‘Mikey and Mikey' – Kerry GAA legend and his son talk life, football, and politics
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The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Big-hearted ‘Kerry' police officer in Canada makes incredible ‘true to his word' ticket gesture to Donegal woman
A BIG-hearted 'Kerry' cop has fulfilled the wish of a Donegal woman to see the All-Ireland football final. And it all came after a chance meeting on the streets of Toronto, 4 Kerryman Conor Healy greets Donegal fan Claire O'Brien in Toronto 4 Bernese Mountain Dog 'Bruce' is just 11 weeks old and is all excited about Kerry's All Ireland football final clash aganst Donegal along with his teddy bear pal 'Sam' 4 Best friends Kelly Poff, Elsie McCoy and Kya Griffin flying the flag Credit: Domnick Walsh Eye Focus info@ Letterkenny native Clare O'Brien was sitting in her car in traffic shortly after Jim McGuinness' team booked their place in the final at Croker by beating The proud The eagle-eyed lawman spotted the jersey, leaned in her car window and shouted 'Up The brief encounter got the pair chatting — and, in a very Irish way, it was like they knew each other for years. READ MORE IN GAA Officer Conor's father Michael is from Ballylongford in Kerry and his mother is from He chatted to the Donegal crew for ages before inviting them down to his station in He even joked that he would try his very best to get Clare a ticket to tomorrow's The pair most read in the irish sun Mum Connie McGranaghan, who previously went viral after posting about the brief roadside encounter online, said Clare was 'over the moon' at getting tickets. And she said Conor could not have been more of a gent. 'TRUE TO HIS WORD' Connie said: 'To think it all stemmed from a bit of craic when Clare was stuck in traffic. Conor has been brilliant and true to his word. I really hope they have a great time together at 'I'm delighted Conor has been able to come home to Ireland and see some of his family but just as long as Donegal win!' But they are two of the lucky ones as Donegal's ticket allocation for the final today has been recorded as 13,748 — just 17 per cent of the total capacity for Croke Park. Many clubs in the county have recently posted on Donegal club CLG Baile Na nGallóglach said: 'The demand for tickets far exceeded our allocation. 'We have done our best to accommodate everyone.' Kerry is also in the grip of a mad dash for tickets as supporters from the Kingdom desperately bid to be in Croker this afternoon. FINAL HYPE Around 60,000 tickets are ring-fenced for county allocations, with the remaining seats for the GAA showcase split between premium and corporate, season tickets, schools, Croke Park residents and even some for overseas. The competing finalists receive the most significant share of that near-60,000 batch set aside for county allocations, with the rest going to all other county boards. And He told a podcast: 'It is difficult to get tickets and I understand the frustration and the anger.' He said: 'The GAA that I was brought up in didn't have the corporate boxes. This is the world we live in. For the GAA to survive it is about money. I will say that the GAA do one good thing: everything goes back to the clubs.' Donegal TD Pearse Doherty yesterday got behind his county by helping paint a mural with son Colm in Gweedore. But Bruce the dog and young fans Kelly Poff, Elsie McCoy and Kya Griffin, were already in their Kerry shirts. Big Match Preview — See SunSport 4 Pearse Doherty, TD with son Colm painting a mural in Gweedore for the All Ireland final Credit: Newspix
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Eimear Byrne and family basking in successful yar so far for Louth
From the three previous TG4 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship finals that Louth's Eimear Byrne has played in up to this point, there is one that clearly stands out above all others. Having been part of a side that lost out to Limerick at Croke Park in 2018, Byrne returned to the same venue 12 months later as the Wee County took on Fermanagh in another third-tier decider. While a 3-13 to 2-06 victory for Louth ensured it was always going to be a memorable day, the fact Byrne's sister Aoife lined up alongside her in midfield made it extra special for the St Mochta's star. Although Aoife has stepped away from the inter-county scene in recent years, Eimear was a starter when her native county lost out to Fermanagh in last year's junior showpiece. She has also been an ever-present in the Louth attack during 2025 and is now set to feature in her fourth West County Hotel Cup final against Antrim at Croke Park on 3 August. "In 2019 I was playing alongside my sister Aoife. She has actually retired from inter-county football now. She has had two kids since, but she is back playing club football. Hopefully at some stage I'll get to play alongside her this year," Byrne explained. "2019 was a very, very special year and climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand alongside your sister and playing in midfield with her is something very, very special. Unfortunately I won't have her beside me this time around, but she'll definitely be in the stands shouting me on anyway." Next weekend won't be the first visit to Croke Park this year for the Byrne family as they were previously there on 11 May for one of the most unforgettable days in the recent sporting history of the Wee County. 15 years after another of her siblings (Declan) featured off the bench in a much-discussed provincial decider defeat to the same opposition, Eimear's brother Ciaran played the final eight minutes as the Louth men's team collected their first Leinster title in 68 years with a final victory over Meath. The family achievements don't end there, however, as the aforementioned Declan was part of the management team for a Louth U20s side that qualified for an All-Ireland final with a last-four triumph over Mayo on 16 May - two days before Eimear kicked a brace of points for the ladies side in their Leinster JFC success over Carlow. "It has been a very special year in our house. I'm sitting here looking out the window and the Louth flags are still flying high, and they've been up there for the last couple of weeks. Because 'Casey' (a nickname given to Ciaran due to Eimear's inability to pronounce his name when she was younger) was in the Leinster final and got over the line with that. "Then Deccie was involved in the coaching team for the Louth U20s. It has been a big couple of weeks in our house and loving every moment of it. I think I said this a couple of