Mayo's courage in adversity

AFTER two weeks of private and public grief, and huge communal sadness, sporting life went on for the county of Mayo when the Senior Football Championship final was played at MacHale Park, last Sunday, resulting in a first ever victory in the premier grade for Ballintubber, in their club's centenary year. A day to remember for this small rural village seven miles from Castlebar and famous far and wide for its magnificent Abbey which â€â€ it is popularly accepted as historical â€â€ dates back to the time of St Patrick when pilgrims came from the east through Ballintubber on their way to the great holy mountain on the west coast, Croagh Patrick. It added lustre to the Moclair Cup winners' achievement that they defeated, by 0-8 to 0-5, their neighbouring town team, Castlebar Mitchels, who in their 125th anniversary year were seeking a 28th title; their last came in 1993, and they last contested the final in â€Ëœ94. In stark contrast, only four years ago Ballintubber were playing their way out of Intermediate football and their pedigree has a modern-day bedrock of success at under-age level, which was impressively built on by the club's two leading personalities, team manager (and new Mayo supremo) James Horan, and Ballintubber's top player, Alan Dillon. For an eagerly awaited County final, with a new pairing, the match was a massive let-down. It was pitifully low-scoring, especially in the first half (0-1 apiece after 23 minutes); all through it was almost completely devoid of class and quality, and both sides were tactically lacking in ambition. Ballintubber's use of a defensive 'sweeper' was negative but it produced a positive result, while the Mitchels made poor use of the man left free by their opponents' sweeper system. Overall, it was also a very bad P.R. exercise for Mayo, as it was televised live by TG4 and, to put it mildly, it wasn't Mayo football putting its best foot forward. But, in fairness, there were extenuating circumstances: the match was played against a background of tragedy. In the early hours of Sunday, October 10th two lives were lost at sea at Inishbofin island, off the Galway coast, after Ger Feeney and Donal McEllin, who both lived in Castlebar, were last seen returning to their motor cruiser which they'd taken to â€ËœBofin the previous evening from Rosmoney pier, Westport. The double-drowning tragedy shocked and stunned Mayo: Ger Feeney was a star county footballer in the 1970s, winner of All-Ireland Minor and U-21 medals, and honoured as a touring All-Star replacement; he was acclaimed as one of the great attacking wing-backs of his time and was very well liked on a personal level, on and off the field. His home club was Ballintubber and in later years he became closely associated with Castlebar Mitchels, alongside his close friend Donal McEllin. Another of Ger Feeney's friends, Tommy O'Malley (a member of the Castlebar Mitchels team management), was a long-serving Mayo colleague in their happy playing years. Seven days after Ger was drowned, Tommy's twin brother Gerry collapsed and died; he was buried in his native Ballinrobe on Tuesday of last week. County Final rivals Ballintubber and Castlebar Mitchels found themselves side-by-side when Guards of Honour were formed at the two Castlebar funerals. In particular, the extended Feeney family had dual allegiance: Ger's sons Alan and Richie, who both played in the full-back line last Sunday, are captain and vice-captain, respectively, of Castlebar Mitchels and their first cousin John (Ger's nephew) is Ballintubber captain this year. Ger had intended wearing a specially designed jersey, incorporating the colours of both clubs, at the County final; it's known that many people cried when they saw a photo of that jersey, in last week's Mayo News front page. Donal McEllin's nephew Tom Cunniffe, the Mayo county player, played in the half-forward line for Castlebar Mitchels in the County final. There were so many connections between the lives lost and the two competing clubs that this showpiece event of Mayo's sporting year had an unreal feel about it; perhaps all the players involved simply couldn't rise to the occasion, and if that was the case it would be understandable. It is surely to their great credit that they even played the match, but no doubt Ger Feeney, Donal McEllin and Gerry O'Malley would have wished for it to be played. Now boys, pull together in all sorts of weather, Don't show the white feather, wherever you go. Act each as a brother and help one another Like true-hearted men from the County Mayo.