Kerry racer Darragh Crean has impressive Northwest 200 debut
The Tralee man finished in eleventh place in Derry
Kerryman
Tralee motorcycle racer Darragh Crean made an impressive debut at the North West 200 in Derry last week finishing in 11th place.
Crean competed in both the Supertwin and Supersport classes, riding an Elcofire-backed Aprilia and a Triumph prepared by DJ Racing. His result came in the second Supertwin race, his fourth of the meeting, on Saturday, riding an Aprilia sponsored by Elcofire Ireland.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy snubbed by Donald Trump ahead of Canadian Open
Rory McIlroy was overlooked by US President Donald Trump who praised Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler as the current cream of the crop in the golfing world. An avid golfer himself, Trump hit the links with US Open champ DeChambeau at his course in Washington, D. C. Although DeChambeau's bids at the Masters and PGA Championship fell short, he still holds the World No. 10 position. He triumphed recently at LIV South Korea, marking his first win since his victory over McIlroy at last year's US Open, which also represented his third title on the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. In the wake of their round of golf in the nation's capital last Sunday, Trump was all compliments for DeChambeau. Trump enthused: "He is a great guy, a great golfer. Probably the No. 1 now, him and Scottie [Scheffler] are rated at the top. We play golf a lot together. It is not a very pleasant experience for me. I always consider myself a reasonably long hitter. Then I play with him. I go home and my wife says, 'Are you as long as Bryson?' I said, 'Yeah, I am pretty close'. It is not close.", reports Belfast Live. Curiously, Trump didn't mention McIlroy when talking about top golfers, even though the Northern Irishman achieved the prestigious career Grand Slam with his Masters victory in April. McIlroy came out ahead of DeChambeau during their rounds at Augusta. The five-time major winner experienced a sweet comeback, having been pipped to the post by DeChambeau at the previous year's US Open. The LIV golfer is gearing up to defend his crown this month as the season's third major swings back to Oakmont. While Trump's allegiance may be up in the air, it's widely believed that DeChambeau is the frontrunner for his support. Their camaraderie dates back to DeChambeau's appearance on stage after Trump clinched his second presidential term. DeChambeau has even featured Trump on his YouTube channel for a round of golf, amassing 15 million views since its premiere last July. Speaking to the Times earlier this year, DeChambeau shared: "I've known him for more than eight years and we've developed a friendship." He elaborated on their rapport, saying, "It's been fun to get to know who he truly is rather than what people think and see of him. That's what we were trying to do when we had him on 'Break 50'." The golfer emphasised the non-political nature of Trump's appearance, stating, "We didn't make it political, we made it about golf and entertainment and raised a quarter of a million for charity. I try to keep space, but if he wants to play golf, we'll play golf. He's good with people he trusts."
The 42
5 days ago
- The 42
If PSG's dominant win was predictable, nobody thought it would be this enjoyable to watch
AND SO QATAR finally has its European Cup, and it was sealed with the greatest Champions League final performance since Barcelona left Alex Ferguson dumbstruck 14 years ago. Paris Saint-Germain struck Gulf oil in that very same year, from which point it was possible to foresee how they would win the Champions League in precisely this style, with the biggest winning scoreline in competition history and a rout so all-encompassing that all of Europe have been put on notice. But what was much more difficult to predict is that it would all be so. . . enjoyable. Seriously, Gulf-backed supremacy was never meant to feel so good to watch in the moment. And, truly, the football was glorious. Vitinha's reverse pass for Desire Doué to carve out the opening goal; the swiftness of the counter-attack for the second; Ousmane Demebele's impudent backheel for the third; Luis Enrique's jubilant touchline run before Kvaratskhelia even struck for the fourth; Senny Mayulu's shocked, wild-eyed celebration of the fifth. It would be wrong of us not to point out that these heady flourishes are the end goal of the sportswashing project; these weird, conflicted feelings is everything working as intended. So as right and proper as it is to acknowledge the underpinning motivations of the success, as you watch Luis Enrique bouncing around in celebration with his players like a giddy uncle, it feels a little churlish to be talking about it too. It was impossible not to be moved, too, by the banner unfurled by the PSG fans in tribute to Enrique's late daughter. Advertisement Nor can it be denied that Enrique has used his