The Winning Feeling 

What a difference a point makes! Joy and happiness spilled over in Ballymore on Sunday afternoon for the Mullingar Shamrocks players, coaches, supporters and family members when referee Ray Farrelly blew his final whistle. We spare a thought for the girls of Athlone who experienced the heartbreak of a last minute goal defeat. 

Without Clodagh Keane’s golden goal, the pictures attached would tell a very different story – in fact the images of disappointment would not be recorded. The happy players, the proud family pictures, the delighted grandparents capture the monumental difference between victory and defeat. The Pizza would not  have tasted as good even if it was from Apache Pizza Mullingar and was delivered exactly on time.  It might be dismissed by some as ‘only’ an Under-14 final but as we stated in the match report Patrick Kavanagh got it right when he wrote ‘The God’s make their own importance’ and for the Mullingar Shamrocks community present  in Ballymore on Sunday it was the most important game in the world.  Check out the Mullingar Shamrocks Facebook page for some post-match pictures. 

Once again, it’s appropriate to mention that both sets of mentors deserve to be complimented on the sporting manner in which they took care of their own business without a single angry exchange or interaction between them for the duration. This is how things should be. 

Referee, Ray Farrelly was ultra-consistent in his application of the rules and his management of the advantage rule. Physical contact was reduced to the minimum, which Ray made clear from before the ball was thrown-in. 

And, finally it was Mullingar Shamrocks 91st county title victory and to win a Division 1 title is particularly sweet. The next task is to manage the dropout rate and ensure that this group of players are winning Div. 1 minor titles in 2028. Sean , Lisa, Ailish and Conor the task is all yours!