Sarah Lavin stars in 100m hurdles but Ireland fall short in their top tier promotion bid at European Athletics Team Championships
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The Irish Sun
a few seconds ago
- The Irish Sun
President Michael D Higgins makes touching gesture to mark the retirement of Irish football legend
John Giles made astute points about football right up to and including his final media appearance PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has marked John Giles' retirement from punditry by heartily congratulating him in a lengthy statement. The former RTE soccer analyst opted to finish up with Off the Ball last month - thereby bringing the curtain down on a media career that had spanned five decades. 3 He'd been a weekly contributor since Newstalk's inception in 2003 3 Higgins will be bidding his own farewell when his second term as President ends in November Credit: Getty Advertisement 3 Higgins, 84, published an open letter hailing Giles' legacy in Irish football Credit: @PresidentIRL The Newstalk programme held a night in the Leeds United hero's honour at Dublin's Sugar Club on Thursday where they reunited him with several of his teammates from his time at Elland Road. In a further tribute to the great man, Higgins has issued an open letter in which he lavishes praise on the Dubliner for his esteemed playing career and his equally laudable second half as a pundit. He hailed: "It is with great warmth and addition that I offer my sincerest best wishes to John Giles. Advertisement "This is a moment to reflect on John's extraordinary contribution to the world of football, a contribution that spans more than six decades. Johnny Giles occupies a singluar space in the annals of Irish sport. "A player of extraordinary vision, composure and skill, he distinguished himself not only as one of Ireland's greatest ever footballers, but also as a statesman of the game, a man whose commitment to excellence, and to the spirit of the sport, has inspired generations. "From his early days at Manchester United to his iconic role in Don Revie's legendary Leeds United side, Johnny has represented the very best of the game, in its roots, in its performance. "Earning admiration for his footballing artistry and for the dignity with which he carried himself, John was a conductor in midfield; calm, visionary, and precise, a player who exemplified what football could be when played with thought and with elegance. Advertisement "He brought with him a rare intelligence and grace to the pitch, a level of technical mastery and footballing insight that set new standards for Irish footballers. "Off the field, John's impact has been no less profound. "Through his work as a broadcaster and pundit, his voice, always thoughtful, incisive and ever passionate, has been one of clarity, wisdom and fairness. Tragedy as former international striker Tendai Ndoro found dead at home as tributes pour in "He brought depth and dignity to the football conversation, speaking always with conviction. "For many of us, John was a trusted and treasured companion on countless evenings spent watching the beautiful game." Advertisement When explaining why he felt 2025 was the right time to hang up his microphone for good, the 84-year-old made a point with which football fans of all ages could relate. SATURATION POINT He reflected: "I always enjoyed doing it. But what I've found lately is that there's so many matches in all different competitions that I had to look at. "And really to do this job well you have to really watch all of the matches, you can't make it up as you go long. "So I think I was getting to the stage where it was getting a bit stale trying to watch as many matches as I could. "It became hard work and like, football has never been hard work to me. I've always loved it but there's so many matches - even in the summer now with this Club World Cup over in America. Advertisement "But I've had a good run of it. I'm nearly 85, I loved playing football, fell into working on the television then which I had no intentions of doing. So no complaints whatsoever from me." CLUB SANDWICHED IN This summer's Club World Cup was the most glaring example of a money-grab tournament being added to the calendar at a time when players are supposed to be recuperating during their off-seasons. But even the Premier League's expansion into having fixtures on Friday evenings and more mid-week slots means there's fewer and fewer days off for players and supporters alike. Throw in giants like Man United now going on "post-season tours" rather than pre-season ones and it's hard not to sympathise with elite players regardless of how well-paid they are. Thursday evenings will certainly be worse off without Giles' voice beaming out across the radio airwaves.
