Month: April 2022

FOR THE FIRST time in the history of the All-Stars, both the Footballer of the Year and Hurler of the Year have come from counties who didn’t win the All-Ireland title the same year. Mayo defender Lee Keegan and Waterford star Austin Gleeson picked up the highest individual honours in the game at the GAA/GPA All-Stars tonight at Dublin’s Convention Centre. Only five times in the past did the hurling and football champions fail to…

Continue reading

MAYO’S DIARMUID O’CONNOR and Deise star Austin Gleeson were honoured with the prestigious Young Player of the Year awards at tonight’s GAA/GPA Opel Allstar bash at the Convention Centre in the capital. 21-year-old O’Connor picked up his second straight Young Footballer of the Year and now stands level with big brother Cillian as two-time winners of the award. The year ultimately ended in defeat for O’Connor and Mayo after their narrow All-Ireland final replay loss…

Continue reading

NESTLED IN NORTH Cork, just off the Mallow-Cork road lies a close-knit rural ladies football team with a huge drive and hunger to succeed. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO Mourneabbey is a club of many successes, but it’s the All-Ireland heartbreak that often overshadows them. A small community wounded by many other heartbreaking events over the past few years but bonded through sport. The Clyda side have come out on the worst end of the past two…

Continue reading

CASTLEKNOCK, A WEST-Dublin club only in its late-teens is not the most likely candidate for supremecy in the highly competitive Dublin senior football championship. Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO And yet, remarkably, the club which finds itself nestled beside powerhouses St Brigid’s and St Oliver Plunkett’s is just one game away from lifting the biggest prize in Dublin club football. How did they get here? As is often the case in Irish life, a meeting in a…

Continue reading

Home Dundalk’s Chris Shields. Source: Mikhail Kireev/INPHO Stephen Kenny’s Dundalk once again won plenty of admirers but were beaten 2-1 away to Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League tonight. Joe Schmidt has named Rob Kearney at fullback for Ireland’s clash with New Zealand on Saturday while Garry Ringrose and Joey Carbery could make their international debuts from the bench. Six players from Dublin and four from beaten finalists Mayo have been included on the 2016…

Continue reading

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO THE FINEST HURLERS from around the country will descend on Dublin’s Convention Centre for the latest installment of the GAA/GPA All-Stars. The football awards were already announced but the awards for the small ball code will be announced live on Friday night. The ceremony is live on RTE 1 from 7pm. You can check out the full list of nominees here. Our writers have had a stab at predicting the 15 players who will…

Continue reading

AIDAN O’SHEA WILL spend the winter honing his handling skills on the basketball court after EJ’s Sligo All-Stars announced they’ve signed the 26-year-old Mayo star. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO An avid basketball fan, O’Shea hasn’t played on the hardcourt since he featured for St Declan’s basketball club in Dublin in 2009. He also played schools basketball in Castlebar. The 6’4″ talent took a full-part in the All-Stars’ practice yesterday and is set to play in their National League Division…

Continue reading

THE FOOTBALL ALL-STARS were announced this morning, as 15 players were honoured for spectacular seasons in 2016.  That left 30 footballers who were nominated out in the cold. Of those, these seven players can consider themselves particularly unfortunate to have missed out. These players were just about pipped at the post, but regardless they deserve recognition for the fantastic seasons they produced in their county colours. *** 1. Stephen Cluxton (Dublin) Source: James Crombie/INPHO Cluxton…

Continue reading

Mayo’s Lee Keegan and Dublin’s Diarmuid Connolly are amongst the award winners. Source: James Crombie/INPHO SIX PLAYERS FROM All-Ireland champions Dublin and four from beaten finalists Mayo have been honoured in the 2016 GAA-GPA All-Star football team. There are two award winners from Ulster champions Tyrone with one player apiece from Donegal, Tipperary and Kerry. Champions Dublin have winners in Jonny Cooper, Philly McMahon, Brian Fenton, Diarmuid Connolly, Ciaran Kilkenny and Dean Rock. Mayo’s players…

Continue reading

Wexford’s Keith Rossiter and Kilkenny’s PJ Ryan have been recruited Source: INPHO NEW WEXFORD SENIOR hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald has included forward star Jack Guiney in a winter training squad of over 40 players. Fitzgerald has also confirmed the make-up of his backroom team – with former county star Keith Rossiter and ex-Kilkenny goalkeeper PJ Ryan set to play key roles. 2015 Leinster club winner Rossiter, who will line out for Oulart-the-Ballagh against Offaly champions…

Continue reading