By Daragh Ó Conchúir “You know this is Niamh Hanniffy now, and not Niamh Kilkenny? We’re clear on that from the get-go?” She does a fine line of self-effacement, and it’s not affected either. It is true, that in a squad boasting some of the finest talents Camogie has ever seen, Niamh Hanniffy flies under […]

5 years ago

No matter how you look at it, this was a tough, tough call. Monaghan edged out Tipperary by a point in their All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2 clash, but the Premier County left the field despondent after a late free was awarded against Aishling Moloney for a legitimate catch. The last minute of a championship […]

5 years ago

By Jackie Cahill Dublin and Kerry could both secure spots in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football Championship this weekend. There are four Senior games down for decision – and Dublin will advance to the last four with victory over Waterford, while a Kerry win over Munster rivals Cork would also secure a knockout spot […]

5 years ago

By Rory Duffy Stephen Kenny has named his Ireland squad for the upcoming games against England, Bulgaria and Wales. First up is a clash with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium. This fixture will take place on Thursday November 12 and will be followed by a trip to Wales in […]

5 years ago

By Rory Duffy Don’t be standing back.

5 years ago

We go again. Yet again, the time has come to test your knowledge of Champions League players of yesteryear. Those of you who attempted the first edition of this quiz – which you can find by clicking here – will know exactly how this works. The rest of you should be able to fathom it […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir  Next week’s clash could be a game of cat and mouse, but you get the feeling it won’t be the last time Galway and Cork will cross paths in the All-Ireland camogie championship this year. The manager of All-Ireland champions Galway, Cathal Murray labelled next week’s opponents Cork the favourites for […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney TG4 All-Ireland Senior Champions Dublin began their quest for a fourth successive title with a victory over Donegal on Saturday evening, but they needed a late Sinead Aherne goal to be sure of the win. The Sky Blues claimed a 2-13 to 2-10 victory at Kingspan Breffni but Donegal pushed them all […]

5 years ago

By Dave Murphy Dublin 2-13 Donegal 2-10 Dublin got the shock of their lives, but Sinead Aherne’s freakish goal gave them victory over Donegal in this cracking TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship tie at Kingspan Breffni. Geraldine McLaughlin’s goal early in the second-half had kickstarted a comeback from the Ulster side, but when Aherne’s shot […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Galway 1-15 Tipperary 1-14 Aishling Moloney scored an inspirational 1-10 for Tipperary, but Galway held on for victory following a pulsating TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship encounter at the Gaelic Grounds. A first-half goal from Lucy Hannon was crucial for Galway, who built up an eight-point interval lead with the wind at their […]

5 years ago

By Declan Rooney Armagh 6-16 Tyrone 3-13 Aoife McCoy hit a hat-trick of goals as Armagh powered past Ulster rivals Tyrone to claim victory in the first TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship game of the season. This Group 4 clash at Kingspan Breffni was decided before half time as Armagh hit five goals, including two from […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   A degree of chaos has been known to stimulate creativity but most flourishing environments have consistency at their core. Dublin should be a Camogie force and threatened to become just that when reaching the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final for the first time in 27 years in 2017. In […]

5 years ago

It’s the nature of this type of opposition that a few minutes is all it takes. You hear it from any team stepping up to compete in the Premier League, how all their mistakes are punished like never before. How the pace is a different level – both the speed of the of the players […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Orlaith Duggan says that Clare will focus on a fast start and what they can bring to the party rather than the opposition ahead of their all-or-nothing Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Group 3 clash with Dublin on Saturday. The winner will progress to the last six along with table-toppers […]

5 years ago

Compiled by Daragh Ó Conchúir  Two goals from Niamh Rockett gave Waterford their first triumph of the Liberty Insurance Senior Camogie Championship and set up a winner-takes-all clash against Westmeath on Sunday week with a place in the Quarter-Finals up for grabs.  They fell behind early to a Caoimhe Costelloe point and were still only […]

5 years ago

Compiled by Daragh Ó Conchúir  Six-gun Kilkenny bring Westmeath down to earth. Westmeath were brought back to earth with a bump by a ruthless Kilkenny, who almost assured themselves of a place in the Semi-Final of the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship as a result of the 6-23 to 1-7 victory at John Locke’s […]

