
Former Louth players on mountain walk to raise funds for Irish Heart Foundation
Dundalk After Dark
The Argus
Today at 15:52
It could only be described as ideal conditions for a walk across the mountain when I made my way up to the Lumpers Bar in Ballymakellett on Saturday morning for the former Louth footballers fundraising walk for the Irish Heart Foundation.
The event, organised by Clan na Gael's Seamus O'Hanlon from Tullyallen is now in its fourth running where a group of men, fortunate enough to pull on the Louth Senor jersey, get together to help raise money for the IHF and Saturday's walk was to honour former county footballer Pádraig O'Neill who passed away in July of last year.

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


Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Drogheda confident of claiming Euro place despite uncertainty
Uncertainty over Drogheda United's place in the Uefa Conference League hasn't affected their players, according to assistant manager Daire Doyle. A first-ever FAI Cup success for the Louth club last November was decorated by qualification directly into the second round of Europe's third competition at the second round stage. That guaranteed minimum €525,000 windfall in prize-money and their participation in the draw on June 18 is in jeopardy due to rules around multi-club ownership. Uefa forbid clubs with the same owners facing each other in competition for sporting integrity purposes and the latest club in the stable of Trivela, Silkeborg IK, also recently qualified from the Danish league. Crystal Palace are facing similar obstacles due to John Textor's stakes in Lyon and the American is prepared to sell his 25% shareholding to facilitate the first foray into Europe for the FAI Cup holders. That isn't so simple in the case of Drogs, who are 100% owned by the American investors. They recently purchased 80% of Silkeborg IK, outlining the difficulty of divestment. 'I'm confident we'll be in the draw and get to play in Europe because the club deserves it,' said Kevin Doherty's assistant Doyle. 'I know club officials travelled to Uefa and they have proposed a solution. We're all hoping for a positive outcome. 'If something was to happen all of sudden, to be honest it could be up in the air. We'll have to deal with that if it arises over the next week but I'm confident.' Doyle was speaking at the draw for the second round of the FAI Cup, which pits the holders against non-league Crumlin United. A yearly improvement in Ireland's European coefficient means this year's winners will enter the Europa League, guaranteeing a backdoor into the Conference and a minimum prize pot of €700,000. Drogs are currently second behind Shamrock Rovers at the midway point but Doyle admits the new Cup bonus makes it most favourable. 'I suppose it is because the league runner-up only qualifies for the Conference,' he admitted. Meanwhile, Cork City will face non-league Leicester Celtic – one of Damien Duff's former clubs - in the second round to be played on the weekend of July 20. Newly crowned FAI senior player of the year Robbie Brady helped conduct the draw and pulled out a Premier Division tie for the St Mochta's team his brother Liam is part of. Fresh from winning the Leinster Senior League on Wednesday night, they will travel to face Waterford. Munster Senior League outfit University College Cork are also on the road, taking on 2023 winners St Patrick's Athletic. Cobh Ramblers make the trip to Leinster Senior League opposition in Bangor Celtic, as do Bohemians against Killester/Donnycarney. The final will take at Lansdowne Road on November 9. In the Women's FAI Cup, holders Shelbourne face a tricky tie against Galway United while there's another top-flight clash between Cork City and Peamount United. Men's FAI Cup draw: Shamrock Rovers v Wexford FC Dundalk v Sligo Rovers Fairview Rangers v Shelbourne Kerry FC v Athlone Town. Cork City v Leicester Celtic. Finn Harps v UCD. St Patrick's Athletic v University College Cork. Salthill Devon v St Michael's Tipperary. Galway United v Tolka Rovers. Bray Wanderers v Wayside Celtic. Bangor Celtic v Cobh Ramblers. Castlebar Celtic v Longford Town. Killester Donnycarney v Bohemians. Waterford v St Mochta's. Treaty United v Derry City. Drogheda United v Crumlin United. Women's FAI Cup first round draw: Wexford v Bohemians Cork City v Peamount United Treaty United v Ferns United Newbridge Town v Whitehall Rangers Shelbourne v Galway United Athlone Town v Terenure Rangers Shamrock Rovers v Waterford Sligo Rovers v DLR Waves Ties to be held the week-ending June 29

