logo
Donegal GAA star overjoyed at birth of baby boy days before All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan

Donegal GAA star overjoyed at birth of baby boy days before All-Ireland quarter-final against Monaghan

The Irish Sun4 hours ago

DONEGAL star Ryan McHugh has already had a week to remember as wife Bridget gave birth to their son on Monday.
Sharing an adorable pic of the new arrival from the hospital, Ryan revealed his name is Senán.
Advertisement
3
They've given him the beautiful Irish name of Senán
Credit: @ryanmchugh2
3
The happy couple got married in December 2023
Credit: @ryanmchugh2
3
They run a cafe together in Donegal Town
Credit: @ryanmchugh2
The two-time All-Star made sure to thank all of the staff who had ensured Bridget and Senán received the best of care over the past few days.
He wrote: "Senán McHugh 23/06/2025.
"I would just like to thank Letterkenny Hospital for the wonderful care they took of Bridget and Senán over the past week. Thankfully everyone is doing good and back home."
Despite reaching this life-changing milestone, Ryan is still set to line out at Croke Park on Saturday when Donegal lock horns with neighbours Monaghan.
Advertisement
Read More On GAA
That 4pm throw-in will serve as the first of
The side announced by Monaghan boss Gabriel Bannigan shows two changes from their win against Down.
Stephen Mooney and Killian Lavelle make way for Jack McCarron and Gavin McPhillips. Gary Mohan is a sub after
We're still awaiting team news from Jim McGuinness but the Kilcar half-back is always one of the first names on his team sheet.
Advertisement
Most read in GAA Football
At 6.15pm attention at GAA HQ will turn to a renewal of a classic early 2000s rivalry in the form of Tyrone against Dublin.
Earlier this week Red Hand legend
'So much integrity' - RTE viewers hail Stephen Cluxton for 'principled stand' Dublin GAA icon took during Parnells saga
The three-time All-Ireland winner reckons it could spark their summer as they chase their first semi-final since going all the way in 2021.
He emphasized: 'I feel there's a big performance in this Tyrone team. The talent is there, and I know Malachy is the right man to get it out.
Advertisement
'I think the sight of Croke Park and the sight of the Dubs and the Sky Blue jersey will definitely bring out whatever's in those players right now.
'As a supporter I do feel there's a big performance in the team, and I think they'll all see it in that way. They'll all see it as an opportunity to bring it on Saturday night.
'Any year that Tyrone has good years, it usually takes a big game and the sight of something that will energise and excite the team to get it out.
'So I'm cautiously optimistic that the sight of a Dublin jersey on a Saturday night in Croke Park will do that.'
Advertisement
Sunday will then witness the clash of Meath against Galway at 1.45pm followed by
Ahead of that tussle

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'The best day of my life' - Irish teenager Alex Dunne makes superb F1 debut for McLaren
'The best day of my life' - Irish teenager Alex Dunne makes superb F1 debut for McLaren

The Journal

timean hour ago

  • The Journal

'The best day of my life' - Irish teenager Alex Dunne makes superb F1 debut for McLaren

