McHugh received the Man of the Match trophy (chosen by the referee it must be added). James displayed a fine example of leadership and skill throughout the game. It must be noted that overall it was an outstanding team performance from this talented young bunch of players against a very strong St Manchans Gaels side. 

Garrycastle GAA club would like to thank AIT for hosting the game at such short notice. Also a huge ‘Thank You’ must be extended to the Garrycastle Minor Board for their tireless work behind the scenes.

Panel: Cian Norris, Rían Gaynor, Van McKay, Oisin O'Donohue, Christopher Malone, Oisin Mulvihill, Dylan Frawley, Keelan McNamara, Andrew Henson, Níadh Shine, James McHugh, Aaron Keegan, Conor McCormack, Tyrece Quinn, Louie Shine, Darragh Glennon, Jack Dolan, Senan Nugent, Jack Dowling, Luke Quilty, James Kelly, James Derwin, Ronan Croughan, Rhys Larkin, Alex O'Conor.

See the Photo album for pictures of the game, presentation and celebrations. 

Under-12 County Football League - Group 1 - Phase 2

Garrycastle are in Group 1 for Phase 2 of the County under-12 league for 2019.

Group 1 includes Coralstown/Kinnegad (Reds), Garrycastle, Maryland/Tang, Milltownpass, Mullingar Shamrocks, Multyfarnham and Tyrellspass.

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. July 9: Garrycastle ??-??, Tyrellspass ??-??

2. July 13: Milltownpass ??-??, Garrycastle ??-??

3.  

League Table:

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

Under-12 County Football League - Group 2 - Phase 1

Garrycastle are in Group 2 of the County under-12 league for 2019.

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. April 3: Tubberclair 1-02, Garrycastle 1-13

2. June 24: Garrycastle 1-15, Maryland/Tang 1-06

3. May 1: Athlone 0-0, Garrycastle 0-0 (Athlone concede walkover)

4. May 15: Garrycastle 2-15, Caulry 1-08

5. June 12: Cill Óige 0-03, Garrycastle 1-09

6. June 26: Garrycastle 3-15, St. Josephs 3-07 

League Table:

At the end of the Under-12 league, phase 1, Garrycastle topped the table with 6 wins from 6 matches.

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

Under-11 Challenge vs. Tubberclair, May 20th

Garrycastle 0-14, Tubberclair 0-10

Garrycastle had a very useful outing against Tubberclair in a friendly game played in Garrycastle last week. The home team were on top from early on and led by 0-9 to 0-6 at half time. The lads continued to put in a fine effort over the course of the game, displaying many of the skills learned at training. The home side never let up from beginning to end and their efforts were rewarded at the final whistle with a home win.

The most pleasing aspect of all was the magnificent effort and hard work put in by all players for the benefit of the team as a whole. On an evening that also saw some fine passing movements and scores, the overall performance was a great start to the season for this under-11 team.

Panel:

Daniel Stankard, Alec Connor, James Derwin, Jack Dowling, Senan Nugent, Ronan Croughan, James Kelly, Oisin O’Donoghue, Luke Quilty, Louie Shine, Rhys Larkin, Darragh Glennon (inj), Eoghan Joyce.

Under-12 League vs. Tubberclair, April 3rd

The Under-12 team made the short journey to Tubberclair this evening for their first outing in this years league campaign.

The Garrycastle team started brightly in the opening few minutes, going four points ahead in difficult windy conditions. Tubberclair then upped their tempo and clawed back two good points. There was some excellent football on show from both sides, but a strong performance all over the field, saw Garrycastle lead going into the break on a scoreline of Garycastle 2-08 to 1-02 for the home side.

There were a few tactical changes made at halftime and it seemed to give us the impetus as we got a brace of points from Darragh Glennon in the opening few minutes. This was the signal to the Garrycastle lads to pile on the pressure with scores coming from Andrew Henson, James McHugh, Aaron Keegan and Louie Shine.

The final scoreline saw a convincing Garrycastle win, Garrycastle 6-13, Tubberclair 1-02.

Overall, a great all round team performance.

Under-11 League Final : Friday September 28th

Garrycastle 2-06, Mullingar Shamrocks 2-04

Excellent win tonight by our under-11 Garrycastle team who were crowned Under-11 "A" Westmeath champions. Huge effort from the boys tonight and unbeaten all year. 

Very proud of these players.🏆 Captained by "Vantastic" Van McCay.

Team:

Aaron Keegan, Darragh Glennon, Conor McCormack, Niadh Shine, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Calum Hudson, Cian Norris, Oisin O'Donoghue, Christopher Malone, Kealan McNamara, James McHugh, Van McCay (captain), Jack Dolan, Andrew Henson, Dylan Frawley.  

Jim McHugh Tournament - Cup Semi-Final : Wednesday September 19th

Garrycastle 4-11, Shandonagh 5-08

Shandonagh win after Extra Time and Free Kicks. 

On the day when Storm Ali roared through the country, and with the match nearly having to be called off due to the strong winds, Garrycastle took on Shandonagh in the cup semi-final of this years Jim McHugh memorial tournament, with a place in the final to take on St. Marys Rochfortbridge as the prize.

Both Garrycastle and Shandonagh play a similar style of football, with the game played at speed and quick and accurate passing the name of the game. Due to the weather, both sides had to adapt their game to suit the conditions, and the wind in particular made scoring difficult. This was reflected on the scoreboard, as the home team had a number of chances in front of goal which were missed, that on another evening would have been scored. Throughout the first half, points were exchanged more or less evenly between the teams, but then just prior to the half-time break, Garrycastle finally got the breakthrough for their efforts, scoring a goal and a point in rapid succession. At the half-time whistle, Garrycastle were in front by 4 points.

The visitors started the second half the brighter, and with some strong running play, scored the opening three points to cut the Garrycastle lead to a single score. Then came a turning point, when Shandonagh goaled to move into the lead. To their credit, the Garrycastle players didn't panic at this reversal, and continued to run at the visitors defence, and continued to tip over the points to keep the scoreboard ticking. As the game entered the last five minutes of normal time, the home team trailed by four points, but a herculean final effort in this last five minutes yielded a goal and a point to leave the scores tied at the end of normal time.

After a short break, extra time, with 5-minutes each way started, and both teams put a mighty effort into winning out the game. In the last three minutes of extra time, it was Shandonagh who seemed to be in the driving seat, scoring two late goals. But, yet again, this Garrycastle team showed their strength of character, which has been on view for all of this year, and continued to run at the visitors, scoring a number of points to bring the scores level again as extra time was blown-up

By the rules of this competition, this meant that the game moved to free kicks, with each team having 5 attempts to kick points from the hand, from the 30 meter line. Now the conditions really came into play, as tired legs and a strong, gusty wind, played havoc with the free takers. Of the 10 shots in total that were taken, only one was successfully converted, and that was to the Shandonagh team. 

So heartbreak for the home team, who came so close to making the cup final, but congratulations to the Shandonagh team for a hard-won victory on the evening.

This was a great game of football to watch and both teams showed their football skills and how far they have come over the season.  There were tears a-plenty shed at the end, but the players can hold their heads held high, as they put everything they had into the game, and left everything on the pitch. 

The team management, and the club in general is extremely proud of this bunch of players, and with their effort and commitment throughout the year. 

Huge thanks also to their parents, who have supported and encouraged them throughout the year.   

The under-12 season is now over, but we still have an under-11 Westmeath 'A' league final at home late next week against Mullingar Shamrocks to look forward to. Hopefully we can finish the season on a winning note.

Squad on the evening:

Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Kasey Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Niadh Shine, 

Andrew Henson (1-0), Tom Sheehan (0-1), James McHugh (1-7), Sean O'Donoghue (0-1), Aaron Keegan (0-1), 

Nathan McKeon (1-1), Brandon Devaney, Kealan McNamara, Van McCay, Rian Gaynor, Jack Dolan, Calum Hudson, 

Dylan Frawley, Darragh Glennon (1-0)

Jim McHugh Tournament - Round 3 : Thursday September 13th

Garrycastle 0-13, St. Lomans 1-04 

We played St. Loman's in the final match in Group-A of this years Jim McHugh memorial tournament, and with both ourselves and St. Loman's unbeaten going into the match, it was a winner-takes-all opportunity, with the winner qualifying for the Cup semi-finals, while the loser would have to settle for the Shield semi-finals. 

The game started off at a blistering pace, with the Garrycastle team attacking and scoring within the first few seconds. However, the St. Loman's team responded immediately with a score of their own. Scores were traded between the teams in what was a very competitive game, with some strong tackling, and hits given and taken throughout the first half. Overall, Garrycastle were on top in the first half, but were wasteful with some easy chances in front of goal that would have been scored on another evening. As half-time approached, the St. Loman's team scored a late goal and point to leave the half-time score at St. Loman's 1-02 to Garrycastle 0-07. 

The second half started in the same way as the first half had ended, with some fine moves up and down the pitch from both teams, but now the Garrycastle team were more clinical in front of the posts, and extended their lead by kicking over a few unanswered points. St. Loman's were working the ball down the pitch and trying for goals but our backline stood strong and denied them. This was by far the most physical challenge the players have had all year, and will surely stand to them going forward. 

The game ended with a victory for Garrycastle, on a scoreline of Garrycastle 0-13 to St. Loman's 1-04.

As the players walked off the field at the end of the game, all the parents in the stand gave our boys a huge round of applause, as they saw they had left everything on the field. 

With this result, Garrycastle topped group-A in the competition, and a cup semi-final awaits against Shandonagh next week.  In effect, this will be a double header as we are also playing for an under-12 county league title. All support will be greatly appreciated. 

Panel 

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor, Kealan McNamara, David Carter, Niadh Shine, Andrew Henson, Tom Sheehan (0-2), James McHugh (0-7), Sean O'Donoghue (0-3), Aaron Keegan, Dylan Frawley (0-1), Nathan McKeon, Brandan Devaney, Van McCay, Christopher Malone, Jack Dolan, Calum Hudson, Paddy Stephens, Darragh Glennon.

