Galway v Mayo 2015 – your essential guide!

It’s nearly time, it’s nearly time! Has 10 weeks ever felt so long? But finally the Mayo team has been named and we are just 48 hours from throw-in in the 2015 Connacht Senior Football Championship.

Before you start decorating the car, making the sandwiches and ironing the jersey for Galway v Mayo 2015, here is your customary list of Things Worth Knowing Before You Leave The House, courtesy of Club ’51.

First things first – Our Hurlers Need You!

 

The football is what we’re all talking about, but our senior hurlers are also playing on Sunday, in an absolutely crucial game as they take on Roscommon in the Nicky Rackard/Christy Ring promotion/relegation play-off before the football. If we win, we stay in the Christy Ring, if Roscommon win, we go down. This is a huge game for our hurlers, who are lining out without one of their best players, Keith Higgins who is of course captaining the footballers.

UPDATE: Throw-in is at 1.30pm (not 1.45pm as previously thought) in Pearse Stadium –  let’s try and get a decent crowd in there to get behind our lads who put in a serious amount of effort every year with limited resources and support to wear the Green and Red. (And there is the added bonus of a prospective win over the Rossies – never a bad thing, right?)

Ticketing Details

Pearse Stadium isn’t the biggest in the world, so if you haven’t got your hands on tickets yet, it might not be a bad plan to do so in advance. The stand is sold out, but terrace tickets are still available on Tickets.ie, and in selected Centra and Supervalu outlets around the county. All ticketing details are on the Connacht GAA website here. There will also be tickets available at the gate, but get there early.

The Night Before

For those of you making a weekend of it (or indeed those of you exiled in the City of the Tribes) the Mayo Association Galway are holding a social event on Saturday evening in Ward’s Hotel, Lwr. Salthill, Galway, throwing in at 8.30pm.

According to P.J. King, Chairperson, Muintir Mhaigh Eo Gaillimh:

“It will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and a chance to meet up with some former Mayo GAA greats who, will be recalling past battles and giving their opinion on next week’s contest.”

Host for the night will be proprietor of Ward’s Hotel and legendary Moygownagh man, Anthony Finnerty, who will be busy on the barbeque for the evening. Come prepared or a late night and an early morning!

Getting There And Parking

Make no mistake about it, driving and parking on matchday in Salthill is a bit of a dose. Here are some ways you can avoid the headaches of parking and tailbacks.

• Arrive early and go to the hurling. (See above.)

• Use the Park and Ride services. Galway County GAA are operating this service once again from Carnmore Airport Carpark, starting at 12 noon and will run every half hour. The return costs are €4 per Adult and €3 per Child, with a Family Bus Ticket for two parents and two children (under 16) at €10. Those buses will travel on the City Bus Lanes. Patrons will be dropped off at the Western Distributor Roundabout, within walking distance of Pearse Stadium and collected back at the Roundabout after the Football Game, from 5.30 p.m.

• Car Parks: Coláiste Éinde on Threadneedle Road, St. Mary’s College on St. Mary’s Road, the Galway Technical Institute on Fr. Griffin Road,  are all within walking distance of Pearse Stadium. Various other public and private carparks are also available, throughout the city and are adjacent to the public bus services to Salthill.

• Bus Eireann are running their regular City Sunday service, from outside the AIB Bank, Eyre Square, commencing at 10am. Passengers wishing to travel from the east side of the city can use the Bus Eireann regular 409 Parkmore service, which operates every 30 minutes on Sundays, from Parkmore via Dublin Road. It can be boarded at all bus stops along the Dublin Road, from the Castlegar Community Centre into Eyre Square, for connection to the Salthill buses.
• Walk the Prom with Mindspace Mayo. As part of the Mayo GAA collaboration with the HSE’s #LittleThings campaign, why not join the 2.5km walk along the Prom, leaving from the Claddagh Hall at 1pm to Pearse Stadium? Leave your car in town, get some fresh air and exercise and guess what? You’ll be there just in time for the hurling! 

 

• The Radisson Blu Hotel are offering free parking for the day to anyone who has lunch in the hotel beforehand. You can contact them on 091538300.
  
• There will be some road closures in place, including Dr. Mannix Road in Salthill near the ground (we’ll update this post with more info when we have it).

Club ’51 Meet-Up

We know this is the part you’ve all been waiting for, don’t deny it. In fairness, it’s the best part of the day really.

Club ’51 will be doing what most other Mayo supporters in Salthill will be doing and congregating at Ward’s Hotel on Sunday morning before the games. We’ll be there from about 12pm so if you’re about,  be sure and call in for the chats and the craic. More than likely, we’ll be found there afterwards too, hopefully celebrating an emphatic victory,  as opposed to drowning our sorrows.

Ward’s Hotel is approximately 15 minutes’ walk from Pearse Stadium:

Discounts on the Day

We have it on good authority that a number of restaurants, shops, cafés and bars will be offering discounts on Sunday from 12pm, so keep your eyes peeled. We’ll add any details here as we get them.

Wear Sunscreen

Do not do what we did in Salthill in 2009. Just do not. The weather is promised good, so lash on the Factor 30 for the love of god. You don’t want to end up looking like this lad, do you?

Bring Your Flags

We can’t say this enough! There is nothing to beat the colour and atmosphere you’ll get with flags and banners and the Mayo Roar on championship day.

The Galway supporter’s club is giving out free Galway flags outside Pearse Stadium on Sunday.We’d love to do that, but we don’t have the resources so please bring your own flags on Sunday and let’s TURN PEARSE GREEN AND RED.

Galway 2020

Keep an eye out for these guys on your travels. Galway 2020 is the group behind the campaign to get Galway to be the designated European Capital of Culture in 2020. As you’d expect, with such a strong Mayo contingent in the city, there’s a strong Mayo presence in the team involved in putting together the bid. In an effort to get the West of Ireland involved,  they will be out on the streets on Sunday promoting their #IBackGalway campaign. Be sure and say hello. Mind you, this could get confusing … remember, on Sunday, until 5.30pm you are really only backing MAYO. 

Enjoy The Day!

We don’t need to tell you this, twice, we’re sure. Maigh Eo Abú!