Galway Bay fm - Sports

Galway commence their assault on national honours this Saturday (18th May 2024) when they host Derry in the opening round of the group stages in the All-Ireland senior football championship. The sides met in Division 1 of the National League in February when the Oak Leaf County left Salthill with a 3-10 to 1-11 victory. However, the Tribesmen have a perfect record against the Ulster county with four wins from four (All-Ireland semi-finals in 1998, 2001 and 2022, and a 2015 qualifier).  Damien Comer struck 2-2 when they met in Croke Park two years ago. Leading up the game, former Derry captain Johnny McBride joined Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly. == Throw-in at Pearse Stadium on Saturday is 5.30pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM. The 'Over The Line' weekend preview show with Darren Kelly broadcasts every Friday evening from 7pm on Galway Bay FM.

Galway meet Mayo this Saturday (18th May 2024) in the Connacht minor ladies football final after completing a sensational turnaround to keep their 11-in-a-row ambitions intact. The Tribesgirls found themselves 3-10 to 0-0 down at half-time in their opener agianst Sligo before going down by 12 points.  And even though Rebecca Noone was denied a winner by the woodwork in their 2-10 to 0-14 defeat to Mayo. However, the reigning All-Ireland champions have turned their season around with comprehensive victories over Roscommon and Leitrim.  And they also received a break when a late Roscommon penalty against Sligo put them back into the provincial 'A' final on scoring difference. Leading up to the game, Galway manager Nigel Walsh has been chatting to Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly. == Throw-in at the Connacht GAA Centre, Bekan on Saturday is 4pm and we'll have updates here on Galway Bay FM. The 'Over The Line' preview show with Darren Kelly broadcasts every Friday evening from 7pm on Galway Bay FM.

George McDonagh and John Mulligan was joined by Jason Byrne, Sean Walsh and Rob Murphy to look back at the weekend's sport around the county and around the country.

Francis Roche is a football manager who has seen a lot of success winning both county Senior and Intermediate Titles with his club Monivea/Abbey as well as county experience with Galway.  He joined George on Over The Line on Monday evening where he talked about his life, career and love for Horse Racing.

Connemara professional Thomas O'Toole maintained his unbeaten run on Saturday night with a stunning TKO win over Russ Kimber in Quincy Massachusetts.  O'Toole dominated from the start with the referee stopping the fight in the third round.  Thomas spoke to John Mulligan on Sunday Sport.

Darragh Canning of P1 Predict joined John Mulligan to look back at the Miami Grand Prix and look ahead to Imola next weekend.  They also had a look at the Irish drivers doing well on the world stage.

John Mulligan rounds up a busy sporting weekend.

Connacht's hopes of making the play off stages of the United Rugby Championship took a heavy knock on Saturday evening when beaten 47-12 by Munster in Thomond Park. The defeat leaves Connacht four points off the playoffs with two games remaining against The Stormers and Leinster. Here is the commentary from Rob Murphy and William Davies.

Andrea Trill’s goal in their final attack assured Galway regained the TG4 Connacht senior ladies football championship at St. Brigid’s GAA, Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon on Sunday. Here is the commentary of the game from Tommy Devane and Katelyn Hayes.

Galway Bay Sailing Club have big plans for 2024. A major investment to the tune of €380,000 has gone into the club and its facilities and will be holding open information mornings on the 18th of May and the 8th of June.  The club has also appointed Johnny Shorten as their new training Centre Manager with the official opening next month and will host a stopover of the Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race this week.  Johnny joined John Mulligan in studio on Saturday Sport.

Irish Professional Darts Player Willie O'Connor will be in Glenamaddy on Friday night when he plays an exhibition in the Oakland Hotel.  O'Connor is ranked inside the World Top 50 and reached the World Cup of Darts Final with Steve Lennon in 2019.  He has also played in the PDC World Championships every year from 2018 to this year where he reached the second round.  Willie spoke to John Mulligan on Saturday Sport.

XVAcademy will be looking to build on the success of last year's Salthill Fives by giving free coaching sessions during this year's tournament on the June Bank Holiday Weekend.  Last year, over 100 boys and girls took part in the sessions over the weekend and this year, they are aiming to train close to 200 - all for free, over the two days. The Academy has also launched a batch of weekly programmes that will take place next week in Ballinasloe, Castlebar, Westside and Clarinbridge. Xavi Vázquez is the founder and head coach of the Academy and he spoke to John Mulligan on Saturday Sport.

Creggs RFC celebrates 50 years in existence this year.  The club, based on the Galway/Roscommon border, has grown from small beginnings to one of the most progressive in the country during that time.  Over the last 50 years, they have developed fabulous facilities exceeding any parameters regarding inclusivity and social inclusion. In recent years, they have installed an all-weather 4G pitch, a 950m walkway that is fully lit and tarred and totally wheelchair accessible, a Gymnasium with IFI accredited equipment and Dressing rooms with individual shower-part changing cubicles each that specifically cater for female needs with wheelchair accessible cubicles also included. The club also built a “Changing Places” room and 2 Disability Toilets with a “Sensory Room and a fully equipped Community Room. The work to build these facilities all came from community effort.  William Davies was there when the club hosted the Junior Interprovincial between Connacht and Leinster.

