logo
London GAA team got ‘bad news' at Dublin Airport but ended up enjoying ‘stroke of luck' after Christy Ring Cup triumph

London GAA team got ‘bad news' at Dublin Airport but ended up enjoying ‘stroke of luck' after Christy Ring Cup triumph

The Irish Sun2 days ago

LONDON were crowned Christy Ring Cup winners on Saturday after victory over Derry in Croke Park.
A spanner was thrown in the works for the Exiles' celebrations as
2
London came out on top as 1-27 to 1-24 winners over Derry in Croke Park
2
The St. Gabriel's clubman delivered as manager of London
London manager Neil Rogers took to the
The London boss said: "You wouldn't believe the stroke of luck we got
"We were in the airport Sunday, 40 of us in a queue ready to board a flight.
"Our flight was at 2:30pm on Sunday and the guy was there giving us our boarding cards, and he dissappeared for about five minutes.
Read more on GAA
"He came back and he said : "Lads I have bad news. We've oversold the flight. You can't go back, you've got to stay tonight.
"We were thinking lovely, bank holiday Sunday in Dublin.
"Thanks very much, no problem. We'll fly tomorrow
"They put us all up in a hotel, booked us all on flights again for Monday. Yeah it was brilliant, it was great."
Most read in GAA Hurling
'Unfortunately' for the Exiles, they had to stay in Dublin another night.
Derry beat London in the round robin stage but trailed London virtually throughout this time.
Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview -
Devine's 13th minute goal put three between them at that stage and was expertly taken.
Sean Glynn did the spadework with a powerful run through the centre before laying off to his left for Devine to volley home.
Glynn and Dylan Dawson added points to leave London still three clear at half-time, 1-15 to 1-12.
Thomas Brady hit the Derry goal, a bullet finish after a precise pass from John Mullan.
The Oak Leafers enjoyed their best period in the third quarter and briefly led at 1-20 to 1-19.
Eamon Conway came strongly into the game for them with four second-half points from play.
But London's six points in a row proved decisive and gave them a vital cushion in the home straight.
Still, Derry did have one last chance at the finish to score a goal which would have rescued a draw and forced extra-time.
Cormac O'Doherty drilled a free at the goal but London cleared the danger and took the silverware.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Leinster SHC final: Unflappable Kilkenny can contain the Galway bounce-back
Leinster SHC final: Unflappable Kilkenny can contain the Galway bounce-back

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Leinster SHC final: Unflappable Kilkenny can contain the Galway bounce-back

