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The best photos as close to 30,000 women turn Dublin purple for Mini Marathon

The best photos as close to 30,000 women turn Dublin purple for Mini Marathon

28,000 women turned the streets of Dublin purple on Sunday for the 2025 VHI Women's Mini Marathon.
The event, now in its 43rd year, is more popular than ever, and spots on the starting lineup were sold out in record time.
With a theme this year of "Championing Womankind", women came from all over the country to run in the race. The youngest participant was just 14, while the oldest was aged 89.
The race was won by Grace Richardson from Kilkenny City Harriers in a time of 34:17, with Claire Fagan from Mullingar Harriers AC finishing second in 34:35.
Sinead Kane from Le Chéile AC placed first in the Visually Impaired category with her time of 44:26 in the 10km event.
iDonate, the event's official fundraising partner, reported a massive total of over €2 million and counting, bringing the cumulative amount raised by the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon to well over €255 million since its inception in 1982.
David O'Leary, Race Director of the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon said: 'The 2025 Vhi Women's Mini Marathon has been one of our most exciting yet.
"From the sheer number of participants to the new innovations and incredible stories we heard in the lead up to and today, it truly captured what Championing Womankind is all about.
"Congratulations to every woman who took part, and thank you to our amazing volunteers, our dedicated sponsors, An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council and all our other stakeholders, and of course, our title sponsor Vhi.'
Laurna and Evilin celebrate with a hug after finishing the race (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) 1 of 12
Participants celebrate finishing with their medals (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) 2 of 12
A participant celebrates whilst running through the finish line (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) 3 of 12

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Ireland chase four-goal win in group decider at Páirc Uí Chaoimh
Ireland chase four-goal win in group decider at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

The 42

time6 hours ago

  • The 42

Ireland chase four-goal win in group decider at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

