Brought to you by Fairyhouse Racecourse Here’s hoping we get the weather to match the racing! It’s a race that has been run every year since 1870, but it’s lost none of its significance for Irish racing fans. The BoyleSports Irish Grand National isn’t just up there with the most iconic races on these shores, […]

7 years ago

There was a time when Galway seemed immune to or unaware of the tactical evolution of Camogie. Looking from the outside, Cathal Murray thought that it left them defensively open so when the Sarsfields hurling manager took over after the 2018 Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League, he focussed on making them hard to beat. A former […]

7 years ago

By Declan Rooney Some weekend of ladies football. Kerry 6-11 Wexford 2-11 Kerry ladies manager Donal O’Doherty said his side are determined to reach the Lidl National Football League Division 2 semi-finals after their six-goal triumph over Wexford put them within a point of a slot in the last four. Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Sarah […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Galway 0-16 Kilkenny 2-8 THE celebrations were measured but this was an important day for Galway. It wasn’t just that they had beaten one of the giants of their sport, a four-in-a-row chasing Kilkenny in the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 Final. It was that they did so after staring down […]

7 years ago

Is Liverpool’s name on the title? After Liverpool’s tense and lucky win against Tottenham on Sunday, many people on all sides of the debate believed that maybe, just maybe, it is. Jordan Pickford and Hugo Lloris have made important contributions for Liverpool at critical stages of the season, but nothing could be more important than […]

7 years ago

The wait it is over! Mayo ended their long running league drought with a four-point win over Kerry in Croke Park. A late goal from Ciarán Treacy ensured that Mayo would secure their first league title since 2001 and captain Diarmuid O’Connor said that the westerners would try their very best to make sure that the […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir It is hard to get your head around the fact that Danielle Morrissey is still only 18. Okay, she turns 19 next month, but the first year health science student at WIT is already in her third season on the Kilkenny squad that bids for a fourth consecutive Littlewoods Ireland Camogie […]

7 years ago

It was supposed to be Brexit day, instead it is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s week. The attempts to leave the EU may have become like the ‘living dead’ in the UK cabinet, but Manchester United’s attempts to reclaim their glorious past are going a little better thanks to the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanently on […]

7 years ago

Kilkenny are on the brink of joining very rare company in becoming a four-in-a-row Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 1-winning outfit. Despite having gotten the better of All-Ireland champions Cork in the Semi-Final however, the presence of Galway in the opposite corner ensures that they will have to dig very deep indeed if they are […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Small When Ciara Harvey began to find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and couldn’t lift the kettle, she really started to get worried. The then 19-year-old was on the back of a long arduous season with club and county but the pains and aches that plagued her body […]

7 years ago

By Declan Rooney Cork Cork manager Ephie Fitzgerald saluted his side’s fighting spirit as they pulled clear of a determined Mayo in the final stages to qualify for the Lidl NFL Division 1 semi-final. Just three points separates the top four teams in the division, but Cork, Dublin, Donegal and Galway are all guaranteed semi-finals […]

7 years ago

Another weekend of statements from the FAI. It has been a weekend of change at the FAI. On Saturday night, the association announced that John Delaney would step aside from his position as CEO and take up a new role as executive vice president. Rea Walshe became interim CEO and the search for a new […]

7 years ago

It was a bleak St. Patrick’s Day in Cardiff as the Irish Women’s team lost 24-5 to Wales. Ireland dominated some early possession and they were first to score through teenager Beibhinn Parsons but they failed to kick on after that. We struggled in the set-piece, an area which I thought in advance of the […]

7 years ago

Sport Ireland say that it is seeking urgent clarification from the FAI regarding a €100,000 loan to the organisation by its Chief Executive, John Delaney, including the circumstances of the loan and its repayment. In a statement issued on Tuesday night, Sport Ireland requested an explanation for the bridging loan, which was made in 2017. “Sport […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally “He just inspires confidence” VWhen Liverpool made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender ever when they splashed out £75 million bringing him from St Mary’s to Anfield in January 2018, many people doubted this move and said that it was a waste of money. Over two years on and the move by Jurgen […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally Now three belts in the bank. She’s coming for the fourth. On the 26th of November 2016, Katie Taylor made her pro debut at the SSE Wembley Arena, where she beat Karina Kopinska with a third-round KO. 27 months and 12 more wins on and Taylor is a unified lightweight world champion, holding […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally It’s going to be a huge day next Sunday. A massive day of penultimate fixtures unfolded on Saturday as things became a little clearer in the National Football League. There are promotion places to be fought for, relegation to avoid and there are also teams looking to make it through to championship time unscathed as […]