Leinster GAA SHC final Kilkenny v Galway, Croke Park, Sunday 4pm Are Galway becoming a bit like the three-card trick merchants? Every year is the one that's going to be different. Honest. It has been some resurrection for Micheál Donoghue's team to proceed from the vacuous display in Nowlan Park seven weeks ago to being quietly reinstated as contenders for this weekend. Kilkenny in Leinster finals have been a constant source of grief for the westerners since they moved into the province. One win in eight is the running total, allowing that in 2018 the first match was a draw and they eventually won after a replay. Nearly all of those were comprehensive defeats or spectacular self-infliction, like 2020 and 2023. There is, however, some logic to the Galway revisions. They caned a Dublin team that Kilkenny had laboured to put away and even if the Dubs were unfathomably poor two weeks ago, their opponents' vigilant pressing and tactical nous were influential in forcing that. READ MORE Goals are again an issue, in that of the six teams in the Leinster round robin, only Antrim managed fewer green flags than Galway but no side has hit more points. Of course, when Donoghue guided the county to the 2017 All-Ireland, they notably scored no goals in four of their five championship matches. This, predictably, isn't a concern for their opponents, who with 15 have top-scored in championship goals to date. The team hasn't been tweaked much, let alone overhauled, but Derek Lyng continues to get the most out of them. Injuries have stalked selections and Eoin Cody is missing again with hamstring trouble but TJ Reid perseveres and has bagged 4-22 in the last three matches, 3-2 from play. There was the now traditional reverse against Wexford on the last day but that was a dead rubber from Kilkenny's perspective. For that match, Lyng ran an experiment of Adrian Mullen at centre back. It may have been whimsy but presumably there was some level of curiosity as to how the unusual placing of an All Star front eight player would fare and how sustainable the attack might be in his absence. The challenge for Galway is how dependable their opponents are. Kilkenny are on a six-in-a-row in Leinster despite having hardly impacted on the All-Ireland championship during that time. They will turn up and play to a guaranteed level. [ Galway's Cathal Mannion only too aware of Kilkenny's extra-time threat Opens in new window ] They will be more attentive in marking Galway's players and not leaving the gaps that Dublin did nor yielding the same stream of turnovers. David Burke had an excellent match in Parnell Park and his distribution will be a key factor for them. Donoghue has a good record in Leinster finals, having won two titles in three years during his first tenure. They will press hard and in the repurposed Conor Whelan and the prolific Cathal Mannion they have All Star quality forwards in form. Kilkenny's consistency and application, however, look more persuasive. Verdict : Kilkenny Kilkenny : E. Murphy; M Butler, H Lawlor, T Walsh; M Carey, R Reid, P Deegan; C Kenny, J Molloy; J Donnelly, A Mullen, B Ryan; S Donnelly, TJ Reid, M Keoghan. Subs : A Tallis, P Moylan, D Blanchfield, S Murphy, K Doyle, Z Bay Hammond, F Mackessy, H Shine, L Hogan, L Connellan, M Murphy. Galway : E Murphy; P Mannion, Daithí Burke, F Burke; C Fahy, G Lee, TJ Brennan; S Linnane, David Burke; J Fleming, C Mannion, T Monaghan; C Whelan, B Concannon, K Cooney. Subs : D Walsh, D Morrissey, J Grealish, J Ryan, D Loftus, R Glennon, C Cooney, T Killeen, A Burns, C Molloy, J Flynn.

Tottenham sack head coach Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League win
Tottenham sack head coach Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League win

Irish Times

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Tottenham sack head coach Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League win

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur despite leading the club to Europa League glory. Postecoglou delivered on his promise of 'always' winning in his second season thanks to the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21st. It etched the former Celtic manager's name into the history books as only the third Spurs boss to taste European success and the first in 17 years to lift silverware – provoking an outpouring of affection from a previously split fan base. While the Australian divided opinion across two years in England and attracted criticism during a torrid 17th-placed Premier League campaign, his San Mames triumph appeared enough to earn him year three. READ MORE Postecoglou even delivered a mic-drop moment during a euphoric open-top bus parade in front of an estimated 220,000 people when he declared 'season three is better than season two', but chairman Daniel Levy had other ideas. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to replace Postecoglou, who departs only 24 months into a long-term deal following a rollercoaster ride in his first Premier League role. A run of eight wins from his first 10 league fixtures – despite the high-profile departure of Harry Kane – propelled Spurs to the summit but a sign of things to come was a thrilling loss to Chelsea in November, 2023 where several injuries occurred. Fifth place in Postecoglou's debut campaign still represented an impressive finish but cracks started to emerge during a 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City where some Tottenham fans were conflicted given a positive result would have put rivals Arsenal in the driving seat for the title. Postecoglou later acknowledged that he misjudged the mood, but further run-ins would follow. A slow start to the 2024-25 campaign was followed by Postecoglou's second season trophy claim and a strong run of form as Spurs emphatically defeated Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City. Guglielmo Vicario's fractured ankle in a 4-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium was quickly followed by serious setbacks for Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in a 4-3 home loss to Chelsea on December 8th. Further injuries meant Postecoglou was regularly without 10 players throughout a jam-packed December and January where Tottenham lost eight of their 11 league fixtures. The Carabao Cup provided solace until a 4-0 loss at Liverpool in the last-four, which meant it was Europa League or bust for Postecoglou. A last-16 tie with AZ Alkmaar was navigated and, while Postecoglou aimed a cupped ear celebration at his own fans away to Chelsea in April, he managed to get a sinking ship back on track to knock out Eintracht Frankfurt before Bodo/Glimt were thrashed in the semi-finals after supporters' responded positively to the Australian's call-to-arms. It was then all eyes on San Mames, where Postecoglou's bold second season declaration came to fruition. Brennan Johnson's first-half goal proved the difference as Spurs clinched a narrative-busting 1-0 win but euphoric celebrations in Spain, at an open-top bus parade and during a carnival final-day atmosphere were played out against a backdrop of uncertainty over the future of Postecoglou.

