By Cathal Dennehy  When she heard the news, Nadia Power refused to believe it. The Dubliner had been walking on air, beaming with pride as she left the track in Gavle, Sweden last July, having won the first major international medal of her career.   A bronze over 800m at the European U-23 Athletics Championships, something she’d worked towards for years – something which was about to be snatched from her grasp.   Power had already done a delighted […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney “In 2016, I played outfield and got a taste for it.” Michelle Guckian was not the only GAA goalkeeper to have a look at what was unfolding in front of her and fancy her chances in the outfield. Four years ago, she took the plunge and Leitrim found themselves a scoring star. […]

6 years ago

By Cathal Dennehy When an Olympic finalist is struggling for motivation, it’s safe to say there are few corners into which the pendulum of the pandemic has not yet swung. But Thomas Barr won’t pretend. He’s never been one to dabble in sports psychology or recite the whole self-help shtick. Put simply, there are mornings […]

6 years ago

If you pick one outside the top 10, the quiz is over!

6 years ago

Some legends of the game in here, and a few under-the-radar gems. Our 2000s GAA quiz features 20 blasts from the past. If you can guess over 14 of them, you’re doing very well. We are taking you back to a decade that spawned the blanket defence and didn’t have a Dublin All-Ireland win in […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Go to see Westmeath Ladies play and you won’t miss Leona Archibold. The team’s playmaker stands out with a flock of blonde hair and her countless tattoos, but it’s her natural skill on the ball that really catches your eye. Back in Sean Finnegan’s squad following a year out due to injury, […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney With 20 All-Ireland medals and ten All Stars between them, it’s hard to find a more successful footballing family that the Lawlors from Ardfert Co. Kerry. Sisters Eileen and Margaret Lawlor both played in Kerry’s nine-in-a-row team from 1982 to 1990, while Margaret won her first in 1976 and as captain Eileen […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Last Monday was huge for Galway star Nicola Ward, as she started running for the first time since injuring her knee last year, while it was also her first day at work in Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The TG4 All-Star winning defender has been out of action since last November’s All-Ireland Senior Club […]

6 years ago

The Premier county lord it. Heartbreak for the Tribesmen. The 2001 All-Ireland hurling final was a class and The GAA Hour pick the bones off that day 19 years ago.

6 years ago

Derry have done it! For the first time in their history, they’re taking Sam Maguire back to the Oakleaf county as Eamonn Coleman’s men saw off Cork in a physical battle. Colm Parkinson and Conán Doherty review Sunday’s final and on the menu: Tony Davis sending off Cahalane punch and Gormley reaction Brolly’s running style […]

6 years ago

Some class players in here, and a few forgotten faces. Following the success of our 1990s footballers quiz, and our 2000s tester, we have devised a 2010s football quiz that should test your wits. 20 footballers to get and anything over 16 is great going. Best of luck!

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Strange times indeed. A childcare worker by profession, Rowe has been cut off from that regular stream of personal contact and care-giving, while her time with the Dublin Senior football panel is now a virtual experience, spent checking in remotely as they try to entertain each other with cooking classes and various […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney It was at the frontline of the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic that Carlow footballer and nurse Róisín Byrne celebrated a vital win this week. After a month and a half of staff tending to patients in the main Covid-19 ward at St James’ Hospital in Dublin, the first discharge of a […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Little did they know, but Tyrone Ladies were already fully armed in their battle to cope with home training as the coronavirus called a halt to group sessions. With a squad of more than 30 players all operating out of their back yards, tethered together only by social media, the talents of […]

6 years ago

Football back before Google searches could give you a dig-out. To keep you all going, we have devised a 1990s football quiz that will test your knowledge of a great decade for the sport. There are a few familiar faces in there, and a few that you’ll need all your mental resources to get right. […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Small Life has changed significantly for Niamh McLaughlin during the Covid-19 crisis – with the Dublin-based Donegal star admitting that she’s longing for home and deeply worried about her elderly grandmother. The renowned Santry Sports Clinic in Dublin, where McLaughlin works as a physiotherapist, has come to an agreement with the HSE which […]

6 years ago

By Jackie Cahill In an ideal world, former Armagh All-Ireland winner Marian McGuinness would have been jetting off on the 2020 TG4 All Star tour yesterday (Wednesday) morning. Instead, she’s in self-isolation having received confirmation of a positive test for Covid-19 last Friday. McGuinness, who landed a TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate medal with the Orchard County […]

6 years ago

By DECLAN ROONEY One of the highlights of social distancing has been the various sports stars who have taken to social media to show and share their talents, and from a Ladies Football point of view, Cork’s Orlagh Farmer has excelled. For the last five days, she has posted a daily video for aspiring and […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Tipperary midfielder Aisling McCarthy says there is a fierce ambition among the county’s ladies footballers to be a force in this year’s TG4 Senior championship. McCarthy (24) only returned on Sunday from a six-month stint in Melbourne where she played with Western Bulldogs and she is currently in a self imposed two-week […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney At the heart of the fight against the Covid-19 outbreak have been the medical professionals in our hospitals and surgeries. In the very front line is Galway star Tracey Leonard. An outpatient nurse in normal times, the Corofin native has been secounded into a role as a tester in UCHG’s drive-through coronavirus […]

6 years ago

No gym equipment necessary to stay on the gains train

6 years ago

The League has been unspectacular to date, but Wooly and Cheddar still have plenty to talk about. From club management to Tipp’s frightening depth of hurlers. The lads discuss the value of the pre-match speech and analyse the weekend’s fixtures, headlined by Tipp V Galway and Waterford v Limerick. Watch the show here.

6 years ago

By Jackie Cahill On the weekend when the Ladies Gaelic Football Association will vote in a new President-elect, focus on the field of play is very much on the quest for prized spots in the Lidl National League Finals, and the battle against relegation. There’s a full schedule of fixtures down for decision across the […]

6 years ago

“If you can’t fight, you might as well stay at home.” Not exactly a tourism tagline Strabane will be pushing for any time soon but, James Gallagher insists, that was his reality, growing up. The Bellator star has been fighting, in some form or another, for most of his 23 years on this earth. Already […]

6 years ago

Galway are still flying high. But Mayo on the other hand, are slipping away. While League Sunday came in for plenty of criticism in the years gone by, Wooly is full of praise for the slick new-look show on RTÉ. The GAA’s new president Larry McCarthy hasn’t bowled Wooly over with his early interviews while […]

6 years ago

Shane O’Donnell is made of different stuff. His touch-down against Dublin, is hailed as one of the most “underrated pieces of brilliance” by Colm Parkinson. Red cards are being thrown around too easily according to the lads. Cork and Dublin might just regret not making the League quarter finals, because they face a game-less ten […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir at Croke Park Gailltír snatched victory not just from the jaws of defeat, but from its belly, when Úna Jackman sent a close-range piledriver to the roof of the net to deny a heartbroken St Rynagh’s in a pulsating AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie Championship Final. Eleven points from the magnificent […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir To the outsider, it was noteworthy that a 17-year-old Annie Fitzgerald would line out at centre-forward in the AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Club Championship Final last year. Those that knew Waterford Camogie were unsurprised that the Leaving Cert student showed such leadership qualities and would have been player of the match […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney 2019 was a year that featured several thousands of miles on the road, delivered memorable individual, club, inter-county and provincial victories, and Rebel defender Melissa Duggan wants to do it all again. Since her debut for Cork in 2017, Duggan (23) has become a key motivational and playing figure in Ephie Fitzgerald’s […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir It’s one of the pinnacles of the camogie calendar. The club camogie finals will light up Croke Park this Sunday.  Senior Final Preview – Sarsfields (Galway) v Slaughtneil (Derry) Throw-in: 3.30pm Referee: John Dermody (Westmeath) These two sides have established themselves as the premier club teams in the land over a […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir The past 12 months have been the greatest of Sarah Spellman’s sporting life, and to help Sarsfields finally get the better of their bête noire Slaughtneil in Sunday’s AIB All-Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship Final would be perfection. Of course attentions will turn thereafter to the retention of the National League […]

6 years ago

Compiled by Jackie Cahill The repeat of the 2019 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final between Dublin and Galway is the stand-out fixture in Round 4 of the Lidl National League. The sides meet at DCU St Clare’s on Sunday (1pm) in a fixture with big implications at the top of the table. Dublin are currently two […]

6 years ago

Andy Farrell has named an unchanged 15 to play England on Sunday. The Irish head for Twickenham with two wins under their belts and, after a convincing performance against Wales, the starting team hasn’t been touched. It means that Larmour remains at full back and Andrew Conway unsurprisingly keeps his place on the wing whilst […]

6 years ago

It’s a rough thought, hurling in the wind, rain and freezing cold. Belts are ten times sorer, scores are harder earned than a pat on the back of Brian Cody. But once you get into the zone, you’ll put all parts of your body anywhere, just so it might benefit your team. Just like Chris […]

