Mark Ellis swaps Millstreet and Cork hurling for New York football

FORMER Cork senior hurler Mark Ellis started in midfield for New York in the Connacht Senior Football Championship quarter-final against Sligo in Gaelic Park, NY.

In the end, Sligo overcame an almighty scare from NY, who showed little signs of rustiness despite being forced into an over-two-year absence from GAA Championship Football due to Covid-19.

NY came away with a number of positives and certainly a lot of credit gained.

Millstreet native Ellis was a lively presence for New York in the middle third of the pitch, including on one particular occasion when he surged through the Sligo defence and was fouled, with the free duly being converted.

Ellis and former Galway senior hurler Johnny Glynn were impressive throughout, both disrupting the Sligo kick out and also driving forward constantly.

This is the latest chapter of Ellis’s GAA inter-county playing career, having of course lined out for the Cork senior hurlers, being the first Millstreet native to do so.

IMPACT

Ellis also has had a strong impact at club level locally for Millstreet GAA and there was little surprise he featured in one of their most memorable occasions of recent times, when he lined out in midfield for Millstreet in the 2014 Cork Junior A Football Championship final, as the Duhallow club defeated St Finbarr’s in the decider at Páirc Uí Rinn.

Ellis has always done Millstreet proud and locals will be certainly watching his progress in the coming months.

The GAA offers players such as Ellis the opportunity to remain very much embedded in an Irish community in the Big Apple. Also on the New York team are another Corkman Jamie Davis and former Galway players Adrian Varley and Johnny Glynn. Attention for the New York Senior Footballers and Ellis now turns towards the inaugural Tailteann Cup.

Along with New York, the Tailteann Cup competition is made up of sides from Division 3 and Division 4 after the conclusion of the 2022 Allianz National Football League.

Another thing to note is that New York have received a bye into the quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup. Following their performance against Sligo, New York will feel that they can take a number of positives into their Tailteann Cup voyage.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport recently, GAA president and Bishopstown native Larry McCarthy believes that NY can compete in the Tailteann Cup.

“It (New York football) absolutely has its place in the championship, it really has,” said McCarthy, who is a former chairman of New York GAA. “The Tailteann Cup is probably where we’ll end up and that’s the beauty, we’re now going to get a second shot and prior to this we wouldn’t.

“Because of the Tailteann Cup, we’ve another day out. Normally this would be the end of it for us. This year, we have another chance, another opportunity, and surely on the basis of today’s performance New York will catch somebody.” 

New York captain Jamie Boyle said he was confident his side’s stirring performance in the narrow loss to Sligo in Gaelic Park on Sunday could be the start of something for GAA in the city.

As for Ellis’ native club, Millstreet will have their eyes very much set on a strong 2022 in the Cork Intermediate A Football Championship. One man who will be key to their fortunes in 2022 will be Darragh Cashman, who has in recent weeks been lining out with the Cork U20 Footballers.

Millstreet are in a Cork IAFC championship group which contains Glanmire, Boherbue and Mitchelstown.

One game which will be eagerly anticipated in the Millstreet area will be their meeting with new neighbours Boherbue. That clash is down to take place on Saturday, August 13 in Cullen.

As Millstreet focus on their own GAA battles over the coming months, they will also be monitoring how one of their finest in Ellis is getting on in the NY colours.

New York very much took Sligo to the brink in the Connacht championship. All eyes now will be on what New York and one of their Cork natives in Ellis can do in the Tailteann Cup.