Racing at home on Saturday (11th May 2024) is in Naas and Cork. Cross-channel, there are meetings in Lingfield, Ascot, Haydock, Nottingham, Hexham, Leicester and Warwick. With his 'Saturday Six,' here's Galway Bay FM's George McDonagh.

Galway's masters football team begin their All-Ireland championship campaign on Saturday (11th May 2024) when they travel to face a combined Leitrim/Longford outfit. It's the first of six games for the Tribesmen who also play Sligo, Kerry, Mayo, Derry and Roscommon during the round-robin phase. Galway were semi-finalists last year before going down to Kerry. Leading up to the start of this campaign, Galway manager Mike Walsh has been chatting to Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly. == Throw-in at Fr. Manning Gaels, Drumlish on Saturday is 2pm.

SOCCER: Galway United 0-0 Sligo Rovers (SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match commentary with Galway Bay FM's Mike Rafferty and Derek Rogers)

SOCCER: Galway United assistant manager Ollie Horgan with Galway Bay FM's Mike Rafferty after their 0-0 draw with Sligo Rovers

After the disappointment of relegation from Division One last month, Galway attempt to get their season back on track this Sunday (12th May 2024) when they meet May in the Connacht senior ladies football final. It's a repeat of last year's decider when the green and red were 3-13 to 2-9 victors to win a first provincial crown since 2016.  The Tribeswomen have also fallen to two one-point losses to their neighbours since - in the 2023 All-Ireland senior quarter-final (0-10 to 1-6) and the 2024 National League (2-5 to 0-10). Victory for either team will guarantee top seeding for the TG4 All-Ireland series. Leading up to the game, Galway manager Daniel Moynihan has been chatting to Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly. == Throw-in at St. Brigid's GAA, Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon on Sunday is 2pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM. == TG4 Connacht Senior Championship Final by Jackie Cahill Galway v Mayo: St Brigid’s, Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon; 2pm – Live on Spórt TG4 YouTube https://bit.ly/3UTa2FO Both teams concluded their Lidl National League campaigns in contrasting styles against Waterford. Mayo beat the Déise to conclude their League campaign on a positive note, with top flight status retained, but Galway lost to Waterford and suffered relegation to Division 2. Galway will hope that the Championship brings much better fortunes, while Mayo will be hoping to retain the provincial crown they won last year against the Tribeswomen. Galway were aiming for five-in-a-row in the western province but Mayo came good to land the Connacht title for the first time since 2016. Both counties have been inactive in a competitive sense since the League campaign, with Galway preparing for their first outing since April 7, while Mayo haven’t played since March 24. It may take both sides a little time to settle into the game but a cracking encounter is anticipated and Galway have made just one change to the team that lost to Waterford, with Chellene Trill coming in for Emilie Gavin in defence. Mayo, meanwhile, have opted for three changes in personnel, with captain Saoirse Lally, Ciara Durkan and Aoife Staunton coming in for Hannah Reape, Saoirse Delaney and Sinead Walsh. Galway: D Gower; M Jordan, S Lynch, C Trill; K Geraghty, N Ward, C Cooney; M Glynn, A Davoren (capt.); O Divilly, S Hynes, M Walsh; E Reaney, L Coen, R Leonard. Mayo: L Brennan; S Lally (capt.), N O’Malley, K Sullivan; E Ronayne, C Durkan, D Caldwell; A Geraghty, E Murray; F McLaughlin, C Needham, S Cafferky; A Staunton, M Cannon, L Cafferky.

FOOTBALL: Galway 2-17 Leitrim 1-10 (Connacht MFC match report with Galway Bay FM's Kevin Dwyer)

FOOTBALL: Galway 2-17 Leitrim 1-10 (Connacht MFC commentary with Galway Bay FM's PJ Lynch and Kevin Dwyer)

FOOTBALL: Galway minor manager Neil McHugh with Galway Bay FM's PJ Lynch after their 2-17 to 1-10 victory over Leitrim

Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins has made three changes for their BKT United Rugby Championship trip to Munster on Saturday (11th May 2024) Peter Dooley, Paul Boyle and captain Jack Carty start.  Two victories over Dragons and Zebre have pushed Connacht back up to sixth place on 44 points, nine behind third placed Munster. Jack Aungier's try on New Years Day was instrumental in Connacht winning 22-9 at Dexcom Stadium this season.  But Munster are reigning United Rugby Championship title holders and beat Connacht 24-17 at home in November 2022. For Galway Bay FM's full match preview, William Davies is joined by Connacht forwards coach Cullie Tucker. == Kick-off at Thomond Park tomorrow is 5.15pm and we’ll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM. Our Connacht rugby coverage is brought to you by  Murty Rabbitts

On Hurling Chat this week (9th May 2024), Cyril Donnellan, Niall Canavan and Sean Walsh look long and hard at Galway’s loss to Wexford. What went wrong for Galway? After being in a reasonable position at half time, what happened in the second half? Can Galway now get back on track? What will the team be for what is now an even more difficult trip to Corrigan Park? The lads also chatted about the good work by the Galway minors to make it 2 wins in a row while they look forward to the U20s Leinster Semi Final meeting with Dublin.

