Gaelic Games News round-upMcGRATH CUP: The Munster Council have approved applications from four third-level colleges (Cork, Tralee and Waterford Institutes of Technology, and UCC) to play in the McGrath Cup. All six Munster counties will compete.
In accordance with competition regulations, all games will be played before the start of the National Football League. Games will be played in January and extra time (two periods of 10 minutes followed by two periods of five minutes until a result is achieved) will be played in all games if required. The games will be played under the new experimental rules.
LIMERICK: Limerick football manager Liam Kearns has been dealt another blow in the build-up to the 2005 campaign with confirmation yesterday that defender Stephen Lucey is set to miss all their National League matches. Lucey, who has a shoulder injury, underwent an operation in Dublin on Tuesday.
County PRO John Ryan said: "We have been told it will be at least four months before Stephen is available. Even then there are no guarantees. His loss is a big blow to us as we are already without John Galvin and Jason Stokes, both of whom are due to go into hospital for leg operations."
TYRONE: Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has added his voice to the growing lobby of rule-change sceptics. He dismissed concerns over the Ulster Council's decision not to implement the experimental rules changes during the Dr McKenna Cup. He doesn't feel the Ulster counties will find themselves at a disadvantage later in the season.
"I'm not impressed with the new rules for a start, and there are even conflicting opinions about whether they will be used in the National League," he said.
And he gave his backing to the Ulster Council rejection of the Croke Park rules experiment for the pre-season McKenna Cup.
Harte believes the university sides would have been seriously inconvenienced by changes in the playing regulations, which would not continue in the Ryan or Sigerson Cup competitions.
GALWAY: Gerry Cloherty, the former managing director of the Connacht Tribune, will bring the story of the GAA in Galway up to date.
The late Canon Padraic Ó Laoi published two books which covered the 1884-1901 period and 1901 to 1934.
A former chairman of Galway County Board, Cloherty has written a history of his club Rahoon/Newcastle.
