The Indo Daily: DJ Carey's Texas trips, Cancer Care and the Croke Park Conundrum
Going from fame to infamy, the sporting hero has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of deception after an alleged cancer diagnosis helped him extract over €400,000 by duping generous friends and even tapping into wealthy circles in Texas during trips to Dallas – all the time he was chasing aid he didn't need.
Now the GAA finds itself at a crossroads as it prepares to honour him at this weekend's All Ireland Final.
Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Amy Molloy, Social Affairs Correspondent with the Irish Independent, and Colm Keys, Irish Independent GAA correspondent journalist, to look at the depths of DJ's deception and ask if the GAA - an institution built on community and trust – can afford to look the other way.
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Seán Moran: The FRC set out to save football but may also have rescued referees
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The impact of the various rule changes or enhancements has been well publicised, especially the solo and go with its tidying up of the flashpoints that occur when a free is awarded. READ MORE The penalties for disrespecting refereeing decisions are also severe – including the 50-metre advancement of disputed frees – and have had the predictable effect of discouraging and vastly reducing dissent and gamesmanship in interactions with referees, allowing match officials clearer minds and greater bandwidth to deal with the primary tasks of upholding rules. There is, though, more to the FRC's impact than the obvious starting point of penalising bad behaviour to the extent that it becomes unprofitable. There were also the methods by which the proposals were formulated in the first place. Speakin g to The Irish Times on Saturday , Tyrone All-Ireland referee Seán Hurson strongly made this point. 'We've seen changes in the past where there was no consultation with officials and then, rules were maybe not implemented the way that some people thought they should have been implemented,' Hurson said. 'But this time, both FRC and the officials seem to be happy, based on our last meeting there a few weeks ago. They also took to heart different recommendations through the season, which was probably a direct result of some of the meetings. 'So, we felt as referees that we were being listened to, and issues that we were having were being addressed.' Coincidentally, on the same day Monaghan intercounty referee Martin McNally was making the same point to Colm Keys in the Irish Independent. Referee Martin McNally said referees have been able to bring concerns and recommendations to the FRC. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 'We have had Jim Gavin [FRC chairman] present at nearly every referees' meeting. We have had input and have been able to bring concerns and recommendations to the FRC. It's not a case that these things were being dictated to us,' he said. The easy-going give and take between the committee and referees allowed issues to be resolved without difficulty. This was useful in implementing the stipulation that only captains could speak with the match official. Hurson felt that restriction was a bit of a straitjacket because he valued talking to players, arguing that all referees knew instinctively the difference between genuine queries, particularly given the experimental nature of the rules, and backchat. Having sought clarification from Gavin, he was told that 'the communication was still okay'. [ Four-point goals and handpass restrictions: My experience of playing with football's latest experimental rules Opens in new window ] Maurice Deegan, the former All-Ireland referee and FRC member, who took charge of intercounty practice matches and wrote about for The Irish Times , observed that the knowledge of the new rules on the part of players was very good, often better than in respect of the original rule book. Deegan also said that the two-way communication illustrated genuine interest in the new rules and making sure they were properly grasped. This collaborative approach – administrators, match officials, players and management all pulling together – has been central to the success of the rules and their positive impact. It is true that the new measures are currently under the spotlight during club matches and a season of championships at those levels have yet to be concluded and analysed. It is also true that perhaps the full ordnance of managerial and coach analysis of the new dispensation has yet to be devised with a view to pressurising referees in whatever grey areas can be identified. Neither of these potential vulnerabilities have yet come to pass and the goodwill and co-operation that marked the first six months of the FRC framework have set a positive precedent, but there will be anxious eyes on how it is all progressing. Should the optimal evolution of either game be held back simply to bolster uniformity? Club players are, by most accounts, equally as happy with the FRC rules as their intercounty colleagues and that enthusiasm can help them to bed in this club season. One issue that is coming under strain is the growing disparity between football and hurling rules. Were the four-point goal, which was again trialled recently after being dropped at the start of the year, to re-emerge it would drive in the wedge between the games that little bit deeper. This is not altogether new. After all, in the late Joe Lennon's exhaustive 2000 study, Towards a Philosophy for Legislation in Gaelic games, he states: 'Since these games are completely different in form, it is not surprising that the first sets of rules were also quite different...' The hurling field of play (200 yards x 150) was more than three times the size of a football pitch (120 x 80) and the goals considerably larger (20 x 10 compared with 15 x 8) and playing time was 80 minutes, compared to an hour. Back on planet 21st century, the problem is practical. As Donal Smyth, Croke Park's manager of match officials put it, 'we have 40 per cent of our referees that do dual hurling and football, so one game going away from the other can be a big problem'. Nonetheless, should the optimal evolution of either game be held back simply to bolster uniformity?
