Galway Bay FM News Archives
Plotting the hurling downfall of his native county
Date Published: 02-Jun-2011
IF you asked former Athenry hurler Brian Hanley, three months ago, where did he think he would be on Saturday, June 4, he would more than likely have looked at the GAA calendar and pondered, perhaps, attending Galway hurlers’ Leinster quarter-final tie against either Carlow or Westmeath.
He would never have imagined, though, that he would be leading Westmeath out against the Tribesmen, having been appointed manager of the Lake County just a couple of months ago. Still, by nature, Hanley has always liked to be up close and personal to the action . . . he would gladly swap the comfort of the stand for the cut and thrust of the battlefield any day.
In late spring, Hanley took over as Westmeath boss from former Offaly great Kevin Martin following a disastrous National League Division 2 campaign in which Westmeath failed to record a single league point. “They have been down in their boots this year, partly, I can gather, due to what had transpired between the previous management and players,” says Hanley.
“So, they were at a low ebb and it was a good challenge for me to try and get them back up again. They gave me one ultimatum – one goal – and that was to beat Carlow (in their Leinster championship opener) and take them wherever we could after that. We have done that and now we are ready for the next round.”
Indeed, that 4-10 to 1-14 victory over favourites Carlow has, in many respects, restored some of the pride back into Westmeath hurling. However, the former All-Ireland club winning Athenry midfielder has now the unenviable task of cajoling a competitive display out of the reigning Christy Ring Cup holders when they face his native county at Cusack Park, Mullingar on Saturday evening (7pm).
“I didn’t realise it at the time that Westmeath could be in line to play Galway,” says Hanley. “We have to raise the bar now because, in my opinion, they (Westmeath) are only where they should be. Now, they have to drive on and put in a good performance against Galway and let the result take care of itself.
“Leinster hurling needs Westmeath to play well. Galway hurling needs Westmeath to play well. It is no good for Galway going up to Mullingar and the game being a waste of time. It is no good for me either, to have a team that it is not competitive. I am very, very competitive by nature, so I will be asking them (Westmeath) to go out there expecting to give the performance of their lives. If that takes them over the line, fair enough. If it takes thema within ‘X’ amount of points of Galway, so be it. That is the prize of it.”
No doubt, since Hanley – who is also the current Liam Mellows manager – has taken charge of Westmeath two and a half months ago, he has revitalised the set-up. “Believe it or not, we didn’t train for three weeks when we were starting out again after the Down [National League] game, because their local football and hurling championships were on.
“I told them, you can’t burn them out and they got to respect that decision. So, when I went looking for the players, I got them. I gave them a schedule of dates, venues and times and when I went training, I knew I had 24 to 30 players. We had nine proper training sessions with full squads, and we had three matches with full panels, bar, maybe, the challenge game against Athenry. That, though, set the tone for the championship.”
Hanley’s structured approach has certainly worked, underlined by their Leinster championship victory over a Carlow outfit that continually looks to break new boundaries. “The big thing I did was put a system in place – the same as I did with Liam Mellows this year – in adopting a style and system of play. It is all about trying to get players into positions where you know they can do a job for you. Your best 15 isn’t always necessarily your best 15 hurlers. That is the bottom line.
“So, for us to progress against Galway, we have got to have our own plan and hope that it works. We may even have to stick to it when it is not [working]. We have to be competitive from the first to the last ball, regardless. For the good of the Liam McCarthy championship, we don’t want one-sided games in hurling. And we don’t want to be slated for our performance.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Date Published: 07-May-2013
Galway has a population of young people which is more than twice the national average.
According to information gathered by the Central Statistics Office, Galway’s population of 20 to 24 year olds is more than twice the national average.
The number of 25-34 year olds in Galway is also more than the norm nationally, with the two main colleges thought to be the main reason.
However immigration in Galway is much higher than in other areas at 19.4 percent, compared to the national average of 12 percent.
Date Published: 07-May-2013
A city councillor is encouraging people to donate goods directly to charity shops.
It follows allegations of thefts from clothes banks in Galway and across the country in recent months.
However, cameras are in place at some clothes banks and surveillance is carried out by local authorities.
Speaking on Galway Talks, Councillor Neil McNeilis said the problem of theft from clothes banks is widespread.
Date Published: 07-May-2013
A park ‘n’ ride scheme from Carnmore into Galway city could become a permanent service if there is public demand.
That’s according to the Chief Executive of Galway Chamber of Commerce, Michael Coyle.
The pilot scheme will begin at 7.20 next Monday morning, May 13th.
Motorists will be able to park cars at the airport carpark in Carnmore and avail of a bus transfer to Forster Street in the city.
Buses will depart every 20 minutes at peak times and every 30 minutes at offpeak times throughout the day, at a cost of 2 euro per journey.
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