Under-11 / Under-12 Challenge, Sunday September 9th

Garrycastle 5-17, Barna GAA Club, Galway 1-06

As the season is coming to an end and with a crossover of other sports starting up, we decided to bring our under-11 and under-12 group on a day trip.

We organised a bus to Barna GAA in Galway to play them in an under-12 challenge, as earlier in the year they called in on their way to Dublin to play us, so it was a great opportunity to return the favour. After the match, the Barna GAA provided food and drinks for the players and coaches and this was very much appreciated. Huge thanks are due to the Barna GAA club for their hospitality, and for the great challenge match, and hopefully we will cross paths again in the future. 

The game itself was played in very wet and windy conditions, with our players playing into the wind in the first half, where the wind resulted in a lot of balls dropping short. Our style of football worked well, with quick passing of the ball through the hands and not over carrying or over playing. 

The first half finished 1-08 to 0-04 in favour of Garrycastle. 

In the second half we asserted our dominance right across the field, and took the game to Barna. With a strong breeze on our backs, we took plenty of fine scores from both close in and far. 

Final score on the day was Garrycastle 5-17, Barna 1-06.

Panel:

Cian Norris, Conor McCormack, Van McCay, Rian Gaynor, Christopher Malone, Anthony Mannion, David Carter, 

Killian Keegan, Kasey Mulvihill, Oisin Mulvihill,  Niadh Shine, Andrew Henson (2-1), Tom Sheehan (0-2), James McHugh (0-3), Sean O Donoghue (0-5), Aaron Keegan (0-1), Kealan McNamara (0-1), Nathan McKeon (1-1), Brandon Devaney (0-2), Calum Hudson (1-0), Dylan Frawley, Darragh Glennon (1-1).

Trip to Galway: Sunday September 9th

After the challenge match in Barna,  we traveled to Eile Mental Activity Park where our players took part in 3 hours of Laser tag. This was a great opportunity for the group to bond outside of football. After this we stopped off for a bite to eat on the way back home. Great day had by all and special thanks to Maeve, Jim, Darragh and Mick for helping out on the day. 

There are many more photos available in the album below, (click on the photo for details), courtesy of Ger O'Donoghue.

...or you can see them here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/vHM2vqAuJAQYa5KYA

Hopefully we can finish the season on a high with our under-11's playing in the A-final of the under-11 county league, and the under-12 team only two games away from an A-final in the under-12 county league. These are a great bunch of kids and win or lose they have represented the club with pride and honour, playing some fine football and there is definitely more to come!

Jim McHugh Tournament - Round 2 : Monday September 3rd

Garrycastle 2-27, Cill Óige 1-00 

The Garrycastle under-12 team played their second match in the league part of the Jim McHugh tournament in garrycastle on Monday evening, against Cill Óige, which is a combined Rosemount and Castledaly side. On a perfect evening for football we had 22 togged out in the Red and Green.

From the outset, the Garrycastle team dominated this game all over the pitch, giving the visitors no chance to make an impact. There were some excellent team scores taken by the home side, but there were also a large number of wides in front of goal, which could prove costly in a tighter game.

Overall, though, this was a great squad performance, with all players present getting to paly part of the game. Probably to be expected, a little bit of complacency set in as the game progressed, and the Garrycastle players over carried the ball on occasion, when a faster pass would have reaped better rewards. In addition, the marking at times was lax, and so despite the comfortable win, there are still some things to work on in training. 

Panel on the evening: 

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Kasey Mulvihill, Oisin Mulvihill, Van McCay, Rian Gaynor, Killian Keegan (0-1), David Carter (0-2), Niadh Shine, Andrew Henson (0-6), Sean O'Donoghue (0-2), Tom Sheehan (0-1), Aaron Keegan (0-5), James McHugh (0-3), Kealan McNamara, Dylan Frawley, Nathan McKeon (1-1), Anthony Mannion (1-0), Jack Dolan (0-2), Christopher Malone, Calum Hudson (0-2), Darragh Glennon (0-2).

Jim McHugh Tournament - Round 1 : Friday August 30th

Caulry 0-07, Garrycastle 3-12 

The Garrycastle under-12 team started their challenge for honours in the Jim McHugh Tournament with an away game in Caulry on Friday evening. With a very strong wind blowing down the field favoring the home team in the early stages of the game, Caulry started strongly, putting over three points in quick succession. The Garrycastle team seemed to be in a nervous mood, and could not get to the pace of the game, making a lot of unforced errors, which in not usual for this group.

This was a new experience for this team of talented players, but gradually they settled down into the game, and started to play with a little more confidence,moving the ball smartly through the hands up the pitch, and opened their account with a point after 10 minutes. With confidence growing now, much more possession was being won, and used effectively. The home team, though, were definitely on top during the opening half, but inaccuracy in front of the posts cost them dearly, as the Garrycastle team took advantage of the limited chances to come their way to take a narrow lead into the half-time break.

At the midpoint, the score was Caulry 0-4, Garrycastle 0-6.

Garrycastle were much the brighter team as the second half started, and now playing with the benefit of  the strong wind, started to score some excellent long-range points to open up a good lead. After a number of chances went unused, the Garrycastle forwards eventually breached the home teams defence, and score two goals in quick succession. This looked to have ended the game as a contest, but to their credit, the home team came back strongly, and laid siege on the Garrycastle goal for the last five minutes of the match. However, try as they might, the Garrycastle backs would not yield any scores easily, and the home teams reward for their pressure was a couple of late points.

The final score was Caulry 0-07, Garrycastle 3-12.

The final scoreline does not in anyway reflect on how close this game was, and Garrycastle can be thankful that the home team forwards were not on target in the first half, when playing with the wind.

Panel on the night

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Van McCay, Oisin Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Kasey Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Tom Sheehan (0-4), Aaron Keegan (0-3), James McHugh (1-3), Kealan McNamara (0-1), Andrew Henson, Niadh Shine, Dylan Frawley, Nathan McKeon, Jack Dolan, Rian Gaynor, Christopher Malone, Darragh Glennon (2-1)

A special word of thanks for the great support from the sideline; the players and management really appreciate this.

Under-12 League, Phase 2, Round 4 : Wednesday August 29th

The Downs 2-05, Garrycastle 2-20 

The Garrycastle under-12 team made the long trip to The Downs tonight to play the final group phase match in the under-12 league. A great turnout of 22 players made the long trip, and togged out in the Green and Red.  

The match started at a blistering pace with the Garrycastle team scoring some fine points from open play. The Garrycastle players tackled well, and continually ran at The Downs defence, opening the home team up with some great interplay. At the other end of the field, our defence was very solid, and dealt calmly with The Downs attacks, cleaning up all loose ball, and clearing their lines. The movement off the ball was also great to see, but sometimes the temptation was to take too much out of the ball, instead of getting the ball quickly and directly into the forward line. 

At halftime Garrycastle were leading on a scoreline of 1-15 to The Downs 0-01

At half-time we introduced all seven substitutes to give everyone present as much game time as possible. So many changes did have an unsettling effect on the team for  a short while, and the home team took advantage and scored two goals in quick succession. However, the Garrycastle team settled down, and responded with a number of score of their own to re-establish their lead.

Overall, the Garrycastle team was much the stronger on the night, and all 22 players present played well. There is certainly some areas to work on, but overall, it was extremely heartening to see that this team is starting to play for each other, and operate as a unit.  

The final score saw Garrycastle win by 2-20 to 2-05.

Panel on the night

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Anthony Mannion, Oisin Mulvihill, Nathan McKeon, Van McCay, Rian Gaynor,

Christopher Malone, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Kasey Mulvihill, Andrew Henson (0-2), Tom Sheehan (0-2),

Niadh Shine (0-4), Aaron Keegan (0-1), James McHugh (1-4),  Kealan McNamara (0-3), Calum Hudson (0-1),

Dylan Frawley (0-1), Jack Dolan, Sean O'Donoghue (1-2), Darragh Glennon. 

Under-11 League, Round 6 : Monday August 27th

Team :

Conor McCormack, Van McCay, Oisin Mulvihill (0-1), Rian Gaynor, Christopher Malone, Andrew Henson (2-2),

Niadh Shine (0-3), Aaron Keegan (1-8), James McHugh (0-5), Kealan McNamara, Jack Dolan (1-2), Dylan Frawley (1-2), Calum Hudson, Cian Norris (1-1), Darragh Glennon (1-0), Oisin O'Donoghue (0-1)

As always, many thanks for the great support by the parents. It is great to see parents encouraging the players

Under-11 League, Round 5 : Monday August 20th

The Garrycastle under-11 squad played the fifth round of the u11 league away to Athlone on Monday night. Garrycastle had 16 players who togged out in the green and red. The Garrycastle boys applied constant pressure right from the start of the game,  showing their skills and workrate all over the pitch. On the night they were too strong for the home team, and enjoyed a great win. 

There were great performances all round the field by the Garrycastle lads. 

Final score Garrycastle 3-25, Athlone 0-00.

Team and scorers on the night:

Cian Norris (1-1), Conor McCormack, Van McCay, Oisin Mulvihill (0-1), Rian Gaynor, Christopher Malone,

Niadh Shine (0-1), Andrew Henson, Oisin O'Donoghue (0-2), Darragh Glennon (2-1), Aaron Keegan (0-9),

James McHugh (0-4), Keelan McNamara (0-2), Calum Hudson, Jack Dolan, Dylan Frawley (0-4)

As always, many thanks to all the parents on the sideline for their continuous support.

Under-12 League, Phase 2, Round 3 : Wednesday August 15th

Garrycastle 1-14, Mullingar Shamrocks 5-07 

The Garrycastle under-12 team travelled to Springfield in Mullingar to play Mullingar Shamrocks on Wednesday evening in  round 3 of the under-12 league. As both teams set out to play fast, attacking football, we expected this to be a very physical and challenging game, and so it proved on the evening. 

