THE FEELGOOD FACTOR in Mayo is still rolling as Castlebar Celtic aim to do the county proud in the FAI Cup third round on Saturday.
While local rivalries are reigniting across the GAA’s county championships, they are being set aside on the Mayo football front for a big-name Cup trip to Dundalk.
It’s been a phenomenal few weeks around Castlebar, but the soccer brethren have not been overlooked. Indeed, Celtic manager Stevie Gavin has been blown away by some of the well-wishes.
When asked if there was any inspiration to be mined from Mayo’s All-Ireland triumph, he begins, “Yeah, absolutely. A rising tide lifts all ships, doesn’t it?” before segueing into the positive vibes around the town.
“When you go out and about, I would notice the people who stop you and wish you good luck, even from other clubs, which is nice.
“Sometimes local rivalries can be intense, but I’ve been quite surprised a couple of times I’ve been stopped by people and just saying, listen, you’re representing the league and other clubs and just best of luck.
“The closer we get to the game, there’s more of that out and about.”
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On the All-Ireland title and the tens of thousands who flocked to the county town in celebration, Gavin reflects: “It was surreal, really. People growing old, they never thought they’d see it.
“I was watching at home and when it went into the last five minutes and we were within touching distance, it was really edge of your seat.
I was shocked, but in a good way. It was unbelievable. There was tears in our eyes between dad and my son. They go to a lot of the games.
“There was a huge outpouring then around Castlebar. You couldn’t move. It was the same all week, so it was fantastic. It was brilliant for the county.”
Gavin’s family are steeped in Castlebar Celtic. His father, Seán, has served as club chairman. Seán’s granduncle, Liam, captained the first Celtic team to win the Connacht Junior Cup in 1947. Stevie’s son, Shane, is among a crop of teenagers on the current senior squad. Another relation, Pat, is the treasurer and the “life and soul of the club”.
The fact that Mayo is a summer soccer county means Celtic are primed for this test. They are engaged in a Super League title battle with Westport United and face an FAI Junior Cup quarter-final trip to Gorey Rangers the following Saturday. The winners of that tie will gain a home semi-final.
Physically, they are in as good a spot as they can be. Last year, they pushed Longford Town – who Gavin represented in the 2001 FAI Cup final – right down the stretch. From 3-3 at 75 minutes, it ended 3-6 at Celtic Park.
“That was a brilliant occasion,” says Gavin. “You could see the levels in the game, but we pulled so many learnings out of it. We’re well aware that Dundalk are a couple of levels up again.
The last 15 minutes was definitely a challenge. Over the winter, the lads have knuckled down and gone into the gym and worked on their conditioning. We’re hoping that will stand to us.
“We’re pragmatists as well. We’re well aware of the challenge we face, but definitely playing Longford last year will have helped us.”
This term, they received a walkover from North End United in the first round before clinching a one-goal victory away to Douglas Hall.
The Hoops are led by long-serving centre-back Ioseph O’Reilly, who captains the side. Stefan Hester and Jason Hunt have spent time in the Sligo Rovers academy, while Mark Cunningham has returned from Mervue United. Dylan Edwards and Niall Brennan have been with Ballinamallard United.
“We have lads who probably would have had the chance to go to academies, but they would have concentrated on Gaelic and they’ve come back to us,” Gavin adds.
“We have talented players at our level, so I’m looking forward to seeing them on the pitch on Saturday and seeing how we get on.
“We’re all itching to go. There is an extra bounce in our step. But just in general, even for us to be in the Junior Cup, it’s a massive carrot. We can feel the bounce from that as well.
“There’s two buses going up, so hopefully we can give them something to shout about.”
*****
Saturday, 15 August: FAI Cup third round: Dundalk v Castlebar Celtic, Oriel Park, 5pm
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‘A rising tide lifts all ships’: Mayo club aiming to carry feelgood factor into FAI Cup
THE FEELGOOD FACTOR in Mayo is still rolling as Castlebar Celtic aim to do the county proud in the FAI Cup third round on Saturday.
While local rivalries are reigniting across the GAA’s county championships, they are being set aside on the Mayo football front for a big-name Cup trip to Dundalk.
It’s been a phenomenal few weeks around Castlebar, but the soccer brethren have not been overlooked. Indeed, Celtic manager Stevie Gavin has been blown away by some of the well-wishes.
When asked if there was any inspiration to be mined from Mayo’s All-Ireland triumph, he begins, “Yeah, absolutely. A rising tide lifts all ships, doesn’t it?” before segueing into the positive vibes around the town.
“When you go out and about, I would notice the people who stop you and wish you good luck, even from other clubs, which is nice.
“Sometimes local rivalries can be intense, but I’ve been quite surprised a couple of times I’ve been stopped by people and just saying, listen, you’re representing the league and other clubs and just best of luck.
“The closer we get to the game, there’s more of that out and about.”
On the All-Ireland title and the tens of thousands who flocked to the county town in celebration, Gavin reflects: “It was surreal, really. People growing old, they never thought they’d see it.
“I was watching at home and when it went into the last five minutes and we were within touching distance, it was really edge of your seat.
“There was a huge outpouring then around Castlebar. You couldn’t move. It was the same all week, so it was fantastic. It was brilliant for the county.”
Gavin’s family are steeped in Castlebar Celtic. His father, Seán, has served as club chairman. Seán’s granduncle, Liam, captained the first Celtic team to win the Connacht Junior Cup in 1947. Stevie’s son, Shane, is among a crop of teenagers on the current senior squad. Another relation, Pat, is the treasurer and the “life and soul of the club”.
The fact that Mayo is a summer soccer county means Celtic are primed for this test. They are engaged in a Super League title battle with Westport United and face an FAI Junior Cup quarter-final trip to Gorey Rangers the following Saturday. The winners of that tie will gain a home semi-final.
Physically, they are in as good a spot as they can be. Last year, they pushed Longford Town – who Gavin represented in the 2001 FAI Cup final – right down the stretch. From 3-3 at 75 minutes, it ended 3-6 at Celtic Park.
“That was a brilliant occasion,” says Gavin. “You could see the levels in the game, but we pulled so many learnings out of it. We’re well aware that Dundalk are a couple of levels up again.
“We’re pragmatists as well. We’re well aware of the challenge we face, but definitely playing Longford last year will have helped us.”
This term, they received a walkover from North End United in the first round before clinching a one-goal victory away to Douglas Hall.
The Hoops are led by long-serving centre-back Ioseph O’Reilly, who captains the side. Stefan Hester and Jason Hunt have spent time in the Sligo Rovers academy, while Mark Cunningham has returned from Mervue United. Dylan Edwards and Niall Brennan have been with Ballinamallard United.
“We have lads who probably would have had the chance to go to academies, but they would have concentrated on Gaelic and they’ve come back to us,” Gavin adds.
“We have talented players at our level, so I’m looking forward to seeing them on the pitch on Saturday and seeing how we get on.
“We’re all itching to go. There is an extra bounce in our step. But just in general, even for us to be in the Junior Cup, it’s a massive carrot. We can feel the bounce from that as well.
“There’s two buses going up, so hopefully we can give them something to shout about.”
*****
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