CONTINUING A GREAT TRADITION

We have often remarked how fortunate we are in Galway to have a good spread of sports played to a high standard — this weekend alone the hurlers, the footballers and Galway United are all involved in high profile encounters. One sport Galway that has traditionally held its own in is rowing and with five clubs in the city — Galway Rowing Club, Tribesman, NUIG, the Jes and the Bish — it continues to thrive.

The top prize in Irish rowing — the elite mens senior eight championship — is back in the city after a gap of 21 years when NUIG pipped Queens University from Belfast by 0.4 of second to win the Blue Riband.

In 1988 the college, then UCG, ended a 57-year spell when they followed in the footsteps of the famed Emmetts crew from Menlo to bring the pot back to Galway. Several Galway crews were victorious at the national championships in Cork at the weekend, ensuring a great future for the sport in the city.

SOME ALL-IRELAND

My former colleague in the Tribune John McIntyre is doing a great job with the Galway hurlers and he and his management team and players get little time to rest on their laurels as they take on Cork this weekend after their win over Clare.

Their pathway to the All-Ireland could not be much tougher — if they win on Saturday in Thurles they will face Waterford and then Kilkenny in the semi-finals. Tipperary — McIntyre's native county who he played for back in the mid-1980s — are likely to be waiting in the All-Ireland final.

It is a long road — they already have three games under their belt — but it would be some All-Ireland to win and a triumph that would include Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford would surpass anything ever achieved by the county.

GREAT RIVALRY

Galway and Mayo go head-to-head for the eighth year in a row on Sunday in as good a rivalry as exists in the GAA, not least as so many Mayo people live in Galway.

Mayo will go into it as favourites but these games are notoriously difficult to call but what is guaranteed is a match full of intrigue. When it is over some of the players will have the quarter-finals of the Galway SFC to look forward to with Salthill-Knockncarra taking on St Brendan’s, Killererin locking horns with Corofin, Caltra meet Tuam and Mountbellew-Moylough face Annaghdown.

THEY SAID IT: 'If you don't know what's going on, start waving your arms about as if you do' — Gordon Strachan, then Southampton boss in 2003, on how to be seen as a bona fide manager.

IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY: 15th July 1963: Tottenham Hotspur became the first British winners of a European trophy when they beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 in Rotherdam to win the Cup Winners Cup, with Jimmy Greaves getting two of the goals.

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