WHILE THE COLLINS’ from Cratloe were celebrating their remarkable achievement of completing the senior football and hurling double in Clare, another branch of the family in Mayo had just wrapped up a similar feat.
Ballyhaunis players Eoghan (20) and Cyril Collins (19), first cousins of Cratloe stars Podge, Sean and David, had their own double success by winning the Mayo senior hurling title on Sunday to add to the intermediate football crown they delivered the week before.
It was an amazing day for the Collins clan in both Mayo and Clare with plenty of memorable images added to the family albums – none more special than those photos with their proud grandparents.
Cyril and Annette watched their grandsons play in football county finals on consecutuve Sundays and they came out on the right side of both games.
Eoghan and Cyril’s dad John, a brother of Clare and Cratloe boss Colm, moved to Mayo back in 1991 and was a selector with the successful Ballyhaunis footballers this year.
“It’s fantastic, a major achievement,” Geraldine Collins, John’s wife and mother of the Mayo lads, told TheScore.ie.
“Mayo wouldn’t exactly be a hurling stronghold but Ballyhaunis won the county championship on Sunday beating neighbours Tooreen in a closely fought battle. Tooreen won it last year so they grasped it back from them.
“Both of my lads are in college in Limerick so they would meet Podge and the lads pretty often. Obviously with the sporting connection, they’d be very much in touch all the time and keeping track of each other’s achievements.”
Inpho’s James Crombie captured the memorable photo of Podge’s grandmother congratulating him after the final whistle last Sunday, but the week before she was in Mayo to watch Eoghan and Cyril win the football county title along with their 82-year-old grandather Cyril.
Geraldine added: “They were at the county football final in Mayo a week ago. Then they gave a Clare crowd a turn last Sunday. It’s fantastic. Their Grandad’s 82 and he drove from Kilmihil in west Clare up to Castlebar last weekend to see the match.”