The first of many ‘Respect the ref’ initiatives took place in Wexford on Friday night, before the senior football quarter final clash between Shelmaliers and Rapparees. Both sets of players and mentors lined up to shake referee Jimmy Heavey’s hand and to wish him well before the game. This ‘Give Respect, get Respect handshake’ comes […]

3 years ago

Brian Mullins moved to Carndonagh, Donegal, in 1991, where he become the principal of the country’s largest secondary school. He remained in the Hills for nine years, from 1991 to 2000, and it was during that period when, due to his re-location, he took over the Derry footballers as manager in 1996. He won a […]

3 years ago

Ahane survived relegation, as he shot the lights out. Limerick won another All-Ireland. And now he has a few months off. A hurler’s life, isn’t it? It was another season to remember for Tom Morrissey but before he soaks it all in, with a holiday to Thailand in the pipeline, he has some junior football […]

3 years ago

For Upperchurch-Drombane, it’s not about matching Loughmore-Castleiney, far from it, it’s about making their own piece of history. What it is it about those mid-Tipperary clubs with the two-barrel names? And the band of brothers and the dual dreams? Loughmore-Castleiney were the trailblazers in 2013, when they became the first Tipperary club ever to do […]

3 years ago

Davy Fitzgerald will never forget the year 2005, when Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly inspired his LIT team to Fitzgibbon Cup glory. The talent was one thing, the Mullinahone man struck and still strikes that ball like a lightning rod, but it was the desire and the selflessness that Davy remembers best. That desire and selflessness and […]

3 years ago

Davy Fitzgerald sat down for a coffee with James Sexton in 2011 when, between the two of them, the idea for Ireland’s Fittest Family was born. Fitzgerald was the Waterford senior hurling manager back then, just as he is now. Sexton was in the entertainment business back then, just as he is now. Over ten […]

3 years ago

Who would be a referee? On the thankless job scale, there’s no doubt about it, that of whistle-blower is right at the very top. In rugby, for the most part, officials are treated with due respect but unfortunately, as a number of incidents over the last few weeks have highlighted, it’s an absolute free-for-all in […]

3 years ago

Matt Doherty did plenty of good things in Ireland’s loss to Scotland. As ever, he was tidy in possession and, whenever that right flank opened up in front of him, he was one of our best attacking threats. But there’s only one thing he’ll be remembered for. And when he thinks about it, he’ll surely […]

3 years ago

The GAA JOE Team of the weekend. 1 Cian Broderick (Clarecastle) The Clare under-20 keeper made some point blank saves to help his club win their relegation play-off. Many are tipping him as the next Clare goalkeeper. 2 Cathal Bennett (Portarlington) What a brilliant player. Bennett is small in stature but big in heart. 3 […]

3 years ago

Ten minutes of the second half had been played when, after some distressing scenes, both the Inagh Kilnamona and Éire Óg Ennis players went back into the dressing room. It was a good half an hour by the time they came back out. Jason McCarthy, the Clare and Inagh Kilnamona player, had suffered a nasty […]

3 years ago

Zach Tuohy became an AFL champion in the early hours of Saturday morning and it was with the medal around his neck, and having achieved his loftiest ambition in the game, when he reflected on the tough days starting out. It was in those days when it could have gone either way. He was still […]

3 years ago

Aaron Connolly says that his love for the game is back again, and he’s determined to fight for his place on the Irish team and on the Brighton team. The Galway man burst onto the scene in 2019 when, as a 19-year-old, he scored two goals in Brighton’s win over Tottenham Hotspur but since then, […]

3 years ago

Geelong Cats 133 Sydney Swans 52 Tadhg Kenneally no longer stands alone. That’s because Zach Tuohy and Mark O’Connor have joined him as Irish men who have won the AFL Premiership title. In the end, it was comfortable, it was convincing and it was easy as in the early hours of the Irish morning, and […]

3 years ago

This is not a drill. Dessie Farrell has confirmed that both Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey will re-join the Dublin senior football panel for the 2023 season. McCaffrey (28) left the Dublin panel ahead of the 2020 All-Ireland championship and Mannion (29) followed him out the door the following year. But it comes as game-changing […]

3 years ago

Mick Fitzsimons gave his gloves to a young fan, then waited around for another as he got his phone ready for a selfie. That kind of thing is easy after winning, not so much after losing. But he smiled on through the pain. The final whistle had just blown and, even though it’s unusual to […]

3 years ago

Well worth the listen. Shane Lowry was on this week’s No Laying Up podcast and, from start to finish, from topics such as Wentworth celebrations to LIV talk to Portrush memories, it’s good as gold. It all starts with a bang as, having been asked about last weekend’s win and the night that followed, Lowry […]