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Former Dublin footballer Michael Darragh Macauley steps down as CEO of Sanctuary Runners
The eight-time All-Ireland winner, who has worked for Dublin's Northeast Inner City (NEIC), took over from Sanctuary Runners' founder Graham Clifford a year ago. The former Dublin GAA star will conclude his time with the Sanctuary Runners in the coming weeks. 'I've had an amazing year at the helm of this very positive movement,' Macauley said. 'I've made the difficult decision to move on to other projects, but I am still very committed to the power of community integration through sport. 'Although I will no longer be Chief Executive, I plan to continue to show solidarity in my Sanctuary Blue and I truly value the great friendships I've made all around the country,' he added. Sharing the news on LinkedIn, he said it had been an 'absolute privilege' steering the blue ship for the past year. Sanctuary Runners was named 'Community Organisation of the Year' at this year's Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards under his stewardship. Anna Pringle, Chair of the Board of Sanctuary Runners, said: 'We have been honoured to have Michael Darragh as CEO during an exciting time for Sanctuary Runners where we have expanded our reach in Ireland and internationally. 'Michael Darragh brought a great understanding of community integration with him and built relationships throughout the Sanctuary Runners movement and helped us to grow. 'We wish him the very best in his future career.' The Board of Sanctuary Runners will now launch a recruiting process to appoint a new CEO.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
'They rescued me too': Meath man scales Carrauntoohil 15 times to help rescue dogs
Meath man Daniel Cooney is celebrating a significant milestone of raising €19,500 for rescue dogs in Ireland after completing his toughest challenge yet - scaling Ireland's highest peak 15 times. Cooney, who has a special love of dogs, is particularly passionate about bringing people and dogs together to help find new homes for rescue dogs. Having climbed all 275 Irish mountains over 600 metres (known as the Vandeleur Lynams list) last year and carried a door strapped to his back up Carrauntoohil earlier this year, Cooney wanted to challenge himself even further by testing himself physically and mentally. That's where the idea to scale Carrauntoohil 15 times to match the elevation of Mount Everest (8,848 metres) came from, naming the challenge 'Everest for Second Chances'. Over 42 hours, the avid hiker climbed to the top of Carrauntoohil 15 times in a row, which he described as 'a different type of challenge'. Daniel Cooney at the summit of Ireland's highest peak, Carrauntoohill, which he summited 15 times to match the same elevation gain as Mount Everest for his 'Everest for Second Chances' fundraiser supporting dog charities in Ireland. Speaking to the Irish Examiner about how he prepared for the challenge, he said: 'I am in the process of trying to complete every mountain in Ireland. There are 532, and I am currently on 363, so I spend a lot of time in the mountains. 'This gives me plenty of time to get ready for bigger challenges. There was no real way of preparing myself mentally. Just on the day, I knew what I was getting myself in for, so I just made sure to keep my mind focused on one climb at a time, rather than thinking of how many times I had left to go.' Speaking about how he found the challenge, he said: 'One thing I signed myself up for was to try and complete this challenge with no sleep, just for my own personal reasons. I managed to go about 36 hours with no sleep, but unfortunately, on the ninth climb at around 2am, the base camp we had set up, where all my supplies were kept, had been blown away and that forced me to come down from the mountain. 'I managed to get four hours of sleep then, which was a game-changer in terms of the rest of the challenge. I was absolutely blessed with the amount of support I had throughout the challenge. These people were the backbone of the challenge and also made sure I was 100% safe throughout the challenge. 'I am so happy to say it all went well, and the number of messages and people sharing the stories from the challenge is something I will always treasure.' Daniel Cooney pictured at the top of the Devil's Ladder section of the climb to the summit of Carrauntoohil (seen in the background). Cooney scaled the mountain 15 times over a 42-hour period. Speaking about his reason why, he said: 'I have always had a massive love for dogs. The big passion came last year when I climbed all the mountains. While doing this, I dedicated each mountain to a different dog in a different dog rescue. 'I learned so much about how many dogs get abandoned on a daily basis and felt like I wanted to do more to help. There are so many rescue shelters in Ireland, with so many dogs, all breeds and all ages. "I am a firm believer in everyone having to find a purpose in life, and I feel like these dogs are my purpose, and what keeps me going, so in some sense, they have rescued me, too.' Cooney recently founded Paws for a Purpose – a small community where people are invited to bring their dogs on walks and hikes. He said some volunteers who work in dog rescues also get involved in the walks by bringing along some dogs looking for their forever home. Daniel Cooney with his support team at the summit of Ireland's highest peak Carrauntoohil. 'The main plan behind all this is to bring people and dogs together to help find new homes for rescue dogs. So far, we have had five Paws for A Purpose walks. Combined with the three challenges I have completed, I have raised just short of €34,000 in just over two years,' Cooney said. A total of €19,500 was raised through the 'Everest for Second Chances' challenge alone, an amount that Cooney said is something he 'could never have imagined'. 'I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated, with over 700 people who donated, combined with people I know and people I don't know, together we have raised over €19,500,' he said. 'This is something I could never have imagined happening. As I always mentioned when doing these challenges, one of the hardest parts is to raise awareness and money. Daniel Cooney with some of his support team at their basecamp near the foot of the Devil's Ladder route up Carrauntoohil. 'Words can't describe what it meant to me to have the physical support throughout the challenge. Knowing there was always someone waiting for me at the end of each climb was a huge help mentally. 'Everyone was so kind, supportive, and just brought a different type of energy to the challenge. I would like to say a massive thank you to the lovely family who run the Carrauntoohil Coffee Hut; they treated me like I was their own. This is something I will never forget.' Cooney said his main goal now is to continue to raise funds and awareness for rescue dogs and to focus on building the community around Paws for A Purpose. As for his next big challenge, Cooney said there are a few ideas already coming to mind, but that he will wait for the right time and for his mind and body to be in the right place to be able to complete them. Those who wish to donate to Cooney's fundraiser for rescue dogs can visit the dedicated GoFundMe page.
