Sports
Carnival atmosphere in New York as Galway make short work of exiles

THE Irish Voice, the emigrants’ newspaper in America, in its preview of Sunday’s Connacht Championship clash, said New York had to ‘mean business’ against Galway.
“This cannot be a feelgood weekend. It is championship football. You go out to win,” it said. In fairness, both sets of players went out to win it, and Galway, in particular, approached it with the respect and professionalism it deserved. But there is no escaping the feelgood factor at Gaelic Park.
It has a real carnival atmosphere: an annual celebration of Irishness, for and of Irish Americans, as well as more recent arrivals, fresh off the plane in search of a job, or a good time in the case of university students. The occasion couldn’t be further removed from ‘regular’ Connacht championship days at Pearse Stadium or McHale Park. It’s over 2,000 miles away, and a World apart.
Gaelic Park is in Bronx district of New York, the last stop on the red-line, a 45-minutes journey from Manhattan, where all the ‘action’ is, and famous landmarks including Empire State Building, Central Park, Time Square and the 9/11 Memorial, where the Twin Towers used to stand tall.
On Sunday, the odd maroon and white Tommy Varden and Supermac’s jerseys can be spotted at subway stations, friendly faces among the throngs of busy New York commuters.
Walking to the ground, young black men play basketball in outdoor courts at the nearby park; young boys play soccer in a caged field and opposite them, middle-aged men with racquets play what looks like a cross between tennis and handball up against gable walls. The hum of heavy traffic from a close-by highway, and in particular yellow taxis whizzing around, constantly beeping their horns, provides the background noise.
There are no street-sellers flogging ‘hats, scarves and headbands’ here! Inside, Gaelic Park – which is boxed-in by the subway track, a row of trees and high rise apartments that overlook the pitch – a crowd of about 3,500 mingle and munch on hotdogs and cheeseburgers and guzzle bottled beers.
The sunshine adds to the occasion. Temperatures peak at 26 degrees as the Galway team arrives an hour before the game from their base in the Rockland’s in Sullivan County, about a 45-minutes bus journey away from the Bronx and almost two hours from Manhattan.
The party-vibe continues as a five-member band playing ‘Sean South from Garryowen’ leads both teams in a pre-match parade. Then they perform two national anthems, Amhrán an bhFhiann, sung with gusto by some Galway players, and Star-Spangled Banner, as the tricolor and American flags fly high over the scoreboard. The yanks certainly ‘do’ pageantry well.
The match itself isn’t much of a spectacle. To put it succinctly: New York started brightest and enjoyed the better of the opening 20 minutes without making it count on the scoreboard.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents

Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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CITY TRIBUNE
United wary of the threat from Treaty

GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
CITY TRIBUNE
Devon crowned Women’s Connacht Cup champions

Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.