Fixtures: Saturday, March 21: RFL Division Three v Emyvale (Home) at 4.30pm; Under-12 Football Spring League Zone C v Magheracloone (H) at 3.15pm; Zone D v St. Patrick Sarsfields (H) at 2pm; Zone I v Aghabog (H) at 12.45pm

Sunday, March 22: SFL v Donaghmoyne (Away) at 2pm

Monday, March 23: U-14 HL v Castleblayney (Away) at 5.30pm

Tuesday, March 24: MFL Division One v Truagh (Home) at 5.15pm

 

Monaghan Harps Lotto: Numbers 7, 13, 25 and 28. Jackpot of €1,400 not won. Residual prizes: €100 Paddy Donnelly c/o Barry Sullivan; €40 Pat Myers c/o Jimmy Croarkin; €40 Bernie Corrigan c/o Paddy McCabe’s Shop; €40 Mary McElvaney c/o Eileen McElvaney (Ladies Club). Jackpot for Sunday, March 22 is €1,500 and Ann and Adrian Trappe are on duty. All support for our Lotto is greatly appreciated.

 

Seniors: Our senior footballers start their league campaign with an away game against Donaghmoyne this Sunday at 2pm. Good luck to Cathal McAnenly, Adrian Trappe and the team. Please support!

 

Reserves: Our McKeown Cup team fell to a 0-13 to 1-5 defeat away to Aghabog in last Sunday’s RFL Division Three game. We stayed in touch throughout the first half, with Niall Greenan and Jason McHugh getting our scores, but Aghabog hit a couple of late points to change ends leading by 0-6 to 0-3. Aghabog pulled away inside the final quarter and although we made a few goal chances, a tidy finish by Jason was all we had to show for them. A busy week for our reserves continues with a Division 1B game at home to Tyholland today (Tuesday), with another Division Three fixture at home to Emyvale on the agenda this Saturday.

Team and scorers: Ronan McGann; Paul Smyth, Conor Forde; Marc Brennan, Mark McCaughey, Tiarnán Bramley; Robbie Moyna, Turlough Clerkin; Niall Duffy, Conor McCaughey (0-1), Niall Greenan (Capt., 0-2); Jason McHugh (1-2), Thomas Bourke.

Subs: Brendan McQuaid for Brennan, Colm Shalvey for Duffy, Dessie McGarry for Bourke, Killian Carolan for Clerkin.

 

St. Patrick’s Day: We will once again be part of the Monaghan Town St. Patrick’s Day Parade this afternoon (Tuesday), meeting at Gavan Duffy Park at 2pm, with our juveniles and mentors invited to take part. All participants are asked to wear their Harps gear and go green for the big day. As usual, this is the big family day of the year for the club. The clubhouse will be open for the All-Ireland club finals and traditional music by our talented club members. All welcome for a great day of ceol agus craic.

 

Minors: Our minor footballers began their league campaign against Clontibret on Tuesday. See website for result. Truagh are the visitors to Gavan Duffy Park next Tuesday.

 

U-14: Our two Under-14 football teams started their leagues with home games last Saturday. The Division One team had a good win over Scotstown. Goals by Luke Coyle and Dean Doherty and points by Lorcan O’Rourke, Lochlainn Power and Luke had our lads ahead by 2-3 to 0-4 at half-time and they started the second half brightly with goals by Lorcan and Brendan Óg Ó Dufaigh. Eoghan McGinnity Eoghan McGinnity and Lorcan added points before Annan Connor fired to the net. Further scores by Lorcan, Oisín Fagan and Luke sealed a 6-10 to 0-5 victory.

Team and scorers: Dylan Ballantine; Brendan Óg Ó Dufaigh (1-0), Andrew Lyden; Killian Conlon, Annan Connor (1-0), Stephen Ward; Conor Devlin, Oisín Fagan (Capt., 0-2); Eoghan McGinnity (0-1), Lochlainn Power (0-1f), Lorcan O’Rourke (2-4); Luke Coyle (1-2, 0-1f), Dean Doherty (1-0).

Subs used: Josh Maguire, Erikas Dikmonas, Adam McGarry.

