Latest news with #MeagherCup
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Tom O'Meara in a New York state of mind for Lory Meagher decider
They have a saying in the US military, 'no man left behind'. The New York hurlers do their best to live by a similar creed but with the visa situation being what it is, and the general uncertainty of the Trump regime, it's not always possible. So it is that one or two who might ordinarily have been part of the New York hurlers' shot at Lory Meagher Cup title success this weekend will be at home. "It's not a thing of the past," said Tipperary man and New York hurler Tom O'Meara of visa difficulties. "Even with the current situation, Trump has halted applications for F and J visas. It's always a battle. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to travel home. Look, we lost out on a couple of lads probably that couldn't travel home but you're always going to have that in America." O'Meara is one of the lucky ones. He counts the Astoria neighbourhood in Queens as home these days and works in construction as a project manager. Three times a week, he makes the hour or so journey to Gaelic Park in The Bronx for training. It's two and a half years since he first settled in New York and he sees a life stretching out ahead of him there. "I'm lucky enough to be on a visa that gives me three years and it can be renewed for another three years," he said. "As I said, not everyone is as lucky. I love it out there and I do see myself staying for the foreseeable. I'm from rural north Tipperary and I'd find it very difficult to adapt back after living the big city life!" O'Meara captained the Tipp New York club to championship success in 2024 and helped them retain the title in 2025. He is joined in the county setup by several more Tipp men. Some, like Portroe's AJ Willis, who hit 1-08 against Monaghan in last weekend's Meagher Cup semi-final, are players, while others are involved in the management. New York feels like home at this stage though O'Meara acknowledged that a lot of his free time is spent at the hurling club. He likes going into Central Park with pals too, for a puck around. It was novel at first drawing attention from interested passers by but the questions and the queries about the stick and ball game soon got old. "Every Tom, Dick and Harry is asking you what's that?" said O'Meara. "I'm sick of telling them it's hurling. It's usually, 'What? Curling?' I say, 'No, not curling, hurling'. I've just resorted to, 'Ah, it's cricket' and they seem to walk away. You get a lot of that, and gawking stares." If nothing else, he's spreading the hurling gospel. Not that it has fully caught on just yet. There's just one home grown player in the New York hurling squad. "James Breen, he's born and reared in the Bronx, a great hurler," explained O'Meara. Men like former Cork senior Sean O'Leary-Hayes and 2017 All-Ireland winning Galway forward Johnny Glynn are picking up the slack in the meantime. Glynn has embraced New York more than any of them, lining out for the senior footballers previously. He's currently the GAA board's vice-chairman. Lory Meagher Cup final opponents Cavan, no doubt, will have their hands full with the big forward who clipped two points in the 1-29 to 2-13 defeat of Monaghan. "He's a cult hero out there now," said O'Meara. "Any man that watches hurling knows Johnny's ability in the air. He's been one of the best to field a ball. He always keeps himself in very good nick, a hard trainer also. He's still well able to go." This is the first season that New York has been included in the hurling's fifth-tier competition. There have been suggestions that they're too strong for the grade. "I can see where they're coming from, saying that," shrugged O'Meara. "Galway had the same set up back in the day, getting straight to a semi-final in the Liam MacCarthy. It can be an advantage or a disadvantage. Like, for the first 10 minutes of the Monaghan game we were sitting ducks. "I don't think we scored at all. We hadn't played any competitive games. In New York, you can't organise any competitive match to the same standard. So there are positives and negatives to it."
Irish Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
All-Ireland winner to line out in fifth tier hurling semi despite opponents rage
It's a story that has escaped the attention of many in the GAA world, but that could all change tomorrow afternoon as New York face Monaghan in the Lory Meagher Cup semi-final at Cusack Park Mullingar. New York haven't played a game in the competition but have been entered straight into the semi-finals of the fifth tier hurling Championship. Listed at number 10 for New York is one Jonathan Glynn, the towering Galway 2017 All-Ireland winner, with at least one Monaghan defender likely to be in for a tough afternoon in the Midlands againast the highly accomplished Ardrahan man. Also listed to start is former Cork player Sean O'Leary-Hayes, one of a number of former county senior and underage players. The fear is that New York - 1/100 on with the bookies - will be far too strong for anyone in the Meagher Cup with Monaghan as 12/1 outsiders to turn over the Statesiders. Monaghan have played five games in this year's Meagher Cup, winning three, drawing one and losing one, with Cavan already in the final by virtue of topping the table. Questions are already being asked about New York's inclusion in the competition and the level they're entering at. It looks like Nicky Rackard would have been a better grade, or even Christy Ring, in light of New York winning the Connacht Hurling League earlier this year, where they defeated Mayo in the final. It's likely though that New York had to enter the competition at the lowest tier. New York also enjoy special treatment for football's Tailteann Cup, by virtue of the logistics involved for everyone in playing matches which they're involved in. They don't compete in the round robin part of the Tailteann Cup, but replace the lowest ranked third placed side in the four team groups, entering at the preliminary quarter-final stage. Speaking to Gaelic Life, Monaghan manager Arthur Hughes slammed the decision to include New York at the semi-final stage of the Meagher Cup. Hughes pointed to a GAA discussion document last year that proposed getting rid of the five weakest inter-county hurling sides from the National Hurling League and using the money saved to boost club hurling. Hughes called the New York decision 'an absolute disgrace,' adding 'It's not that long ago that the GAA were trying to get rid of five counties in Ireland from playing in the National League and now they next thing they've done is bring in New York. 'It's an absolute joke, in my opinion. You don't know what you're coming up against, what level they're at, and it's completely unfair to just fly a team into the semi-finals. 'If you're going to participate in a competition, you should be there from the start.' NEW YORK (Lory Meagher Cup v Monaghan): Daniel Mottram, Eanna Barry, Henry Keyes, James Cronin Roger, Darren O'Donoghue, Darragh Moran, Sean O'Leary-Hayes, Tom O'Meara, Darragh Walsh, Jonathan Glynn, David Mangan, Aidan James Willis, Gerard McPartland, Adam Loughlin Stones, Cian Mullane. SUBS: Colin O'Brien, James Bermingham, James Breen, Darragh Hynes, Conor O'Shea, Harry O'Connor, Cian Murray, Tomas O'Connor, Conor Hammersley, Joseph Diggins.