5 years ago

“We’re raring to go.” Those were the words of Ireland head coach Adam Griggs as the restart beckons. Italy are in town on Saturday and the Irish have named a strong and settled side as they play their penultimate game of the Six Nations in Donnybrook (kick-off 6.30pm). After beating Scotland and Wales, the free-wheeling […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir The Ann Downey effect is still visible in the Kilkenny camp now that the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship is under way, and not just among the players. Downey’s successor as manager Brian Dowling, who was brought in by the legendary Camogie figure as coach last year, has joked that […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir Green shoots for the Model but Galway are on a different level. Wexford provided indications that the horror of the past couple of seasons might be in the rear-view mirror as they posed some questions of Galway before the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Camogie champions got their Group 1 campaign under […]

5 years ago

Any physical contact with match officials should result in a yellow or red card. Only Sergio Aguero could tell you what was going through his head when he grabbed the shoulder of lineswoman Sian Massey-Ellis during Manchester City’s league encounter with Arsenal. In all likelihood, it was more like a brain-freeze. The Argentine was contesting […]

5 years ago

Compiled by Daragh Ó Conchúir Westmeath 1-12 Limerick 0-12 Westmeath marked their debut in the Liberty Insurance Senior Camogie Championship with a famous victory over Limerick, while Kilkenny pulled away in the second half to claim the spoils in the south-east derby with Waterford. Both ties were in Group 2 and Westmeath have given themselves […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir “In the middle of every difficulty, lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein. It feels wrong to pick positives out of a global pandemic that has taken lives, left physical and mental scars, crippled local and national economies and generally tested a greater percentage of the population more than any other plague, literal […]

5 years ago

The Aviva Soccer Sisters virtual skills hub has been launched and who better to front it than Áine O’Gorman? A distinguished players for the last 15 years for Ireland, a razor sharp and fascinating pundit, O’Gorman knows what it takes to get to the top and she knows how to get that message across too. […]

5 years ago

By Daragh Ó Conchúir   The Liberty Insurance Camogie Championships get under way on Saturday with an unprecedented number of games to be available to the general public via livestreaming.  Following the announcement by Liberty Insurance that they would be continuing their commitment to bringing Camogie into people’s homes by streaming five group games from the […]

5 years ago

Mick McCarthy gave us some of our best moments supporting Ireland. 2002 was iconic. Beating Holland along the way, historic. Losing to Spain on penalties after completely outplaying them in the knockout rounds, heart-warming and never to be forgotten. And don’t get me wrong, McCarthy will use his back catalogue at will to show off […]

5 years ago

You’ll have to pay a little extra to see your team in action. With no sign of fans returning to football grounds anytime soon, the Premier League are set to agree a new streaming deal in which all non-televised games will be available to watch. There’s a twist, however. You won’t be able to see […]

5 years ago

Cruel way to lose and all that. Ireland did enough to win the game in normal time and in extra time – well, they did everything but put the ball in the net. The chances came and the chances went and Conor Hourihane’s 85th minute effort from six yards out was the toughest of the […]

5 years ago

Brilliant from McGoldrick. Again. Five minutes from time, Ireland had the chance to send them through to the Euro 2020 play-off final but Conor Hourihane passed it up. McGoldrick cut right through the Slovakian defence, he fed it into Callum Robinson who cut back for Hourihane but, six yards out, the Aston Villa midfielder saw […]

5 years ago

Over to you, Dustin. Conor McGregor has answered Dustin Poirier’s posturing tweet by putting the ball firmly in his court. Not only did The Notorious say he’d accepted a fight offer from the American, but he gave him three potential dates. Just one catch. The fight has to take place in 2020. On Wednesday night, […]

5 years ago

A backroom team member on the Ireland national team has tested positive for Covid-19. Three staff members have had to restrict their movements after a positive coronavirus test was discovered in the Republic of Ireland camp. Stephen Kenny’s squad will travel to Slovakia on Tuesday afternoon for the Euro 2020 qualifying playoff but plans for […]

5 years ago

Finally, back-up for Ighalo. Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Edinson Cavani and three more prospects on a hectic transfer deadline day at Old Trafford. With only Donny van de Beek arriving at United in the summer before Monday, Cavani was the club’s third piece of transfer business on the last day of the […]

5 years ago

For each question, one of the logos is the real-deal. All you have to do is PICK THE REAL ONE, and if you can get at least 14/20, you’re doing very, very well. Go n-éirí an t-adh leat…

6 years ago

“I’m putting my body on the line because I love what I’m playing for, I love the people around me.” Pat Lam, Mike Ruddock, Andy Friend, Adam Griggs, Andy Friend and that is only the beginning. When Jeff Neville set out to produce a podcast on coaching, he set his sights optimistically high. Requests were […]