Following one of the most dramatic finals in many years, Galway's senior footballers won the Connacht Title for the third year in a row and the 50th in total on Sunday afternoon in Pearse Stadium.  It was a game that saw the lead switch many times and in the end it was a free from Dunmore MacHales Conor Gleeson that decided the win over Mayo by 0-16 to 0-15.  Here is Galway Bay FM's coverage of the game with our commentary team of Tommy Devane and Barry Cullinane with comments from Jonathan Higgins and Kevin Dwyer. Presented by John Mulligan

Ollie Turner was joined by guests from Galway and Mayo looking forward to the Connacht Senior Football Final in Pearse Stadium.

Racing at home on Saturday is in Punchestown (4th May 2024) Cross-channel, there are meetings in Newmarket, Goodwood, Thirsk, Uttoxeter, Hexcam and Yarmouth. With his 'Saturday Six,' here's Galway Bay FM's George McDonagh.

SOCCER: Galway United 0-0 Derry City (SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match commentary with Galway Bay FM's Mike Rafferty and Derek Rogers)

SOCCER: Galway United assistant manager Ollie Horgan with Galway Bay FM's Mike Rafferty after their 0-0 Premier Division draw with Derry City

After their 2-23 to 0-29 draw with Kilkenny six days earlier, Galway's senior hurlers make the trip to Wexford on Saturday (4th May 2024) looking for the points that should put one foot into the Leinster senior hurling final. Henry Shefflin's team have three points from their opening two games, while Wexford only have one.  Conceding a late draw to Dublin and then going down to Antrim last week after being seven points up. That being said, the Slaneysiders overcame Kilkenny last year, a week after suffering a shock defeat to Westmeath and are always a dangerous prospect at home.  Galway were held to a 1-19 apiece draw when they met in Wexford in 2022. There are 3 changes to the Galway senior hurling team. Sean Linnane, David Burke and the injured Darren Morrissey make way for Jack Grealish, Gearoid McInerney and Evan Niland.  Galway Bay FM's Niall Canavan joined Darren Kelly on 'Over The Line' to look at the selection and the chances of both the Galway seniors and minors enjoying success in the double header. == Throw-in for the senior game at Chadwicks Wexford Park on Saturday is 4pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM.  The game will be preceded by the minor match at 1.30pm, also LIVE on Galway Bay FM. The 'Over The Line' weekend preview show with Darren Kelly broadcasts every Friday evening from 7pm on Galway Bay FM.

The build-up continues to the Connacht Senior Football Final between Galway and Mayo on Sunday (5th May 2024). It's the 12th consecutive year that the two rivals have clashed in the championship and while being doubted by many pundits as All-Ireland contenders, there is little doubt both will be determined to lay down a mark this weekend. As we start the build up to the big match, Galway Bay FM's Ollie Turner headed to Garrafrauns Community Centre to look ahead to the game from legends both side of the county border. == Throw-in at Pearse Stadium on Sunday is 4pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM. The 'Over The Line' weekend preview show with Darren Kelly broadcasts every  Friday evening from 7pm on Galway Bay FM.

FOOTBALL: Former Galway Junior and Masters manager Matt Duggan looks ahead to Galway vs Mayo Connacht senior final with Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly

FOOTBALL: Former Mayo star Keith Higgins looks ahead to the Connacht Final with Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly

Hurling Chat on Galway Bay FM this week looks back at Galway’s draw with Kilkenny last Sunday. Was it a point lost or a point won? Cyril Donnellan, Niall Canavan and Sean Walsh examine a difficult trip to Wexford on Saturday and the importance of the game for both teams. The Minor team got a good result against Dublin last week and the lads look forward to seeing how they perform on Saturday in the double header with Wexford.

George McDonagh, John Mulligan, Cian O'Connell and Adrian O'Neill chat about the weekend's sporting action in Galway.

John Mulligan looks back at an incredibly busy weekend of sporting action featuring GAA, Soccer, Rugby, Golf, Handball AND Athletics! The #fulltimewhistle is Sponsored by Getsetgo.ie Game Changing online car, home and travel insurance that’s faster, better and easier!

David Snow joined John in studio to talk about all things sport US Style with a special look at the Kentucky Derby.