It’s been a bad week for England. The turmoil in the country caused by the decision to leave the EU has now been followed by a humiliating exit from Euro 2016 as England were outplayed and out-thought by a brilliant Iceland side. Within minutes of the final whistle Roy Hodgson announced that he would not […]

10 years ago

What a shock!

10 years ago

Anonymous tip-off

10 years ago

Fifty weeks of waiting and it’s arrived. While it’s possibly too early to pour out the Pimms this Monday, we can get in the Wimbledon mood when defending men’s singles champion Novak Djokovic opens play on Centre Court at 1pm. The world number one faces wildcard James Ward, ranked 177th, and his odds of 1/200 […]

10 years ago

Former UFC heavyweight Ryan Jimmo has died in a hit and run car crash in Edmonton, Canada. The 34-year-old Canadian, who was released by the promotion last year, died on Sunday evening and the city’s homicide unit are investigating the case. According to CBS: “an altercation occurred between the drivers of two vehicles at around 2:15 […]

10 years ago

The bigger picture

10 years ago

There was an early penalty and Ireland finished with 10-men but there was nothing controversial about France’s last-16 victory over Martin O’Neill’s men in Lyon. Certainly it was nowhere near as controversial as the last time the two sides met when Thierry Henry’s handball helped France reach the 2010 World Cup at Ireland’s expense. It […]

10 years ago

Dublin were too good in the end. Meath started brightly in the Leinster Football Championship semi-final at Croke Park but ultimately Dublin were too strong, running out winners by 0-21 to 0-11. Jim Gavin’s side stepped up a gear in the second half and pulled away from Meath to set up a Leinster final against […]

10 years ago

What a difference four years makes. Euro 2016: Ireland reach the last-16 of a 24-team Euros before being knocked out by the hosts France. Euro 2012: Ireland knocked out at the group stage of a 16-team Euros having lost all three matches. Two tournaments, both times Ireland fail to go beyond the last 16, but […]

10 years ago

Head held high

10 years ago

It just wasn’t to be. Ireland’s European campaign is over 13 days after it began in Paris against the Swedes. The fans’ campaign has been going a little longer. Despite leading for 54 minutes in Lyon Ireland ran out of steam, had Shane Duffy sent off and France were deserved winners in the end. You […]

10 years ago

Great atmosphere

10 years ago

Best fans in the world. The build-up to Ireland’s last-16 clash against hosts France in Lyon was dominated by talk of how few Irish fans there would be in the stadium. There were fewer than 5,000 tickets in a 60,000 seater stadium allocated to the Fans in Green, a cause for real concern given how […]

10 years ago

Scrapping

10 years ago

17 fights, 17 wins, 17 knockouts.

10 years ago

He took a different route

11 years ago

Bad day at the office

11 years ago

Great news

11 years ago

“You cannot create more hate”

11 years ago

Making money whilst being patriotic

11 years ago

He almost explodes with joy

11 years ago

What a moment. It was one of many iconic images that came out of Ireland’s stunning victory over Italy in Lille, a win which, in case you somehow missed it, secured a last-16 tie against hosts France in Lyon on Sunday. Roy Keane and Martin O’Neill, the two men who have guided Ireland firstly through […]

11 years ago

Who’s next? Graeme McDowell has followed Rory McIlroy in making himself unavailable for selection for Ireland’s team for the Olympic Games on Rio. Like McIlroy, McDowell has cited fears over the Zika virus as his reasoning for opting out. “I woke yesterday morning to the news that Rory McIlroy had withdrawn from the Irish Olympic […]

11 years ago

Brave man

11 years ago

Legend

11 years ago

Robbie Brady. If you had to pick a player who summed up everything that’s good about Irish football you would pick Robbie Brady. Skill, courage, passing, technique, heart. He has them all. And now is name is there alongside Houghton, Whelan, McGrath and Keane as a legend of Irish football. Brady’s 85th minute header secured […]

11 years ago

The greatest thing you’ll ever hear. That’s not even that big an overstatement. Four minutes into stoppage time Iceland secured their first ever victory in a major tournament and set up a last-16 clash against England next Monday. That’s Iceland, a country with a popular of 323,000 people, in the last-16 of the European Championships. […]

11 years ago

Clearing things up

11 years ago

It’s here. There’s nowhere left to turn now. The next couple of hours will decide Ireland’s Euro 2016 fate. It’s a black and white situation. Win and we’ll go through. Lose or draw and we go out. Martin O’Neill has made four changes to the Ireland team that lost so badly against Belgium as he […]

11 years ago

The only person hoping for a draw

11 years ago

It’s harder to work out how this tournament works than it is to get knocked out of it. The expansion of Euro 2016 to 24 teams from 16 has taken a simple tournament formula and turned into a minefield. For example here is the explanation from Wikipedia of how it is decided who the four-best third-placed […]

11 years ago

It’s crunch time. To have any chance of progressing to the last-16 Ireland must do something they have done only three times in history – win a game at a major tournament. Can Italy in Lille take its place in Irish football folklore alongside England in Stuttgart, Italy in Giants Stadium and Saudi Arabia in Yokohama? […]

11 years ago

He’s on fire, you know

11 years ago

The big man is certainly banging on the door. Shane Lowry was a 100/1 shot to win the US Open but went into the final round on Sunday evening with a four-shot lead. Unfortunately he couldn’t quite do the business and Dustin Johnson instead claimed his first major in dramatic circumstances. Rory McIlroy leads criticism […]

11 years ago

Bit harsh

11 years ago

Tres rapide

11 years ago

Vital skill for a centre-half

11 years ago

Some tasty clashes

11 years ago

Not too shabby

11 years ago

A farce. Whatever your allegiances lie – and most people reading this are probably firmly in the Shane Lowry camp – you have to give everyone a fair chance. Spare a thought then for Dustin Johnson. Leading the US Open on the final round, having closed the gap on Lowry, Johnson is in hot pursuit […]

11 years ago

Unlike Euro 2012, when Kevin Doyle started two of Ireland’s group games, the striker has been reduced to a spectator’s role for Euro 2016. Doyle didn’t make Martin O’Neill’s final 23-man squad for this summer’s tournament in France and he’s watching Ireland’s attempts to make it out of Group E from his home in Colorado. […]

11 years ago

Allegiances switched

11 years ago

Seven inches of Uefa breaches

11 years ago

Limerick lips would have been licked when John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer saw red in the 14th minute for striking Richie English. But the Shannonsiders couldn’t avail of their numerical advantage for the subsequent hour of action as Tipperary’s 3-12 to 1-16 win, and place in the Munster final against Waterford, was confirmed. Michael Breen scored a brace for Tipp before O’Dwyer was given […]

11 years ago

We believe

11 years ago

Icelandic eyes are smiling

11 years ago

It’s a tough job trying to maintain law and order. We all know the Irish fans have been impeccably behaved over in France. While there has been trouble elsewhere, from Paris to Bordeaux wherever the Irish fans have gathered there has simply been drinking and singing, singing and drinking. And a bit more singing and […]

11 years ago

Who do you want to see come in?

11 years ago

The Return of the (Red) King

11 years ago

It’s my final day at Ascot and a horse I’ve been looking forward to running all week is Jet Setting. Purchased for a cool £12,000, this lady was sold for £1.3 million on Monday evening after a super season where she has won the Irish 1000 Guineas. Crucially, she is proven on the softer ground […]

11 years ago