Memorial for young Wexford man teams up with Dillon Quirke foundation for golf classic
Over 200 golfers competed for the Anthony Rochford Memorial trophy, which was played in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, organised by members of Sydney Shamrocks and Geraldine O' Hanrahan's GAA clubs, that will also benefit from some of the proceeds.
'It was wonderful to see a full timesheet and such generosity shown by those who played and turned up again at New Ross Golf Club for the third outing,' said John Rochford. 'We are delighted that the classic in memory of Anthony is so well considered and supported and that this worthwhile cause will benefit from it.'
The Dillon Quirke Foundation was chosen as the charity this year, given the GAA links with the organising group. 'The Foundation has already screened 10,000 young sports players for cardiac issues, and we felt this was an appropriate link, given Anthony's passion for hurling having played with Geraldine O 'Hanrahan's, Wexford Minors, Lucan Sarsfields and Sydney Shamrocks.
"Hopefully the money we raised, along with all the other supporters of the Foundation, will help identify and deter Sudden Adult Death Syndrome among healthy young people by early screening,' John said.
'We were delighted that Dan Quirke, Dillon's father, joined us on the day, along with Tipperary All Ireland hurling greats, Declan Ryan and Joe Hayes,' he added.
Anthony's mother and father, Ann and Sean Rochford, along with members of the family, were in attendance at New Ross Golf Club clubhouse for the presentation of prizes, and the first prize of a fourball in Ballybunion Golf Club in Co Kerry, was won by Willie Whitty, Jimmy Ryan, James Wallace and Willie Kelly.
'We would like to thank all our players, sponsors and those who assisted with the logistics of the 2025 Golf Classic, for their participation and for raising in excess of €12,000 for the various recipients. We also thank New Ross Golf Club for being such generous and gracious hosts and look forward already to a return there in 2026,' John concluded.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Anthony Daly: A night of vindication for Cork warriors but Limerick more dangerous than ever now
AS I was making my way out of the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday night, heading for the car-park in Dunnes Stores, this Cork man caught my eye as he was coming towards me at an angle. 'The hype is back, Dalo,' he said in a rich Cork drawl. 'It definitely is,' I replied with a smile. 'And the bookies could have been right (to pay out before the championship on Cork winning the All-Ireland).' On a night of nights, in a game for the ages, the red hype and fervour swirling around the ground neatly encapsulated the magic floating in the air of one of hurling's greatest events. It was too incredible to make it up. I got some real heat after the game on social media for my column here Saturday, and for fancying Limerick as strongly as I did, but much of that commentary was based around the question of whether Cork could bring the kind of performance that was required to beat Limerick. Could Cork reach that level? They emphatically did but Limerick certainly weren't at the level expected of them, and they'd have expected off themselves. All the credit has to go to Cork but Limerick were just a little off all evening. Key players spilled balls you'd never see them losing. Their first touch was off. Adam English's miss at the start of the second half of extra-time nearly summed up their night. He'd normally score that in his sleep. Barry Nash missed another chance that he'd have nailed nine times out of ten. There was a swirling breeze but Limerick were just out of sync all evening, both in their chemistry and execution. Aidan O'Connor scored 1-1 but could have finished with 2-5. In fairness, Cork could point to plenty of those mistakes too. Ciarán Joyce took on that shot at the end when Conor Lehane was just inside him and it may have even been a goal chance. Seán Finn was cramping up by then, Mike Casey was gone, bodies were wilting everywhere. By that stage, it was just pure luck of the draw. The penalties summed it all up, especially for Cork. Their best player, Darragh Fitzgibbon missed, while their three penalties were scored by two subs, lads who had nearly been written off – Shane Kingston and Lehane – with the third one nailed by Alan Connolly, who'd