With the summer holidays drawing to a close, we had a good turnout of 18 players making the trip to Mullingar.

Right from the start the game was played at a very high intensity with lovely, free flowing football from both teams. The home team looked physically bigger and stronger, but these Garrycastle boys have a great attitude and great heart, and took the game to them. The Shamrocks lads were kicking long balls into their full forward line and got some rewards as they scored three goals before half-time. The Garrycastle heads never dropped, however, and  they passed the ball around with great accuracy and took some great points and were unlucky on a number of occasions not to raise the green flag, being denied by some great point blank save from the home team goalkeeper. 

The score at the half-time break slightly favoured the home team on a scoreline of Garrycastle 0-07 to Mullingar Shamrocks 3-03.

The second half started with Garrycastle having to play into a stiff breeze, but the players adapted quickly to the conditions, and by being very accurate with their passes, worked the ball through the hand up to the forward line, who took their chances when they came.  The home team then had a purple patch, when they eventually broke through our defence and scored two more goals. The Garrycastle players were still taking their points, keeping the scoreboard ticking over, and the work rate all over the pitch was fantastic to see. 

There was a long period where the home team did not score, and this was due to the pressure the Garrycastle players applied. Although Garrycastle outscored them on the night, the old truism that 'goals win games' held sway. 

At the Final whistle, the home team prevailed on a scoreline of  Garrycastle 1-14 to Mullingar Shamrocks 5-07. Although they may have lost on the night, the players gave everything and can be very proud of their performance.

Team on the night :

Cian Norris, Conor McCormack, Christopher Malone, Oisin Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Kacey Mulvihill, David Carter, Niadh Shine, Sean O’Donoghue (0-2), Andrew Henson, Kealan McNamara (0-1), James McHugh (0-5), Aaron Keegan (0-3), Jack Dolan (0-2), Brandon Delaney, Dylan Frawley (0-1), Paddy Stephens, Darragh Glennon (1-0)

As usual, huge thanks for the great support from the parents on the sideline.

Under-11 League, Round 4 : Monday August 13th

Our under-11 team were slated to play Cill Óige in round 4 of the under-11 league in Garrycastle on Monday evening. As Cill Óige were unable to field a full team on the evening, the match points were awarded to Garrycastle, but even so, and in the spirit of giving all players the maximum chance to play football, we played a 10-a-side challenge game instead.

The Garrycastle team were stronger all over the pitch and were translating their dominance into some very good scores. The Cill Óige team were struggling to get past our midfield, and found scores hard to come by. However, as often happens, when a team is dominating the play, they start to take too much out of the ball, and Garrycastle were no exception to this, and allowed the Cill Óige team to get back into the game, giving up a goal from a 45-metre free, followed by a point from play before the half-time whistle was blown. 

At half-time, Garrycastle were ahead on a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-01.

Some gentle encouragement from the sideline at the half-time break had the desired effect, and the Garrycastle team started the second half in a much more focused way. The players worked very hard in the second half, playing the ball much faster, and taking the chances which presented themselves. The scoring rate was now upped considerably, and we saw much better support play and intensity all over the pitch.

As the full-time whistle sounded, Garrycastle won out on a scoreline of 6-21 to 1-01.

Team and scorers on the night

Conor McCormack, Van McCay, Oisin Mulvihill (0-1), Christopher Malone, Andrew Henson (1-2),

Aaron Keegan (0-4), Niadh Shine (0-4), Keelan McNamara (0-3), Dylan Frawley (0-3), James McHugh (0-1),

James Dolan (2-0), Paddy Stephens, Darragh Glennon (3-3).

Thanks again for the great support by the Garrycastle parents on the night, and best wishes to the Cill Óige team in their remaining games. 

Under-12 League, Phase 2, Round 2 : Wednesday August 1st

Garrycastle 4-09, Multyfarnham 2-05 

Garrycastle played Multyfarnham in the second round of the Under-12 league (phase 2), in a wet Garrycastle on Wednesday evening. 

As is usual this time of year, the number of players available was greatly reduced due to summer holidays and other commitments. Even so, we still were able to field 17 players on the night, although with only 4 of our under-12 players available, it was very much left to our under-11 and under-10 players to fill out the team. As such, we knew we would be up against a physically stronger Multyfarnham team.

However, all the Garrycastle players played magnificently, showing a huge work-rate and stepped up their game all over the pitch. They fought for every ball, and importantly, did all the simple things well.

Both teams got off to a good start with the opening points being shared equally. The Garrycastle team started to take control, playing to its strengths, passing the ball around cleanly, and attacking in numbers once the chance was on. The wet conditions meant that at times the ball was difficult to hold, but when we did hold onto the ball we got the rewards. At half time the Garrycastle team led on a scoreline of 2-02 to 0-04.

The Multyfarnham boys came out strong in the second half, scoring a quick goal and point. The Garrycastle boys did not panic and kicked the next four points to open up the lead again. With the Garrycastle team doing some  continuous running off the ball, the space started to open up and we scored two great goals. Both teams played some excellent football in the wet conditions, tackling hard, and some fantastic kick passing which was great to see. 

As the final whistle blew, the Garrycastle boys ran out the winners, on a final scoreline of Garrycastle 4-09 to Multyfarnham 2-05. 

Many thanks to Multyfarnham for a very fair competitive game, and to our supporters on the night.

Team on the night:

Conor McCormack, Cian Norris, Van McCay, Anthony Mannion, David Carter, Nathan McKeon, 

Killian Keegan (0-01), Rian Gaynor, Aaron Keegan (0-01), Niadh Shine, Christopher Maloney, 

Paddy Stephens (1-01), Darragh Glennon (1-03), Calum Hudson, Jack Dolan, James McHugh (2-03), 

Dylan Frawley.

Under-11 League, Round 2 : Monday July 23rd

Our under-11 team travelled to Moate for the second round of the group phase in the under-11 league. 

As we had a number of players being absent due to on holidays, we needed to call up a couple of under-10 players to make up numbers. On the night we had 14 players who togged out in the green and red of Garrycastle. 

On what was a wet night, the Garrycastle team played really well and dominated all over the pitch. We were first to every ball and attacked with great success. 

Score on the night:  Garrycastle 8-20, Moate All-Whites 1-01

Players:

Cian Norris, Conor McCormack, Van McCay, Rian Gaynor, Niadh Shine (0-1), Keelan McNamara, Darragh Glennon (3-6), Dylan Frawley (2-2), James McHugh (1-06), Aaron Keegan (1-10, Calum Hudson, Jack Dolan (1-0), Paddy Stephens (0-1), Louie Shine (0-3).

Many thanks as usual to all of the parents for their support. 

Under-11 Challenge, Sunday July 15th

Garrycastle 3-06, Barna GAA Club, Galway 0-05

Barna GAA from Galway visited Garrycastle on Sunday morning, to play our under-11 team in a challenge match while on their way to Croke Park to see Galway versus Kerry in the first round of the Super-8 phase of the football championship. After two fantastic months of dry weather, we welcomed the Barna team on probably the wettest morning of the summer! 

With holidays ongoing for some players, Garrycastle needed to call up some of the under-10 squad to make up numbers. The Barna team started the game brightly, with some fine passing moves and scored the opening two scores. The Garrycastle boys settled into the game, however, and started to work the ball through the hands and got their reward with some fine scores. 

The teams were evenly matched and consequently this was a very close game, although both teams did struggle a little with the wet conditions. At the half-time break, Garrycastle made some positional changes and this made a big difference in the second half, the back line stood strong and took control, setting up some fine counter-attacks which resulted in the Garrycastle forwards being able to show their skills. 

The Garrycastle team looked very strong going forward but occasionally committed too many players and the counter was always on for Barna who punished us a couple of times. Our shooting was slighty off as well, with a lot of ball dropping short, but overall Garrycastle still had a little too much on the day and won well. 

The final score was Garrycastle 3-06, Barna 0-05. 

Huge thanks to Barna for coming down to play us, and we hope to return the favour later in the year. 

Many thanks also to the Garrycastle parents for bringing sandwiches and cake for the players.

Under-12 League, Phase 2, Round 1 : Wednesday July 11th

Garrycastle 2-17, Caulry 2-04

The Under-12 squad got phase-2 of this years under-12 league off to a great start with a win against Caulry on Wednesday evening. Despite a number of players being missing due to summer holidays and injuries, we still had 17 players available to tog off on the night. 

For the majority of the players this was their second match in two days, but this did not stop them from putting in a  100% effort from start to finish. Garrycastle started the game the brighter, running at Caulry and scored the opening few scores. As the game progressed, Caulry gradually got into their stride, but even though they made some fine attacks, the Garrycastle defense held firm, and gave up no scores. The Garrycastle backs never seem pressurised when the opposition attacked,  and when  possession was won back in the full back line, the ball was quickly up the field through the hands to score some great points. 

The work rate from the middle third of the field was great to see when we were attacking, but as the game progressed, Garrycastle were a bit slow getting back and Caulry took full advantage of this and punished us with a few scores. 

Not to be outdone, our forwards were on fire tonight and every ball that was worked in was rewarded with a score. The effort from all of the players was very impressive on the evening. 

Thanks to Caulry for a very fair and competitive game. Final score Garrycastle 2-17, Caulry 2-04.

Team:

Conor McCormack, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Nathan McKeon, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Niadh Shine (0-01), Andrew Henson (1-01), Tom Sheehan (0-02). Keelan McNamara, James McHugh (0-07), Kacey Mulvihill, Aaron Keegan (0-03), Brandon Devaney (0-03), Calum Hudson (1-0), Dylan Frawley, Jack Dolan

Under-11 League, Round 1 : Monday July 9th

The first round of the county under-11 league started with an away match against Tubberclair. The format for this competition is slightly different, as the matches are played at 11-a-side, compared to the 15-a-side for the under-12 competitions. 

