Mayo team to meet and greet fans at Christmas fund-raiser

Mayo team to meet and greet fans at Christmas fund-raiser


Mike Finnerty

MAYO football fans of all ages are being invited to spend an afternoon with the county senior squad on Sunday, December 22,  at Knockranny House Hotel, Westport.
The All-Ireland finalists have launched a fund-raising drive ahead of their team holiday to Dubai on January 1, with a Christmas Banquet and Family Day next month forming the mainstay of their efforts.
The Mayo players, and manager James Horan, are inviting their supporters to join them for a three-course meal in the award-winning Westport hotel, while they will also be signing autographs, posing for photographs, and taking questions from fans throughout the course of the event.
“Hopefully people can take an hour or two out of their Sunday and have some lunch with the Mayo team,” said James Horan at last week’s launch.
“We have a trip coming up to Dubai and we’re trying to fund-raise for this at the moment.
“The team has made a huge commitment and effort over the last few years so I think they deserve a holiday.
“I think it’s good to let the players meet the fans in a casual setting, where everybody is having a bit of fun, a bit of craic, a bit of downtime coming into Christmas.
“Players will be mingling with people throughout the course of the afternoon, and the more people that are here, the merrier,” he added.
A special ‘Christmas Room’ will also be in operation where members of both the Mayo senior and minor panels will be mixing with children during the banquet.
Santa Claus (not to be confused with Mayo GAA Treasurer, JP Lambe) is also rumoured to be popping in for a visit at some stage.
Adults, meanwhile, will also be entertained by a comedian with County Board Vice-Chairman, Mike Connelly, believed to be among the front-runners in line for the post!
“Over the last three years the team has put in unbelievable commitment and effort, and sacrificied a lot,” added James Horan.
“So I think a holiday in a nice sunny place is justly deserved. “We’re looking forward to it, to recharging the batteries, and then coming back and hitting 2-14 as hard as we possibly can. From that point of view a holiday, especially a sun holiday, is essential.”

Slave auction
ARGUABLY the highlight of the whole day, however, will be a ‘Slave Auction’ featuring some of the biggest names in the GAA, including Cillian O’Connor, Aidan O’Shea and Lee Keegan.
These three ‘likely lads’ are just some of the Mayo football stars that have been ‘released’ by James Horan to take part in a fund-raising auction.
The highest bidder for each individual footballer will get the chance to have their dinner cooked by the Mayo star they have ‘bought’ — or put them to good use around the house!
So Mayo fans are advised to bring their cheque-books and ‘splash the cash’ to try and land an All Star, a Connacht champion, or maybe even a budding chef on December 22!

Tickets
ADULT tickets for the banquet cost €100 each, with children’s tickets for a buffet meal costing €10.
A portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to charity, with the bulk of the monies going to the Mayo Senior Team Holiday Fund to offset the cost of their week-long trip to Dubai in the New Year.
For further information and tickets, contact the MacHale Park office, Castlebar on (094) 9250487 or Michael Diskin on (087) 6680115.