IRELAND RETURN TO Páirc Uí Chaoimh with much more on the line than their first visit to the Cork GAA venue last summer. Already relegated and consigned to the Euro 2025 play-offs, Eileen Gleeson's side stunned France to secure a famous 3-1 win in their final group game. They did copper-fasten a seeded place, however. Now back in League B and under the watch of Carla Ward, Ireland face Slovenia in their Nations League Group B2 decider. A revenge mission awaits — along with a big ask as they chase top spot and promotion to League A. Confusion has reigned in recent days, with the FAI even sharing differing permutations. Bottom line: Ireland need to win by FOUR clear goals to finish top of the group and clinch automatic promotion. If they do not triumph by that margin, draw, or lose, the Girls In Green will contest promotion/relegation play-offs in October as a League B runner-up. The draw for those two-legged ties against a third-place League A side (currently Austria, Iceland, Portugal and Italy) takes place on Friday. The four-goal win is a tall order, but Ward has long shared her intention to 'go for it' in Cork. Ireland have been in Slovenia's rear-view mirror since a 4-0 humbling in February: as the picture became clearer, Ward said she would 'be glad to go out front foot, gung-ho' in the rematch against Saša Kolman's coming side, who have conceded just one goal. 'We know what we have to do,' the English coach insisted yesterday. 'We're going to have to be aggressive but also secure at the same time.' Advertisement Slovenia's Nina Kajzba and Ireland's Katie McCabe in Koper in February. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Ireland's goalscoring struggles have been well documented, and herein lies another major issue. Defensive woes have been rife through this campaign, with cheap goals and chances coughed up, many of them on the counter. Slovenia were electric on the break in Koper, as they inflicted upon Ireland their heaviest defeat since 2018 and worst competitive loss in over 12 years. In Friday's unconvincing 2-1 comeback win, Türkiye scored on the transition and exposed them on several occasions. Of Ireland's goals in Istanbul, the Turks scored one and assisted the other. Megan Campbell's long-throw caused havoc to get the visitors back on level terms, before Emily Murphy pounced on a butchered, mid-slip clearance to bag the 89th-minute winner. Ward has made no secret of her possession-based, expansive plans, but Ireland reaped the rewards of a more direct approach as they chased the game on Friday. Substitutions were key too, as Murphy, Kyra Carusa and Saoirse Noonan arrived on the hour-mark, and Campbell's introduction released Katie McCabe on the left. 'You saw us finish with a lot of attacking players on the pitch, you might see that's the way we start,' said Ward post-match. Amber Barrett had a mixed night leading the line; first-choice Carusa could do so from the off here. Lucy Quinn, a constant in the front three under Ward, is doubtful with a bug so openings could arise: Murphy will hope her decisive, first international goal earns her a rare start; Abbie Larkin and Cork's own Noonan also showed glimpses on Friday; while new call-up Erin Healy could be a wildcard. (Noonan may etch her name into history as the first person to play an inter-county Gaelic football match and a soccer international at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.) Hometown hero Denise O'Sullivan is the one definite in midfield. She was far from her best against Türkiye, but is the beating heart of this Irish team. Marissa Sheva struggled beside her on that occasion, and could drop out, while another Rebel Megan Connolly impressed in the holding role. Ruesha Littlejohn will be eyeing that spot, and her 90th cap; Tyler Toland is another midfield option. Courtney Brosnan needs little introduction as the undisputed number one, but there are question marks in defence. Aoife Mannion is another doubt due to playing overload and a quad knock, but the hope is she will pass a late fitness test. Ireland are lacking in natural right-backs, but the Manchester United defender has been performing well there. Anna Patten struggled while deputising in the second half against Türkiye. Patten has been the one invariable in the centre-back pairing under Ward. Jessie Stapleton has joined her recently, while Caitlin Hayes got the nod from the bench on Friday after falling down the pecking order. The retiring Louise Quinn will want to see meaningful action, and would be another welcome aerial threat. Louise Quinn during her final training session at The Páirc yesterday. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Katie McCabe as a de facto 10 was among the many experiments which backfired against Slovenia in February, the captain generally stationed at left-back since. The Champions League winner is most likely to continue there, initially anyway, but Ward could want Campbell — injury-plagued and managed — on from the off. Wherever she operates, McCabe will need to make her impact felt: the Arsenal star has a wicked delivery, while she is one goal away from her 30th in green. One of her quotes yesterday spoke volumes: 'If we don't score the first one you can forget about the fourth.' Slow starts have been another hallmark of this campaign, and Ireland need to race out of the traps if they are to give themselves any chance of hammering this rising Slovenian outfit. Manager Kolman — who cites Jim McGuinness as an inspiration — hailed a resounding tactical victory in Koper, and he will come to Cork with another plan. Lara Praanikar of Eintracht Frankfurt, two-goal hero last time, will be central to that, while Kaja Korosec (Paris FC), Zara Kramzar (Roma) and Kaja Erzen (Fiorentina) are other key players with Champions League experience. 12 world rankings inferior in 38th, the Balkan nation will be targetting another scalp, happy for the pressure to be on Ireland. But the hosts will look to embrace it, and every bit of noise and colour in Cork. A smaller crowd of 10,000 is expected at the Páirc, but Ireland will be hoping for another memorable occasion. A four-goal win may be too big of an ask, but any victory and a positive performance would be a good night's work, as the first chapter of this new era draws to a close.

'It's the whole calendar. I don't know who's in charge but it definitely needs to be looked at'
'It's the whole calendar. I don't know who's in charge but it definitely needs to be looked at'

The 42

time7 hours ago

  • The 42

'It's the whole calendar. I don't know who's in charge but it definitely needs to be looked at'

