Louth need to produce 70 minutes of football to see off Donegal
Louth were always going to draw one of the 'big' sides in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Preliminary Quarter-final and as it is they have drawn Donegal.
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Joe Brolly weighs in on Mayo's latest heartbreak: 'The culture is all wrong'
Joe Brolly has had his say on Mayo's elimination from the All-Ireland days after the county suffered their latest Championship heartbreak. Mayo were knocked out of the All-Ireland after a loss to Donegal on the hooter having clawed back to level the game with 20 seconds to go, which would have seen the Green & Red go through. The fixing of the game for Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon ruffled some feathers in the Donegal camp with Jim McGuinness outraged at the travel time for his side. Speaking on his Free State podcast, Brolly landed a jibe at Mayo's supporters for their unwavering hope, saying "They're a funny lot you know, the culture is all wrong, they're fundamentally not serious. "People from Mayo suffer from an incurable genetic condition, MHOS, Mayo Hopeless Optimists Syndrome. "The thing about them is that they can beat anybody, unless it's a final, and they have beaten everybody. So when a wee farmer from Bohola is painting his sheep red and green on the eve of an All-Ireland final, filled with euphoria, certain in the knowledge that on Monday Mayo will be champions, and his sheep will bleat triumphantly as the Mayo bus and cavalcade pass by on the way to the victory celebration. "On the Monday he has already forgotten because of MHOS and he's already looking forward, filled with the thrill of being All-Ireland champions in 2026, Mayo for Sam 2026. "It's a great way to be I suppose, but they're not serious, you know what I mean, they're not serious." When compared with Scotland's World Cup sides of years gone by, Brolly said: "The difference is that Scotland are a plucky underdog, Mayo is a superpower of Gaelic football, and the problem is that the culture's wrong. "It was exemplified by Donegal's winning score. Ten seconds to go, Mayo get the equaliser, they work really hard, just frantic all-out effort to turn Donegal over. "Donegal were really just trying to hold possession for the last two-and-a-half minutes, Mayo turned them over and they come forward, and with ten seconds to go they kick the equaliser... so they knew that - they had to know - that 'as long as we don't concede a score we're through to the knockout phase.' "A kickout comes, Donegal win it, Mayo don't foul, it's passed on to Ciarán Moore, who's sort of a human horse who must've stampeded up the pitch 120 metres at least 20 times... and so Moore takes off up the side line, and they let him go, and he gets in and kicks the winning score and Mayo are gone. "And had that been Mayo taking that kickout, a Donegal man would most certainly have stopped him in his tracks as soon as the ball was won... Donegal work on these things whereas Mayo are just hopeful. "It was all to no avail as we knew it would be, because they're fundamentally not serious, they're not there to win, that's ultimately not why they're there." Undoubtedly it has been a tough pill for the Mayo side and supporters, but had they waited for the hooter they could have worked the equaliser as a buzzer beater. Did the tension of the moment ultimately get to the side under Stephen Rochford's temporary care?
Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Lidl scores again with return of legendary Irish soft drink
A beloved Irish soft drink is set to return to Lidl shelves – just in time to celebrate the Ladies' Gaelic Football season and the upcoming All-Ireland finals. McDaid's Football Special, the iconic beverage from Donegal, is making a highly anticipated comeback to Lidl stores nationwide. Last time it appeared in stores, it sold out rapidly, and now it's back, but you will have to be quick as it's only available for a limited time. LGFA player Carla Rowe. Available from June 26, Football Special will be sold in 1-litre bottles for €1.79, featuring special edition artwork that highlights the achievements of female Gaelic footballers. For the first time ever, it will also be available in 330ml cans priced at €1.19, carrying the drink's traditional label. Kevin Duffy, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl Ireland, said: 'Football Special is a perfect example of how a local Irish producer can benefit from Lidl's Kickstart programme and achieve real success. It's great to see such a well-loved local drink score new fans right across Ireland and we're expecting another sell-out run when it returns to stores this summer. LGFA layer Carla Rowe with buyer Eoin Slevin (left) and supplier Seamus McDaid (right). 'At Lidl, we're hugely invested in supporting and advancing female sport through our flagship sponsorship with the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). As part of our 'Get Behind the Fight' campaign, we're focused on elevating visibility of female players to fill every seat at every game. 'Our partnership with McDaid's to produce a special edition artwork bottle putting female players in the spotlight is another tangible example of how we can continue to promote LGFA and its players and drive further engagement and support amongst our shoppers and communities across the country. We're thrilled to relist this popular product just as the LGFA season gets into full swing and leading up to thrilling All-Ireland Championship Finals in August.' McDaid's Football Special is produced by a family-run soft drinks company based in Ramelton, Co. Donegal. First created in the 1940s to celebrate the victories of local football club Swilly Rovers, it earned its name from players who would famously 'fill the cup' with the fizzy, non-alcoholic drink in honour of their wins. With its nostalgic taste and loyal following, this limited-edition return is expected to fly off shelves once again, so fans will need to act fast to nab a bottle!