The 42
2 days ago
- The 42
Farewell to the format that sought to give Gaelic football the showcase it deserves
THEY SAY DETAILS make perfection and perfection is not a detail. This may be football's summer of love but it will also be the last one to be played to this beat as the concept of incorporating a league structure to championship football ends the weekend after next. It is likely that not too many will mourn its departure given that the relationship developed between supporters and championship structures tend to be about as sustainable, deep and meaningful as the ball on a tee is to a high-handicap golfer. And just like the latter, when it inevitably goes out of bounds or enters terrain where livestock could be lost, there is always a brand new shiny one to be pulled from the bag. If you think we are exaggerating here is a stat to chew on: since the introduction of the qualifiers 25 years ago, next year will see the ninth change to the format. We have seen it all: a reduction in the qualifier rounds to facilitate the Tommy Murphy Cup, splitting the qualifiers in two to create schedule breathing space, the introduction of the Super 8s, the return of the retro straight knock-out compliments of a global pandemic, the return of the qualifiers to kill time, the introduction of the Tailteann Cup and, of course, the soon to be departed All-Ireland series league format. Those who argue that the GAA have spent a quarter of a century chasing its tail have their case strengthened by the fact that the latest incarnation feels more like a tribute band to the original headline act back in 2001, with the tweak that there will be a second chance to the second chance. Eight first-round games will see the winners hit a second round where they will play off for four All-Ireland quarter-final berths, while the eight first-round losers will play off to make it into a preliminary quarter-final, where they will face the four first-round winners who did not make it to the quarter-finals. We hope you understand, but perhaps it is best that you don't because there will probably be another one coming down the track someday very soon, so it is advisable not to get too invested. Armagh's win over Dublin guaranteed their place in the All-Ireland quarter-finals. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The one thing that has not changed are the provincial championships; a concept so flawed that they triggered the last quarter of a century of format meddling to try and bring balance and fairness to a system where there was none. Advertisement In truth, it is not quite right to say that they have not changed. In fact, they have become the antithesis of hiding in plain sight. They can't be missed to the naked eye, yet, in terms of their impact on the All-Ireland championship, they have never mattered less. In that way, they serve the best of both worlds – most pointedly given Louth's joy last month – but long-term, the game would be better served in their detachment as pre-championship standalone competitions. In the argument of geographical entitlement against sporting merit, the game as a competitive spectacle can only prosper when the latter wins out. And that is why as we wave off the league element of the All-Ireland series, we should do so with the expressed hope that we will see it back again some day soon. Because of all the format changes, it was the one that sought to give football the summer showcase it deserves. It was why the former GAA Director General Paraic Duffy came up with the Super 8s, inspired by the idea of importing the one competition that has worked – the Allianz League – to the summer to make up for a deficit in competitive and high-end games. The flaw in the Super 8s was that they were elitist, but that was always going to be addressed by ensuring that every team at every level would get to play games at their level. Cavan and Donegal are level on two points apiece heading into the final round of matches. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO The irony is that as we say farewell to the group stages after their third and final season, they have never worked as well. Practically every team has something to play for in the final round: Donegal, Mayo, Tyrone and Cavan all grouped together on two points; Galway, Dublin and Derry are vying for two knock-out places in Group Four; Cork/Roscommon and Louth/Clare have been distilled down to knockout games; while Kerry/Meath and Down/Monaghan are playing for direct entry to the quarter-finals. The irony is that had that happened over the past two seasons, there would have been no move to shelve the league series but the truth is that the format just got lucky this time. But when you neglect detail, all you have left to lean on is luck and the thing about luck is that it lends, it does not give. The initial decision to allow three teams to advance from each group – thereby playing 24 games to eliminate four teams – was always going to feed the public perception of a lack of jeopardy. It was done to ensure that 'dead rubbers' would not feature in the final round, but not only did that kill the intrigue of the round robin series, the promise that the Sam Maguire would become more accessible by merit was not delivered on. One of the hooks was that it would be linked to league status – which will also apply to the new format – offering the incentive for teams promoted from Division 3 a shot at playing in the Sam Maguire. Over the past three seasons, Westmeath were the only one out of six teams promoted from Division 3 to be rewarded with a place in the Sam Maguire, with those places being taken by a team of lower league status that reached a provincial final. For the past two seasons, Clare have reached the Sam Maguire by beating Waterford and Tipperary. Last year, they lost to Down in a final-round promotion decider by 11 points, yet by virtue of beating the 32nd placed team in the league, they took Down's place in the Sam Maguire. That most likely would not have happened had the GAA legislated for provincial councils for their draws to be seeded by league status. More to the point, at a Central Council meeting last September, a decision was taken that the All-Ireland league series was not fit for purpose, but a decision was made to keep it for one more year. It begs a question as to why they did need not at least seek to address the flaws that were so evident for this season? Why did they not cut the number of teams to two emerging from the group stages, thereby eliminating the need for the preliminary quarter-finals that demands teams play three weekends in a row and allow the All-Ireland play-offs badly needed breathing space? Why did they not seek to curb the threat of dead rubbers by not pre-determining the sequence of fixtures in the groups to ensure that the two opening round winners met in the second round? Indeed, given that the link between league and championship has not worked, had the four bottom-placed teams faced playing in two relegation finals with both Tailteann Cup finalists getting promoted, there would be no dead rubbers and there would be clarity 12 months in advance as to what competition teams would be playing in. Instead, by not digging deep into the detail, they have buried the future. The irony is that as the game has never been easier to look at, we will get to see less of it. Go figure.


Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Drogs must act fast to resolve Conference League conflict
Trivela's ownership of Drogheda United may have to be divested to prevent the FAI Cup holders losing their place in the Europa Conference League draw on June 13. Uefa rules debar clubs with the same owners facing each other in competition for sporting integrity purposes. An obstacle has arisen for Drogs due to Silkeborg IF qualifying from the Danish league for the same competition over the weekend. American investors Trivela possess both clubs within their multi-club stable – Drogheda's on a full 100% stake and their latest purchase, Silkeborg, with an 80% shareholding. A statement released by the Louth club on Sunday night offered no assurance of Drogs' first foray into Europe for 12 years proceeding, other than citing ongoing discussions with Uefa. Those talks will centre on the degree of control Trivela carry over each entity. English FA Cup winners Crystal Palace are also deadlocked in negotiations with the governing body due to a potential conflict with Lyon's entrance to the Europa League. American John Textor has stakes in each both Palace argue his minority 25% shareholding doesn't accord him stewardship of decision-making. He owns 41% of Lyon. Drogs must act fast to resolve the blockers because in such conflicts, precedence is given to the club which finishes highest in the league. Drogs qualified through the Cup, Silkeborg the league. FAI Cup runners-up Derry City are ineligible to replace Drogs as, according to the Derry Journal, they didn't apply for a Uefa licence.