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
‘Women can do whatever we want… we don't need to go to college' – Laois Rose Katelyn Cummins named 2025 Rose of Tralee
Ms Cummins (20) from Ballyouskill on the Laois-Kilkenny border was crowned after two nights of festivities in the Kingdom. Katelyn is the first Laois Rose representing to take the title. Katelyn was presented with her sash by the 2024 Rose of Tralee Kelly O'Grady just before11.30pm on Tuesday night. The electrical apprentice hopes to pursue an electrical engineering degree in the future. Raised on a dairy farm and involved in the local Macra branch, this fostered a deep sense of love for the outdoors for Katelyn. Speaking to reporters shortly after the show, she said she was 'just in shock' when she was announced as Rose of Tralee. 'I had my legs crossed, and I thought I was going to fall over, to be honest,' she told the Irish Independent. "I was just in shock. I couldn't believe it when they said Laois. I was like: 'Oh my God'. I was just thinking of my mum and dad straight away. I could see them straight away down in the crowd. I just wanted to give them a hug,' she added. Ms Cummins said her journey with the festival was 'such an unbelievable experience'. "It's so hard to put this experience into words to anybody who hasn't been involved in this. 'I just think I'm going to have an amazing year, and I'm so excited to see the adventures it's going to take me on and the experiences I'm going to create. I'm just so excited.' She added she 'absolutely loves' the fact that people are so interested in the fact that she works as an electrician. 'I think it's great to get the awareness out there that women can do whatever we want, and we don't need a stigma around it. "We don't need to follow tradition by going to college or anything like that. I think it's amazing that I can just share that as well. "I honestly have no idea what I'm going to tell [my colleagues], I'm just going to tell them that I've had the time of my life. I've made absolute best friends that I will have for life. I'm just so excited to take on this journey,' she said. While working in a male-dominated career, she said participating in the competition was 'most definitely' a chance for her to embrace her femininity. 'I would think I was my true self, most definitely, on that tour. I'm so excited to have 30 new girlfriends now, I just can't even put it into words. It's just been absolutely incredible.' RTÉ's Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas made the announcement live from Kerry Sports Academy at MTU to local and global audiences following two exciting TV nights. Over the course of both nights, viewers tuned in from countries including New Zealand, Mozambique, Canada and the United States. Katelyn was whisked away to the streets of Tralee for celebration, where she was presented to the town of Tralee and serenaded in front of the thousands of people that lined out for the Midnight Madness party and a fireworks display. As the 2025 Rose of Tralee, Katelyn will enjoy an extensive prize package that includes: a world travel prize valued at €25,000; a Kia Niro Plug-in hybrid for her year; a complimentary accommodation at the 4-star Meadowlands Hotel every time she returns to Tralee during her year; hair styling provided by Brush n' Blush during her year; and Kerry County Council will host the Rose of Tralee and a guest to a weeklong adventure break in the Kingdom 32 International Roses from communities across Ireland and around the world took part in the 2025 Rose of Tralee International Festival. Across five days, the International Roses, Rose Escorts and Rose Centres all enjoyed the superb hospitality on offer in Tralee and a whole host of street entertainment and festivity including parades, music events, as part of the Féile Trá Lí street festival which coincided with the Rose of Tralee International Festival.
Irish Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
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Die-hard Oasis fan goes viral after sneaking into Croker gigs by hiding in loos
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