been taken off, before being brought back on. Penalties is no way to decide a Munster final but the GAA have backed themselves into this corner now with the split-season schedule. It's an even bigger joke that there are just seven hurling matches left now at the start of June, two of which are expected to be predictable preliminary quarter-finals. But that's a debate for another day. SATURDAY was just epic stuff, enthralling and magical. The sight of referee Thomas Walsh being carried off in extra time summed up just how intense and chaotic it all was. James Owens taking over also illustrated the contrast in refereeing styles. I wondered in radio commentary if the change in refs would be significant and Limerick will feel that it probably was, especially with the couple of extra minutes played at the end of extra-time. I'd have to agree with John Kiely – it's hard to see where you'd get over two extra minutes (and nearly four in total) in just a ten minute period. And yet Limerick were fortunate that the match went to penalties after Nickie Quaid fumbled that last free from Darragh Fitz that went out for a '65 and not in the net. Darragh's night almost summed up the match. After dropping the last free short, the game looked over until Nickie's fumble. Then Darragh had to step up to hit possibly the most pressurised '65 an amateur player has ever hit – which he nailed. Then he misses Cork first penalty, but his team-mates bail him out. I thought it was fitting that Lehane buried Cork's next penalty. It was a real night of vindication for Conor, and for Damien Cahalane, two lads that have suffered more, and taken more stick and criticism, than any other Cork players in recent years. Conor was immense in extra-time while Damo was outstanding all through. And yet, if Cork had lost because of that last free that Damien had conceded, all the old criticisms would have rained down on his head again. That's how fine the line is but the team Pat Ryan picked, and the faith he has shown in all of these players was also a validation of Pat's management and judgement. I wondered beforehand if starting Diarmuid Healy was the right call, but it certainly was, with Diarmuid really grasping his chance and proving that he is more than equipped to perform in this kind of a furnace. Once again, Seamus Harnedy was outstanding, warrior like until he eventually almost had to be carried off the field. Cork had warriors everywhere but so had Limerick. It's devastating for them to have missed out on the seven-in-a-row but the very fact that they won six, and narrowly missed out on the seventh, outlines just what this team has achieved. It's even more bitter with Cork having stopped them from the five-in-a-row last year, but Limerick are still firmly alive in this championship. And they'll be more dangerous than ever after these wounds. For Cork, the next question now is can they go on and achieve what they want more than anything? Can they prove that Paddy Power was right after all to pay out on them winning the All-Ireland? I can't wait to see what happens next. Nobody can.
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Intrepid Cormac Comerford channeling Shackleton spirit on road towards 2026 Winter Olympics
While the distance from his Italian training base to the site of next year's Winter Olympics may not be the farthest to traverse, the road towards Milano-Cortina 2026 has been a long and unlikely one for alpine skier Cormac Comerford. If neither Fiji nor Fermanagh are hurling strongholds then it would be fair to say that Glenageary in south Dublin wouldn't be a likely cradle for a Winter Olympian. But when next February rolls around, Comerford will feel that all the sacrifices and hardships have been worth it when he dons the green Team Ireland race suit on the alpine slopes of Bormio. Becoming an Olympian would be the apogee of a dream that was sparked at the age of eight when he followed his parents and family friends to Kilternan for an Oktoberfest open day at Ireland's largest artificial ski slope. "I just got obsessed. I loved any kind of outdoor sport. I was into GAA, I played with Cuala. In the summers we'd go surfing and sailing and then when I found skiing I just fell madly in love," Comerford recalls. "We did a few ski holidays and then it just all snowballed from there. I started racing up at the ski club in Kilternan and eventually went further and further abroad to