Hugh Cooney gives Clontarf the edge over defending champions Cork Constitution to seal AIL final glory
The AIL trophy is on it's way to Castle Avenue as a Hugh Cooney-inspired Clontarf beat Cork Constitution in a tense final at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday evening.
The game was at a standstill until a bit of brilliance from Cooney broke the deadlock.
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The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ireland coach Denis Fogarty offers hilarious incentive to players ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup
Denis Fogarty followed in the footsteps of his older brother in more ways than one DENIS Fogarty has agreed to carry out 'forfeits' depending on how far Ireland get into the Women's Rugby World Cup. The Ireland scrum coach is a very hands-on coach and is not afraid to push both himself and the players in training. 2 The Women's Rugby World Cup kicks-off tomorrow and Fogarty's hopes are high 2 Fogarty's last forfeit lasted a lot longer than he had anticipated Fogarty likes to join in on the scrummaging in training, standing in as a hooker so he can give live feedback to his players. The former Munster hooker - along with fellow coach Larissa Muldoon - also took it upon himself to referee small-sided games in Ireland training. The intensity from the games and arguments over decisions takes a lot out of Fogarty and he has had to take a lie down after the refereeing. The 42-year-old also offers an extra incentive to his players by taking part in forfeits when the team achieve certain landmarks. Most recently Fogarty promised his team he would bleach his hair if they finished in the top three in the Six Nations last year. Having finished rock bottom of the 2023 Championship, Ireland finished in third place behind England and France in 2024. Fogarty stuck to his word and he let the players themselves bleach his hair for him. When featuring on the Indo Sport Podcast, the Tipperary native shared the hilarious story behind the bleached hair saying: "It stays on for so long, this is the problem. It took three months. "If that happens again I'll have to get it done professionally, they nearly burned the head off me the last day. Honestly, they did it inside in the team room, the table cloth was thrown over me. "Then it was Doro (Dorothy Wall) and Ruth (Campbell), got a fork and spoon and starting forking it through my hair. Everything you need to know about the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 "They added in this moisturiser which I didn't know, because I obviously don't bleach my hair. They were like 'we need to protect hair, your forehead and you eyes' and all stuff like that and I'm like 'yeah yeah yeah.' "So I let them do it and it was tinted moisturiser. Not only did they bleach my hair, when they took out the bleach they said 'we have to tone it now.' "But I am absolutely convinced the toner was about five years old, because after five minutes with it in my hair I thought my head was on fire. "So that's why I said 'you need to take it out now' because with the pain, I just couldn't stand it. "So they washed it in the ladies toilets in the hotel. That was it, then it just stayed for three months. It was great. So yeah let's do it again." GOING AGAIN The former Cork Constitution manager hasn't learned his lesson from the last time, as with a bit of peer pressure from those in the Mansion House he has set new forfeits for the upcoming World Cup. If Ireland beat New Zealand - which they achieved last September in Vancouver - in the AMEX Stadium, Fogarty has agreed to bleach his hair again. That was just the first of three forfeits the brother of John Fogarty - who is ironically the Ireland men's scum coach - agreed to do as if Scott Bemand's side reach the semi-final stage, he will shave his head. And if Ireland go all the way and record a historic World Cup win in England, Fogarty will get a tattoo as well as the other two forfeits. While piercings and live streamed full-body waxes were brought up as potential forfeits, the Rockwell College alumnus was happy to settle on these three.
Irish Examiner
2 days 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.
The Irish Sun
12-08-2025
- The Irish Sun
Kerry GAA icon wants ‘boring' All-Ireland final tradition ditched in favour of US-inspired alternative
Pat Spillane's biggest irritant may be an unpopular opinion among GAA fans 'SCRAP IT' Kerry GAA icon wants 'boring' All-Ireland final tradition ditched in favour of US-inspired alternative THE whole off the field spectacle of an All-Ireland final has been slated by a Kerry GAA icon. Pat Spillane is not impressed with the GAA's efforts - or lack of effort - in building hype and excitement for finals. Advertisement 2 Spillane's Kerry were the most recent champions of the Sam Maguire Cup 2 The 69-year-old is unhappy with the GAA's efforts around All-Ireland final day The eight-time Sam Maguire Cup winner might know a thing or ten about All-Ireland final day. Spillane compares the occasion to the off-the-field thrill and excitement the NFL will bring to Dublin next month. The Pitsburgh Steelers are playing the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland's first ever NFL match in Croke Park and Spillane believes the NFL will make a tremendous effort to create a great atmosphere and buzz for the event. When writing in his Irish Independent column, the nine-time All-star wrote: 'Surely for the biggest day in the Gaelic football calendar, the GAA could do better?' Advertisement 'America's NFL will be here in a couple of months. They're going to take over Dublin for the week. "They're going to have street parties. They're going to have fan zones. They're going to have marching bands. 'Surely to God, when it comes to the All-Ireland senior football final and the All-Ireland senior hurling final, the GAA could up its game? Instead, it's a box-ticking exercise. They're going through the motions. 'As for the pre-match entertainment. Surely to God we can do better than wheeling out the Scór winners from a couple of counties? Advertisement 'Having the presentation of the jubilee team in front of a couple of thousand people is an embarrassment and an insult. Half-time entertainment leaves much to be desired." While Spillane has plenty of complaints of the match day experience, he singles out one irritant which particularly bores him. 'We air our dirty laundry' - RTE pundit doesn't pull any punches in cutting verdict of Mayo GAA county board The former RTÉ pundit added: 'And that brings me to the speeches. Speeches in total at the All-Ireland senior football final took nine minutes. Too much – just hand over the cup. Because nowadays, the speeches are scripted. "Speeches in total at the All-Ireland senior football final took nine minutes. Too much – just hand over the cup. Because nowadays, the speeches are scripted." Advertisement There have been a number of iconic All-Ireland acceptance speeches over the years. From Anthony Daly's 'there's been a missing person in Clare for 81 long years' speech in 1995 to Donegal's Anthony Molloy 1992 speech - 'Sam's for the hills.' There's been some great moments. But recently speeches have been brandished samey, boring or repetitive by a lot of spectators. On many occasions it has been just a very long thanking session from both the GAA president and the winning captain with nothing particularly notable being said. Advertisement Spillane blasted: "They're scripted by the GAA president. They're scripted for the captain. They're boring. They're repetitive. You have to thank everyone in the audience. "Let's scrap the speeches, hand over the cup and celebrate. The GAA can do it."
