
Big-hearted ‘Kerry' police officer in Canada makes incredible ‘true to his word' ticket gesture to Donegal woman
And it all came after a chance meeting on the streets of Toronto,
4
Kerryman Conor Healy greets Donegal fan Claire O'Brien in Toronto
4
Bernese Mountain Dog 'Bruce' is just 11 weeks old and is all excited about Kerry's All Ireland football final clash aganst Donegal along with his teddy bear pal 'Sam'
4
Best friends Kelly Poff, Elsie McCoy and Kya Griffin flying the flag
Credit: Domnick Walsh Eye Focus info@dwalshphoto.ie
Letterkenny native Clare O'Brien was sitting in her car in traffic shortly after Jim McGuinness' team booked their place in the final at Croker by beating
The proud
The eagle-eyed lawman spotted the jersey, leaned in her car window and shouted 'Up
The brief encounter got the pair chatting — and, in a very Irish way, it was like they knew each other for years.
READ MORE IN GAA
Officer Conor's father Michael is from Ballylongford in Kerry and his mother is from
He chatted to the Donegal crew for ages before inviting them down to his station in
He even joked that he would try his very best to get Clare a ticket to tomorrow's
The pair
most read in the irish sun
Mum Connie McGranaghan, who previously went viral after posting about the brief roadside encounter online, said Clare was 'over the moon' at getting tickets.
And she said Conor could not have been more of a gent.
'TRUE TO HIS WORD'
Connie said: 'To think it all stemmed from a bit of craic when Clare was stuck in traffic. Conor has been brilliant and true to his word. I really hope they have a great time together at
'I'm delighted Conor has been able to come home to Ireland and see some of his family but just as long as Donegal win!'
But they are two of the lucky ones as Donegal's ticket allocation for the final today has been recorded as 13,748 — just 17 per cent of the total capacity for Croke Park.
Many clubs in the county have recently posted on
Donegal club CLG Baile Na nGallóglach said: 'The demand for tickets far exceeded our allocation.
'We have done our best to accommodate everyone.'
Kerry is also in the grip of a mad dash for tickets as supporters from the Kingdom desperately bid to be in Croker this afternoon.
FINAL HYPE
Around 60,000 tickets are ring-fenced for county allocations, with the remaining seats for the GAA showcase split between premium and corporate, season tickets, schools, Croke Park residents and even some for overseas.
The competing finalists receive the most significant share of that near-60,000 batch set aside for county allocations, with the rest going to all other county boards.
And
He told a podcast: 'It is difficult to get tickets and I understand the frustration and the anger.'
He said: 'The GAA that I was brought up in didn't have the corporate boxes. This is the world we live in. For the GAA to survive it is about money. I will say that the GAA do one good thing: everything goes back to the clubs.'
Donegal TD Pearse Doherty yesterday got behind his county by helping paint a mural with son Colm in Gweedore. But Bruce the dog and young fans Kelly Poff, Elsie McCoy and Kya Griffin, were already in their Kerry shirts.
Big Match Preview — See SunSport
4
Pearse Doherty, TD with son Colm painting a mural in Gweedore for the All Ireland final
Credit: Newspix
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Andy Farrell backed to lead the Lions tour of New Zealand
Andy Farrell's credentials to remain British and Irish Lions head coach for the 2029 tour to New Zealand have been endorsed by chief executive Ben Calveley. Farrell has steered the Lions to their first series triumph since 2013 with Saturday's 22-12 defeat by the Wallabies in Sydney the only loss of their nine-fixture visit to Australia. Even if their march towards the whitewash was conclusively halted at the final hurdle, the 50-year-old Ireland boss has presided over a successful tour notable for its results, squad cohesion, commitment to playing rugby and the character shown to win the second Test in the dying seconds. Planning for 2029 is already underway with Calveley promising a similar structure and number of games to the itinerary just completed, although the final midweek fixture will be looked at closely because of the disruption it causes to Test preparations. Farrell is the favourite to lead that expedition and Calveley suggests that the most coveted post in British and Irish rugby is currently his to lose. 'Andy's done an incredible job and I have really enjoyed working with him,' Calveley said. 'I go right back to when I first met him to offer him the role. You could see right then that we had made the right decision in appointing Andy. 'Since he has started full time back in December, he has brought a real focus to the operation which has ultimately resulted in success on the field of play. We will now give him a bit of time off. 'When it comes to our appointments for future tours, we will start the process in about two years and I don't think it would be right to comment on where it ends up. But certainly he has put himself in a very strong position, let's put it that way.' Australia entered the series ranked eighth in the world and their credibility as an ongoing Lions tour destination was at stake before the Suncorp Stadium opener. Their thumping in Brisbane was an inauspicious start, but at Melbourne Cricket Ground they went within 51 seconds of levelling the series before emerging emphatic winners on Saturday. The Lions won the series by an aggregate score of just 68-67 and their opponents led for more time across the three Tests. Factor in profits that are 'significantly higher than anything we've seen in the past' and it is clear that the Wallabies will continue to be adversaries for the elite of British and Irish rugby. 'I would absolutely envisage returning to Australia. I know there's been loads of speculation about whether that would be the case or not, but we've had a wonderful tour here,' Calveley said. 'It's 100 per cent our ambition to return and we would want the next one to be bigger and better than this one.' The Lions are seen as potentially being vulnerable to the proposed new breakaway franchise league R360, but Calveley insists their pulling power remains as strong as ever. 'You have seen these quotes come from players at every stage throughout the tour is that they remain absolutely committed to the Lions,' he said. 'We all know that we have our place in the calendar baked into regulation 9 and I wouldn't see that changing in the future. 'Our relationship with the professional game is better than it has ever been and I would see that continuing in the future.'