Given the time of year, the Garrycastle squad was missing some players due to holidays, so we only had the minimum 11 players required togged off. The lads that were available however, stepped up to the challenge, and started at a blistering pace, bursting through the Tubberclair defense and scoring the opening 4 scores. 

On a really warm evening, the lads put everything into the game, and continued to take some good scores. As legs tired late on, we were wasteful with some of the chances on offer, but overall, the attacking play was great to watch.

Not to be outshone by the forwards, the defense stood very strong, giving no space to the opposition, forcing Tubberclair to shoot from distance, which kept the scores down.

There was some very strong physical tackling from both side. Everyone who played tonight played well, but special mention goes to the back-line who never panicked, and calmly worked the ball out of defense to start numerous attacks, leading to some fine team scores.

At the final whistle, and with all scores being counted the same, Garrycastle had won comfortably on a scoreline of 25 to 5.

Team & Scorers: 

Aaron Keegan 0-9, James McHugh 0-7, Jack Dolan 1-3, Andrew Henson 0-2, Van McCay 0-1, Calum Hudson 0-2, Conor McCormack, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Niadh Shine, Killian Keegan.

Many thanks to all the parents who attended, their support is very much appreciated. 

Under-12 League, Phase 1, Group 2 : Friday May 25th

The  Garrycastle Under-12 squad played their fifth and final round of the Under-12 league tonight, with an away fixture in Rochfortbridge. On a beautiful, warm, sunny evening 21 players made the trip to take on the home club, St. Marys.

Although the sun was shining, there was a stiff breeze blowing across the pitch. The Garrycastle team started the game strongly, driving forward and taking a couple of fine scores. St. Marys fought back strongly and quickly found equalising scores to keep the game finely balanced. The Garrycastle lads pushed on again, and dominated the next 10 or 15 minutes but could not make it count on the scoreboard, and numerous chances were missed, partially on account of the wind, but also due to some poor decision making in front of the posts. As expected, St. Marys grew back into the game, and eventually broke through the Garrycastle midfield and finished off a nice flowing move with a well taken goal to level the scores on the scoreboard. The home team finished the first half strongly, knocking over a number of points before the break, to leave the half-time score showing the home team ahead by a goal, on a scoreline of 1-05 to 0-05.

As the second half started, the Garrycastle players knew they were in a real match and needed to up their effort and intensity. As in the first half, the Garrycastle team opened with a well taken point, but then home team seemed to own the ball, as they dominated possession for much of the second half. However, in a similar fashion to Garrycastle in the first half, St. Marys kicked a lot of wides and could not take their chances to drive on and make the game safe. There were points traded by both teams until St. Marys scored their second goal and opened up a six point lead with around five minutes to play. Once more, the Garrycastle team rallyed together, and with some excellent tackling and passing, scored the next three points to narrow the home teams lead to a single score. However, even though the Garrycastle team had a couple of late goal chances, the St. Marys defence weathered the pressure, and when the referee blew the final whistle, Garrycastle had lost by a single goal, with the final score showing 2-12 to 1-12. 

This game was there to be won by Garrycastle, but congratulations to the St. Marys team, who were worthy winners on the night.

Garrycastle Scores: 

Sean O Donoghue 0-06, Tom Sheehan 0-01, Andrew Henson 0-03, James McHugh 0-02, Jack Dolan 1-00.

Many thanks as always to the parents for coming out and supporting the team, and also to Michael and the St. Marys team for a great game of football.

Under-12 League, Phase 1, Group 2 : Friday May 11th

The Garrycastle under-12 team played Shandonagh in the fourth round of the Under-12 league league in Garrycastle on Friday evening. On a fine bright evening, no fewer than 21 players were available, and all players got to play some part of the match. Coming into this match Shandonagh were unbeaten so far in this years league campaign, so from the outset this was always going to be a very competitive game, and indeed, so it proved to be. 

The match started at lightning pace,  with the ball travelling up and down the pitch and scores being traded by both teams. In what was also a very tight game, there was some great tackling and passing from both teams, as they tried to assert control. The visitors were very strong in the middle third of the pitch, and the Garrycastle team found progress difficult, being drawn into playing down the middle of the field. At halftime, the teams could not be separated, with the score at 1-03 each.

With some personnel and positional changes, and a tactical team talk to bolster the team,  the Garrycastle team started the second half well, making much better use of the width of the pitch, and keeping the ball out wide. This paid immediate dividends, with some great possession being obtained, and with some excellent tackling and marking, the Garrycastle squad tacked on some fine points from play, and opened up a good lead.  

The Garrycastle defense was very solid throughout and won all 50:50 ball. 

As would be expected, the visitors came back strongly in the latter stages of the match, with a well taken goal and a point immediately afterwards. The Garrycastle defense, however, stood strong and forced Shandonagh to kick from distance, which they were unable to convert into scores. When the final whistle was blown Garrycastle had seven points to spare, a justified reward for a great team display. There were great performances right around the field, and a huge team effort again tonight, but as always there are areas of improvement to be worked on. 

Thanks to Shandonagh for a great open game of football.

Final score: Garrycastle 1-14, Shandonagh 2-04

Scorers on the night

Tom Sheehan 0-07, Sean O'Donoghue 1-01, James McHugh 0-04, Andrew Henson 0-02

Under-12 Challenge vs. Doon, Monday April 30th

Our under-12 squad travelled to Doon GAA for a challenge match on Monday evening. This was a great opportunity to give all our players game time. On a wet evening, the rain poured down for twenty minutes prior to the throw in but it cleared up as the match started, and stayed fine for the remainder of the evening.

Twenty four of the Garrycastle boys togged out, and all played at least 30 minutes of great football. We played 11-a-side to 13-a-side matches. On the night all the Garrycastle players were on top of their game, and from start to finish dominated the match. It was great to see everyone playing as a team and supporting each other. 

A huge note of thanks to Donny and the management team in Doon GAA for the match and we look forward to the rematch later in the season. Thanks to all the parents who came out and supported the team it is greatly appreciated. 

Under-12 League, Phase 1, Group 2 : Wednesday April 25th

Our third match in this year's under-12 league, playing against the Moate All-Whites was held in Garrycastle on Wednesday evening.

The match went ahead in poor weather conditions, with a strong wind blowing, and with the ground being very wet underfoot. However, the strong wind somewhat favoured Garrycastle in the first half, and the players took the game to the Moate All-Whites from the start, with intelligent use of the ball, attacking through the hands and taking some great points from play. The All-Whites however, stayed in touch with a quick goal from a free kick, quickly followed by a point. The Garrycastle lads were not fazed however, and proceeded to tap over a few more scores before the halftime whistle was blown. At the break, Garrycastle led on a scoreline of 1-07 to 1-01.

As expected, as the second half began, the visitors were quickly into their stride, and now playing with the aid of the wind, came out strong and launched some long balls into the forward line, where they were rewarded with three goals in quick succession. Now it was the turn of the Garrycastle lads to show their fighting spirit, and with the aid of a couple of changes in our defence, they steadied the ship, and once again started to work the ball out of defence, and up the field to tap over a few more points. Even though the Garrycastle lads were trailing for a few minutes, with some hard tackling and once again starting to win the ball back in midfield they got the next 4 scores in a row. As the game ended, Garrycastle were once again on top and took a deserved win. 

This was a very keenly contested game with the Garrycastle team coming on top. A feature of the game from a Garrycastle viewpoint, was the man to man marking, and quickness to the ball, which was great to see.

Final score Garrycastle 2-14, Moate All-Whites 4-04

Scorers on the night:

James McHugh 2-02, Aaron Keegan 0-01, Tom Sheehan 0-04, Andrew Henson 0-03, Brandon Devaney 0-01, Sean O’Donoghue 0-01, Killian Keegan 0-02

Under-12 Challenge vs. Clann na nGael, Monday April 16th

On a wet and windy evening our under-12 squad travelled to Johnstown to play Clann na nGael in a challenge match. On the night we were missing several players due to other sporting commitments, leaving us with just 19 players available. 

Clann na nGael had 30 players, so to give everyone the maximum opportunity to play football, we decided to play four 15-minute quarters. Even the conditions were not great, starting with the wind favouring Garrycastle we dominated the first quarter. In the second quarter Clann na nGael came back strongly into the game, and the Garrycastle team had to work hard to keep position. 

The wind died down somewhat for the the third and fourth quarters, and Garrycastle re-focused and started to play the ball through the hands, working the ball up the pitch to get some fine scores. As the game finished, the Garrycastle had a good win, but there is plenty of room for improvement especially in front of the goals. 

Big thanks to Shane and the Clann na nGael management team for the challenge game and we look forward to returning the favour later in the year. 

As always, a huge "Thanks!" also to all the parents who turned up to support the boys.

Under-12 League, Phase 1, Group 2 : Wednesday April 11th

Our second under-12 league match was held on Wednesday night in Castledaly against Cill Óige, which is a combined Rosemount and Castledaly team. On a lovely fine evening perfect for football, the Garrycastle lads and girls was fired up for the match. 

Right from the start Garrycastle started brightly, and with our half back line and midfield stopping the opposition attack, dominated the first half of the match. Our movement and link play was very impressive. At half time the Garrycastle team was in a strong position, leading by 2-12 to no score. 

As the second half got underway, all of the Garrycastle substitutes were brought on and continued the strong showing around the field. As the second half wore on, and due to many positional changes, the Cil Óige team came more into the game, and got some reward for their efforts with two fine goals, when the Garrycastle defense had started to switch off. Our forwards on the night were very accurate and were taking their points at will. 

Final score on the night saw Garrycastle victorious on a scoreline of Garrycastle 4-20, Cill Óige 2-00.

Well done to all who played on the night and keep up the hard work !

Under-12 Challenge vs. St. Dominics, Monday April 2nd

On a wet Easter Monday night St Dominic's from Roscommon came to Garrycastle to play a challenge match. 

Both clubs organised to have two teams on the night so that all players would get 40mins of game time.

