GAA

The joy that burst through the Borris-lleigh following when the final whistle rang in the Tipperary county final wasn’t just as a result of winning their first title in 33 years. Rather, for this small, tight-knit community, it was a reason to celebrate following the numerous tragedies that have hit the small town in North Tipperary. “It’s nice to just …

The Club Players Association (CPA) have withdrawn from the GAA’s Fixture Calendar Review Task Force. The decision comes just a few days before the group was due to present their recommendations to the GAA around how to revamp the calendar. The CPA released a statement today where they informed Eddie Sullivan, task force chairman, of their intentions to step away. …

Limerick GAA have released a statement confirming that two players have been sent home from their trip to New York. The 2018 All-Ireland champions were taking part in the now annual Super 11s at Citifield, the home of Major League Baseball outfit, the New York Mets. Limerick qualified for the final of the tournament after defeating Wexford in the semi-final …

History was made on Sunday as for the first time ever, a provincial final was decided via a penalty shootout.  It came in the Ulster club intermediate hurling final between Antrim’s Naomh Éanna and Tyrone’s Eoghan Ruadh. When the two sides couldn’t be separated after extra time, deadlocked at 2-20 to 2-20, the game was ultimately decided by penalties. In …

The AFL and the GAA have today confirmed that the International Rules Series will return in 2020 and 2022. Ireland will play host to a two-test series next year before Australia return the favour two years later. The compromised rules series, which first took place in 1984, will make a return following a three-year hiatus. The last instalment in the …

Kilcoo will go in search of their first-ever Ulster club football title after squeezing past Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly by 1-8 to 0-9. The Down champions were pushed all the way by the five-in-a-row Fermanagh champions but in the end, it was Aaron Branagan’s goal that separated the two sides. The centre-back finished with a haul of 1-1 in a man of …

It was another busy day in the GAA club calendar with the finalists for the 2019 Munster football and Leinster hurling championships now known. After their memorable win over Cuala, Carlow’s St Mullins kept their dream campaign going with a dramatic injury-time winner over Rathdowney-Errill. They now progress to meet Ballyhale Shamrocks in the Leinster club hurling final. Meanwhile, Nemo …

There can be no denying that Davy Fitzgerald has given his all to Wexford over the past three years.  Countless hours have been spent on the road travelling from Clare to the Model County for training sessions while every aspect of his life has revolved around the role. It’s no wonder that an exhausted and somewhat broken Davy Fitzgerald sat …

When future Barry Heffernan sits down to reflect on his hurling career, he will surely point to 2019 as the year it all changed for him.  The 24-year-old was first added to the Tipperary senior hurling squad in 2014 but due to a frustrating mixture of competition and injuries, it was 2016 before Heffernan made his debut. He won his …

AFL club Essendon have outlined that they are “really disappointed” in Conor McKenna after he lined out in a GAA game for his local side Eglish last weekend. McKenna, who has been with the Melbourne-based club since 2014, scored a crucial second-half goal for Eglish as they maintained their Division 1 league status against Edendork in a relegation play-off on …

Please, please, please. Keep them coming! There seems to be a debate raging over the validity of having a penalty shootout decide the winner of a championship game and I for one cannot get my head around it. The trend began with Mayo defeating Leitrim back in January after a round of spot-kicks in their FBD League clash. However, the …

Steven Poacher has announced his decision to step down from his role as coach with the Carlow senior footballers. The county Down native worked alongside Turlough O’Brien for the past three seasons that saw the Barrowsiders gain league promotion for the first time in 34 years. He also played an integral role in Carlow’s shock defeat of Kildare in 2018 …

For those of us who’ve realised The Underdogs has long since passed its sell-by date, there was no need to tune into this year’s version of the reality TV show. Yet if inevitability had taken the place of anything interesting, there was still one moment of insight that was missed in absentia. At half-time in the MacHale Park outing, Mayo …

They say that lightning never strikes twice, but try telling that to Naomh Éanna, Glengormley, Ireland’s most attacked sports club. The thriving dual club located on the outskirts of Belfast made headlines around Ireland last year when their senior footballers embarked on a journey that saw them claim a maiden Ulster title followed by a trip to Croke Park for …

Brian Cody will have to plan for Kilkenny’s National League campaign in 2020 without Lieutenant Paul Murphy who is preparing for his second peacekeeping tour to Lebanon. The four-time All-Ireland winner will travel out later this month, alongside teammate Richie Ruth, and is expected to return to Ireland during the first week of May when Kilkenny are set to face …

Limerick star Diarmaid Byrnes is determined to leave his mark in the history books as his club Patrickswell prepare to face Ballygunner in the Munster semi-final on Sunday. Ciaran Carey’s side haven’t been in action since narrowly overcoming rivals Na Piarsaigh in the county final at the beginning of October, a win that placed them at the top of Limerick’s …

Newly appointed Galway football manager Padraic Joyce has set his stall out early claiming it is his aim to deliver a tenth All-Ireland senior football success to his native county. The GAA legend was recently appointed as successor to former teammate Kevin Walsh. The man who guided the Tribesmen to an All-Ireland semi-final as well as an Allianz League final …

The Ulster Council has confirmed that ‘finish-on-the-day’ protocols will remain in place for the remainder of the Ulster club championship after two games were decided by penalty shootouts at the weekend.  In Brewster Park, Derrygonnelly progressed to the senior semi-final following a classic encounter with Tyrone champions Trillick. The Fermanagh champions eventually prevailing 6-5 on penalty kicks after Lee Brennan …