race internationally." While he was only tackling the baby slopes in that initial introduction, an immediate and ineradicable imprint was left on his psyche. "There's nothing like it. It's probably as close as you can get to flying without actually flying," he says of the sensation of zooming and twisting downhill at speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour. Helpfully, 2010 Winter Olympian Shane O'Connor was also a source of inspiration, proving to him that an Irish alpine skier could compete at the highest level. "His impact on me was huge. Seeing somebody from the local area, from Dublin, from Ireland, with no snow, no nothing, be able to go from a small 200m plastic slope to competing in the biggest races at World Championships and the Olympics, that really said a lot to me and it inspired me to really push myself and to reach that level and then also exceed that," Comerford tells RTÉ Sport. And push himself he has most certainly had to over the last two decades. In the past, he has been candid about how far he had to penny-pinch finite resources on the road, like sleeping on bus station floors, all in a bid to keep the trajectory of becoming an Olympian on the right track. Many would have long given up by now. But not Comerford whose spirit was never dampened, citing Kildare-born Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. "I've always had this sense of adventure and desire to go somewhere that hasn't been before," he reasons. "I love the story of Shackleton going down to Antarctica, going into the complete unknown and looking back on it now, they were clueless really and their preparations were terrible but he had this crazy goal to do something that was never done before and those are the stories that kind of inspired me when I was younger and the idea of an Olympics." The burden has been lifted somewhat ahead of the Olympics, where Ireland will have a male and a female quota place each in alpine skiing. An Olympic Federation of Ireland scholarship grant has been "a huge help, especially for the preparations for the Olympics", according to Comerford. "That Olympic scholarship really helps boost opportunities like pre-Olympics. And that's a big thing I'll be pushing now this summer, is trying to garner more support to have a really full programme leading up to Games." The other help has been through his day job as a mechanical engineer. "With the support of Sport Ireland, we reached out to their network and when I graduated, I got in touch with some companies and I've been lucky enough to land a job with Atlantic Projects Company," he says. "They're a mechanical engineering company based in Limerick. They've been really supportive. I've been able to progress in my mechanical engineering career while I have time away from snow." Comerford is qualified for four disciplines at the Games: slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. By his own admission, slalom would be his forte, main focus and the one he has an ambitious target for. "That's what I've naturally kind of excelled at and that's the one where I'm ranked in the top, I think it's 5-6% in the world at the moment," he says. "My big goal for the Olympics is I'd love to make a top 30. I'm preparing for a full Olympics and ideally a top 30, that would be a great achievement for me." Helpfully, Comerford is based in Italy for portions of the year which means the trials and tribulations that the Olympic venue in Bormio will provide is not alien to him. "I've been based in the winters in Italy for about seven, eight years but I usually base myself in the Dolomites area which is really great for me," he says. "I've skied on all the slopes where the Olympics will be so that's an added advantage. I kind of know the area, I know the country, I know the culture so that'll be a big advantage going into these Games. "Bormio, where men's alpine is going to be based, that's a serious downhill and super-G slope. It's probably considered the most dangerous downhill slope on the World Cup circuit. I think last year there were some serious injuries. So it will be demanding. "I've raced there when I was younger in some international races on the lower section for slalom and giant slalom. So I have a bit of experience on the slope. But as far as the super-G and downhill, I haven't raced there. But we'll have some training just coming up to the races and that will be the true test."