BBC presenter and GAA star shares heartbreak of miscarriages and failed IVF in powerful podcast discussion
BBC presenter and GAA star shares heartbreak of miscarriages and failed IVF in powerful podcast discussion

The Irish Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

BBC presenter and GAA star shares heartbreak of miscarriages and failed IVF in powerful podcast discussion

BBC sports presenter Thomas Niblock has opened up about the heartbreak he and his wife Kirstie have experienced through multiple pregnancy losses. The popular broadcaster revealed the couple have suffered three miscarriages. Advertisement 2 Johnny Glynn of New York revealed his personal heartache in a recent discusiion 2 Oisin McConville, Johnny Glynn and Thomas Niblock opened up on the GAA social podcast Credit: x - @thomasniblock He shared their emotional journey during an episode of the The conversation spurred former Gynn, who is based in New York, revealed that his wife Serena has endured failed IVF rounds and miscarriage heartbreak of their own. Glynn initially retired from inter-county hurling in 2020 after he had had enough of commuting from New York to play for the Galway senior hurlers. Advertisement read more on gaa He briefly returned for Galway 2024 under Henry Shefflin, before returning to represent New York. The player also represented New York in the Connacht football championship in their first-ever championship win against Leitrim in 2023. The 31-year-old captained New York to Former Armagh star Oisin McConville described the episode as a privilege to be part of as both men spoke candidly about loss and grief. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Before Glynn shared his experiences, Niblock opened up about nearly losing his wife during a pregnancy complication. He stated: 'It is not an exaggeration - my family and friends would know this - we were very close to losing Kirstie. 'That shapes you. When you go through something like that, your priorities change. You still want to have children, of course, but when you come that close to losing the person you love, that becomes everything.' He explained that while IVF might be a future option for them, they're still on the path of trying to figure things out with wife Kristie. Advertisement Tipperary GAA star 'had to do live apology on RTE' the day after cursing during All-Ireland interview - He revealed: 'She's a strong person with a good head on her shoulders,' Niblock said. 'But it's still heavy. I'd feel like a hypocrite not putting myself out there, even if it's a bit weird to talk about.' Glynn's experience echoed those sentiments. 'We've had miscarriages. We've had an ectopic pregnancy. We've done multiple rounds of IVF. 'We've just finished our fifth round of IVF transfers and they've all failed so far. Honestly, I don't know how we'll get there - but I know we will. Advertisement 'If one day we have healthy kids, I'll take all these tough years. We'll be fine because we've got each other.' He added that further heartbreak was watching his wife in pain. Glynn adeed: 'It's the one thing I can't fix. And that's a f*****g killer." The pair also reflected on moments where people casually asked them when they were having children. Advertisement Niblock recalled that he fronts up about the past heartbreaks. He added: 'To be honest, we've had three miscarriages.' 'Their face just drops. But I think that's important.' 'When you're in the middle of it, and you don't have kids - you're in a very different place. And the truth is, we don't talk about this enough. It's not normalised. And I include myself in that.' Advertisement He ended with an emotional message as he revealed some different paths that he and his wife may take. 'We're still clinging on to hope - and hope is a powerful thing. If that was gone, we'd start looking at other paths, maybe adoption or fostering, or accepting life without children. 'But whatever happens, me and Kirstie will have a brilliant life. As long as she's there - that's what matters."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store