Croke Park officials have defended the performances of referees Alan Kelly and Seán Cleere who were both criticised for decisions made during the respective All Ireland hurling semi-finals over the weekend. Kelly took charge of Limerick v Kilkenny on Saturday, a game which ended in controversial circumstances when Darragh O’Donovan’s sideline cut was blocked down and diverted out of play …
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Alan Kelly has won the Major League Soccer ‘Referee of the Year’ for the third time in four years. The former League of Ireland referee made the move to the States in 2014 and has flourished in the MLS thanks to his domestic experience. With the combined submissions of MLS clubs, players and media, the Corkonian claimed over 46% of …
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While the whole country will only be discussing one particular incident, there were a number of talking points from a captivating thriller at Gaelic Grounds.
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With the imminent signing of Jon Walters, Burnley are set to take their Irish international contingent to five later this week. The forward joins compatriots Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Kevin Long and Stephen Ward at Turf Moor, as Sean Dyche goes about building the most Irish side in the Premier League. One division below them, and on a similar mission …
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Before May 2002, Saipan was a small island in the Western Pacific Ocean that many Irish people likely had never heard of. By the end of that month, however, the very name became synonymous with one of the most fractious events in the nation’s sporting history. Relations between then-Ireland manager Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane reached the point of no return, …
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Alan Kelly has gone from being the League of Ireland’s pre-eminent referee, to being voted the top referee in the MLS in 2015. Here, in an exclusive interview with Pundit Arena, he speaks to Brian Strahan about his playing days with Cork City, his refereeing background and his solid rise that saw one of world football’s fastest growing leagues, seek …
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Top 5 lists rarely feature Irish goalkeepers…..and for good reason because after an extensive search we are stuck on three. Legends Shay Given and Packie Bonner are automatic choices for the list, but in the dark old days before Ireland’s first glorious foray into a major tournament – Euro ’88 – there are few stand-out performers that demand inclusion. Outside …
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Pub talk after Ireland football internationals often runs in three stages, the first is to dissect the match you have just witnessed and to speculate on what the three wise men of Giles, Brady and Dunphy had to say about the game. Following a number of drinks, the conversation moves on to stage two, nostalgia and ‘the good ‘ol days’ …
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