All players on both teams played a hard physical game and this will stand to both teams as the season goes on.

Both Garrycastle teams played football to the level we expected from them, their movement and support play was exceptional tonight and the effort from everyone on the pitch was superb. 

All of the players can go home tonight with their heads held high. 

Both Garrycastle teams won on the night against a very strong St Dominic's team.

Big thank you to Ken Duggan and his St. Dominics management team for coming out.

Under-12 League, Phase 1, Group 2 : Wednesday March 28th

Garrycastle 2-03,  Tubberclair 5-10 

Our first league match of the season was played on Wednesday evening against Tubberclair at home. 

Tubberclair started the match very strong with some fine scores from open play. We were struggling to gain and keep possession. Eventually the lads moved the ball through the hands up the pitch where they scored a fine goal. We were not on form tonight as Tubberclair were first to every ball and we were chasing the game from the very start. 

Injuries in the first 10 minutes to Kealan McNamara and Oisin Mulivihill required changes in formation which unsettled the team. Garrycastle started strongly in the second half and were fighting for the ball but it will take a while for our younger players, starting their first competitive match at this level, to adjust to the pitch size. 

Scores on the night from Christopher Malone 1-0, James McHugh 0-2, Aaron Keegan 0-1, Andrew Henson 1-0

Panel on the night: 

David Carter, Brandon Devaney, Rian Gaynor, Jack Dolan, Dylan Frawley, Andrew Henson, Calum Hudson, Aaron Keegan, Killian Keegan, Christopher Malone, Anthony Mannion, Conor McCormack, James McHugh, Nathan McKeon, Fionn McMahon, Keelan McNamara, Van McCay, Niadh Shine, Kacey Mulvihill, Oisin Mulvihill, Cian Norris, Sean O Donoghue. 

Under-12 Challenge vs. Roscommon Gaels, Sunday March 25th

With only one outdoor training session behind us we had our first away challenge match of the season on Sunday morning against Roscommon Gaels. On a really sunny morning in Roscommon we had 19 u12 players available to take part. You could see after the first ten minutes that our ball handling and movement were somewhat rusty, and let us down, but this is something that will improve rapidly once our training gets into full swing. 

The match itself was very competitive, with the Roscommon Gaels team holding the lead from start to finish. It was great to see that the Garrycastle team never gave up and finished the game very strongly. We would like to thank Derek Dolan and his team for the opportunity of the challenge match and look forward to inviting them to garrycastle for a rematch later in the season. Well done to all!

2017

Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament 2017

The Garrycastle Jim McHugh tournament commences August 20th. All information regarding fixtures and results for the tournament can be found linked from the Garrycastle home page and here . 

Garrycastle are drawn in Group A which also consists of  Moate All Whites, Rosemount, Millmore Gaels, Ballycumber/Tubber and Lillieput Gaels. Match reports below.

Westmeath Under-12 League 2017

The league will be played in two phases. Phase one which is four groups of six teams to determine into which division each team is placed. Phase one of the league runs from end of April to end of June.

Phase one

Garrycastle are drawn in Group 4 which also consists of CFCW (Castletown,Finea,Coole,Whitehall), Tubberclair, Kilbeggan/Joseph’s, Milltownpass and Tyrrellspass.

Garrycastle finished Phase one joint top of their group after winning four from five league fixtures.

All match reports below.

Phase two

Garrycastle are placed in Group 2 with St. Mary's Rochfortbridge, Millmore Gaels, Moate All Whites, St. Loman's Mullingar and Caulry. This phase commences on July 5th.

Garrycastle completed Phase two of the league on August 31st. with a defeat at St.Loman's Mullingar. It was mixed fortunes in this phase of the league with two wins (over St. Mary's Rochfortbridge & Moate All Whites) and three losses leaving them in a mid-table finish.

Westmeath Under-11 League 2017

Garrycastle will also participate in the Westmeath U11 GO Games league in 2017, running on Monday evenings, commencing on July 3rd. Garrycastle are drawn in Group 1 with Tubberclair, Moate All Whites, Rosemount, The Downs, St Lomans, Coralstown/Kinnegad & Mullingar Shamrocks. 

Results:

July 3rd  -  Garrycastle home win v Rosemount

July 10th - Moate 3-02, Garrycastle 4-06

July 17th - Garrycastle 5-8, Carrick-on-Shannon 4-13 (U11 Challenge)

July 24th - Garrycastle 3-09, Tubberclair 3-02

July 31st - Garrycastle away loss v Mullingar Shamrocks

Sept 1st  - Garrycastle 5-09, St. Lomans 1-05

2017 Match Reports

2017 U12 Jim McHugh Tournament

Garrycastle  V DER Gaels, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Plate final, Mon. Oct 9th. 2016

Garrycastle 5-7, DER Gaels 1-3

This was a superb all round performance by the team played in front of a large attendance of family and friends.

The picture tells the story!

Rosemount V Garrycastle , U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Group A, Round 2, Thur. Sept 7th. 2017

Rosemount 4-05, Garrycastle 4-11

This match can only be described as the proverbial game of two halves where Rosemount dominated the first and Garrycastle came back in the second to secure their second win in the tournament. Rosemount playing with the breeze opened strongly and fully capitalised on their chances scoring three goals in quick succession. The Garrycastle defence regrouped and eventually started to get on top with Thanh McCay particularly impressive across the halfback line. This allowed Garrycastle to get some scores with a goal from Jack Allen and points from Sean O'Donoghue and Jamie Carroll to leave the score at 4-3 to 1-4 in favour of Rosemount.

Garrycastle upped their performance significantly in the second half and started to dominate in midfield and the half forwards which allowed the forwards to start getting the scores on the board. There were some excellent passages of play and goals followed with two from Diarmaid Murtagh and another for Killian Keegan. Garrycastle turned to their substitute bench and again the fresh legs made a big contribution to secure the win. 

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, Killian Redmond, Jack Mulvihill, Brian Mulvihill, Thanh McCay, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jack Allen, David Carter, Sean O' Donoghue, Matthew Conor, Killian Keegan, Conor Sheehan, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Nathan McKeon, Oisin Nugent, Cian McCormack , Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly

Garrycastle v Moate All Whites, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Group A, Round 1, Sun. Sept 3rd. 2017

Garrycastle 4-12, Moate All Whites 1-6

The Garrycastle U12s secured a hard earned win over Moate in their opening fixture of the Jim McHugh tournament. Both teams opened strongly and were exchanging scores right from the start.  Garrycastle then enjoyed a dominant spell and worked some well taken scores with Conor Sheehan and Diarmaid Murtagh converting excellent points. Jack Allen then scored a great goal after breaking at pace from midfield. This left the score at 1-7 to 1-4 to Garrycastle at the break.

The second half opened with both teams exchanging scores with Jack Allen converting another goal. Garrycastle utilised all their substitutes and and the fresh legs allowed them to pull away from their visitors as the match closed out. There were some excellent points from Jamie Carroll and Sean O' Donoghue and a great goal from Killian Redmond struck from distance that crept under the bar. It was a great start to the tournament for the team.

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Redmond, Cian McCormack, Brian Mulvihill, Thanh McCay, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Oisin Nugent, Jack Allen, David Carter, Matthew Conor, Conor Sheehan, Killian Keegan, Alphie Broderick, Kacey Mulvihill, Charlie O'Brien, Nathan McKeon, Con O'Hara, Sean O' Donoghue, Anthony Mannion

                                       Garrycastle squad after Jim McHugh Round 1 win v Moate

2017 Westmeath U12 League Phase two

Caulry v Garrycastle, U12 County Football League Group 2, Wed. Aug 2nd., 2017

Caulry 4-8, Garrycastle 2-6

Garrycastle were without a number of their regular starters for this league fixture but the players who stepped in put in a very solid and determined display. Garrycastle shipped two very unlucky deflected goals in the first half which left them chasing this game from before half time. The lads put a big effort in the second half and took some fine scores but were not able to narrow the gap as the second half played out at 1-3 a piece. David Carter and Jamie Carroll secured valuable goals while Cian McCormack was outstanding in his overall play and contribution on the night.

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Redmond, Cian McCormack, Brian Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Jamie Carroll, Tom Sheehan, David Carter, Jack Allen, Kacey Mulvihill, Matthew Conor, Conor Sheehan, Oisin Nugent, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon

Moate All Whites v Garrycastle, U12 County Football League Group 2, Wed. July 19 th., 2017

Moate All Whites 1-12, Garrycastle 2-10

Match conditions were dominated by a very strong breeze which favoured Garrycastle in the fist half. The match was evenly balanced through out the first period with both teams ticking over the score board point for point. Garrycastle then worked a well taken goal finished by Diarmaid Murtagh to leave the score at 0-6 to 1-6 at half time.

Moate came out strong in the second half aided by the breeze and got the scores on the board including a goal to leave them three points ahead at the end of the the third quarter. Garrycastle needed to dig deep and the defence unit worked hard to stem the flow with Jack Mulvihill, Cian McCormack and Killian Redmond particularly impressive. This allowed the Garrycastle forwards the space to break forward and the scores followed including a second goal from Diarmaid Murtagh. Jake Hanniffy impressive through out made a fine save right at the end of the game and Garrycastle secured a hard earned win by the tightest of margins.

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, Killian Redmond,  Tom Daly, Jack Mulvihill, Brian Mulvihill, Diarmaid Murtagh, Jamie Carroll, David Carter, Tom Sheehan, Kacey Mulvihill, Jack Allen, Conor Sheehan, Killian Keegan, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Cian McCormack, Matthew Conor. Anthony Mannion

Garrycastle v St. Mary's Rochfortbridge, U12 County Football League Group 2, Wed. July 5 th., 2017

Garrycastle 5-8, St. Mary's Rochfortbridge 2-9

Garrycastle opened their Westmeath U12 Phase Two,  first round league match with an excellent win over St. Mary's Rochfortbridge.

