These past few years have seen Mayo's senior hurlers make massive strides in the small ball game, but a thumping at the hands of Down in the Christy Ring Cup semi-finals recently has left the Westerners licking their wounds again until next season. Hogan Stand caught up with team captain Aidan Connolly, who filled us in on the ups and downs of the first six months of 2009. When Martin Brennan took over the reins as Mayo's senior hurling manager in 2005 the outlook for the Heather County's second chosen sport wasn't so prosperous. With the footballers having reached the All-Ireland decider at Croke Park the previous September, where they took an eight-point trouncing from aristocrats Kerry, priority in Mayo very much sat with Ciaran McDonald and co to try and deliver a first Sam Maguire crown to the county since 1951. Brennan had to be content with taking a back seat for now, but he wasn't fazed. Working behind the scenes, the new Mayo boss was grafting; confident that he could achieve something with a group of players that proved they were going places two years previous by capturing the Division Three National Hurling League title. Since that time Mayo have hovered between the second and third tiers of the NHL, but Brennan's targets laid elsewhere, in the form of a competition which many in GAA circles feel is undervalued by the common supporter. "Since I've been playing with Mayo, Martin's ambition for the team has always been to try and win the Christy Ring Cup," said full-back, Aidan Connolly. Connolly joined Brennan's brigade two years ago, after hurling with Castlegar from a young age, lining out in defence, where he has learned his trade as a formidable hurler in the number three jersey. How did such a move come about then? Well, it goes back to his family's rich history in the sport, which has, somehow, led Connolly towards his destiny to line out in the green and red of Mayo, rather than the maroon and white of Galway Many years ago the decision of Connolly's grandfather to move from Connemara and settle in a country house across the road from Castlegar's hurling pitch would play a significant part in his family's upbringing. His sons' evenings would be put in with training, with or without others to practise with, while weekends were consumed with a constant flow of matches to play for both club and county. They would reap the benefits. In 1980, four Connolly brothers from Castlegar helped Galway to a first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship title in 57 years. In the final at Croke Park against Limerick, Connolly's three uncles and his father, who was on the bench, played their part in history for Galway. After the Tribesmen had recorded a 2-15 to 3-9 victory, centre-forward and team captain Joe Connolly delivered a famous speech from the Hogan Stand alongside the Liam McCarthy Cup to the euphoric crowd which finished with an echo of that of Pope John Paul II's address to an Irish crowd the previous September, Connolly stating the immortal line: 'People of Galway, we love you!' It was simply in Aidan's blood to become a leader on the hurling field. He followed suit to the old routine of his father and uncles; training during the week and playing matches on Saturdays and Sundays. Sure enough, he has become a focal part of Castlegar's designs to get back to the pinnacle of Galway club hurling, but he has chosen a different course in his inter-county career, after moving to Westport a couple of years back to settle with is new wife and help coincide with work commitments. "I got married not so long ago and we bought a house here," Connolly explained. "Mary Rose teaches in the Sacred Heart (secondary school) across the road and we're enjoying the life here in Westport. It's a brilliant town. The beach is just a few minutes away, everything is close at hand and when the sun shines it's a fantastic place so we're very happy here." Connolly played a couple of games with Galway's intermediate team before he had made the move to Westport, but after bumping into another Tribesman he was offered a different window of opportunity in senior inter-county hurling. "I was looking to buy a fridge and called in to Broderick's Electric out the road. Stephen (snr) was there and he was a selector with the Mayo team at the time, so when he found out who I was he asked me would I be interested in lining out with the county team," said Connolly. Whether it was by chance, or even means of destiny, Connolly would become apart of Brennan's plans for a raid on the Christy Ring Cup, and within a couple of months of settling into the team Mayo had almost done it. Last year Mayo reached the semi-final stage of hurling's second tier competition, where they met Carlow at McHale Park, Castlebar. The game went to extra-time and despite leading in the added on minutes, the Westerners were dumped out by a late goal from their opponents, who went on to win the final. Connolly gained a place in the 2008 Christy Ring team for his efforts but he still, painfully, recalls the manner of the defeat. "We know how close we were last year. Carlow got a poxy goal to beat us and they went on to win it, so we have had that in the back of our heads ever since," said the defender. That sickening loss to the Barrowsiders was one that spurred Connolly and his team mates on even more so into the 2009 season. A mixed league campaign in Division 3A saw Mayo pick up two wins and three losses before they got back to Christy Ring matters. Hard fought encounters against Kildare and Kerry were the ideal preparations for Brennan's men before they met joint-favorites Westmeath, where another place in the semi-finals of the competition would be at stake. Played out in Crossmolina, the hosts produced the performance of their season to thump the two-time winners 2-21 to 0-15 and book their spot in the last four. Both Connolly and the returning Keith Higgins had starred for men in red and green, but it was a two-goal blitz in the opening half from Mark Devaney and Derek McDonnell which proved pivotal in Mayo gaining a memorable win against the Lake County. Connolly again found himself just 70 minutes away from the chance of getting his hands on the Christy Ring Cup, but Jim McKernan's Down side were always going to pose a serious threat. Adrian Freeman and Keith Higgins pointed the visitors into an early lead in Newry, but the Mourne men received their wake-up call somewhere around the quarter hour mark and points from Simon Wilson and Gareth Johnson saw Down take in a 0-10 to 0-9 lead at the break. After the restart the home side dominated as Mayo struggled to keep up and goals from Johnson (2), James Coyle and Eoin Clarke ultimately meant that Mayo's dreams of a first Christy Ring Cup final place were well and truly dashed. In the weeks after his side's crushing exit, Martin Brennan stepped down from his position as Mayo senior hurling manager after putting all his energies into bringing the county's hurlers on in abundance, but failing to get them over that semi-final hurdle in the end. "I have given them four years and I think it is time to give it a new lease of life," explained Brennan. "They are a superb bunch of lads and we have made good progress the last four years but there are a few of the lads who are 30 or 31 who could be thinking how many years are left." With that the white flag has been hoisted by a commander and chief trying to bring Mayo to the pinnacle of Christy Ring success. Connolly and his team mates must now sit ideally by to wait for another willing party to come along and try their hand at the job. The man who takes the job certainly won't be short of talent or experience if he wants to forge a bid for the second most coveted prize in inter-county championship hurling. For the past couple of years now, Aidan Connolly has been working as a Project Manager with Padraig Connolly/Congil Construction Ltd. Established in 1997, one of the company's most recent projects is the new Tesco building in Westport, where some 400 workers were employed over the course of building. Padraig Connolly/Congil Construction Ltd are based in Oranmore Business Park, Oranmore, Co Galway. Tweet

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