The 42 IRELAND'S ALEX DUNNE was the story of the first free practice (FP1) at the Austrian Grand Prix, turning heads on his Formula 1 debut. Offaly teenager Dunne, a McLaren junior and the current Formula 2 Championship leader, finished fourth in his first ever F1 session as he temporarily deputised for Lando Norris. Racing for the first time in the latest McLaren car, the MCL39, Dunne finished within a tenth of team-mate and F1 championship leader Oscar Piastri, with George Russell setting the FP1 pace just two tenths up the track. Russell saw off second-placed Max Verstappen by 0.065 seconds. Dunne's joy was immediately apparent upon his finish, with the 19-year-old telling his McLaren team over the radio: 'I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy's dream came true and it's definitely the best day of my life. 'So, thank you, everyone, for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando, as well, for trusting me with his car,' Dunne added. 'It means a lot.' Sky Sports F1 / X (Formerly Twitter) McLaren / X (Formerly Twitter) Speaking post-race, Dunne said he was 'super, super happy'. Advertisement 'I think it's fair to say it went pretty well,' he added. 'I think we knew going through the session that the goal wasn't necessarily for performance, it was more to help out with the car, help Lando, and kind of just help the team to improve as much as they can through FP2, FP3, and then onwards into the weekend. 'So, to have the pace that I had and show what I'm capable of on the F1 stage is something pretty special. A massive thank you to McLaren for the opportunity. I'm extremely grateful.' Alex Dunne exits the pit lane during the first free practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo McLaren team boss Andrea Stella was impressed by Dunne's performance, but particularly with how he achieved his team's objectives on his first run-out. 'Before we look at the time, we have to acknowledge that he has gone through quite an extensive plan of testing with some new parts,' Stella said. 'There was some work that won't be seen on TV but keeps the drivers very busy and you have to be very precise, very much on time. 'In all of this, Alex has been quite diligent and impressive. 'He had also a chance to show us his pace. It's no surprise he is a fast driver. 'We have to be careful looking at the lap times because his lap time came later in the stint when the fuel was down. But I think it's encouraging and impressive for Alex himself, and a good session for McLaren.' Written by The 42 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 .

Test run-in starts as Lions kickstart journey on Fury Road against Western Force
Test run-in starts as Lions kickstart journey on Fury Road against Western Force

Irish Examiner

timean hour ago

  • Irish Examiner

Test run-in starts as Lions kickstart journey on Fury Road against Western Force

And so begins a tour-shaping fortnight for the British and Irish Lions in Australia. Starting with the Western Force this weekend they will be playing five matches inside 15 days and covering 5,700km across five different states and territories. By the time they relocate from Adelaide back to Brisbane for the first Test they will have crisscrossed the outback more often than Mad Max in his heyday. There are so many variables involved that sticking to rigid plans will be nigh-on impossible. Leaving aside the opposition and the travel for a moment there are more than 90 people attached to this Lions expedition once you add in all the backroom staff, bottle washers and comms types. As plate-spinning exercises go it is a major logistical challenge. The trick, as ever, is to try to locate some order amid the road warrior chaos. On the field that means stress-testing certain combinations with one eye on the Test series kicking off on 19 July, particularly in areas where potential starters have seldom played together. There is no shortage of quasi-religious fervour attached to this tour but precious little time in which to turn water into wine. Which makes the Force game more significant than it might initially appear. In the wake of last week's defeat by Argentina, Andy Farrell will be looking for reassurance on a few fronts, both up front and behind the scrum. Squint into the Aussie sunshine long enough and it is possible to see this fixture influencing the Test destinies of several players, not least those without an Irish postcode. The whole raison d'etre of the Lions, it should be stressed, is the notion of familiar home union biases being set aside for the greater good. But if Farrell has a 50-50 selection call to make without much in the way of compelling fresh evidence the logical choice will be to stick with the green-shirted devil he knows. Particularly if this particular matchday squad containing 11 Irish internationals hits the Australian turf running. Swap in Blair Kinghorn, Jamison Gibson-Park, Maro Itoje and either Tom Curry or Jac Morgan and this might even be somewhere close to the best-balanced starting XV the Lions can field. So if they can click swiftly it will be an appreciable bonus for the management before the entire circus heads east to face the Reds in Brisbane next Wednesday, followed by the Waratahs in Sydney, the Brumbies in Canberra and an Australia and New Zealand invitational XV in Adelaide on 12 July. Looking down that fixture list those two midweek games against the Reds and the Brumbies, currently Australia's two best-performing Super Rugby sides, may just be the toughest. Neither Super Rugby franchise will be absolutely at full strength but, from a Lions perspective, it could help explain why the tour skipper Itoje does not feature this weekend. And maybe the traditional rhythms of a Lions tour are changing. What if it is Canberra, rather than Adelaide, where the Lions will quietly unleash their putative Test team – or at least the guts of it? Might it be the kiss of death for the midweek dirt-trackers, AKA the bin juice and the driftwood? Amid the blur that is modern tour scheduling, that concept may have to be mothballed until the game against the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne between the first and second Tests. Then again we have not yet factored in injuries, a fact of life when an itinerary becomes this congested. Farrell can only cross his fingers that, in this instance, Finn Russell will dovetail instantly with the fit-again Sione Tuipulotu and the Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams. And that the Lions lineout, with hooker Dan Sheehan now installed as captain, has a better day. There is already a sense that if the consistently influential Tadhg Beirne has another good game there could well be a slot for him at blindside flanker in the Tests. Stirred into the mix are plenty of other fascinating questions. Can Henry Pollock make the most of the starting opportunity he has been handed? Ditto Scott Cummings and Joe McCarthy in the second row? And with two big left boots in the back three – both James Lowe and Elliot Daly can kick a long ball – might the Lions look to play a more territorial style of game on occasions? Even more instructive, perhaps, will be how well the Lions can refine their offloading game and accrue more reward for the promising attacking shape evident at times against the Pumas in Dublin. If things instantly click with Russell wielding the baton and his disparate orchestra combining sweetly from the off no one will be happier than Farrell: 'If you look at it there are key positions that have not played together before so that makes it interesting for us to see how cohesive it can be as a whole.' If collective harmony initially proves elusive, though, the Force may feel emboldened. While past history is not particularly encouraging – the Lions beat Western Australia 116-10 in 2001 and defeated the Force 69-17 in 2013 – this is a potentially more resilient home squad containing six current Wallaby squad members. According to the injured Kurtley Beale, the fast feet of winger Mac Grealy could also pose problems while the 6ft 7in Darcy Swain poses an obvious lineout threat. But prop Ollie Hoskins, most recently on the roster at Saracens, has had to be plucked out of retirement for this contest while the replacement hooker Nic Dolly, capped once by England in 2021, was released by Leicester last year after an injury-plagued couple of seasons. The slightly sandy base to the pitch may complicate scrummaging life for some but the Lions scrum coach, John Fogarty, is more concerned that visiting players collectively trust their instincts and do not get distracted by murmurs about the Force looking to knock a few lumps out of their visitors. 'Any time you get into a game of rugby you should be expecting to bash someone and get bashed,' responded Fogarty with a knowing smile. 'We're excited about showing the best of ourselves.' He could have added that the Lions have not come all the way to one of the most remote cities in the world to twiddle their thumbs idly. By the time they pack their bags and transfer to the opposite coast of this vast continent the hope will be that Farrell's red-shirted marauders have embarked with real intent down rugby's equivalent of Fury Road. Guardian

