Watch as 95-year-old Kerry man welcomes Sam to his home
It was Cian O'Connor, son of Kerry manager, Jack, who brought the cup to Pat and was able to capture what proved a special moment.
Pat pulled up a chair for Sam Maguire in front of a warm fire on a dreary August evening. He then took out the trusted accordion and played a tune in the presence of the iconic cup, and Pat's canine companion.
Visiting the homes of elderly Kerry supporters is part of tradition in rural areas of the county. This is done for a cohort of people for whom the highs and lows of Kerry football are recited at the drop of a hat.
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RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Man told he would never cycle again to take on Tour de Munster bike challenge
A Limerick man who was told he would never be able to cycle again is taking on the Tour de Munster bike challenge to raise funds for charity. Conor O'Dea went from cycling competitively to being paralysed from the neck down after an accident seven years ago. But tomorrow, he will begin the 640km bike tour around the counties of Munster. Sport has always been an important part of Mr O'Dea's life. He had been a Gaelic footballer in his youth and took up triathlons in later life. In August 2018, while training for a triathlon event, he was involved in an accident. "I ended up having an impact off the back of a van headfirst, and I was thrown out onto the side of the road. I was whisked away to the local hospital, and I was unconscious for three days," he said. Mr O'Dea had a spinal cord injury and at first had no movement in his body below his neck. While in University Hospital Limerick, some tiny movements returned, and he was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin. Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said he was determined to focus on gradual improvement. "I made a conscious decision that I just was going to think positive and not dwell in any negativity. There's no point in looking backwards, there's nothing to be gained from it, and there's no point in looking too far forward either, because the further you look into the future, the more negativity." Over time, more movement returned to both his upper and lower body. "It's all about little incrementals, and I'm happy with the incrementals. That's all that matters. That's how I survive." A triathlon friend contacted him to suggest he could get a custom-built trike adapted to his needs. With the help of a local bike shop and charities, the idea became reality. "The first time I got the trike, and I went out my front gate there and turned down, I could feel the wind in my face. And that was a real sign of wow, ok, you're back on the bike." "I never thought I'd get this feeling again. I'm not an emotional fish, but that was close to it. It was incredible." Mr O'Dea said it has been easy to stay positive with the "amazing" support of his family, friends and carers. Tomorrow, he will begin the 640km Tour de Munster bike challenge. The four-day event raises funds for Down Syndrome Ireland. Joining him on the tour this year will be his care team, headed by Paula O'Keeffe, Bluebird Care Limerick, who first met Mr O'Dea at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. "Conor is definitely unique. Conor was very positive, which I suppose is the most prominent thing," she said. "When I did meet him first, he did say I am going to walk again. So I said ok, let's try that. And it's just been loads of different milestones Conor has met and surpassed. So it's great to be part of that." Ms O'Keeffe had not cycled a bike in 15 years, but after meeting Mr O'Dea, she signed up for her first triathlon. "He said if you do the triathlon, I'll go and see you coming in on the finish line. Now I had to learn to swim before we did it, so that was a bit of a challenge. But I said, look, if Conor can do what he can do, I can definitely manage to learn." While dealing with his spinal injury, Mr O'Dea has inspired people to take up challenges and has raised significant funds for charities. But he wears those achievements lightly. "I do get told that by people that I am inspirational, but I don't see it as inspirational," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, I haven't changed. I'm the same Conor before the accident as after the accident. I'm still training, I'm just doing different training." "I won't say it's no big deal, but that's the way I look at it. Now, if people want to take inspiration from that, perfect. But I don't look at myself in that light at all."
The 42
19 hours ago
- The 42
'People say to you sometimes, ‘God, that must be awful' . . . I'm lucky'
IT IS A fact now that many young women and men with serious ambitions of having inter-county careers in Gaelic games choose professions conducive to pursuing that goal. You see lots of teachers. Not many self-employed. Few working in jobs with shift work at their core. Nursing is one of the worthiest professions there is, but its long hours, the night work, the physical and mental demands, don't necessarily align with sporting excellence, training, rest or recovery. But Eimear Hayes finds the balance suits her, working in the A&E department at Newry's Daisy Hill Hospital providing context when dealing with the so-called pressures of playing at the highest level, such as for Armagh's Glen Dimplex All-Ireland premier junior camogie final at Croke Park on Sunday, against Laois [throw in 1pm, live on RTÉ2]. Thanks to the understanding of management, who have clearly wanted the Tullysaran defender in their ranks, work has never gotten in the way of camogie except for one year – 2020 – and that was her own call. It was Covid times. As a nurse working in the eye of the pandemic, Hayes did not feel that she could, in all conscience, go from the ward to the pitch, no matter what precautions were being taken. The price of that selfless act was watching on a laptop as her colleagues won the All-Ireland title, against Cavan at Kingspan Breffni. Of course she was delighted for them, and there is not even a hint of regret now. Indeed, in the spirit of all healthy dressing rooms, she is slagged as a hex, having played in three other finals – 2016, 2021 and 2022, when the Orchard's finest failed to get over the line. She takes that in fine heart too, and was ready to put her shoulder to the wheel once more, even after losing to Clare and Tipperary by a point at the penultimate stage of the last two championships. 'The one thing you want to be doing at the start of the year is that you want to be preparing for an All-Ireland final,' says Hayes. Advertisement 'So it's a bit of a relief after the semi-finals, we've got to where we have planned to be. There's a good buzz. It was two years in a row we'd been beat in the semi-final by the team that's went on to win it. So it was 100% a big relief now to get over the line. 'It's funny, the girls joke with me about (the finals won and lost) but thank God, that was great, it was brilliant that they won it when I wasn't there.' The laughter is natural, not forced. There is more to life and she sees that most days at work. 'The hours are not great in terms of trying to manage playing camogie. People do say to you sometimes, 'God, fair play to ya,' or 'God, that must be awful,' but I'm like, no, because if I didn't have camogie . . . I'm lucky enough that I can play it because if I didn't have that release, and I think it's the same for everyone in sports, to be able to go from work, from that environment to, yes, training hard, but having the craic with 25 other girls, you genuinely forget about it. 'Och, I suppose it does put into perspective what you're doing. On the grand scheme of things, you might feel a bit tired, but you know what? Actually, you're really not that bad off. 'Management is great. And I suppose that's the very definition of manager and management but they're very, very good. And I have appreciated so much, they've been so accommodating. And I've never once been made to feel, 'Oh you're missing this or missing that,' they've always been excellent.' In action against Laois earlier this year. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO That someone of the calibre of PJ O'Mullan would come in as boss, just a few months after keeping Derry in the senior ranks, having stewarded the Oak Leafers' return to the big time, was a huge vote of confidence and another example, Hayes states, of the county board providing all they can to their camogs. She has relished the raising of the bar in all aspects but there was an impact, even before he came in. 'From the get-go, he's been incredibly professional, but he's been accommodating. He has basically pushed us to be better. He set standards maybe that, not that we're missing, but that we maybe didn't adhere to, or try our best to get to. In terms of training, he's not afraid to call us out which is an excellent thing. 'You go out every training trying to impress him, and every game, you try to impress them all — he has a great background team — because you know that they're watching. And they're not afraid to make changes. They're not afraid to make the hard calls. 'I suppose being a bit more high profile, for the younger girls, even me, there was a nervousness going out first night. You thought you really had to excel to try to impress him.' That is something indeed as Hayes is one of the most experienced members of the panel, one of five survivors from the 2016 group along with current captain Ciara Hill, Rachael Merry, Nicola Woods and Ciarrai Devlin. That is vital nous, given that there has been a huge turnover since last year, with she reckons, 13 players gone from 2024. That they have reached this stage is a huge achievement in those circumstances. The years roll by and she can't remember if it was a year or two before that she was called up. What is inarguable is that she turned 30 last month. Once more, the dressing room did what dressing rooms do. 'It took a bit of a while (to deal with it),' she jokes. 'I got a lot of grief from the girls. But you know what? They keep telling me it's just a number, but I don't know how I feel about that in the mornings after training!' This sounds like a very healthy, tight-knit group. You give it, you take it and you have each other's backs. Like any family. Hayes' focus on balance extended to going travelling with her partner in the latter half of 2022. Four months in southeast Asia, six weeks in New Zealand, six weeks in Australia and four months in South America. 'It was savage. And it definitely scratched an itch. I've had that period now and then you go straight back into focusing on camogie.' The Armagh camogie team. