Dublin manager is not a happy camper

10 years ago

We’ll go again

10 years ago

When I went on national radio to talk about this stupid Mayo Curse I was not a believer. Going on @NickyByrne show on @RTE2fm shortly to debunk Mayo curse and other sporting hexes. — Mikey Stafford (@me_stafford) September 16, 2016 that'll come Sunday — Mikey Stafford (@me_stafford) September 16, 2016 I expected proof in the form of a […]

10 years ago

Fine young cannibal?

10 years ago

Match maker extraordinaire

10 years ago

This game needs no promoting, so we must thank RTÉ for doing so anyway. The sense of anticipation around Dublin today is palpable. The quiet morning streets are dotted with Dublin fans in sky blue and the odd Mayo invader, enjoying an early morning, nerve-settling stroll in their green and red. The biggest game of the […]

10 years ago

Jamie Carragher had it right about these Arsenal selfies two seasons ago. The Sky Sports pundit told Arsenal to stop taking celebratory selfies after every game. Many though the former Liverpool defender was being an old fuddy-duddy luddite (especially when he failed to practice what he preached) but his words now seem very wise. “I’m all […]

10 years ago

All this ‘poor Mayo deserve an All-Ireland’ shite would give you a pain in your face. First off, if you deserve an All-Ireland then you invariably win it. That is the beauty of competitive sport – he who dares wins and he who wins deserves it. If we started talking about ‘deserves’ we may as […]

10 years ago

Did you miss out on testing yourself back in March? Still want to scratch that itch? The last time the Quest Adventure Race came to Killarney it was over-subscribed well in advance, leaving many would-be racers disappointed. Well it is back, baby! That’s right, those of you with an inclination to run, cycle and kayak […]

10 years ago

Reigning young footballer of the year Diarmuid O’Connor is still young – just 21. When Alan Dillon made his debut for Mayo against Sligo in 2003, his Ballintubber clubmate would have been eight years of age and not even halfway through primary school. On Sunday they will line out beside each other for the squad photo […]

10 years ago

The perfect way to kick-off your All-Ireland final weekend. This Sunday’s match-up between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park is the most anticipated fixture of the year. Can Dublin put together back-to-back All-Irelands for the first time in nearly four decades or will Mayo end their 65-year wait for Sam Maguire? Ahead of the match SportsJOE […]

10 years ago

Castlebar is a big football town. We knew that before we headed down there on Friday, but in case any of us needed convincing, the people of Mayo packed out Castlebar Mitchels GAA Club for our second GAA Hour Roadshow event. We broadcast the first half of the show live on Facebook Friday night, but […]

10 years ago

Does any family currently contribute more to Kilkenny GAA than the Farrells? Along with senior hurler Jonjo, the Thomastown clan had no fewer than three starters on the Kilkenny camogie team that Sunday ended a 22-year wait for All-Ireland glory. Having captained the Cats to glory 22 years ago, Ann Downey masterminded a 1-13 to […]

10 years ago

You know it is negotiating season when Aogán Ó Fearghail is making bold statements. The role of GAA president is a curious one – an elected figurehead with a relatively short term in office, during which you mostly have to defer to the power behind the throne, director general Paraic Duffy. The president is a very […]

10 years ago

Googling is cheating!

10 years ago

High in the hills that form the natural border between Kilkenny and Carlow can be found one of Ireland’s most famed racing operations. Since the early 1980s Jim Bolger has been breeding and training some of the country’s finest flat horses in Coolcullen – Group 1 winners like New Approach, Teofilo, Finsceal Beo and Dawn Approach. This weekend […]

10 years ago

16 is the number to beat

10 years ago

After more than a year out of the game, Tiger is ready to stalk the fairways again. About time too. The game has been crying out for the formerly all-powerful world No1 since he last competed in August 2015. Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson – they are all great golfers but they […]

10 years ago

Der Bomber had 68 all to himself and then two come along at once

10 years ago

Depressing fact of life: If something is too good to be true, it probably is. Most football fans got a right giggle out of retired Welsh striker Dean Saunders’ story about a pissed Brian Clough trying to sign him for Nottingham Forest back in 1991. It involved the then Derby striker, his overweight agent, a […]

10 years ago

The Paralympic Games get underway in Rio on Wednesday. Cork woman Niamh McCarthy heads into the 15th summer games as the third ranked competitor in her event – the F41 discus. Impressive. What makes McCarthy’s status all but incredible is the fact that, when the 14th Paralympics finished up in London four years ago, she […]

10 years ago

If it is good enough for Wales and Romania

10 years ago

As Tipperary lustily celebrate their 27th All-Ireland hurling title, spare a thought for Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher. Or should we say Private Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher of the Chéad Chathlán Coisithe, Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa, Galway. The hard-working Premier centre-forward – who scored the final point of Sunday’s stunning win over Kilkenny – is shipping out to Syria early next […]

10 years ago

By the end they were making Kilkenny look pretty ordinary. This is the Kilkenny who Tipperary had managed to beat only once in nine Championship matches before this extraordinary All-Ireland final. The Kilkenny who were seeking a third All-Ireland in a row and a 12th under the stewardship of Brian Cody. Instead they ended up […]

10 years ago

For the second time this decade Brian Cody’s Kilkenny have been denied a three-in-a-row. While 2013 ended against Cork at the quarter-final stage, this year’s attempt at a trilogy went all the way to the final day, only to be thwarted emphatically by a rampant Tipperary side – the same county that denied Kilkenny’s historic ‘Drive […]