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Irish Times
From the glorious chaos of the Gaelic Grounds, the Rebels rise again
Everything about it was staggering: the suffocating intensity, the twists, the spectacular scores and the crazy misses. Cork and Limerick were locked in a clench from teatime until shortly before bedtime and neither of them knew how to let go. The longest night in the history of the Munster Championship ended with a penalty shoot-out and a season set ablaze. Hallelujah. After being eviscerated by Limerick in the round-robin phase, Cork reclaimed everything they had lost three weeks ago. All the doubts about their temperament and their stomach for the fight were obliterated. This group of Cork players couldn't afford to fall over again. They stood up to everything Limerick could muster. The cruelty of penalties is a modern phenomenon in the GAA. For an epic contest such as this to be decided by such a capricious tiebreaker is a function of the condensed calendar and, no doubt, there will be another chorus of dissent. There should be. In the event, Limerick's third and fourth penalties missed the target; in between Alan Connolly buried a penalty with characteristic panache. After nearly 100 minutes, that was the only difference. READ MORE The psychological capital for Cork is incalculable. After their late collapse in Ennis and their abject surrender in the Gaelic Grounds three weeks ago, there were widespread doubts about Cork's credentials as serious contenders. This performance was the only credible answer. Aaron Gillane scores a late point for Limerick. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The teams were level 17 times in all, but it was Cork who found the equaliser at the end of normal time and at the conclusion of extra-time. Limerick had chances to finish the game in 70 minutes, but Darragh O'Donovan dropped a shot short and Aaron Gillane missed a free from an acute angle. Cork had earned their reprieve. For Limerick there is an obvious cost. For the first time since their breakthrough season in 2018 they must navigate a quarter-final in a fortnight's time, and for an ageing team that is a tax they would prefer not to pay. John Kiely has never made any secret of his fondness for the month long break granted to provincial winners but they must do without it now. At various times in the second half of normal time, when they were playing with the wind, it looked like Limerick would assert control and kick on. But they couldn't. Cork's four-point half-time lead was wiped out in just 11 minutes, but from there until the finish they never led by more than a point. In normal time they managed just 28 shots from play when they would usually expect to register that many scores, or more. When Cork beat them in the round-robin game in Páirc Uí Chaoimh 13 months ago they were the first team to have more shots than Limerick in the Kiely era. Here, they exceeded Limerick's total by eight shots. For Limerick, a team whose potency is built on volume, this was a massive systems failure. Primary possession had been a massive problem for Cork three weeks ago, but that core issue was successfully addressed too. Cork won 59 per cent of their own puck-outs and restricted Limerick to 62 per cent on their own ball; that game that a platform to compete. Cork's Tommy O'Connell in action against Limerick's Barry Nash. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho The biggest difference, though, was Cork's aggression and abrasiveness and relentlessness. From the start they stood in the middle of the ring and traded body blows. They were ravenous for turnovers and flew into contests for ball on the ground. This was the fundamental stuff that Pat Ryan has demanded from this group for the last three years but had been so painfully absent three weeks ago. Cian Lynch was hounded by the outstanding Ciaran Joyce and a posse of lieutenants. Diarmaid Byrnes was tormented by Seamus Harnedy, just as he was in the game 13 months ago, and eventually the Limerick wing back was taken off. Kyle Hayes was magnificent in the opening 20 minutes, but by half-time Shane Barrett had scored 1-3 from play on his watch, and for the remainder of the game Hayes was just another bamboozled mortal, going around with his tongue hanging out like everybody else. In a game like this, with both teams going at each other like rutting stags, the referee was bound to be part of the story. Members of both management teams made a bolt for Tomas Walsh as he left the field at half-time and ended up getting stuck in each other. There was pushing and jostling and jawing and shaping and all of it was out or order. It was clear during the first half, though, that both managers had become increasingly wound up by Walsh's refusal to penalise obvious fouls – or at least when it suited them. The fourth official and the linesman on the Mackey Stand side were on the receiving end of constant feedback and hot takes. Limerick's Cian Lynch after the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Just like Brian Cody's Kilkenny years ago, Kiely's Limerick are usually sanguine about matches where the physical contact is unregulated and Cork clearly came to the Gaelic Grounds with the stomach for a battle. Walsh granted permission for illegal contact all over the field and both teams flaked away. In these situations, though, everyone loves the spectacle until they're gasping for a free and there's an unpenalized foul in front of the goal for an offence that had also gone unpenalized in the middle of the field. For Cork's first goal, Brian Hayes and Patrick Horgan were both mangled by Limerick defenders, but Walsh's hand wasn't raised for an advantage before Shane Barrett whipped the ball to the net. There were no laws in the jungle. Walsh booked four players in the first 10 minutes of the second half but there was no end to the viral fouling. It would have been the most delicious of ironies if the game had been decided by a free, but Gillane's effort from an acute angle in the fourth minute of stoppage time flew wide of the far post. Limerick will feel like they blew it, which is the same feeling they had against Cork twice last year. The wheel has turned again.
