Tribute to our U-21 football champions

GUEST of honour at Galway Football Board's awards night in the Claregalway Hotel on December 27th was the President of the G.A.A., Christy Cooney, who paid a glowing tribute to the 2011 All-Ireland U-21 champions, under the guidance of the new county senior team management: Alan Mulholland, Alan Flynn and Donal Ó Fátharta. [private] It was Galway's fourth U-21 title and, remarkably, a third in ten years. In the final at Croke Park, Galway defeated Cavan 2-16 to 1-9. Two weeks earlier, there was a thrilling 1-11 to 0-12 win over Cork in an epic All-Ireland semi-final clash at Cusack Park, Ennis, and that came after two easy victories in the Connacht Championship, over Sligo first time out, 2-20 to 0-7, and Roscommon in the provincial final, 1-10 to 0-4. In praising Galway's superb performances in the U-21 campaign, Christy Cooney joked that he'd forgiven Killererin forward Mícheál Boyle for scoring the brilliant second-half goal that knocked the G.A.A. president's native county, Cork, out of the All-Ireland race. Galway's status as a leading dual county was copper-fastened with a third U-21 football and hurling 'double' â€â€ 2011, 2005, 1972. One player was an All-Ireland U-21 medal winner in both codes: Barry Cullinane, in 2005. [/private]