ON WHAT IS an important day for the Republic of Ireland WNT, fixture scheduling and Nations League format confusion have become equally important discussion points. Both Ireland manager Carla Ward, and team captain Katie McCabe, agree that the system needs to be reviewed. In the last week, McCabe has played in a Champions League final for Arsenal and a Nations League fixture for Ireland in Istanbul. The Ireland squad are heading to the USA in June to play two international friendlies, but she will not be available. Everything is packed in too tightly. The Nations League is Ireland's main concern at the moment, and the format has long been a source of confusion. In truth, the Ireland women's team is no stranger to convoluted qualification routes. Their path to the 2023 World Cup — and a first-ever major tournament — was far from linear. At one point, Denise O'Sullivan admitted that she found the whole system 'really confusing' and that her teammates 'tried to explain it 100 times' before she simply decided to detach from the diagrams and focus on the games in front of her. The Nations League is running a similarly protracted line. Ireland's yo-yo form between League A and League B has probably added to the confusion, but for now, they are in the second tier in what has been labelled the group of death. Tonight, they face Group B2 leaders Slovenia in Cork's Páirc Uí Chaoimh and thankfully, the aim is simple: win the game by four goals or more to achieve automatic promotion to League A. If they fall short in that mission, they still have a play-off route awaiting them in October. There's clarity with this fixture but broadly speaking, Ireland captain Katie McCabe feels the whole Nations League structure is chaotic. Advertisement 'It's nuts — the set-up, the goals, points, relegation and promotion,' she begins ahead of tonight's 6pm kick-off at Cork GAA headquarters. Similar to the attitude that her teammate O'Sullivan adopted for the World Cup play-off, McCabe is intent on narrowing her focus to keep her mind clear. Republic of Ireland players attending training at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'All we can concentrate on is winning games and progressing performances game by game. I'll let you all do the maths and we [will] focus on winning matches. 'It's the timing of the fixtures as well, like what we had to do last year all through the summer where you're finishing a season and you've to kind of rest but kind of keep fit for the next block of games and it's hard mentally and physically from a periodisation point of view to do that. So, the timing of the fixtures needs to be looked at as well in my opinion.' McCabe helped Arsenal end an 18-year wait for Champions League success last week but left the celebrations early for Ireland's crucial Nations League trip to Türkiye. She wanted to be available for international duty but feels the schedule is too congested. It's an issue which has become synonymous with McCabe's club in recent years. Arsenal players including Leah Williamson and Beth Mead have suffered ACL injuries which are believed to be linked with the increased playing demands on female players. 'It's the whole calendar,' says McCabe. 'I don't know who's in charge of it but it definitely needs to be looked at. 'What it will create over time and we've already seen it in recent years is burnout in players and major injuries. You've got world-class players that will be sitting out of tournaments through injuries and we don't want to see that. We want the best players in the world playing at tournaments on the biggest stage. I just hope it doesn't cause too much more harm to us as players going forward.' Both McCabe and Ireland head coach Carla Ward agree that returning to League A is their objective but there is an argument for staying in League B at the moment. The next promotion to the top tier would give them a better pathway to the 2027 World Cup. McCabe stresses that League B is a difficult competition but wants to keep company with the best nations in world football. Ultimately, everyone in the Ireland camp is united in their ambition to get to the top tier. Ireland manager Carla Ward looks on at her team's last training before Tuesday's kick-off. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO 'We've discussed it as staff,' says Ward, 'but it's bonkers because if you stay in [League] B now, you are in a better position to win League A and get one less qualifying round to the World Cup. But how does that give motivation?' 'We don't want to think like that. We are naturally competitive and we want to win the group. 'It needs looking at. As soon as the Nations League came along, it's good because there's no more friendlies. Every country is getting more competitive, but the structure to say that if we get promoted to League A, but then we get relegated, for example, we would be in a far weaker position than somebody in League B.' Now, that the confusing and tiring talk of scheduling and format structures is done, let's reset to focus on this evening's action. Ireland face a huge challenge in defeating Slovenia by more than four goals, but it's the route they're determined to take. A huge game awaits in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Croke Park to stage URC final if Leinster progress
Croke Park to stage URC final if Leinster progress

The 42

time21 hours ago

  • The 42

Croke Park to stage URC final if Leinster progress

CROKE PARK HAS been confirmed as the venue if Leinster are hosting the URC Grand Final on Saturday, 14 June. Leo Cullen's side face Glasgow Warriors in the semi-finals this Saturday, 7 June, at Aviva Stadium [KO 2.45pm, live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1]. Victory there would see them progress to the showpiece for the first time since 2021, and again enjoy home advantage due to rankings. Croke Park has been confirmed to The 42 as the venue of choice. Advertisement Leinster have used Lansdowne Road and Croke Park for their home games over the last two seasons as the RDS undergoes redevelopment works. They last played at GAA HQ in April's Champions Cup last-16 win against Harlequins, while they also faced Munster there in the URC last October. Croke Park's capacity is over 82,000, while the Aviva holds almost 52,000. Just 12,879 fans attended Saturday's 33-21 quarter-final win over Scarlets. If defending champions Glasgow progress ahead of Leinster, the URC final will take place in South Africa. The Bulls host the Sharks in Pretoria in this weekend's other semi-final. Josh van der Flier and Jordan Larmour (file photo). Juan Gasparini / INPHO Juan Gasparini / INPHO / INPHO Meanwhile, Leinster have issued a mixed injury update. Jordan Larmour is available for selection on Saturday, having returned to full training after recovering from an injury. Josh van der Flier will be further assessed this week for a hamstring injury before a final decision will be made on his availability. The Lions-bound flanker was replaced before the half-hour mark of Saturday's quarter-final. Garry Ringrose (calf) and Tommy O'Brien (foot) will also undergo further assessment this week: neither featured last time out. No further updates were available on Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Will Connors and Brian Deeny.

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