News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

New York hosts Galway for the second year in a row in the annual FBD League final in Gaelic Park this Sunday. While Galway had a relatively easy time last year, this year’s contest takes on extra meaning, with Galway employing a new manager a month ago in the form of Joe Kernan.

Newly crowned All-Ireland champions Kerry dominate the nominations for the 2009 Vodafone football all-stars with 12 of their team in the running for this year’s awards, while Kilkenny hurling legend Henry Shefflin is in the running for a ninth all-star honor like fellow Cats hero DJ Carey .

The All Ireland Final between Cork and Kerry on September 20, 2008 will be a game based on evening up the scores and avenging tough defeats For Cork, though they overcame Kerry in this year’s Munster Final, this team has not reached the Holy Grail of taking the Same Maguire cup Leeside yet, and the closest they came was in 2007 when they were sent home sour-pussed after a ten point defeat to none other than Kerry.

Four football players from Mayo were sent home from the U.S. earlier this summer after damaging an apartment they were staying in, and leaving a Boston GAA team to foot the hefty bill.

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Eugene Kyne with the match reports from all the action at Gaelic Park in the Bronx

Offaly continued their dominance by capturing their third consecutive hurling title, while the ladies of Na Fianna won the Sean Faherty New York Championship and Rangers captured the Junior Title on a busy day at Gaelic Park in the Bronx

Eugene Kyne gives his predictions to this upcoming weekend's hurling and football fixtures from the Bronx, as well as outlining upcoming schedule changes made by the NY GAA.

Eugene Kyne with the lowdown from last weekend's games at Gaelic Park in the Bronx.

Meath are through to the final qualifying round after a handy win over Roscommon in Meath on Saturday evening. However, It was the end of the road for Galway and Wicklow as they went down to Donegal and Kildare respectively.

Eugene Kyne with the lowdown on this weekend's upcoming senior and intermediate football and senior hurling fixtures from the Bronx.

Sunday's results  Connacht Final Galway 1-14 Mayo 2-12(mayo win by a point) Ulster Final Tyrone 1-18 Antrim 0-15 Saturday's results   Wicklow 1-15 - 0-17 Down       Kerry 0-14 - 1-10 Sligo       Donegal 2-13 - 0-18 Derry       Galway 1-19   0-17 Cork     There were one point victories across the board today in three of the senior football championships in Ireland. Kerry hung on in a nail-biting classic to stay on track for another All-Ireland appearance with a one-point win over

Eugene Kyne highlights the past week's intermediate and senior football matches from the Bronx.

Cathal Dervan highlights the recent transfer news regarding departures and arrivals of some of Ireland's best footballers, the result of the British and Irish Lions' third test against South Africa and the past week's Gaelic action from Ireland.

Eugene Kyne's highlights the week's action from Gaelic Park between Kerry/Donegal and Na Fianna, Tyrone and Kerry, Down and Sligo and Lietrim and Donegal.

Reports from weekend fixtures from New York's Gaelic Park, where Down and Leitrim notched up good wins.

Dublin, Galway and Antrim take honors in Sunday's GAA games. Dublin in massive win over Westmeath...

Eugene Kyne highlights this week's senior football league action from the Bronx between Tyrone and Donegal, Down and Four Provinces, and Leitrim and Sligo.

The Lynch family is derived from several independent clans. One of these is the Norman family De Lench who came to Ireland in the 12th century and were the most prominent of the "Tribes of Galway". These were the 14 Norman families who controlled this important medieval trading city and made it one of the few outposts in the West of Ireland that was loyal to the British crown.

Eugene Kyne breaks down the senior football league contests between Donegal and Tyrone, Down and Four Provinces, and Leitrim and Sligo, as well as the intermediate football match between Brooklyn/Long Island and Mayo at Gaelic Park in the Bronx.

Leitrim won the league title, while there were also wins for Cork, Kerry and the ladies of Kerry/Donegal.

Eugene Kyne breaks down the senior football league final between Leitrim and Down, as well as the first camogie and hurling matches of the season in the Bronx.

Eugene Kyne with the lowdown on this weekend's fixtures at Gaelic park in the Bronx.

Mayo easily beat New York by fifteen points in the Connacht Senior Football Championship at Gaelic Park in the Bronx Sunday.

Kelly comes second to Murphy as the most common surname in Ireland. The name is popular because it originates from at least seven different and unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O'Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon, and the McKelly sept from East Connaught.

Cork are the team to beat in the 2009 New York Senior Football Championship as the season kicks off this weekend in Gaelic Park.

The GAA have acceded to popular demand and fixed the NFL Division One and Two finals as a double header in Croke Park on Sunday, April 26.

A roundup of all the action in the last round of the Allianz National Football league

The New York GAA football scene got a little clearer for the upcoming year with a dramatic piece of editing by the Association this past week. The alignments of the senior and junior divisions were changed dramatically, with an intermediate division born from necessity and intuition.

Is there anyone more Irish American than Michael Flatley? The man who almost single handedly transformed Irish dancing into a global phenomenon came from a humble background – a run-down neighborhood in Chicago’s southside.

Ireland’s golf courses are a mecca for golf lovers. There are about 440 in the country - and according to Ireland’s official tourism agency, the Emerald Isle has more golf courses than any country of comparable size on the planet. No wonder then that the sport is a major draw for tourists - hundreds of thousands of golfers come here each year.

TULLA, Co. Clare - The sun was declining west of the Tulla town square where the gig rig was erected for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in that East Clare bastion of traditional music and dance. CCE Director General Senator Labhras O'Murchu led a group of CCE officials in reviewing the welcoming parade led by the Tulla Pipe Band.