6 years ago

Compiled by Declan Rooney Tipperary 0-11 Westmeath 1-6 Aishling Moloney kicked ten points as Tipperary battled their way past a strong and stubborn Westmeath effort to claim a vital win in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League in a windswept Bansha. Another outstanding individual performance from Moloney paved the way for the Premier […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir University of Limerick 3-14 University College Cork 0-12 UL became the fifth college to complete the UPMC Ashbourne Cup five-in-a-row, emerging deserving winners over a gutsy but outgunned UCC at WIT Arena in Carriganore. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Leesiders, who have been UL’s victims on each […]

6 years ago

By Enda Treacy Tipperary 0-11 Westmeath 1-6 Tipperary battled their way past a strong and stubborn Westmeath effort to claim a vital win in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League in a windswept Bansha. Another outstanding individual performance from Tipperary’s Aishling Moloney paved the way for the Premier ladies to claim the win […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Small Gráinne Kenneally is a Tipperary woman, who grew up on the Cork, Tipperary and Waterford border, played her club football in Waterford, went on to play inter-county for the Déise and now lines out for Kildare. The 32-year-old has added massive experience to the Kildare ranks this year and they have a […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Storm Denis made it difficult at times but the 105th UPMC Ashbourne Cup Festival is well under way at Waterford IT Arena and a feast of drama has already been provided with the composition of the UPMC Ashbourne, Purcell and Fr Ó Meachair Cup Finals known at the end of the day’s […]

6 years ago

Cheddar Plunkett is here so shut up and listen. Brian Carroll, Colm Parkinson and the Laois hurling legend are back to preview the return of the national league. On top of that, Joey Holden sat down with Wooly for an in-depth interview on the hurling show.

6 years ago

It’s a new era for Dublin and that means it’s a new era for The GAA Hour. Dublin players sitting down face to face with Colm Parkinson is a welcome addition to the Dessie Farrell reign and Jonny Cooper first up provided a fascinating discussion. From the All-Ireland final sending off, body language and work […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir The fantastic Waterford IT Arena in Carriganore, on the outskirts of Waterford city, will play host to the 105th UPMC Ashbourne Cup weekend and it is shaping up to be a riveting festival of top notch Camogie. The multitude of current and former All-Stars participating for their third level institutions is a […]

6 years ago

Complied by Declan Rooney Galway’s Tracey Leonard said her side’s character shone through as her hat-trick of goals helped Galway to an impressive Lidl NFL Division 1 win over Donegal in Letterkenny. The win sees last year’s league and TG4 championship finalists stay in touch with leaders Cork, who picked up their third win of […]

6 years ago

By Alan Foley in Letterkenny Galway 3-12 Donegal 4-5 Tracey Leonard fired home an impressive 3-4 as Galway came from five points down to post a fine win over Donegal in their Lidl Ladies NFL Division 1 fixture at O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny. Last year’s beaten Division 1 and All-Ireland finalists maintained their composure in […]

6 years ago

By Daire Walsh Cork 0-8 Dublin 1-4 Cork strengthened their grip at the top of the LIDL National Football League Division One table when they held off a late rally from All-Ireland champions Dublin at a rain-swept Croke Park. The ever-dependable Orla Finn kicked five points for the visitors, while Hannah Looney also chipped with 0-2 […]

6 years ago

By Daragh Small Caroline Conway’s 3,914 days of Roscommon exile ended last month and now she hopes to line out in her native county’s midfield for the third time in as many weeks. Roscommon are flying high at the summit in Division 3 of the Lidl NFL after back-to-back victories while they go to Fermanagh […]

6 years ago

By Jackie Cahill The race for top-two finishes and Final places in all four Divisions of the 2020 Lidl Ladies National Football League intensifies this weekend – with Dublin and Cork preparing for a tussle under the lights at Croke Park. The TG4 All-Ireland Senior Champions and Lidl NFL Division 1 holders clash as part […]

6 years ago

Padraic Joyce is only a few games in, but Galway are already making strides. He’s encouraging his players to attack with conviction, like he did in his day, and the signs of improvement are already showing. Meanwhile, Mayo are going through the motions while Dublin stretch away even further. Back in Division Two, it’s dog-eat-dog […]

6 years ago

The League of experimentation. With another, more important league on the horizon in a couple of months, most managers are treating the Allianz Leagues with a sense of freedom and ambivalence. They could take it or leave it. Win lose or draw, most managers come out with the same tone and the same message. There’s […]

6 years ago

Tipperary 0-10 Limerick 1-06 “Upon review by the referee, in consultation with his umpires and match officials, of the scoring in yesterday’s Littlewoods Ireland Camogie League Division 1 Group 2 fixture between Limerick v Tipperary we can now confirm the official match result as Limerick 1-6 Tipperary 0-10 resulting in a one point victory for […]

6 years ago