Mark Dowd set to be new Roscommon manager
Dowd replaces Davy Burke who stepped down in June after the conclusion of his three-year term.
The Strokestown native was part of Roscommon's minor management time in 2006 when they won the All-Ireland also managed them to Connacht Under-21 title in 2015. He was also involved in the senior side's Connacht triumphs in 2010 and 2019.
Dowd is currently in charge of Roscommon Gaels.
We are delighted to welcome Mark Dowd as the incoming manager of the Roscommon senior football team," said Rossies' chairperson Brian Carroll.
"Mark has an outstanding track record at both club and county level, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for Roscommon football.
"We are confident that his leadership will help drive this team forward and build on the progress of recent years. I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on numerous occasions over the last 12 years and I know the Roscommon senior football team is in safe hands going forward.
"On behalf of Roscommon GAA, I would like to wish Mark every success in the role and assure him of our full support as he begins this exciting new chapter."
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Irish Times
39 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Seven years after her big breakthrough, Béibhinn Parsons feels like Rugby World Cup is just the start
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Seven years have passed since the phenom was drafted into the Irish sevens squad at 16 and then played in a Test match against the USA to make history as Ireland's youngest senior international player. Now, she feels like she is at the beginning again. 'I honestly feel like I'm only getting started now. It really does feel like the Scotland game felt like a first cap,' she says. 'It felt like the start of my career even though I have been here a while. I just want a good clean run. I feel like I just want to tear into 15s and see how far I can go.' Béibhinn Parsons has overcome serious injuries and is raring to go ahead of Ireland's World Cup opener in Northampton. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Eight months ago, Parsons faced a second lengthy spell on the sidelines after breaking her leg during a sevens tournament in Cape Town. It was horrible misfortune, especially as it came so soon after suffering a broken fibula during Ireland's quarter-final defeat to Australia at the Olympic Games in Paris. Ireland's World Cup: limping to the start line or a golden opportunity? Listen | 28:38 Two leg breaks in one year. She missed this season's Six Nations but returned in July. There were some nerves. 'I think anyone that has suffered a big injury or a recurring injury . . . there is nobody who steps out onto the field – man or woman – in perfect shape,' she says. 'You are always carrying a bit of something. It's having the mental strength to be able to deal with that and silence any of those thoughts. 'There is also a piece surrounding trusting your gut as well. If people are telling you that you are fine and you don't feel fine and vice versa, you have to be able to distinguish what's real and what's not. That's a skill in itself. 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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
How Niamh Allen has combined motherhood with a sharp rise to the top of Irish women's distance running
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Any high-level athlete, full-time or not, is a team effort. And I heavily lean on my support network. I couldn't do it without them.' None of this was exactly planned either. Allen says her running pre-motherhood and pre-Australia was more of a social thing. She admits to 'probably going out way too much for an athlete'. [ Ian O'Riordan: How the teen phenom Cooper Lutkenhaus broke my understanding of athletics Opens in new window ] [ Conor Kelly follows Rhasidat Adeleke's path as he commits to University of Texas Opens in new window ] She ran a bit while studying at UCC, then after moving to Dublin joined Crusaders AC, further encouraged by coaches Michael McGovern and Susan Walsh. The plan had always been to spend some time in Australia. With that in mind, and once the pandemic cleared, she headed to Sydney with Will in April. 2022. The move helped reinvigorate her appetite for running. Especially in the early mornings. 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Ireland's Niamh Allen makes her way through the field at the 2024 European Cross-Country Championships in Antalya, Turkey. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho The early-morning trip to Dublin is more a once-off, as Allen is working in HR with IT specialists Nostra, based just a few minutes from her home in Cork city. Still, everything about her day is based around flexibility 'Work are very supportive, and it's three days a week for now, up to four days when Lily starts creche, in October. The easy or steady runs, I would do a lot of those by myself. I can keep to my own pace, depending on how the day's going. So I throw on a podcast, keep to my own pace. 'In the training sessions, I try to meet up with the Leevale group, on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Because you'll definitely get pushed along in the group like that. But I'm always mindful of the need to be flexible. 'I suppose my whole family would be competitive. Like in Midleton, once I got in front of the men, there was no way I was letting them overtake me. That competitive nature is definitely in me. 'But next year, and long-term, it will be the marathon. All my coaches have said the marathon, and endurance, would be my strong point. Even if I do think I still have a bit of speed. But I'm definitely not a 1,500m runner. 'I do hope to give the marathon a good crack, and of course every athlete has the Olympics in their head somewhere as the ultimate goal. So I'll see how it goes next year, then maybe think about LA in 2028. Just putting that out there for now.'
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Watch: David Clifford adds another wonder score to his long list
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