Bearing a national passion for the world of sport, Ireland can reverberate to the drums of Gaelic football, hurling, soccer, rugby, horse racing, athletics, boxing and even snooker. Next year will see the sports fan's heart beat to a different pulse when Ireland steps up to the tee for the 2006 Ryder Cup. For three days in September all eyes will turn to the sculpted countryside of Co.

LAST week a titan of the Irish American scene passed away. Cornelius (Connie) Doolan, 72, a native of Cork, was for decades the face of the Guinness Import Company in New York. An extraordinary community activist, Doolan was also an active member of the Cork Association and widely beloved by the Irish community here.

The New York GAA football scene got a little clearer for the upcoming year with a dramatic piece of editing by the Association this past week. The alignments of the senior and junior divisions were changed dramatically, with an intermediate division born from necessity and intuition. The senior division for the coming year will involve nine teams.

The annual rules convention of the New York GAA took place last Sunday at the Riverdale Steak-house. While the draft of rules for discussion was 21 long at the outset, the manner in which they were dealt, with Frank Brady from Lietrim in the chair, was tame to say the least. With nothing earth shattering on the agenda, Brady ran the afternoon smoothly to its conclusion, with just a tweaking of the rules taking place.

Aiden McGeady marked his return to the Celtic side with the Scottish Cup winner against Dundee on Saturday just hours after dropping his appeal against a recent fine and suspension following a row with manager Gordon Strachan. McGeady's first game in a month ended with a late winner on his comeback, with Strachan suitably impressed by the Irish youngster's form. Strachan said, "Aiden did well.

Aiden McGeady marked his return to the Celtic side with the Scottish Cup winner against Dundee on Saturday just hours after dropping his appeal against a recent fine and suspension following a row with manager Gordon Strachan. McGeady's first game in a month ended with a late winner on his comeback, with Strachan suitably impressed by the Irish youngster's form. Strachan said, "Aiden did well.

With the festive season upon us, firstly I would like to wish all a happy Thanksgiving before we get down to the task at hand. Certainly a unique weekend to have for the New York GAA fraternity as it gives three full days of canvassing before the elections for chairman and officers on Sunday. The networks should be ringing off the line with the top job in New York again up for grabs, with two extremely capable candidates running.

Offaly 0-9

Donegal 0-8

THE Junior B title returns to Offaly and joins the Senior Hurling trophy on the Faithful mantle for the inter months. The Jim O'Neill Cup donated by the Armagh club joins the Michael Flannery one in what has been a wonderful season for Offaly.

They jumped out into a four point lead at the break and were able to withstand a stirring comeback by Donegal by chipping over points when required and using a strong defensive showing in the last few minutes to get the win.

IN the period of Connaught football between Galway's All-Ireland wins of 1966 and 1998, a host of stars stood tall in all five counties.

While All-Ireland success was missing, players of the caliber of Dermot Earley and Eamonn McManus of Roscommon, Willie Joe Padden and Liam McHale of Mayo, Sligo's Mickey Kerins and Mick Martin of Leitrim all had distinguished careers over long periods.

Galway also had some players that ploughed long in often painful furloughs in that time, with Gay McManus, Val Daly, Tommy Joe Gilmore and Tom Naughton springing to mind.

DUBLIN'S County Board have turned to former player Pat Gilroy and former manager Mickey Whelan to revive their All-Ireland football title hopes. Gilroy, a Sam Maguire winner as a substitute in 1995, was the surprise announcement as successor to Paul Caffrey late last week.

A managerial rookie, Gilroy will be joined by former Dubs boss Whelan as team trainer in a new look management team.

SEAN Boylan was almost in tears as Ireland defeated Australia in Melbourne on Friday night to secure victory in the Compromise Rules series and bring the Cormac McAnallen Cup home. The visitors lifted the trophy for the first time since 2004 on a 57-53 aggregate score to the delight of Boylan and his squad.

"To me this is an extremely nostalgic night, just to see Sean Cavanagh going up there tonight," said Boylan after McAnallen's former Tyrone teammate Cavanagh lifted the trophy.

Munster had the consolation of a bonus point as they lost 25-19 to Clermont Auvergne in France in the Heineken Cup on Sunday.

A late Ronan O'Gara's penalty ensured Munster left France just a point behind group leaders Sale Sharks at the halfway point of the pool stage.

Captain Paul O'Connell said afterwards, "Clermont is a difficult place to come and sometimes the bonus point is the most important thing in a group as tight as this, especially after Sale got a bonus-point win this weekend to get them right back in it.

The New York GAA will have a new chairman for the upcoming year after Larry McCarthy decisively defeated the incumbent John Riordan in the annual election on Sunday.

After six years as secretary of the association, McCarthy now steps into the top seat following a one-year term by Riordan. With all 62 delegates on hand to vote, the Cork native came away with a 35 to 27 victory, with the advantage that much wider when the fact that Riordan's club Kerry has four votes (two for each team) against McCarthy's club Sligo's two votes taken into account.

Quote Unquote

"I come from the Lynches of Sligo. You know, I went there, but I looked in the phone book and there are nine million Lynches in Sligo."

Jack Nicholson told The Irish Times in February.

Echo to Be Sold

The Sunday Independent in Ireland reported last weekend that the Irish Echo newspaper is likely to be sold.

The buyer, according to the newspaper, is Mairtin O Muilleoir, owner of the Andersonstown News, the Belfast-based newspaper chain. The Independent stated the pricetag for the Echo is in the $5 million range.

The Hartnett name appears in many forms: Harney, O'Harney, Hartney, Harnedy, Haherny and more. The surname is derived from the Irish O hAthaire, which is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word athardha, meaning paternal. The ancient Hartnetts resided in Connacht (the region of Ireland comprised of Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo).