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Four weeks out from the fight I was in the SBG Concorde car park and my phone rang. It was Dr Mick Molloy. He discussed my back injury and told me that he was trying to organise an appointment for me to see a specific consultant. Then he mentioned that when he was going through my files, there was a …

I try and I try and I try… This column has repeatedly gone down the road of condemning those who choose to compare sports because as previously stated, it is futile and pointless. However, it’s hard not to get enraged as fans from all sides of the sporting spectrum come together in the pursuit of slating one another. With the …

It’s worse that it gets. Not long ago claiming to be the best about, Ireland’s stock slides as if October 24, 1929. By now there’s a debate to be had around if they are even in the top four in their own hemisphere. From world beaters and contenders, part of the narrative around their latest exit involved running into a …

Ireland face the prospect of an Aviva Stadium double header next month when the Boys in Green take on New Zealand in a friendly before their crucial Euro 2020 qualifier against Denmark. The Danish clash may be the game everyone understandably has their eye on, but the New Zealand friendly may represent a strong opportunity for certain players to stake …

On Monday, Irish striker Troy Parrott found the net four times as Tottenham’s U19s demolished Red Star Belgrade 9-2 in the UEFA Youth League. The 17-year-old was in irresistible form as Spurs’ youngsters tore their Serbian counterparts to shreds. Parrott was at the forefront as he took his record to five goals from three games in the competition. His achievement …

Ireland’s track record reads like the plot to a ‘Carry-On’ film when it comes to sporting bodies, such is the way we are guaranteed to become embroiled in some sort of PR disaster year on year. The Olympic Council of Ireland (formerly OCI, now OFI) embarrassed the nation amid the ticketing scandal in 2016. John Delaney’s use of the FAI …

There were a spectacular handful of seconds caught on television on Saturday morning. With a little over 78 minutes gone in the World Cup quarter-final, and the scoreboard in the corner of the screen reading New Zealand 41 -14 Ireland, the camera zoomed in on Joe Schmidt. He looked a brutal combination of exhausted and stunned, the colour draining away …

Draws and dramatic late winners. Just another weekend of county final action.  Twenty different county championships were up for grabs this weekend across both codes. The Derry football final saw a 41-year drought come to an end while one Dublin footballer got in on the act, yet again, in the hurling championship. In Cork, one of the GAA’s great clubs …

Leona Maguire has seen more of the world than most other 24-year-olds but as the old saying goes there’s no place like home.  A golf prodigy, the Cavan native left rural Ireland at just 18 for pastures new in North Carolina and Duke University. With her degree now in the bag, Maguire’s attentions are fully focused on professional golf. So …

We’ve beaten the All Blacks on two of the last three occasions, but this Irish team are going to need to return to the form of 2018 if we’re to have any chance of making it three from four, writes Darren Cave. A subject I’ve been outspoken about in the past is the importance of Johnny Sexton to Ireland, and …

Following Tuesday night’s defeat to Switzerland, the task for Ireland is clear. Beat Denmark in Dublin next month and qualify for next summer’s European Championships. That may be easier said than done however given Ireland’s disappointing recent displays against Georgia and Switzerland which saw them miss the opportunity of gaining a real foothold in the group. It’s evident after the …

The second honeymoon period is well and truly over for Mick McCarthy as Ireland continue to struggle to qualify for a major tournament they’re helping to host. While they very much remain in the hunt for Euro 2020 qualification, this was facilitated by the fixture schedule and it’s hard to envision a shock result against Denmark next month. That being …

Last September, with a year to go until tournament kick-off, World Rugby were busy ticking boxes. To mark the final countdown to their premier competition, they rolled out the usual stats from numbers of visitors to economic benefits. Chairman of the governing body Bill Beaumont added that he believed “in the tremendous opportunity to further the sport across Asia, and …

Ireland were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Georgia in Tbilisi as they missed a huge chance to take control in the group. McCarthy’s side were poor throughout and looked void of creativity as they put in one of the worst Irish performances in recent memory. Here are five definitive conclusions as Ireland limped to a scoreless draw against …

Stoke City and Ireland striker Scott Hogan has spoken candidly on his recent struggles for both club and country admitting that he didn’t feel as though he deserved to be in the squad for the upcoming games against Georgia and Switzerland. Hogan joined Stoke from Aston Villa on loan in the summer and despite finding the net in his second …

When Dave Kearney lined out on the left wing for Ireland’s opening Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Italy at the Aviva Stadium in August, it marked the closing of a disappointing and frustrating chapter in his career.  That was Kearney’s 18th cap for Ireland, his first appearance in green since a November 2017 win over Fiji 21 months earlier. …