Séamus Coleman signs one-year contact extension at Everton
Séamus Coleman signs one-year contact extension at Everton

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Séamus Coleman signs one-year contact extension at Everton

Everton captain Séamus Coleman has signed a one-year contract extension, saying on Friday that the chance to lead the club into their new stadium was a key reason to continue. The 36-year-old Republic of Ireland defender signed the deal just three days before his previous contract expired. He was forced off in the first half of Everton's final game at Goodison Park last month with a thigh injury and missed Ireland's draws with Senegal and Luxembourg. He is expected to be fit in time for next season. 'Thanks to the hard work of many people, we've been able to get into our magnificent new stadium and pave the way for a brighter future under ambitious new owners [Friedkin Group], which I want to be part of,' Coleman said in a statement. Coleman joined the Merseyside club from Sligo Rovers in 2009 during David Moyes's first spell as manager. Moyes joined for a second spell in January, guiding Everton to a 13th-place finish. READ MORE 'In David Moyes, we have the perfect manager to lead us into a new era. He showed his abilities once again with the way he had us playing after returning last season. 'As the man who brought me to Everton, I can't speak highly enough of him. He gets this football club, the standards required every day, and what it means to play for Everton.' Coleman holds the club record for most Premier League appearances (369) and is joint 12th on Everton's all-time list with 428 matches in all competitions, just five behind Dixie Dean and Leon Osman. 'This could be a period of real change at the club and I want somebody who can help deliver the messages of what it means to be an Everton footballer. Séamus has always done that and I know he will continue to do so as we move into a new era,' Moyes said. Everton begin their league campaign away at Leeds United on August 18th. (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store