7 years ago

31-0… and you f**ked it up. Scotland retain the Calcutta Cup after the game of the tournament ended in simply spectacular fashion. 29 minutes in, England had already bagged a bonus point as they raced into a seemingly insurmountable lead having gone four converted tries and a penalty ahead. 50 minutes later, Scotland were ahead […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir. OFFALY maintained their position in the top tier of the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League as a result of their 4-15 to 1-6 romp over Wexford at Manguard Plus Hawkfield in Newbridge. Barry Kennedy came in for his first game as Wexford manager and the Buffers Alley man was left in little […]

7 years ago

By Declan Rooney Cork delivered their best performance of the season so far as they brushed aside Donegal in their Lidl NFL Division 1 clash at Pairc Ui Rinn on Saturday. Having lost their previous two home games the Cork side were determined not to lose this one as they were far too strong for […]

7 years ago

David and Gareth Rees are fans of the Welsh rugby team. Like most Wales fans, they’ll be hoping for the country’s first Grand Slam since 2012 when the Dragons take on Ireland at the Principality Stadium this afternoon but they’ve been a little more invested in the team’s fortunes than most. Their late-mother, Olive, left […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally Just two teams left standing, only one can prevail. Croke Park on Paddy’s Day is where every club wants to be but only two can make it there every year. After yet another year of brilliant club action filled with heartwarming underdog stories and some brilliant encounters, we are left with two […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Small Less than two years after she sent ripples through Ladies Football with her stunning Kerry senior debut against Armagh in an All-Ireland quarter-final, Hannah O’Donoghue continues to grow into an outstanding talent. Last weekend she helped lead University of Limerick to a record 12th Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup with a player […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally Absolutely outrageous. When David Clifford was lighting it up at minor level just two years ago, not many people doubted that he’d be a star at the senior grade. But the fact that he transitioned into the senior team and became a standout player on the Kerry team so quickly may have surprised […]

7 years ago

What time is the Champions League draw? By Aaron McNally We’re getting into the business end of it now. After an entertaining few weeks of last 16 action, we’re left with only eight teams standing in the race to the Champions League final in the Wando Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on the 1st of June. The […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally This is going to be an epic battle. After one of the more entertaining nil-nil draws in Anfield two weeks ago, Liverpool and Bayern Munich descend upon the spectacular Allianz Arena in Munich tonight as they prepare for what promises to be an enthralling second leg contest. Liverpool looked a bit shakier […]

7 years ago

By Aaron McNally What a week of sport in store. March is always a great time for the armchair fan and this St Patrick’s week is going to be absolutely epic for sport on TV. Here’s your guide to the best sport on TV this week. Wednesday 11am South Africa v Sri Lanka 4th ODI […]

7 years ago

Death. Taxes. Cristiano Ronaldo scoring lots of goals in the Champions League knock-out stages. A week on from watching his former teammates at Real Madrid crash out to Ajax, Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Juventus to a miraculous turnaround in their Champions League last 16 tie against Atletico Madrid. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg in the […]

7 years ago

Ireland women’s rugby is very much in a rebuilding phase. A third Six Nations defeat – a second at home – hammered home the job on Adam Griggs’ hands as the French hit the Irish for seven tries en route to a 47-17 victory in Donnybrook. Claire Molloy and Ciara Griffin were two faintly bright […]

7 years ago

It’s not being a chicken, it’s just smart. Don’t mind the bullies, you stick to your guns. You make your marginal, consistent profits. They say you’re doing well if you break even after Cheltenham, but wouldn’t it be better craic to actually finish the week up on what you started with? There are ways to […]

7 years ago

Raheem Sterling is Manchester City’s most important player right now. Raheem Sterling might also be the most important footballer in England right now. His hat-trick for City against Watford on Saturday kept Pep Guardiola’s side at the top of the Premier League and underlined his devastating impact for the club as they tussle with Liverpool […]

7 years ago

The ladies HEC results are in. Over the weekend, six trophies were handed out to six different teams with University of Limerick the cream of the crop after their blitzing O’Connor Cup final success. There were two titles for Ulster University with the ladies of both Magee and Jordanstown claiming Lagan Cup and Giles Cup […]

7 years ago

By Declan Rooney It’s all coming up Limerick. University of Limerick 2-16 University College Dublin 1-10 1-2 from play for Kerry native Hannah O’Donoghue blasted University of Limerick home. UL captain Eimear Scally praised the efforts of DJ Collins’ squad as his side turned on the style to become Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup winners […]

7 years ago

“You absolute numpty.” Gary Neville has hit out at the Arsenal supporter who invaded the pitch during the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday. After the home side doubled their lead, a fan broke from the stands and ran onto the pitch, approaching United defender Chris Smalling. Neville, on commentary […]

