Features

These are unprecedented and challenging times as a virus sweeps across the globe that quite frankly, scares the shite out of us all. And unfortunately, this is just the beginning. Many of us will contract Covid-19. Most of us will come through it unscathed but we all have elderly family members and we all know somebody left vulnerable by this …

Late last year, Hong Kong GAA began preparations to host the 2020 North Asian Games.  It was to be their first time hosting a tournament since 2015 and they would be welcoming GAA teams from all over North Asia including Shanghai, Beijing, Japan and Korea. As part of those preparations, they developed an ingenious solution to the issue of GAA …

The past number of seasons has seen a number of breakthrough stars come to the fore in Gaelic football.  Dublin’s all-conquering Championship side was built on the foundation of youth stretching back to Jim Gavin’s first All-Ireland run in 2013 when names like Jack McCaffrey, Paul Mannion and Ciarán Kilkenny were rightly tipped as stars of the future. Fast-forward seven …

Late last year it was announced that Kieran Donaghy, with the help of Aidan O’Mahony, would be taking over the reins at IT Tralee. It was Donaghy’s first steps into management with the 2006 Footballer of the Year taking charge of his local college team for this season’s Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup campaign. Such is the nature of the third …

Having just retired following a decade and a half playing top-level Gaelic football, you could be forgiven for thinking that Andy Moran is suffering from a touch of the ‘post-retirement blues’. However, as it transpires, he’s as affable as ever. The Mayo man was in high spirits this afternoon as he sat down to discuss life as a recently-retired footballer …

There has never been a more popular era to be a goalkeeper. It has become the most widely discussed and dissected position in Gaelic football for a number of reasons. Partly because the days of just stopping shots and kicking the ball 50 metres are long gone, goalkeepers are expected to do more now. The restart has become an important …

There were plenty of stories stemming from GAA Congress last weekend, as delegates selected a new President-elect following a dramatic fourth count while the introduction of a black card into hurling emphatically failed.  Such matters of concern had been at the forefront of people’s minds for a number of weeks leading up to the GAA’s annual congressional meeting at Croke …

There is no rivalry quite like that of Galway and Tipperary which serves up such unpredictable and thrilling contests. Historically, the teams seem to bring out the best in each other. Even when form and momentum is poor, even when there is nothing to play for, clashes between these neighbouring counties are always played with the intensity and fire of …

On March 6, 2019, the first edition of Corry’s Corner was published on Pundit Arena, now, after one year and 52 editions later, the time feels right to bring our weekly column to its natural ending.  There are some valuable learnings to take from writing a column. The first one being that it is hard, it is a slog. For …

It’s often said that the greatest compliment you can give a referee is that you didn’t notice their presence on the pitch.   Their purpose is to observe the play in front of them and step in only when they must. However, recently, more often than not, we have seen hurling referees become more talked about than the game itself and …

Originally published March 1, 2020 Stepping out of the DART station and heading up the Rock Road on Tuesday, something in the air said this wasn’t going to be your typical GAA event. The big guns were rolled out to honour the winning teams from 1994, Meath and Tipperary, as the association celebrated a five-year extension to their 28-year partnership …

5th March, 2007. It was just another Monday morning for Kildare man Patrick Monahan but in the blink of an eye, his life would change forever. “I was driving too fast going to work on a Monday morning, not recklessly but a bit too fast,” Monahan tells Pundit Arena. “I lost control of the car and flipped into the ditch.” …

This coming weekend at Croke Park will see the 40th president elected to the Gaelic Athletic Association.  As John Horan prepares to make way after three years at the helm, five candidates have put themselves in the frame to lead the association from 2021-2024. Of the five men hoping to step into the role as Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, each …

Yet again, Bellator pulled out all the stops for their seemingly twice-annual trip to the 3Arena in Dublin. As the Scott-Coker led organisation continues to battle with the UFC for supremacy in the MMA community, it would seem as though Europe, and in particular Ireland, is the market that they wish to tap into and make their own. They’ll never …

There was a lot of love in the air for Oisin McConville following his appearance on RTÉ’s Allianz League Sunday highlights show. The Armagh legend has always been straight-talking and insightful, however, his time on-air with RTÉ has been limited over the last number of years despite the fact that he’s a regular fixture during BBC NI’s Ulster Championship coverage. …

Let’s start by saying that hurling shouldn’t be immune to rule changes. The purists wish to back themselves into a corner and proclaim that “the greatest game on earth” needs no tinkering but the reality is that all sports could do with some tinkering. After all, perfection is never the reality. Hence the reason that some rule changes work and …

With the new League of Ireland season kicking off on Friday evening, we take a look at five signings who could have a huge impact at their new clubs this campaign. _____ 1) Darragh Leahy (Dundalk) No stranger to the league, Dundalk’s signing of Irish U21 fullback Darragh Leahy from Bohemians was considered a major coup in the off-season. Despite …

Originally published February 14, 2020 Ireland head into their Guinness Six Nations clash with England in high spirits having recorded back-to-back wins over Scotland and Wales in Dublin. Andy Farrell’s charges head to Twickenham Stadium knowing both a Triple Crown and the Grand Slam are at stake. Despite their, still, recent World Cup final appearance, England have looked patchy at …