Our Division Four team fell short against St. Tiarnach Sarsfields. Josh Maguire, Dean Doherty and Erikas Dikmonas, who had moved from goals to full-forward midway through the first half, got on the scoresheet to leave us 2-3 to 0-3 behind at half-time. Josh hit 1-1 in the second half and Adam McGarry added 1-2, but the Clones/Killeevan amalgamation ran out winners on a scoreline of 4-7 to 2-6.

Team and scorers: Erikas Dikmonas (Capt., 0-1); Lukas Virfilas, Liam Conway; Jamie McCarron, Mujtaba Gamal; Tiarnán O’Rourke, Dean Doherty (0-1f); Killian Treanor, Josh Maguire (1-2); Adam McGarry (1-2), Shea Treanor.

Subs used: Daragh Croarkin, Dylan Ballantine, Deivydas Kaklauskas.

Both teams are back in action on Saturday week (March 28).

 

U-12: For the first time, we are entering three Under-12 football teams this year and they are all in Spring League action this Saturday. The triple-header at Gavan Duffy Park sees our three teams take on Aghabog at 12.45, St. Patrick Sarsfields at 2pm and Magheracloone at 3.15. Good luck to all involved.

 

U-16: The Under-16 Football League will begin with a home game against Truagh on Thursday, April 9.

 

Membership: Membership fees for 2015 are being maintained as follows: €20 per adult, €10 per child or €50 for a family of two adults and any number of children. Money can be paid in the clubhouse each Sunday night, or any time to registrar Dermot Coyle (086 0734098) Jimmy Croarkin (087 1249635), Peter Coyle (087 9700858), or in Terry’s Bar or the Cosy Bar. Players (and parents of juveniles) at all levels are reminded that they must be registered before they can play in competitions. All members must be paid up by March 31 to have voting rights at the club’s AGM.

 

Cake Sale: Our Juvenile Club have a fundraising Cake Sale in the Shopping Centre this Saturday. Food can be dropped off in the clubhouse on Friday from 7pm and we also need volunteers to man the stall throughout Saturday morning and afternoon. All support is greatly appreciated.

 

Saturday-morning coaching: Our popular Saturday-morning coaching and games sessions for U-6s, U-8s & U-10s will be starting up again on March 28. Saturday-morning football for boys and girls in Gavan Duffy Park continues to go from strength to strength, with the numbers attending growing year on year. The club is very fortunate to have a pool of hardworking and dedicated individuals who look after and coach these ‘early learners’. Anyone who wants to volunteer to help out is encouraged to do so.

 

Dates to remember: We are preparing to host the second Darkness into Light Monaghan 5km walk/run in the early morning of Saturday, May 9, with online registration currently available and a launch planned for the middle of next month. Provisional club fixtures for 2015 can be viewed on our website, www.monaghanharps.gaa.ie.

 

Know Your Sport: Any outstanding forms for our senior team’s Know Your Sport fundraiser must be returned as soon as possible. All support appreciated.

 

County teams: Well done to Neil McAdam and the Monaghan senior footballers, who continued their winning ways in the NFL against Derry last Sunday. Good luck to John Mulligan with the county minor footballers away to Down and the nine Harps lads with the county minor hurlers away to Cavan in this Saturday’s Ulster league games. Well done also to Tessa Fleming and Muireann and Eimear O’Rourke on the county ladies’ win over Mayo. Best wishes to Fearghal McMahon and Kevin Loughran with the Monaghan Under-21s tomorrow night (Wednesday) in their Ulster championship quarter-final against Derry in Inniskeen.

 

Easter Camp: 2015 will see Gavan Duffy Park host a Monaghan GAA Easter Camp for the first time. The three-day camp, for boys and girls aged between 5 and 12, will take place on April 7, 8 and 9 from 10am to 2.30pm each day and will feature football, hurling and camogie. The camps cost €40 for the first child and €35 for other children from the same family, with each participant receiving a hoodie.

 

Pitch bookings: All pitch bookings for matches and training sessions this year must be made via 086 1957155. Training times have been allotted and any changes must be notified.

 

Clubhouse: The Monaghan Harps clubhouse is available to book for functions. Contact Jimmy Croarkin on 087 1249635 for more information.

 

Refereeing: Anyone interested in taking up refereeing at any level is asked to contact a committee member. For more information on the new ‘Put Your Whistle Where Your Mouth Is’ recruitment campaign, see the Monaghan GAA website.

 

Hurling: The Under-14 Hurling League starts with an away game against Castleblayney on Monday evening at 5.30.