With throw-in fast approaching in Garrymore last Saturday night and the long rural road to the ground choked with incoming cars, one savvy local found a workaround. The venue was already packed with the biggest crowd club stalwarts have ever seen when a jeep appeared behind the wall at one side of the pitch. There was no road to that remote spot.
This determined spectator elected to cut through a nearby farmer’s field, lights cut off lest he attract any attention, and settled on the bank for the blockbuster Mayo SFC quarter-final clash. For Garrymore, it had all the makings of a wonderous occasion on their fields of dreams. A proud club had built it and they had come.
Saturday night’s fixture ultimately finished in a disappointing fashion for the home outfit as Knockmore ran out 3-8 to 0-5 victors. The bigger picture, though, was that it afforded them a chance to display the remarkable facilities that they had developed and the framework they have created to thrive. This comes at a time when similar clubs are battling to survive.
Seven years ago, Garrymore had to amalgamate with Kilmaine at underage level. Now their membership is growing. Club chairman Danny McHugh walked us through how the well-known side of the 1970s was without their own pitch.
Step by step, they developed a ground, clubhouse, astro-pitch, car park, floodlights and walking track. All of this in an area without much else. “There is nothing actually,” McHugh said.
“There is no shop, no post office,.