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shelbourne discover next Champions League opponent, if they beat Linfield
Shelbourne will face Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the next round of the Champions League, if they can get past Linfield. If they eliminate the Belfast giants, Damien Duff's charges would be at home in the first-leg of the second qualifying round clash with Qarabag. Qarabag are 12-time champions of Azerbaijan and boast strong European pedigree, having made the group or league phase of competitions every year since 2014. Last season, they reached the league phase of the Europa League and sailed through to the round of 16 in the Europa League in 2023. In 2019, Qarabag beat Dundalk 4-1 on aggregate in the Champions League second qualifying round. And that same year, they edged out Linfield on away goals when they dropped into the Europa League playoff round. Either Shelbourne or Linfield will be at home to Qarabag on July 22/23, with the second-leg scheduled for July 29/30. 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. But Shels won't lose sight of their big date with Linfield on July 8/9 with a tantalising €2 million Champions League shootout three weeks from now. All-Island bragging rights are also on the line when the League of Ireland champions face the NIFL Premiership kingpins at Tolka Park and then Windsor Park. And Reds boss Damien Duff said yesterday: 'It's a brilliant day for everyone at the football club, especially for those who have been through the dark times. 'Players and staff watched the draw together and there's already a great buzz at the prospect of an All-Ireland derby.' Shels are guaranteed a minimum €1 million in European prize money but knocking Linfield out would almost double that. Beating the Blues would guarantee another three European ties for Duff's men, who found timely form on Monday by beating St Pat's. Duff is ready to strengthen his squad in the transfer window as he knows it will be demanding trying to juggle league commitments with European adventures. And particularly so if Shels unlock the door to the 'champions path' by beating David Healy's Belfast giants. But Duff has the experience of last season's two rounds of the Conference League to lean on and said: 'It's just a mentality thing. 'The big teams all around Europe, yeah, they play on a Wednesday and they're up for the game but they're up for it again on the weekend. It's absolutely alien to our lads, I get that, but it's something that I'll try to hammer home. 'It's not 'Oh, Friday, and we have to go again Monday. Oh, I'm tired'. You're not tired. They're all young boys. A lot of them are still living at home with their mammies getting their washing done, their cooking done. 'You can sleep 20 hours a day if you want to. All I want to see you for is 90 minutes.' And Duff added: 'Mentally, attacking two games a week out of three isn't an elite mindset for me. It's attacking every game.' Linfield are out of season but there won't be any issue getting a handle on such familiar and local opponents as Duff prepares to do his homework. The Ireland legend added: 'I've been an analyst 90% of the time for three years, believe it or not, and 5% manager and 5% coach. This year we've got Martin Doyle in, which is a big help and there's an excitement in that. 'Last year, it was St Joseph's (of Gibraltar) and we were trying to claw footage of them. The next game, Zurich, you're looking at footage and thinking, 'are they that good? Are they that bad?' You go and play them away and they're that f***** good, yeah. 'There'll be an element to that this year, but you can sleep when you're dead.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
