The Islandeady players and management celebrating following last month's Mayo JFC win at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park.
By Cian O’Connell
These are encouraging times for Islandeady. Having triumphed in an always competitive Mayo Junior Football Championship, Shane Hopkins’ charges are enjoying a productive 2022 campaign.
Next on the agenda is an interesting AIB Connacht Club JFC semi-final against Clifden in Kenny Park, Athenry on Saturday.
Claiming county silverware at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park following a victory over Cill Chomain last month provided plenty of joy for the people of Islandeady.
“We've hit our goal, so we are absolutely satisfied,” Hopkins says. “We are delighted for the players and everyone involved in the club.
“It is great for the young people, they got to go to MacHale Park for the county final. It was a great occasion for the kids. We only played in MacHale Park once this year so there was a big crowd.
“We were on before Westport and Ballina in the senior final, so you had 7,000 people eventually in MacHale Park that day. There was a great atmosphere, so it was great for the younger people - for everyone, but definitely for the younger generation of Islandeady footballers.”
Hopkins acknowledges the value and relevance attached to being involved in these types of matches.
“It is important for the development of the club and for the recruitment of underage players,” he says.
“It maybe keeps fellas that are in the 17 and 18 years old bracket. They see a county title coming, it is important for the retention of players, who may decide that they want to play another sport or to travel. It does help and it does the club no harm in the overall sense.”
Manager when Islandeady last won a Mayo junior crown in 2011, Hopkins embraces the challenge of playing games in the provincial competition.
Islandeady claimed Mayo JFC glory last month.
“It is slightly different because you wouldn't be that familiar with any of the opposition outside of Mayo,” Hopkins replies.
“In 2011 we were beaten by Clonbur in a Connacht final, they went on to win the All-Ireland that year. It is nice to still be playing football in the middle of November.
"You'd have taken it last July just before the championship kicked off - you would have taken playing football in November, absolutely.”
Surrounded by some of the most accomplished clubs in the senior ranks, Islandeady always try to maximise the resources available to them. “We are a small club, we were junior for a lot of years,” Hopkins says.
“We were junior up to 2011, then we won the junior in 2011. We were intermediate up until two years ago. We are squeezed in between Westport, Castlebar, Ballintubber, and Breaffy.
“We have small enough numbers at underage, it would be a challenge at underage, we are playing in the lower divisions in underage.”
That is why Islandeady’s spirit and organisation matters deeply with Hopkins highlighting the rich contributions made by others in the backroom team.
"I'm lucky to have Tony Collins, this is our third time being involved in the management of the first team, and Johnny Fitzgerald, who had been there with us before,” he says.
“We had a new coach come in, Cormac Rowland, who has been a breath of fresh air to us. He has brought some great ideas, he has just brought a new level of training to the club and it has given us a bit of energy.”
Islandeady’s rewarding journey continues.
