Joe Brolly: It's very hard to live with the pace of Jimmy McGuinness' new model Donegal
'We were able to play in a zone where very few people can go, where you are physically exhausted but you keep going. Most footballers back off from that place. They say, 'Naw, naw, that's me done'. We were consistently in that zone and that's better than any medal.
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Kieran Donaghy departs Armagh coaching setup
Kieran Donaghy has left his role in the Armagh coaching set-up after five years with the county. The four-time All-Ireland winner with Kerry confirmed the news on 'X' this evening, saying he left his role with Armagh "full of pride, memories and deep gratitude." Donaghy had joined Kieran McGeeney's management team for the 2021 season, with the intention to remain there for just one campaign. — Kieran Donaghy (@starryboy14) July 16, 2025 However, he became part of the set-up for five years, helping the county break from the pack to win their second All-Ireland title in 2024. Donaghy departs a fortnight after Armagh's title defence ended at the hands of his native Kerry in the All-Ireland quarter-final. It is anticipated that Kieran McGeeney will seek to remain in charge of Armagh for the 2026 campaign, which will be his 12th season in the role.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'We're looking to the group stages – that's where the real money is' says Shelbourne boss Joey O'Brien
Shelbourne have their eyes set on reaching the group stages of European competition after emerging successful from the All-Island derby. Their 2-1 aggregate victory over Linfield was completed at Windsor Park on Tuesday, paving the way for a second round Champions League clash against Azeris Qarabağ. The first leg takes place next Wednesday at Tolka Park. Even elimination next week cascades Shels into the Europa League, from which they will have a Conference League playoff to navigate. Shamrock Rovers passed that threshold and into the knockout stages, banking €6.5m, but Shels can gross half that by participating in the group stage. 'This opens up another door from the club's point of view,' he said, referencing the group of investors including Micky O'Rourke and the Doyle brothers, Neil and Cathal. Read More Shelbourne survive dramatic All-Island derby to set up Champions League clash with Qarabağ 'Here listen, the people at this club don't get involved at this level to make money. 'The lads in the background do it because they absolutely love it. Ultimately, to get the real money, you must make group stages. 'I told to the players in there that the aim. We don't want this to be our want our European memory. We want to go and create more history by qualifying for the groups.' O'Brien will check on the fitness of captain Mark Coyle and Conor Kearns after both mainstays were substituted with knee and hamstring injuries respectively. There's an FAI Cup tie at Fairview Rangers on Saturday first. He said: 'Mark was struggling. He's a warrior and wanted to keep going but I felt on recovery he wasn't able to sprint and we can't take chances at this level. 'With Conor going down we only had one sub (interval) left. That created an issue about when to make the sub and why we changed formation. The former Ireland international was eager to credit his former boss Damien Duff, who shocked all alike by quitting within a week of the first Shelbourne Champions League fixtures for 20 years being drawn. 'This wasn't something I had planned, just the way it worked out,' he explained. 'I just said to the lads in there, the manager had a huge say in this and the squad he built, the success that we had last year, a huge part of him created this night, it was up to us and the players, not to me, I said to the players when I took over, you take on the baton, he stepped aside, you take it and run with it and see how far we can go. 'I thought we were the better team over two legs but sometimes you don't always get what you deserve.'
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kenny call to travelling St Patrick's Athletic fans ahead of stormy European tie
Stephen Kenny has called on the 300 travelling St Patrick's Athletic fans to bring on the noise in Lithuania - and drown out the claps of thunder forecast for this evening. The forecast is for stormy conditions, but Kenny is confident that the Saints are ready to weather all challenges that come their way. And with the loud backing of their fans in FC Hegelmann's cramped 1,500-capacity stadium, he is hopeful that they can capitalise on their 1-0 lead from the first leg. READ MORE: Who will be on RTE commentary duty for Sunday's Cork-Tipperary All-Ireland hurling final? READ MORE: GAA Palestine cancels Ireland trip after visa rejection 'Thunderstorms have been mentioned,' he said, adding that temperatures would still be high by kick-off. 'Our travelling support definitely had a big help in Vaduz last year, we had a great crowd and they really helped us in a tough away game. 'A similar support can really help the players again. If it is in a tight ground, we will hear them.' Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . Last season Pat's entered the Conference League at the second qualifying round and made it all the way to the play-offs, beating Vaduz and Sabah, before going out to Istanbul Basaksehir. That run earned them €1.28m - and another big UEFA payday would help fund Kenny's ambition to bring the club back to the top of Irish football. However, it's not talk of bank balances that are motivating his players. 'We don't discuss it, really, it's not something that's ever discussed. It's the glory, the opportunity,' he said. 'Obviously finance is important for every club, of course it is, to be full-time, these are factors. 'The other side of it is, we probably have no right to be in Europe, at one stage last year we were third from bottom, we wouldn't have got anything, so the players have worked extremely hard to get up from third bottom to finish third and qualify for Europe, which was a great achievement. 'Now we have the opportunity to go into round two, we need to look at it in a positive way, be positive in our approach rather than worry about the consequence of not doing it as we may not have been in Europe at all.' Pat's have been struggling in front of goal in recent times. Aidan Keena's penalty winner in last week's first leg was just their third goal in their last eight games. However, Kenny believes they are close to finding their attacking mojo again. 'We were excellent last week. We had really good play throughout, I liked the shape of the team, I liked the passing options, we'd had a lot of players committed in the attacking third,' he said. 'So we have adapted somewhat to how we were playing during the season and we've seen benefits of it, but we just missed some fantastic chances, there is no doubt about that. 'Aidan's goal was important, it was a pressure penalty, especially in a game like that where we were missing chances and he showed great resolve to finish the way he did, he was very single minded and emphatic the way he finished it. 'Thankfully he did and it puts us in a strong position going into this game.' It's the slenderest of margins, however, and he knows his players could see a different Hegelmann this evening. 'Sometimes there can be a disparity; teams are more comfortable in their own environment, so there can be a difference in performance between home and away,' he said. 'For some teams, you come over and their levels are up, they are more comfortable in their own environment. They look like different players. That can happen often. 'Regardless of that, it's up to us to raise our levels. We must expect that and then raise our levels. That must be our determination to do that.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