This match can only be described as the proverbial game of two halves. Rochfortbridge opened the stronger and were getting the scores steadily on the board from the start. Garrycastle were struggling to keep in touch and trailed on a scoreline of 1-3 to 2-7 at HT.

Garrycastle came out a team transformed in the second half. Every facet of their game upped a notch, tighter marking and tackling in defence, quicker movement and accuracy of possession into attack. The scores started to come at a rapid pace in the final quarter. Killian Keegan converted everything that came his way with a personal tally of 3-3. It was a 15 point turn around in the second half with Garrycastle closing out the match with eight points to spare. It was a real spirited performance in the second half from the team to keep their 100% home record in tact for 2017.

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, Killian Redmond,  Thanh McCay, Jack Mulvihill, Nathan McKeon, Diarmaid Murtagh, Jamie Carroll, Jack Allen, Tom Sheehan, David Carter, Matthew Conor, Conor Sheehan, Killian Keegan, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Cian McCormack

2017 Westmeath U12 League Phase one

Garrycastle v Tubberclair, U12 County Football League Group 4, Wed. June 21 st., 2017

Garrycastle 3-9, Tubberclair 1-6

This was an excellent win for Garrycastle to give them their fourth win in five league games.

The team lined out with a new midfield partnership of Diarmaid Murtagh and Sean O'Donoghue

and both players excelled in winning valuable possession which the Garrycastle forwards were

soon converting into scores. Oisin Nugent netted an excellent goal and there were also some well taken

points including fine efforts from Tom Sheehan and Jack Allen to leave the score at 1-6 to 0-1 at half time.

Garrycastle were now facing a strong breeze in the second half and they worked very hard to keep the Tubberclair attack at bay. The Garrycastle defence unit was excellent with Con O'Hara and  Killian Keegan particularly impressive. When Tubberclair did make the break through with a goal then Garrycastle responded at the other end with goals from Tom and Conor Sheean. Garrycastle utilised all their substitutes in the second half and the fresh legs allowed Garrycastle to push on and win comfortably at the finish.

Garrycastle squad:

Matthew Conor, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, Killian Redmond, Killian Keegan, Jack Mulvihill, Brian Mulvihill, Diarmaid Murtagh, Sean O' Donoghue, Jack Allen, Tom Sheehan, David Carter,  Oisin Nugent,  Conor Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Nathan McKeon, Anthony Mannion,  Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Cian McCormack

                                    Garrycastle squad after league win v Tubberclair

Garrycastle v Milltownpass, U12 County Football League Group 4, Wed. June 7th., 2017

Garrycastle 5-15, Milltownpass 1-1

An excellent win to give Garrycastle their third win in four league games to leave them second in the table.

There was a wide spread of scorers as eight different players got points on the board in an overall

very good team performance.

Garrycastle squad:

Matthew Conor, Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Nathan McKeon, Con O'Hara, Killian Keegan, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jack Allen, Tom Sheehan, Sean O' Donoghue, Jamie Carroll, Conor Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Oisin Nugent, Anthony Mannion,  Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Cian McCormack

Garrycastle v Kilbeggan/Joseph’s, U12 County Football League Group 4, Mon. May 29th., 2017

Garrycastle 3-5, Kilbeggan/Joseph’s 2-4

This was a very entertaining game of football with both sides enjoying their dominant spells in the game.

Kilbeggan started the stronger and opened with a goal in the first few minutes and this was followed by further

pressure by the Kilbeggan forwards but the Garrycastle defence held firm with Mathew Conor very much dominating his goal and making some very good saves. Garrycastle then put some good passages of play together working the ball forward from midfield and started to get the scores on the board including points from Diarmaid Murtagh and Conor Sheehan. This was followed by a really well worked goal from Sean O'Donoghue.  Kilbeggan came back and scored a goal of their own leaving Garrycastle trailing by two points at the break.

Garrycastle upped their performance significantly in the second half especially in the middle third of the pitch where Brian Mulvihill and Tom Daly in particular were securing valuable possession for Garrycastle. This gave the advantage to the Garrycastle forwards and goals followed from Than McCay and Conor Sheehan allowing Garrycastle to pull clear going into the last quarter of the game. Kilbeggan applied significant pressure towards the end of the game but the Garrycastle defence held firm and secured the win with four points to spare. 

Garrycastle squad:

Matthew Conor, Anthony Mannion, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Con O'Hara, Nathan McKeon, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Cian McCormack, Sean O' Donoghue, Oisin Nugent, Jack Allen, Conor Sheehan, Alphie Broderick, Conor McCarthy, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Charlie O'Brien, Tom Daly, Jamie Carroll

Tubberclair v Garrycastle, U12 County Football League Group 4, Wed. May 10th., 2017

Tubberclair 2-4, Garrycastle 1-4

This was an excellent game of football with a great level of skill and commitment shown by both teams. Garrycastle

defended extremely well in the early stages of the first half under an intense spell of pressure by Tubberclair but at

all times retained their composure and dealt with it admirably. Tubberclair eventually got some scores on the board

and this seemed to ignite the Garrycastle forwards who put in some super passages of play and took some excellent scores as they dominated the final stages of the first half. Sean O'Donongue put away an excellent goal to accompany the points from Diarmaid Murtagh and David Carter to leave the score at 1-3 to 1-2 to the home side at the break.

Garrycastle came out the stronger in the second half and were working the ball forward at pace putting a lot of pressure on the Tubberclair defence. Scores followed and Sean O'Donoghue picked off two more points. In the final stages Tubberclair grabbed an opportunistic goal to put them in command as the game was closing out. Garrycastle put everything into the last minutes of the game including hitting the crossbar but did not get the score they needed to get a result from the game.

Garrycastle squad:

Matthew Conor, Killian Redmond, Con O'Hara, Conor McCarthy, Killian Keegan, Conor Sheehan, Brian Mulvihill, Jack Allen, Diarmaid Murtagh, David Carter, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Oisin Nugent, Sean O' Donoghue,  Nathan McKeon

Anthony Mannion, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Cian McCormack

                                    Garrycastle squad and coaches reviewing half time v Tubberclair

Tyrrellspass v Garrycastle, U12 County Football League Group 4, Wed. April 26th., 2017

Tyrrellspass 1-1, Garrycastle 11-12

This was Garrycastle's opening round of the 2017 league and they secured the win with a big score. There were lots of

excellent passages of play by the team and the forwards capitalised on everything that came their way. Oisin Nugent converted his chances into four goals and Sean O'Donoghue put away three goals which were some of the highlights. It was an all round great team performance.

Garrycastle squad:

Nathan McKeon, Killian Keegan, Con O'Hara, Jack Mulvihill, Conor McCarthy, Conor Sheehan, Killian Redmond,  Jack Allen, Diarmaid Murtagh, David Carter, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Jamie Carroll, Sean O' Donoghue, Oisin Nugent, Anthony Mannion, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Cian McCormack

St. Brigid's v Garrycastle, U12 Challenge, Wed. April 19th., 2017

St. Brigid's 2-8, Garrycastle 6-13

The Garrycastle team received a very warm welcome at the Kiltoom venue for this challenge match as both teams

prepared for their respective leagues. Garrycastle opened this game very strongly and were converting their chances right from the start putting eight points on the board in the first fifteen minutes. St. Brigid's finished the stronger in the first half and scored 1-2 in reply. Garrycastle utilised all their substitutes at half time time and upped the tempo significantly in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. The ball was arriving with pace in to the half forwards and Jack Allen managed to capitalise on every thing that came his way by slotting home three goals to push the game beyond the reach of St. Brigid's. 

Garrycastle squad:

Matthew Conor, Killian Keegan, Con O'Hara (1-0), Jack Mulvihill, Conor McCarthy, Conor Sheehan, Killian Redmond, Brian Mulvihill (0-1), Diarmaid Murtagh (0-2), Thanh McCay (1-2), Jack Allen (3-1), Jamie Carroll (0-2), David Carter (0-1), Sean O' Donoghue (0-2), Cian McCormack, Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Alphie Broderick, Kacey Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent (0-1), Tom Daly (1-0).

Castledaly v Garrycastle, U12  Challenge, Mon. April 3rd. 2017

Castledaly 2-8, Garrycastle 4-10

The match was relegated to Castledaly's second pitch due to another more senior fixture on the main pitch.The pitch was fairly tight and it took awhile for this game to open up. Garrycastle defended very well in the first half and eventually the scores came for them. Sean O'Donoghue taking the couple of chances that came to him which he converted into goals to give Garrycastle the lead at half time. Castledaly came back strong in the second half and narrowed the margin to a single point going into the final stages of the game. The game swung in Garrycastle's favour with two late goals from Tom Sheehan to see out the win.

Garrycastle squad:

Jack Allen, Anthony Mannion, Conor Sheehan, Jack Mulvihill, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, Nathan McKeon, Brian Mulvihill, Diarmaid Murtagh, David Carter,  Jamie Carroll, Tom Sheehan, Matthew Conor, Sean O' Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent, Odhran Cannon. 

Garrycastle v Moate All-Whites, U12  Challenge, Wed. March 29th. 2017

Garrycastle 3-6, Moate All-Whites 2-6

This was an excellent opening to 2017 season with both sides starting brightly after the winter hibernation.

Garrycastle took control of this game midway through the first half with a great goal from Diarmaid Murtagh and went into the second half with the lead. Moate pushed very hard in the second half and converted some well take scores of their own. The Garrycastle defence held firm with Con O'Hara particularly impressive and saw out the win with a goal to spare. This was a valuable exercise for both sides as preparation for the Westmeath U12 league starting in April. 

Garrycastle squad:

Jake Hanniffy, Killian Keegan, Con O'Hara, Jack Mulvihill, Conor McCarthy, Conor Sheehan, Brian Mulvihill,  Jack Allen, Jamie Carroll, Killian Redmond, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Matthew Conor, Sean O' Donoghue, Thanh McCay,  Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, David Carter, Alphie Broderick, Charlie O'Brien, Kacey Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent, Odhran Cannon, Dean Grehan, Cian McCormack

2016 Season

Under-12 Management team for 2016

The Under 12 team will be looked after by Rowan Mulvihill and Michael Murtagh (Team Coordinators), with support from Stephen McCarthy.