3 years ago

Mayo manager Kevin McStay has announced a 12 strong backroom team for the 2023 season. Further appointments, it was stressed at his first press conference as Mayo senior football manager, will be made in due course. The roles of strength and conditioning coach, goalkeeping coach and performance analyst are yet to be filled but those […]

3 years ago

Philly McMahon doesn’t have much time for the All-Stars and is of the opinion that the player of the year awards are mere ‘popularity contests.’ The whole thing is in need of an overhaul according to the Ballymun man. It was put to Philly that, having only played three games for Dublin all year, Con […]

3 years ago

Boom boom boom, now let me hear you say Jayo, JAYO! Jason Sherlock can see clearly now. It’s 27 years on and when he looks back, with the benefit of hindsight, there’s not a doubt in his mind. He lost his focus. The hype went to his head. Because when he thinks about it, and […]

3 years ago

Saturday was heavenly and Sunday was hellish. And even though, as was the case in Antrim on Sunday, when Creggan Kickhams took on O’Donovan Rossa, it was more like a mud-bath than a football pitch – there were still stars and stand-out performances in both codes and on both days. It was one of the […]

3 years ago

Crossmaglen Rangers 1-19 Silverbridge 2-12 It was the same old story in Armagh. You didn’t even need Irish to understand that, in the TG4 commentary box, as he looked out at his home club Silverbridge throwing away a lead against Crossmaglen Rangers, one way or another, Jarlath Burns was despairing up there. Because he’s seen […]

3 years ago

Ballygunner 2-11 Mount Sion 0-8 Has Stephen O’Keeffe ever conceded a goal? The Ballygunner ‘keeper makes last-ditch saves for a living. At this stage, having seen him stop bullets so many times before, and going back to when he was playing with Waterford too, it seems that if you want to beat him, then you’re […]

3 years ago

A total of 17 LIV golfers will tee it up at the BMW Championship this week, at the European tour’s flag-ship event in Wentworth. And for Shane Lowry, there’s no point in saying otherwise, that’s 17 LIV golfers too many. Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell are among the PGA tour defectors who will […]

3 years ago

As you would expect, Limerick lead the way with 12 of their players earning All-Star nominations for 2022. Graeme Mulcahy, Dan Morrissey and Darragh O’Donovan are the three starters who haven’t been nominated for the Treaty, with John Kiely’s side looking unlikely to match their record-breaking haul of 12 award winners from 2021. Kilkenny are […]

3 years ago

Toni Kroos has been around many corners and, in his time as a professional footballer, he’s played in many great games. And at 32-years of age, he’s played in many big stadiums and on many momentous occasions, but even after all those years, he’s rarely experienced anything like Celtic Park on Tuesday night. Crazy was […]

3 years ago

There’s a 45 player shortlist for the 2022 All-Stars and it’s hard to believe that Kieran Molloy isn’t on it. Someone has to miss out, and the All-Star committee always face a stiff task but bar the last minute of stoppage time against Roscommon, the Corofin half back played every single second of Galway’s championship […]

3 years ago

Drom and Inch defeated Borris-Ileigh by a point on Sunday afternoon, on a scoreline of 1-15 to 0-17 in the Tipperary senior hurling championship, and two of those points came from the stick of their goalkeeper Eoin Collins. And while one of them was impressive, a booming free from 75 yards, the other might just […]

3 years ago

No quarter asked and, as you’d expect from warriors like these, no quarter given. There was an unforgettable moment in the 2020 All-Ireland semi-final when Lee Keegan and John Small went toe to toe. Two harder men you will not find. Small had just released the ball down by the sideline and that was when […]

3 years ago

Awful, awful news. The teenage son of leading jumps trainer Henry De Bromhead has passed away after a pony riding accident on Rossbeigh Beach in Kerry. The second day of the Glenbeigh Festival, due to take place on Sunday, has been cancelled as a result. The incident happened during the fifth race on the card […]

3 years ago

Roll on the World Championships in 2023 and the Olympics in 2024. It feels strange to say it but in this kind of form, and with a bit of luck on her side, Ciara Mageean will be right up there. She’ll be right up there with as good a chance as anybody. We always have […]

3 years ago

Paddy Smyth says that, as a team, the Dublin hurlers are still stewing over their disappointing end to the 2022 Leinster championship. It all started brightly for Mattie Kenny’s charges, when they defeated Wexford by a point in Wexford Park but having beaten Laois and Westmeath in the weeks that followed, that was as good […]

3 years ago

James McCarthy is a machine. And this machine has another kick in it yet. If you’re a Dublin fan then it goes without saying that, first things first, you’ll be delighted to hear the news. James McCarthy will be back in blue in 2023. It makes sense really. Strangely for him – as an ironman […]

3 years ago

He’s just 21 years of age but there have already been a few watershed moments in Eoin Cody’s career. Thankfully for him, Kilkenny and Ballyhale, they’ve all worked out for the better. One was when he was very young and when he was looking up at his uncle Henry Shefflin, who was winning everything there […]