6 years ago

Thanks for the memories, Rob. 4 European Cups. 6 Pro 14 titles. 4 Six Nations. 2 Grand Slams. 2 Lions tours. 900 million ropey high balls gobbled up in the middle of the air. For 15 years, Rob Kearney has been tough, safe, electric at times. He’s come through hard times, proved doubters wrong right […]

6 years ago

Will it be last orders or time for another round? We’re still in the midst of unprecedented times, that’s for sure, and with that comes the forming of new norms and habits. Naturally, we all hope things can improve in the months ahead but it’s clear that over time we have become accustomed to a […]

6 years ago

Let’s go back to an era when the internet was dial-up and they officially got rid of the back-pass. We have another great 1990s football quiz and one that you may find a spot trickier than Round 1. 20 footballers to get and anything over 16 is great going. Best of luck.

6 years ago

A broken clock… Arlene Foster’s condemnation of the lack of the crowd behaviour at the Tyrone county final wasn’t without reason. Over the weekend, pictures from a number of games were being shared of dozens – and sometimes hundreds – of fans sitting in uncomfortably close proximity watching football and hurling as if we were […]

6 years ago

Think it, ask it. That’s the message from 20×20 during this phase of the movement. Support for women’s sport is swelling more with every passing month and, now, it’s time for everyone to speak up. If you think your team is treated differently to the men’s team, ask why. If you think the coverage is […]

6 years ago

“Reality is a social construct reinforced over time.” The reality is, the bar is set higher for women in sport than it is for men. The female sportspeople of Ireland have found that they generally have to do something on a global level to get national attention. They have to produce something far bigger than […]

6 years ago

It’s the same old story for Manchester United. The Old Trafford faithful are growing increasingly frustrated as they see Chelsea splashing the cash in order to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City, whilst their own club seem to be sleep-walking through their most vital summer transfer window in many a year. One would have thought […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney Almost five years on from winning a tenth TG4 All-Ireland Senior medal with Cork, Valerie Mulcahy has found a hunger to play football again.  As one of the most decorated Ladies footballers of all time, the Rockbán native thought she had clocked out of the game for the final time before the […]

6 years ago

Eight games in three months. Six Nations League matches and Stephen Kenny wants two qualifier clashes too with a view to helping Ireland qualify for next summer’s Euro 2020 tournament. The new manager hasn’t taken a training session yet but there’s already a buzz in the air and his squad announcement on Monday has made […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney A season of positives ended with a winter of regret for Megan Glynn and the Galway ladies footballers, but after learning so much from the group’s first TG4 All-Ireland final appearance she feels there is much more to come. Glynn (23) will return to a fourth year studying medicine at Trinity College […]

6 years ago

Next time it will be a “red card” Celtic and Aberdeen’s fixtures this week have been postponed after players from both clubs broke Scotland Covid-19 lockdown rules. Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said fans should “not expect to see Aberdeen or Celtic play this week” in a statement that warned of more severe punishments should […]

6 years ago

This could transform how you work out. You probably aren’t blessed with an infinite amount of time to train. So it’s essential you pick the gym exercises that get results while minimising the risk of injury. We have already asked the CrossFit athlete Zack George to outline the most overrated exercises of all time. This […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney It’s been five years since Diane O’Hora took charge of an inter-county team, but don’t be too surprised if she returns to that level of the game in the not too distant future. The four-time All-Ireland winner with Mayo showed her pedigree as a coach and manager at the start of the […]

6 years ago

Update: This competition is now closed. You must be nearly ready for a break? 2020 has been a slog, we’re all due a well-deserved getaway at this stage. Your compadres in SportsJOE are here for you and with thanks to Select Hotels, we have a break to give away at the wonderful Trident Hotel in […]

6 years ago

Aston Villa don’t count. They’ve dropped down once, got back up last season and survived since. Only the clubs who have gone up and down matter in this one and, in the history of the Premier League since 1992/93, 25 teams have yo-yo’d and dropped out of the English top flight at least twice. 49 […]

6 years ago

Well, what about Irwin? Or Evra? Anyone else? Everton fans are a proud breed. And the proudest of them all, Leighton Baines, has called it a day as he leaves behind memories of goals and assists to warm the cold Merseyside winters for years to come. Baines was a top player. But the best? On […]

6 years ago

By Declan Rooney In the next six days, Cork senior star Áine Terry O’Sullivan will play three club championship football games for two different teams. A native of Allihies on the west coast, O’Sullivan played her early football with Garnish GAA club, before graduating to tog out with Beara as an adult player. Their relegation […]

6 years ago