times in different interviews, that when I walk through the door, my Dad, there is a massive smile on his face. "It's the likes of him, you're kind of delighted he's getting to live through these moments and seeing Louth football being in a really, really good place." What has already been a remarkable year for the Byrnes would be topped off if Louth could claim their fourth junior crown. Yet Byrne was very close to not being part of the panel this deep into the competition. A PE and biology teacher at St Joseph's secondary school in Drogheda, Byrne is opting to take a career break in the coming months. "Any day in Croke Park is going to be a big occasion for both teams" She was initially planning to go travelling last month with her other half, but with a burning desire to get Louth back up to the intermediate grade, Byrne eventually altered her plans. "Originally at the start of the year, I actually had planned to go in June and then I looked at the calendar. I shed a few tears because my boyfriend, he was taking a shorter working year. He's a guard. He had applied for and got it granted for June," Byrne recalled. "We looked at the calendar, I turned to my boyfriend and I said 'I actually can't go in June now'. I said 'I really want to stay and give Louth another rattle'. I had chatted to Kevin (Larkin) the manager and obviously he didn't want me to go. Then I went in and spoke to my principal, and he actually gave me a bit of confidence to actually go for a career break. "I decided to take the full year out next year, but I'm only travelling for six weeks in November and a bit of December. I'll be twiddling my thumbs, looking for a bit of subbing early on next year to fill my time." It will all prove to be worthwhile for Byrne if she can secure the second junior crown next weekend. However, when you consider they triumphed at this grade as recently as 2022, there are a number of players in the Antrim squad who will be looking to do the same. The Saffrons have accrued a Lidl National Football League Division 4 win and an Ulster title across an unbeaten run of 16 games to date in 2025, and this is more than enough reason for Byrnen and Louth to be wary of their challenge. "Antrim, they're a strong outfit. They have some great runners all over the pitch. Their midfield and some very, very strong forwards. It's definitely going to be a tough contest. We're not going to be naïve going in, we've met Antrim a couple of times before over the last couple of years," Byrne added. "We're well used to what they can produce as well. It's going to be very, very tough. Any day in Croke Park is going to be a big occasion for both teams. We're looking forward to it, nonetheless."
The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
Mallon goal helps Galway shake off Tipperary and return to All-Ireland camogie final
The 42 Updated at 19.49 Galway 1-18 Tipperary 1-11 A BRILLIANT goal in the 39th minute by Niamh Mallon was the key score as Galway returned to the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final with a deserved victory over Tipperary. The westerners were the better side, but they certainly did not have things their own way. Tipp fought right to the end, and it took a sensational block by the outstanding Dervla Higgins to deny Jean Kelly a goal that might have made it nervy. But there was no questioning the merit of Galway's win, Higgins, Shauna Healy and Róisín Black forming a most obdurate full-back line that provided the platform for the triumph. Up front, Mallon's goal might have earned the plaudits, but Ailish O'Reilly, who is in pursuit of a fourth All-Ireland medal, contributed four points as well as drilling a wonderful pass to Mallon for the definitive major. It was a strange sort of a game, and when Mallon pointed off the stick via Laura Leenane's hurley in the 25th minute, Galway seemed to be moving inexorably towards a Croke Park return. They were 0-8 to 0-2 in front, full value for that, and there seemed a real danger of the game drifting to an inevitable conclusion. Neither side had excelled, and even with their eight points, Galway shot some poor wides, but Tipp were particularly disjointed and wasteful from the few good positions they had created. When they lost Karin Blair with what looked like symptoms of concussion at the end of the first quarter, it only added to the sense of doom. But a shot by Karen Kennedy in the 26th minute was mis-controlled uncharacteristically into the net by Sarah Healy. The leaders were suddenly shaken, and the Premier were shaken from their torpor. The result was that somehow, they went in level at the break, 0-9 to 1-6 and all the momentum with Denis Kelly's side. Casey Heffernan and Eimear Heffernan pointed, and Grace O'Brien brought her tally to four from placed balls. Advertisement The interval probably came at the wrong time for them, while Cathal Murray welcomed the opportunity to recalibrate. All the evidence after the resumption was that the Galway players had recovered their composure, but Tipp would thankfully not return to their early ineptitude. But once O'Reilly placed Mallon, who carried to the edge of the square before firing a rocket to the far corner of the Tipp net, the Tribeswomen were able to keep their valiant opponents at arm's length. Kelly followed a pointed free by O'Brien with a smart score to keep Tipp interested. Mairéad Dillon added to her first-half brace, however, and was promptly hauled ashore, Sabina Rabbitte having been stripped and ready to go, and the Athenry attacker justified the decision by splitting the posts within seconds. There would be no way back for Tipp from there. SCORERS FOR GALWAY: C Dolan 0-6(4fs); A O'Reilly 0-4; N Mallon 1-2; M Dillon 0-3; C Kelly 0-2; S Rabbitte 0-1 SCORERS FOR TIPPERARY: G O'Brien 0-7(fs); K Kennedy 1-1; E Heffernan (f), C Hennessy, J Kelly 0-1 each GALWAY: Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins, R Hanniffy, A Starr, E Helebert, C Dolan, A Donohue, O Rabbitte, A O'Reilly, C Hickey, N Mallon, M Dillon, C Kelly. Subs: S Gardiner for Helebert (42); S Rabbitte for Dillon, A Hesnan for Starr (52); N Niland for Kelly, J Hughes for O Rabbitte (60+1) TIPPERARY: L Leenane; J Bourke, K Blair, C McCarthy, E Loughman, M Eviston, S Corcoran, K Kennedy, C Maher, E Heffernan, C Hennessy, G O'Brien, M Burke, R Howard, C McIntyre. Subs: E Carey for Blair inj (20), J Kelly for Burke (44), A McGrath for Maher (55) REFEREE: Justin Heffernan (Wexford) Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Written by Daragh Ó'Conchúir and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