ample tools to build a magnificent football team. This began when the club acknowledged the fault in their stars, and once they rid themselves of their sedentary trio of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe, Enrique could build a hungry, hardworking team capable of executing his vision which would first discover and then fulfill its own awesome potential. Their ridding themselves of celebrity indulgence for the collective endeavour of locally-sourced youth is a seductive parable, and as ever with PSG, it's a tale not quite so romantic when you scratch beneath the surface. PSG's is still one of the most expensively-assembled squads in Europe: of their starting outfield players, only Fabian Ruiz cost less than €32 million. Seven of the 10 cost at least €40 million each. Inter Milan's Expendables just could not compete, as PSG swallowed them hole with their relentless pressing. Their hunger for work was evident from the kick-off, as PSG booted the ball directly out of play so everyone could get on with the business of working to get the ball back. Inter couldn't play their way through such ferocity, and so their best route up the pitch were larrups up to Marcus Thuram. Enrique exposed the flaws of Simone Inzaghi's 3-5-2 by telling his full-backs to use all of the space available to them, and it quickly paid dividends, as right-back Achraf Hakimi found himself unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box to tap in the opening goal. That goal was also a testament to the remarkable fluidity of Enrique's system. Enrique, like anyone incubated at Barcelona, is a loyal 4-3-3 man, but while he wants those positions filled, he doesn't mind who fills them. Hence the astonishing success of Ousmane Dembele at centre-forward: he has the license to pop up anywhere across the front line and often in deep midfield. Inter's brains were quickly scrambled by this movement. In the lead up to the first goal, centre-back Francesco Acerbi was befuddled by the fact he had nobody to mark, and so rushed madly out of position, which left space for Doué to be picked out by Vitinha and then square the ball for Hakimi. Inter had hoped to sit deep and spring forward on the counter attack, but that plan was in tatters after the hapless Federico DiMarco turned his back and deflected Doué's breakaway shot into the net for PSG's second. Forced to push up after the break, PSG picked off their high line with a breathtaking kind of brutality. After the third goal, Inter's final became a failed exercise in avoiding humiliation. At the end, PSG's joy was absolute as Inter's pain was brutal and unstinting. Inter at least had one straightforward emotion to endure. The rest of us watching on were left to fumble through all manner of competing feelings.
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Irish Independent
European IPO offers could take advantage of market stability
At least five sizable companies are considering a first-time share sale on regional bourses ahead of the traditional summer lull that usually starts around the middle of July, according to people familiar with the matter. German firms Autodoc SE, an online car parts retailer that's backed by Apollo Global Management, and medical technology group Brainlab AG could both tap markets within this period. Sweden's Hacksaw and Nordic Capital-backed NOBA Bank Group AB are also considering imminent offerings, said the people. In Portugal, Novo Banco SA continues to prepare for a possible IPO alongside talks about a possible sale, the people said. Majority owner Lone Star Funds has been holding discussions with suitors about a possible buyout, which could pre-empt a listing, Bloomberg News reported last week. Chief executive officer Mark Bourke said earlier this month an offering could take place as soon as June. Several of the firms have been holding detailed discussions with potential investors in preparation for possible IPOs, the people said. A renewed upswing in market volatility or disagreements over valuations could place many of the companies' plans for an IPO on hold, they said. Deliberations are ongoing and details of the potential offerings could still change, the people said. Representatives for Apollo, Autodoc, Hacksaw, Lone Star, NOBA Bank and Nordic Capital declined to comment. A spokesperson for Novo Banco referred Bloomberg to Mr Bourke's comments last week about the timing of a possible offering. ADVERTISEMENT A spokesperson for Brainlab said the company hasn't made a decision. 'Brainlab keeps all its long-term options open to explore possibilities to support the long-term growth and equity story of the company,' the representative said. A flurry of European deals could help fuel a global revival in IPO activity following a strong market rebound from the disruptions caused by US tariffs. Volatility in recent months led companies such as Stada Arzneimittel AG to delay their offerings, with regional activity slowing to a crawl in April.