10 years ago

In the press conference room at Croke Park there is a famous Con Houlihan quote: “The concept of a ‘born hurler’ is a total myth, but sometimes myths can be more powerful than truths.” On Sunday in Croke Park Seamus Callanan passed into the realm of the mythical with a stunning performance at full-forward as […]

10 years ago

As time ran out for Limerick in their attempt to upset the odds, full-forward Kyle Hayes threw his arms up in exasperation as one of his team-mates hit a wide. It was Brian Ryan’s fourth wide. The fourth wide of an exceptional performance. It was his 15th and final attempt on goal on an afternoon […]

10 years ago

Belfast boxer confirms he is going pro

10 years ago

Some wear their heart on their sleeve, Jurgen Klopp wears his on his face. The Liverpool boss does not try to hide his emotions, they are usually writ large over his mug, which is dominated by a startlingly large mouth. When he is happy he smiles like a Cheshire cat and says the word ‘Boom’ directly into […]

10 years ago

Born to perform… and row

10 years ago

Last weekend proved yet again that Gaelic football referees are a post-match topic of conversation. With hurling the referee chat almost always comes pre-match. David Gough’s decision not to award Kerry a free for Kevin McManamon’s frontal hit on Peter Crowley in the dying moments of Sunday’s All-Ireland football semi-final stole some headlines in the wake […]

10 years ago

I always went to GAA matches with my Dad. Walsh Cup, Allianz League, Leinster Championship, club matches, my own matches… my most vivid memories are sitting in the car with my Dad, wishing someone would invent the Arklow bypass. They are still working on the cure for New Ross traffic. The one time I can remember […]

10 years ago

The pain Donnchadh Walsh is feeling right now may take some time to ease. The Kerry players leaving Croke Park after Sunday’s defeat to Dublin were truly devastated. A fourth straight Championship defeat to their most bitter rivals – and the manner of it – will mean a long winter of contemplation for many of those Kingdom […]

10 years ago

A Dublin love-in

10 years ago

As curtain-raisers go this one is a doozy. Sunday’s Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football semi-final between Kerry and Kildare will be of huge interest to GAA fans in both counties – not just for the glory, not just for the joy it will bring to the teenage squads and their families, but because of what it […]

10 years ago

They are going to develop a syndrome below in Kerry if they lose this one. The Kingdom’s once dominant record over Dublin has been turned on its head and they are without a Championship win over their great rivals since 2009. Another defeat in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final would make it four on the spin for […]

10 years ago

Another new experience in a crazy journey

10 years ago

Former team-mates and managers of Robbie Keane have been paying tribute to the Irish captain after he announced his intention to retire from international football. The 36-year-old will make his 146th and final appearance next Wednesday against Oman before concentrating on his club career with LA Galaxy in the MLS. The last of his five permanent […]

10 years ago

Next Wednesday Robbie Keane will draw down the curtain on the greatest international career Ireland has ever seen. The Republic of Ireland’s record cap-holder and goal-scorer will make his 146th and final appearance for the Boys in Green in a friendly against Oman at the Aviva Stadium after Wednesday announcing his retirement from international football. After 18 […]

10 years ago

Shane Duffy suspended, Callum O’Dowda and Harry Arter in. Shay Given has retired from international football for a second time, while the injured trio of John O’Shea, Jeff Hendrick and Seamus Coleman are to be assessed – but Martin O’Neill has managed to keep a fairly settled squad for the upcoming friendly with Oman (August 31st) […]

10 years ago

*Which is not to say the average footballer is not sound

10 years ago

Good news?

10 years ago

One former Irish Olympian is unimpressed

10 years ago

Mayo should have the luxury of sitting in front of the TV this Sunday to see who prevails in the battle to face them in the All-Ireland final on September 18th. Except they don’t. The vast majority of Stephen Rochford’s panel are set to feature for their clubs in the Mayo Championship on Saturday and Sunday […]

10 years ago

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney has made his first media appearance since the arrest of Pat Hickey. Delaney was speaking on WLR FM following the death of former FAI president Milo Corcoran. A court in Brazil issued a warrant last weekend, giving police authorisation to seize the passport of Delaney, the most powerful man in Irish […]

10 years ago

Colin O’Riordan could have been lining out at Croke Park against Mayo on Sunday. The most exciting underage talent to come out of Tipperary football in generations, instead, is one of a host of players unavailable this year to Liam Kearns as the Premier County undertook their surprising All-Ireland odyssey. 2011 All-Ireland minor winner O’Riordan […]

10 years ago

So Mayo are back in the Big Show but the world seems unconvinced. The men from the West have reached their third All-Ireland final in five years but the jury is out on whether or not Stephen Rochford’s side are capable of beating either Dublin orKerry on September 18th. That doesn’t bother Andy Moran in […]

10 years ago

Consider all bridges well and truly burnt. The chances of Michael Conlan fighting again in an AIBA-sanctioned event were already close to nil after his controversial defeat to Vladimir Nikitin in the Olympic bantamweight quarter-finals. His post-fight comments made his feelings clear on the International Boxing Association. “They’re fucking cheats. That’s me. I’ll never box […]

10 years ago

The fallout from the Irish Olympic ticket affair continues. FAI chief executive John Delaney (who is also a vice-president of the Olympic Council of Ireland) is one of six people listed on a warrant issued by a Rio court over the weekend. The warrant has been issued by the same court that authorised the arrest of OCI president […]

10 years ago

The stories are endless. Whether it is Paul Galvin explaining why Kerry always felt a need to give them a bloody nose, John Evans standing agog as a 15-year-old Colin O’Riordan tells his minor team-mates he has no intention of losing to Cork or Kerry for a first time or Clonmel’s Michael Quinlivan striking late to hand […]

10 years ago