7 years ago

By Daragh O Conchúir A majestic performance by Anne Dalton gave Kilkenny a 0-12 to 0-9 victory over rivals Cork in the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 Semi-Final in Carriganore. Only Galway stand in the Stripeywomen’s way of becoming just the third team to complete a four-in-a-row as a result of their sensational 2-14 […]

7 years ago

By DECLAN ROONEY At Abbotstown Andrea Murphy’s goal two minutes from time sent UCD into the Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup final for the first time since their victorious 2016 campaign, after an exciting semi-final at a wind-swept Abbotstown. Three-time champions UCC looked set to reach the decider when Niamh Cotter’s goal 11 minutes after […]

7 years ago

Olé’s at the wheel. Tell me how… how does it feel? Solskjaer might’ve worried on the way home from Paris on Thursday when he looked at the fixture list and saw Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, but the realisation that it was an away fixture would’ve quickly eased that anxiety. It’s nine […]

7 years ago

All you have to do is look around. A feast of Ladies football in north Dublin this weekend kicks off a stacked week of sport in which Irish women will be at the very forefront. And it’s just another week. All roads lead to Abbotstown from Friday to Sunday where some of the finest athletes […]

7 years ago

By Jackie Cahill The race is on to succeed Dublin City University as Gourmet Food Parlour O’Connor Cup Champions. On International Women’s Day, Friday March 8, four colleges will battle it out for coveted spots in the 2019 GFP O’Connor Cup Final. Abbotstown will host both semi-finals as University College Dublin (UCD) take on University […]

7 years ago

By DARAGH SMALL Losing a second All-Ireland club final in three years was a dreadful way to start December, but Lorna Fusciardi didn’t have time to dwell on further heartbreak with Foxrock-Cabinteely. The 30-year-old had to prepare for baby daughter Harley’s second Christmas, and a 2019 full of possibility with Wicklow. Fusciardi, and her club […]

7 years ago

Have Liverpool blown it? Who wants to be top of the Premier League at the beginning of March? Jurgen Klopp asked this question after Liverpool’s point at Goodison Park on Sunday but presumably the answer is any team who would have stayed there if they’d won their game. The pressure is on Manchester City now, […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Fionnuala Carr was certain that she had played her last ever match at Croke Park when Down were defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Final last September. Yet here she was just six months later in the bowels of Croke Park, contemplating winning an AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Now there’s a big day performer. She may have been player of the match for a second year in a row but a shivering Tina Hannon, glad to have escaped the heavy snowfall outside, quite rightly emphasised the collective culture as Slaughtneil of Derry claimed a famous third AIB All-Ireland Senior […]

7 years ago

Clonduff (Down) 0-10 Gailltír (Waterford) 0-9 IT WAS a pillar-to-post victory for Clonduff as they grabbed their first AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie title but they were pushed all the way by a youthful Gailltír side. Victorious skipper Paula Gribben was the driving force for the Down women with an all-action display but had more than […]

7 years ago

UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren has noted that the power dynamic between Conor McGregor and Jeremy Stephens was way too big when the Dubliner silenced the American at a UFC 205 pre-fight press conference in 2016. McGregor was asked at the press conference who would give him the hardest fight out of anyone on the […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir It isn’t only because it gives them something else to talk about that the people of Hilltown have become completely caught up in Clonduff’s impending appearance in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Club Championship Final at Croke Park. But it’s nice to have the distraction. The club has known glory in […]

7 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir. THE youngsters call her ‘Mammy Roche’ and she is happy to play along. After all, she has coached many of them. Such has been their influence that the Gailltír team that will play Clonduff in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie Final at Croke Park on Sunday, is much changed from […]

7 years ago

By Jackie Cahill Dublin are planning this season without two-time TG4 All-Ireland senior medallist Laura McGinley, who’s confirmed that she’s travelling to the US on a J1 in the summer. But the versatile Naomh Barróg player, who scored a brace of goals against Cavan in the 2018 Championship, admits that she’s been experiencing pangs of […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by STRONG ROOTS The winning club will get tonnes of great free food and plenty of great prizes! Our Guinness Six Nations title defence might not have gotten off to the best of starts against England, but Round 2’s win against Scotland has us back on track. With Italy up next in […]

7 years ago

Three games, two defeats. Fiona Coghlan warned before the Six Nations that it was going to be a rebuilding campaign for the Irish women’s rugby team but the country’s first competitive defeat to Italy has forced more introspection. 29-27 was the final score in Parma and, with France arriving in Dublin for the next game, […]

7 years ago