Contact Rowan on 086-1915520 or Michael on 087-9177242.

Training

Training times for 2016 for the Under-12 squad will be 

Monday from 7.30pm - 8.30pm, on the new pitch by the Slip-road in Garrycastle 

and Wednesday from 6.30pm - 7.30pm on the new pitch by the Slip-road in Garrycastle.

Westmeath Under-12 League

Garrycastle will play in Group 'C' of the Under-12 League in 2016.

Group 'C' includes Garrycastle, Maryland/Tang, Athlone, Caulry, Rosemount/Castledaly, Moate All-Whites and Tubberclair.

Under-12 fixtures may be found on the Fixtures page, as they are announced.

Match results will be available on the Results page.

 2016 Match Reports

Garrycastle v Millmore Gaels, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Plate final, Wed. Oct 12th. 2016

Garrycastle 2-3, Millmore Gaels 0-4

The Garrycastle U12s made their own little piece of history last Wednesday night by being the first Garrycastle team to lift silverware in the Jim McHugh tournament. It was a low scoring match but it was a classic game of football with both teams going for it from the start. Millmore Gaels got the two opening points of the match but from then on the Garrycastle defence was resolute and didn't concede again in the opening half; this in essence was the platform for their win. The courage and commitment of the Garrycastle defence unit was superb with Brian Mulvihill particularly impressive making block after block. This allowed Garrycastle lots of opportunities to break at pace from the back and they put together a sustained period of pressure at the other end that led to a goal and a well taken point from Ben Dunegan.

There was no let up in the second half with both sides exchanging score early on. Garrycastle utilised all their substitutes in the second half and the fresh legs allowed them to push on and get the win , Diarmuid Murtagh  contributed a superb 1-2 from play. The final whistle was met with exhaustion and jubilation by the Garrycastle boys and the plate was lifted by team captain Bill Carmody to the cheers of the team and their families and friends.  

Garrycastle squad:

Tadgh McKiernan, Conor McCarthy, Con O'Hara, John McBride, Frank McKiernan, Conor Sheehan, Brian Mulvihill,  Jamie Carroll, Andrew Ruane, Jack Mulvihill, Ben Dunegan, Diarmuid Murtagh, Oisin Nugent, Bill Carmody, Killian Redmond, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Tom Daly, Jake Hanniffy, Matthew Conor, Tom Sheehan

                          Garrycastle U12s, Jim McHugh Tournament Plate final win

                                  Garrycastle U12s, Jim McHugh Tournament Plate win

                                        Captain Bill Carmody receives the Plate

                          Garrycastle U12s, Jim McHugh Tournament Plate final win

                  L-R Jamie Carroll, Bill Carmody, Ben Dunegan, Conor McCarthy (All Cornamaddy School)

Garrycastle v Doon, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Group 1, Round 5, Mon. Sept 26th. 2016

Garrycastle 6-7, Doon 4-2

Garrycastle completed the group stages of the  Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament with a comfortable win for the Garrycastle lads over Doon with a scoreline of 6-7 to 4-2. This was the third win on the bounce for the U12s in the tournament but after two opening round losses their progression route in the final stages of the tournament is dependent on results else where.

                          Garrycastle U12s, After Round 5 of Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament

Garrycastle v St Marys, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Group 1, Round 4, Wed. Sept 21st. 2016

Garrycastle 4-9, St.Marys 1-4

Round 4 of the Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament was a comfortable win for the Garrycastle U12s in the end but it was a hard earned victory against a very well organised St Marys team.

Garrycastle looked sharp right from the throw-in,  winning the early midfield exchanges which resulted in Ben Dunegan and Jack Mulvihill picking off some well taken points. St Marys then started to apply the pressure at the other end but the Garrycastle defence was resolute. Con O’Hara was putting in an outstanding performance at full back and Tadgh McKiernan was busy between the posts including a full stretch fingertip save when a St Marys goal looked certain. Garrycastle weathered the storm and dominated the closing stages of the first half, this led to some fast ball into the half-forward line where Killian Redmond operating wide on the left side line was opening up the space for the inside forwards. Scores followed with goals from Oisin Nugent and Bill Carmody.

The second half started with both sides exchanging points but from then on Garrycastle  played some outstanding  football allowing them to pull away from their visitors. Jamie Carroll was  pushing further forward as the half progressed and scored an excellent point after a quick exchange of passes with Cian McCormack. Garrycastle then put together a series of excellent passages of play, working the ball forward at pace which yielded further scores including goals for Bill Carmody and Jamie Carroll. The game finished out with points for Andrew Ruane, Diarmuid Murtagh and Jamie Carroll. It was an excellent team display with a final score of 4-9 to 1-4.

Garrycastle squad

Tadgh McKiernan, Conor McCarthy, Con O’Hara, John McBride,  Brian Mulvihill, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Jamie Carroll, Andrew Ruane, Killian Redmond, Ben Dunegan, Jack Mulvihill, Diarmuid Murtagh, Bill Carmody, Oisin Nugent, Cian McCormack, Mathew Connor, Jake Hanniffy, Francis Derwin

Garrycastle v Shandonagh, U12 Jim McHugh Memorial Tournament, Group 1, Round 3, Fri. Sept 16th 2016

Garrycastle 8-6, Shandonagh 4-5

The U12 boys welcomed Shandonagh to Garrycastle on Friday evening for round 3 of the tournament. Match conditions were perfect, it was a mild evening with little or no breeze and the pitch as usual was in excellent condition. The match started brightly enough with both sides exchanging points in the opening minutes. Garrycastle had started with a new midfield partnership of Jamie Carroll and Andrew Ruane and both players started to dominate the middle area of the field as the game progressed. This led to a good supply of ball into the forwards which was capitalised on by Ben Dunegan in particular when netting a couple of excellent goals.

Soon afterwards Shandonagh were starting to apply the pressure at the other end but the Garrycastle defence held firm with

Diarmuid Murtagh and Conor McCarthy in particular making the necessary clearances. Late in the first half, after some good passages of play by the Garrycastle half forwards, further goals followed from Bill Carmody and Than McCay leaving Garrycaslte in a commanding lead at the break.

Shandonagh to their credit came out very strong in the second half and started to narrow the gap. Garrycastle had emptied the bench at half time and the fresh legs allowed them to push on and dominate the closing stages of the game with further scores from Andrew Ruane and Ben Dunegan. The game was played in a truly excellent spirit with a final score of Garrycastle 8-6, Shandonagh 4-5.

Garrycastle squad

Tadgh McKiernan, Conor McCarthy, John McBride, Jake Hanniffy, Frank McKiernan, Diarmuid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill,  Jamie Carroll, Andrew Ruane, Tom Daly, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Bill Carmody, Ben Dunegan, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Mathew Connor.

Garrycastle v Rosemount, U12 County Football League Group C, June 15th 2016

Garrycastle 3-5, Rosemount 1-12

The U12 boys welcomed Rosemount to Garrycastle on Wednesday evening for round 6 of the league. There was a humid feel to the evening after some torrential down pours over the previous two days but the pitch was in excellent condition and an enthralling game of football was about to unfold on it.

The only way to describe this game was the proverbial game of two halves. Rosemount dominated the first half and were getting the scores on the board. Garrycastle despite some good passages of play were finding it difficult to convert their chances into scores and at half-time Rosemount held a commanding lead.

The second half saw a Garrycastle team transformed, the half-back line were now getting on top and stemmed the flow into the Rosemount forwards. Any ball that got close to the Garrycastle goal was mopped up in the full back line with Jack Mulvihill and John McBride in particular making the needed clearances. With the defence unit now much more secure the tide started to flow in Garrycaslte’s favour and the scores started to come.

Midway through the second half Ben Dunegan slotted home a fine goal to cut the deficit. Further scores followed with well taken points from Con O’Hara and Brian Mulvihill. Garrycastle had utilised all their substitutes at this stage and they were making the needed impact; an explosive finish ensued. There were further goals from Thanh McCay and Francis Derwin to make it a one point game with full time approaching. Garrycastle piled on the pressure to try get the needed score and went so very close in the final plays of the game but Rosemount held out to win by the narrowest of margins.

Garrycastle squad

Bill Carmody, John McBride, Jack Mulvihill, Con O’Hara, Tadgh McKiernan, Diarmuid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Conor Sheehan, Frank McKiernan, Andrew Ruane, Ben Dunegan, Jamie Carroll, Conor McCarthy, Francis Derwin, Killian Redmond, Cian McCormack, Tom Daly, Oisin Nugent, Thanh McCay.

                          Garrycastle U12s, squad and coaches reviewing round 6 league match 

Castledaly v Garrycastle U12 County Football League Group C, June 1st 2016

Castledaly 1-7, Garrycastle 4-11

The Garrycastle U12 boys made the short trip to Castledaly for round 5 of the league.

It was a warm sunny evening with a very slight breeze into the clubhouse end of the ground, match conditions were perfect. Garrycastle dominated the early exchanges in midfield and the half-forward line.This led to some excellent scores from the full-forwards with Ben Dunegan taking some fine scores including two goals. Castledaly to their credit came back and knocked over some well taken points. Garrycastle finished the half with another goal from Oisin Nugent to leave it 3-3 to 0-4 at the break. Castledaly started the second half strongly and scored an early goal. Garrycastle defended strongly as a unit from that point on with Frank McKiernan and John McBride particularly impressive.

This laid the foundation for the team to push on and get some well taken scores at the other end. Garrycastle dominated the last quarter of the game taking their scoring chances well including a fine goal from Andrew Ruane to win comfortably in the end 4-11 to 1-7. 

