The Highs
Runaway Rossies conquer Connacht!
Roscommon hadn’t beaten Galway or Mayo in the championship since 2001 and the league campaign did not auger too well for the championship. But Roscommon produced one of the performances of the year to sweep past the Tribesmen ad win by an emphatic nine points. The goals from Cian Connolly and Brian Stack were memorable as were the celebrations!
Pádraig Pearses end 30-year wait
After a period of almost total dominance from Four Roads in the Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship, the eternal bridesmaids Pearses made it to the altar themselves as they defeated Four Roads in a thrilling final that featured one of the all-time great displays from 19-year-old Daniel Glynn.
Roscommon U-17s rock The Kingdom
This was one of the finest displays from a Roscommon underage team that we have seen since 2006. Liam Tully’s men played some fantastic stuff to knock Kerry out. It may not have worked out in the final against Tyrone, but this showed what could be done against the top teams.
Ballymoe FC take the title!
It all went down to the final minutes of the final game of the season in the Roscommon & District Football League Premier Division. Ballymoe snatched the title away from neighbours Castlerea Celtic following some late drama. It doesn’t get any closer than that.
Medals for local stars
Roscommon could boast a number of top performers across a range of sports in 2017 but two breakthrough performances came to our attention:
Liam Egan brought home an All-Ireland handball title in October following his 60X30 U-15 singles success in Co. Carlow.
Castlecoote fighter Danni Neilan claimed a silver medal at the IMMAF World Championships in Bahrain in November.
The Lows
Roscommon v Mayo All-Ireland FC Quarter-Final replay
Having drawn with Mayo the previous week, tens of thousands of Roscommon followers flocked to Croker to see their heroes complete the job. But Mayo had other ideas and swiftly put the Rossies back in their box.
Not so lovely hurling!
It was not a good year for Roscommon hurlers in league or championship. Ciaran Comerford is the new man at the helm and the goal should be to gain promotion in the league and to copper-fasten Roscommon’s place in the Christy Ring Cup
Ladies look to the future
After a league campaign that started very promisingly, the Roscommon Ladies football team ran out of steam towards the end and the championship was a disappointment. There is a new impetus now in the ladies football game in Roscommon since their recent launch and we would be confident of success in 2018.
Cruise misses out on Irish title
Castlerea boxer Darren Cruise was narrowly defeated by Luke Keeler (96-95 on points) in his bid to land the vacant Irish middleweight title at the national stadium back in June.
Celtic’s penalty heartbreak!
Boyle Celtic enjoyed a wonderful run to the semi-finals of the FAI Junior Cup this year before losing a penalty shoot-out lottery against Kilkenny’s Evergreen FC at The Showgrounds in April.