3 years ago

Eglish and Tyrone footballer Conor McKenna is set to give the AFL another go as, after two years back home, the 26-year-old is on his way Down Under again. It’s the second time the county have lost the talented forward but that doesn’t make it any easier. Because Tyrone’s loss will certainly be Australia’s gain. […]

3 years ago

Mount Sion recorded another big win in the Waterford championship, destroying Lismore to qualify for the county semi-finals, but Austin Gleeson isn’t getting carried away. In fairness, with Ballygunner still in the hunt, why would he? The All-Ireland club champions have been untouchable within the county over the last decade – if they win this […]

3 years ago

Paul Nolan has had many great wins as a horse-trainer but sweet and all as they were, he says that very few of them can compare to the win that he had with his GAA club on Saturday night. That was as sweet as it gets. The Wexford man has been involved with the Davidstown […]

3 years ago

Kieran Molloy didn’t take football seriously, believe it or not, until he was 17 years of age. Before then, he hurled for Sylane, played some golf in his free-time and also kicked a bit of soccer. He played football as well, don’t get us wrong, and enjoyed every second of it as a Corofin underage […]

3 years ago

“You’ve just got to let the man be great. You’ve got to let the goats be the goats.” – Stormzy. Jamie Carragher said it himself on Monday Night Football and if you’re a United fan or a Liverpool fan or an Arsenal fan it doesn’t matter. Because every one of us can see that the […]

3 years ago

Mark English ran a clever, composed and absolutely brilliant 800mts on Saturday night, to win a medal for the fourth time in his career at the European championships. English was just 21, way back in 2014, when he won the first one and, having won two indoor medals since, he showed us tonight, just like […]

3 years ago

Sonia O’Sullivan, Rob Heffernan and Derval O’Rourke all hold the Irish women’s 400m relay team in high regard and that’s why, after the team’s sixth place finish in the European final, the trio couldn’t hide their disappointment. And it’s also why they won’t apologise for it. The common denominator in the trio’s post-race analysis on […]

3 years ago

Ciara Mageean ran the best race of her life to win the silver medal in the European 1500m in Munich. For a while, as she led from the gun and then stalked Laura Muir’s move at the bell, it looked like she might even take the gold but as she says herself, that’s for another […]

3 years ago

Greg Allen could barely contain himself. Alongside him, his co-commentator David Matthews could only laugh. What a moment that was. Leevale’s Louise Shanahan has been in the form of her life recently but this, as one of the toughest races she’s ever ran, in one of the most stacked fields she’s ever come across, was […]

3 years ago

Here comes Rhasidat. After yet another brilliant and gutsy run, Rhasidat Adeleke broke her own national 400m record to finish in fifth place in the European championships in Munich. The European senior championships. And she’s 19 years of age. Having gone for it from the start, the Tallaght athlete was in the bronze medal position […]

3 years ago

He’s just 20 years of age but Dundalk native Israel Olatunde is already Ireland’s fastest man. Having knocked on the door in his heat and semi-final, the Irish sprinter saved his best performance for the final as he ran a 10.17 time to beat Paul Hession’s record by one hundredth of a second. Hession, the […]

3 years ago

The 20-year-old is a history-maker. Israel Olatunde has become the first ever Irishman to reach the 100m final at the European championships. The Dundalk native was up against it, having been drawn in a difficult semi-final alongside Italy’s Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs but he was undaunted, and on the biggest stage of all, he […]

3 years ago

All roads lead to St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge tonight, where the annual Hurling for Cancer research fundraiser takes place. The initiative got off the ground in 2012, when between them, Jim Bolger and Davy Russell came up with an idea. Their aim was to raise money for charity and given their connections, as well as […]

3 years ago

There’ll be some standard of GAA played in Australia next year, that’s for sure. It seems, for those in their twenties anyway, that everyone and their mother has gone to Australia in the last while but there’s more to go. And for Australia, there’ll be more to come. Pat Bennett said it in the aftermath […]

3 years ago

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Johnny Dwyer is the man. And he should never have to lift a finger in the parish again. In their long history, Ferns St Aidan’s had never won a county title before but that all changed today. As it turned out, Dwyer – a 36-year-old who has been playing […]

3 years ago

The man is a stand-up comedian. There’s no doubt about it. Paul O’Donovan was talking about exams – medical exams – after a gold medal win at the European Championships in Munich but the Skibbereen native needn’t worry. He can be a doctor if he likes but, in another world, and at the drop of […]

3 years ago

The 2022/2023 Northern Irish Premiership kicked off on Friday night but the biggest news, truth be told, came away from off the field. Not many can claim to have seen this one coming. It was in the late hours of Friday night, the day before they begin their season, when Newry City announced that former […]

3 years ago