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Road bowling: Kelly Mallon underlines class with 12th All-Ireland senior title
Kelly Mallon captured her 12th All-Ireland senior bowling title with a consummate performance against Munster champion, Hannah Sexton, at Keady-Tassagh on Sunday. No superlatives could begin to capture Mallon's unique achievements. She has not only amassed a collection of All-Ireland senior titles that is never likely to be matched, but she has delivered them at a level that equally looks unattainable. She is not only the best bowler of her generation, she is indisputably the best Irish woman bowler of any generation. Sexton would have needed everything to align to take down Mallon. She was marginally off on a few shots and luck was not always her friend. She mounted a strong challenge, but the tiny margins turn into chasms when you take on Mallon. Her younger sister, Laura, garnered some solace for the family and Munster fans when she beat Jessica Hughes in the junior final. This was a close affair in the early stages. Sexton pushed clear in the middle and was two in front with two to go. Hughes then got a magical second last bowl around the last corner to bring the lead back to a bowl. In the senior final, Mallon's opening shot was well right of the sop, but it got a vital run up the hill. Sexton only beat that by 3m with a great reply. Mallon then played an absolutely brilliant bowl up the hill to the silver gate, which gave her close to a bowl of odds. Sexton cut the odds with a brilliant fourth shot and was a shade unlucky not to go out Twynam's with her fifth. Mallon punished her with a perfect bowl past the bend to go almost a bowl clear. She had luck when her next one came off the right bank and it went into the hollow to put her a full bowl in front. She followed with two extraordinary bowls to the creamery lane to jump two bowls clear. Sexton refused to accept defeat, in the face of some sensational throws from Mallon. She managed to get the lead under two with her great 13th shot to McCann's. That was as close as she came. The rest of the contest featured on the winning margin, which Mallon won that too with a great bowl to the creamery stand. In the junior final, Laura Sexton opened with a big bowl. Jessica Hughes completely misplayed her first one, but recovered to win the lead with her second shot. Sexton won the next two, but a huge fifth bowl towards the creamery lane had Hughes back in front. Sexton regained the lead with her next one and raised a bowl with a great eighth shot towards Gallogly's. They battled over those odds till Sexton edged close to two clear with a great 12th shot towards the bus shelter. She was given a late scare by Hughes' excellent bowl out the last bend, but she professionally deflected it.


Sunday World
an hour ago
- Sunday World
Summer of music in full flow as 30,000 revellers make pilgrimage to All Together Now 2025
It all comes together at Waterford Festival Recently crowned Ireland's Music Festival of the Year, the sixth annual event at Curraghmore Estate in Co Waterford sold out months in advance thanks to a stacked roster of musicians, DJs, comedians, artists, and even chefs. Summer An estimated 30,000 revellers have made their pilgrimage to the Déise since gates officially opened on Thursday afternoon — and it's easy to see why All Together Now is a summer staple for people all around the country. Shauna Lindsay and pals arrive in style The fun kicked off early on Thursday evening with some live sets to get the party started before most attendees arrived on site on Friday in a sea of Doc Martens and cowboy hats. With more than 20 stages to visit and over 400 performers to catch this year, it's a labyrinth of immersive experiences, but it's clear that Irish talent is the festival's keystone. Friday night saw Grammy nominees Fontaines D.C. draw thousands to the main stage fresh from their acclaimed Glastonbury performance last month. Their explosive set featured hits from their 2024 album Romance — highlights include encore songs In The Modern World and Starbuster — as well as older tunes from earlier albums Skinty Fia and Dogrel. And on Saturday evening, CMAT made her grand return to All Together Now after playing the festival in 2022. Like Fontaines D.C., she also played Glastonbury and Primavera in recent weeks on her festival tour, so was pretty warmed up by the time she hit the stage in Waterford. The 29-year-old pulled out all the stops for the droves of fans, belting out her latest single Euro-Country and teasing her upcoming album of the same name. We've also seen a stellar billing at the Jameson Connects: The Circle Stage, with dozens of artists from the Emerald Isle and beyond stepping out to showcase their talents at their captivating stage nestled beneath a canopy of trees. Music fans Donal and Meghan McDonald The energy has been infectious there across the weekend thanks to the likes of Birmingham-based rapper Kofi Stone and Belfast punk band Enola Gay, while Galwegian DJ Shampain kept the vibes going after hours with some ambient electronic tracks. But before the curtain closes on another year, we still get to hear from dancehall icon Sister Nancy, who was also recently revealed as this year's surprise secret guest at The Circle stage. She joins a stacked Sunday line-up featuring standout sets from Maria Somerville, David Holmes, Sloucho, and Curtisy. In between the jam-packed schedule of exciting musicians, there's been ample opportunity to get some R&R in the form of sauna yurt and hot tub experiences to yoga classes and meditation sessions. Survival However, most people appear to have opted for the fuss-free festival survival method of knocking back a Dioralyte and slouching back into their camp chairs as they get pumped for the final night of All Together Now 2025. And to top things off, Canadian superstar Nelly Furtado — ready to rock another Irish festival after an unforgettable set at Forbidden Fruit last summer — is bound to be one of the most memorable performances of the weekend. Here's hoping the rain stays off when she graces us with chart-topping hits Maneater and Promiscuous because the ponchos have (thankfully) been banished to the bottom of rucksacks so far. Music fans Michelle Connaughton and Lisa Coghlan News in 90 Seconds - Sunday, August 3rd