Garrycastle squad

Tadgh McKiernan, Tom Daly, John McBride, Conor McCarthy, Frank McKiernan, Con O’Hara, Killian Redmond, Conor Sheehan, Brian Mulvihill, Thanh McCay, Andrew Ruane, Oisin Nugent, Mathew Connor, Jamie Carroll, Ben Dunegan, Jack Mulvihill, Cian McCormack

                                                         Garrycastle U12s, sunny days after round 5 league win

2014 Information

News / Fixtures / Results

The U12 results and final table for the Westmeath Fé 12 Football League Group A can be found here.

Results:

17/4/2013    Tubberclair 6-06, Garrycastle 5-10

01/5/2013    Garrycastle 3-15, Castledaly 3-05

15/5/2013    Garrycastle 9-12, Maryland/Tang 8-10

29/5/2013    Athlone 3-08, Garrycastle 4-04

12/6/2013    Garrycastle 9-14, Caulry 7-13

Garrycastle finished on top of Football League Group A with 8 points.

At the Under-13 age group, Garrycastle are placed in Football League Group B. 

The results and table can be found here.

Results:

17/7/2013    Garrycastle 4-04, Millmore Gaels 5-09

31/7/2013    Mullingar Shamrocks 3-09, Garrycastle 0-04

14/8/2013    Shandonagh v Garrycastle (not played yet)

28/8/2013    Garrycastle 4-10, Multyfarnham 4-06

11/9/2013    Ballynacarrigy 1-03, Garrycastle 5-15    (Game ceded by Ballynacarrigy, score decided by County)

Newry Mitchels Tournament - June 1st, 2013

Garrycastle Under-12s took part in the prestigious Newry Mitchels tournament held on June 1st. This is an 11-a-side tournament, involving 42 clubs from 14 different counties. The Under-12s acquitted themselves with aplomb, emerging from their group to a quarter final meeting with Moortown-St. Malachys from Tyrone.

A full write-up of their trip is available in the match report section, or by clicking here.

You can get a feel for their big day by looking at all the players in action in the slideshow below.

(All photos courtesy of Shane Lyons).

2012 Notes

Under-12 Team which played before the All-Ireland Club Football Final, in Croke Park, March 17th, 2012.

News / Fixtures / Results from 2012

Home club responsible for Referee for all under 12 games. Games are 20 minutes per half and 11-a-side.

LEAGUE (26 September)

Our U12 panel continue to show good potential with a comprehensive win in round 4 of the Division 1 league against kinnegad on Wednesday night last. Despite travelling without some of our panel due to injury the lads were well deserved winners on the scoreline of 4-08 to 1-02.

Best on the night were Eric Cleary, Fergal Mullin, Patrick McKiernan, Daniel Guinan, Eoin Mulvihill, Jason Nugent, Dara Mulvihill, Joe Carmody, Andrew Monaghan and Brian Ruane.

Our U12s continued their winning run in the league when they travelled over to The Downs on Monday evening last and came away with the victory on a scoreline of 5-12 to 6-05. Our next game is this Wed evening away to Mullingar Shamrocks.

Well done and congrats to U12 panelists Eoin Mulvihill, Joe Carmody and Brian Ruane who were on the Garrycastle U14 team that defeated Tubberclare in the County final last Sat in Rosemount.

Under 12 challenge (31/8/12)

Our U12s made the short journey out to Kiltoom last Friday evening to play St Brigids in a 15 a side game and came away with the win after a very competitive contest. With solid performances from Andrew Monaghan,Patrick McKiernan,Robert Kelly and Owen Keogh in defense, Eoin Mulvihill in Midfield and with Joe Carmody, Jason Nugent and Brian Ruane flying up front, Garrycastle dominated the opening half and went into the break leading 2-03 to 0-02. The goals coming from Jason and Brian. The half time advantage could have been more except for some wayward shooting and an excellent performance from the Brigids goalie.

With both teams making multiple changes in the second half to ensure all panellists got game time the game remained tight to the end with a goal from Eric Cleary 5 minutes from time ensuring victory went to Garrycastle by 3-06 to 2-03. This was a fine panel performance but apart from those already mentioned excellent displays from Ian Carroll in goals and Cillian Lyons deserve mention. 

UNDER 12 in MOATE (1 August 2012)

Our U12s travelled to Moate last Wednesday evening for their latest league game and came away with a good victory in a fine competitive game of football. With a lot of the panel away on holidays we had the bare 15 players to start.

Assisted by a strong wind in the first half Garrycastle dominated but left their shooting boots at home and were guilty of some bad wides however they still were 2-10 to 1-04 ahead at the break. The inevitable Moate fight back started from the restart but the lads dug in against the wind to emerge winners by 3-12 to 4-06. The younger lads on the panel such as John Moran,Daragh Kenna,Adam O Brien,Feagal Mullin,Owen Keogh,Robert O Brien and Daniel Guinan gave great displays on the night as did Ian Carroll in goals in what was a great result by all the lads in Moate with so many away.

UNDER-12 LEAGUE

Our U12s travelled to Tubberclair on Saturday morning last (21 July) for a League game and came away with a convincing win over the home team.The lads were slow to get going in a sluggish first half which saw them leading 1-03 to 0-03 at half time having missed some easy scoring oppurtunities.

In the second half they were a different team with Jack Fitzgearld solid in goals and Daniel Guinan,Eoin Mulvihill,Dara Mulvihill,Robert Kelly and Daragh Kenna driving forward at every opportunity.

Some good individual scores in the second half from Joe Carmody,Jason Nugent,Brian Ruane and Charlie O’Connor left Garrycastle running out winners on the scoreline of 4-08 to 0-05 at full time.

UNDER-12 

After having a number of games cancelled due to the bad weather and unplayable pitches over the last few weeks our U12s finally got to play a 15 a side game last Wednesday evening (11 July) against Clan na Gael in Johnstown.

With a number of our older players unavailable due to holidays we fielded a very young side with the majority being eligible for U12 again next year.

Despite strong performances from Daniel Guinan, Owen Kehoe, Jason Nugent, Dara Mulvihill, Robert O'Brien, Mathious O'Neill, John Moran and Eric Cleary victory went to our Roscommon neighbours on the night.

We wish a quick return to fitness to Brian Ruane who had to leave the field after 5 minutes with an ankle injury.

Panel on Duty in Johnstown: Martin Szafarowcz, Dylan Keegan, Jason Collins Mannion, Daniel Guinan, Daragh Kenna, Jakub Kociolek, Andrew Monaghan, Patrick McKiernan, Dara Mulvihill, Eoin Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Robert O'Brien, Jack Fitzgerald, Owen Kehoe, Mathious O Neill, Jason Nugent, Eric Cleary, Alex Cleary, Tommy Devery, John Moran and Jonathan Henson.

UNDER-12 LEAGUE

Our U12s had a comfortable win over Moate in our final game in phase one of the league on Wednesday evening last (23 May 2012) in Garrycastle.The lads got into their stride early on and dominated the first half to lead at half time by 3-04 to 0-01.

They continued to have the better of the exchanges in the second half and went on to win 4-08 to 0-02.

On the night the full panel played well in an excellent performance.

Panel: Martin Szafarowcz, Mark Kelly, Adam O'Brien, Dylan Keegan, Nathan Rushe, Jason Collins Mannion, Daniel Guinan, Daragh Kenna, Jakub Kociolek, Andrew Monaghan, Fergal Mullin, Patrick McKiernan, Charlie O'Connor, Joe Carmody, Ian Carroll, Dara Mulvihill, Eoin Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Robert O'Brien, Joe Sorohan, Cillian Lyons, Jack Fitzgearld, Owen Kehoe, Conor O'Driscoll, Szymon Wieczorek, Daniel Abuba, Mathious O'Neill and Jason Nugent.

UNDER-12 LEAGUE 

Our Under 12s played 2 very exciting and very competitive 11 a side games last Wednesday evening against Athlone at Pairc Ciaran in ideal conditions. The games were shared one win each for both clubs with Athlone taking the honours on the night by 6 points aggregate score across both games. Both Garrycastle and Athlone teams deserve great credit for the quality of football on display on the night which kept the good crowd at the games highly entertained.

With a few panel members away the Garrycastle lads on duty really stepped up to the mark playing some excellent football at times.

Across both games there were outstanding performances from Dara Mulvihill, Robert Kelly, Owen Kehoe, Brian Ruane, Robert O'Brien, Dara Kenna, Jakub Kociolek, Conor O'Driscoll, Daniel Guinan, Joe Sorohan, Charlie O'Connor and Martin Szafarowcz.

Many thanks to Athlone mentors who as usual had everything organised perfectly.

Panel on Duty in Athlone:

Martin Szafarowcz, Mark Kelly, Adam O'Brien, Dylan Keegan, Nathan Rushe, Jason Collins Mannion, Daniel Guinan, Daragh Kenna, Jakub Kociolek, Andrew Monaghan, Fergal Mullin, Patrick McKiernan, Charlie O'Connor, Joe Carmody, Ian Carroll, Dara Mulvihill, Eoin Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Robert O'Brien, Joe Sorohan, Cillian Lyons, Jack Fitzgerald, Owen Kehoe, Conor O'Driscoll, Szymon Wieczorek.

UNDER 12 LEAGUE (30 April 2012)

Our U12s had a comprehensive win over Rosemount in the league on Monday evening last in Rosemount.The lads won both games played on the night playing some excellent football.

The Red team captained by Jason Nugent had the tougher game of the two but thanks to some great defending from Andrew Monaghan,Robert Kelly and Daniel Guinan they kept the Rosemount forwards very quiet.With Eoin Mulvihill dominant in midfield, the forwards of Jason Nugent,Dara Kenna and Dylan Keegan got enough ball to ensure they were not going to lose the game.

The Green Team captained by Brian Ruane were really up for their game and ran in 2 goals and 6 points withen the first 10 minutes.The Rosemount lads fought very hard to recover but on the night were second best to a team that had outstanding performances from Fergal Mullin,Dara Mulvihill,Joe Carmody,Mathious O Neill and Brian Ruane.