Council Chair hosts reception for the Tyrone Masters

THE Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, recently hosted a reception at Omagh’s Strule Arts Centre for the Tyrone football team who made history by winning the All Ireland Gaelic Masters title for the fourth year in a row last year.

Cllr McClaughry opened his address by summarising the group stages of the competition in which Tyrone registered wins against Donegal, Monaghan and Derry in the first three rounds before their first setback.

He stated: “ Round 4 saw you take on tough opponents Dublin and unfortunately you lost the match 5-16 to 0-12. This result didn’t affect you and you show great strength, resilience and determination in Round 5 to achieve an impressive 8-29 to 0-06 win over Down. In the final group match you took on Cavan and again you had another comfortable win of 4-16 to 0-08.”

The council chair added that the success in the group stages earned Tyrone a well deserved place in the semi-final against Dublin.

“ Having already lost to them earlier, this was undoubtedly a daunting encounter. Dublin opened the scoring early, however, an early goal helped to allay any nerves and you played at a high level for the remainder of the half .

“ Dublin came out strong in the second half, however, your talent and determination were strong and you won 1-10 to 0-08 earning you a place in another final.”

Cllr McClaughry then spoke about the All-Ireland Final meeting with Roscommon at Breffni Park on September 14th.

“ With barely two minutes on the clock, you opened the scoring and showed your dominance and by the 19th minute you were leading the match 2-05 to 0-02. Roscommon opened the scoring in the second half and, once again, you held strong to score again before netting your third goal. Roscommon bounced back again before you scored an injury time goal to take the win and the title.”

The council chair felt that the victory was even more significant as Tyrone were making history winning the title for the fourth year in a row.

“ The Gaelic Masters Association promotes Gaelic games among people over 40 years of age and was established in 2011. This is important because it provides you with the opportunity to continue to participate in Gaelic games and maintain a sense of community. This plays an important role in promoting and achieving positive physical and mental health and wellbeing.

“ I commend each and every player for your dedication to training and to the game. I believe the success of the team is also down to your passion for the sport and your desire to continue to play and put on the Tyrone jersey.

“ I would also like to commend manager Joe Leonard and coach Kieran Leonard for your work to train and inspire the team. I thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with the players and providing them with the opportunity to enjoy special moments like this,” concluded Cllr McClaughry.