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Which brings her back to Croke Park. Win or lose, Hayes will go into work dealing at times with life or death, and know that there are worse things than losing a match and better things than winning one. And that the core of life is the relationships in them, and that she and her friends gave their all standing shoulder to shoulder. That said, you take your joy where you can get it and winning would be brilliant. 'I suppose from a camogie perspective, there's 26 other counties or whatever that won't feature in an All-Ireland final. And I suppose you do have to look at it that from that side of things, that you're the lucky one to be building up to it. You've trained since November to be in this position, to put yourself in with a chance of winning an All-Ireland. There's nerves and you'd love to get on with it but you have to enjoy it too. 'The men being in the football final last year, the buzz after that semi-final, for a whole county to share, the joy and the buzz and the excitement that came within then two weeks in the lead-up, was just unbelievable. Obviously this is not at the same scale but in my own club, everyone is talking about it and wishing you well. So you have to embrace it and get on with it.' *****
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
'If you have heart, you can move mountains': Ballyphehane emerging from the shadows
Paul McCarthy was speaking of his immense pride at the growth of Ballyphehane GAA over the years when he was briefly interrupted by a shout from the busy road adjacent to their clubhouse. After a quick glance, it becomes clear that the roar of 'Up the Barrs!' must surely have come from the young fella wearing the famous blue and gold shorts of St Finbarr's GAA, who are based a mere 1.6kms further down the road. So, this is what it's like living in the shadows of one of Cork's, and Ireland's, most elite GAA clubs. 'It's more a friendly rivalry than anything else. They have their club, and we have our club,' explains McCarthy, who has served 'The Hane' in pretty much every capacity over the last 48 years, despite an approach from the Barrs during his early days as a goalkeeper. 'I grew up just over the road. I was going to a local school, and I was asked to play for them, but, nah. I couldn't. 'Because this is our parish. This is where we come from, and these are our people, like. 'Of course, we want to beat them on the field but outside of that there's no animosity,' he insisted. But McCarthy is an exception rather than the rule as many others have opted to leave Ballyphehane in search of glory and perhaps intercounty recognition by joining one of the bigger clubs nearby. And it's not just the Barrs who have lured some of their young stars over the years with Colin Corkery initially representing Ballyphehane before heading to Nemo Rangers. And the rest is history. 'It's like every small club will say about the big clubs, it's hard to progress because the good players are taken at an early age,' continued McCarthy. 'There's a lot of players that would've started here and ended up out in the Barrs or Nemo, but that's the joys of it in the GAA and probably most sports, the bigger clubs have more attraction. 'But we survived, we kept going. There were times it was tough, but we just kept going and thankfully now we are beginning to see the rewards for that. 'We have a few from further afield at this stage ourselves but predominantly we're local and most of the people involved in the running of the club are local. It's more of a family effort than anything else. 'The whole ethos here is to try and keep Gaelic games going in our parish, and to provide games for the youth of our parish. 'We do that to the best of our ability. Maybe we might not always reach the heights that we want to, but we try. And we must be getting something right because our numbers are growing.' Ballyphehane GAA's Paul McCarthy and Timmy Walsh in the club gym. The hard work done behind the scenes was spearheaded by Billy Twomey, known locally as Mr. Ballyphehane, before his untimely passing in June. 'A great man,' said McCarthy of Twomey, who served the club in every department since the 1960s, including playing an integral role in Ballyphehane winning the City Junior B Hurling Championship title in 1979. 'You could stay here all day and talk about him. He just gave his life to Ballyphehane. 'He got married and moved out of the parish, but he never really moved out of the parish because he spent nearly all his time here. 'If his wife wanted to see him, she would nearly have to visit down here. He just lived for Ballyphehane; he covered every capacity in the club. 'Billy would be selling club lottery tickets inside of the church, he was just…he had his family, but we were his family as well.' Although Ballyphehane may still be struggling for massive playing numbers at underage level, they are on the rise elsewhere, having returned to minor action in 2023 after an eight-year hiatus while their hurling team have returned after a 13-year absence, thanks to Noel O'Callaghan and the county board assisting them in gaining use of Redmonds' pitch, which will also be used for camogie. The Green - their legendary home pitch which locals say they wouldn't sell for €50million - may not be deemed suitable to host hurling games but it does cater for girls' underage teams, a women's junior and two male junior sides, one of whom recently made history. Prior to their July triumph in the Confined Junior B FC final against Araglen - which sealed their place in the Junior A ranks for 2026 - and their Terence McSwiney Cup final win only a week later, this team's journey began with them plying their trade at the Junior C grade as recently as 2022. Their rise was rapid, but contained as much agony as it did ecstasy. Ballyphehane GAA Club, Tramore Road. 2022 saw them claim Junior C county honours against Freemount under the stewardship of Steven Buckle, as well as the Seandún JBFC crown after beating Douglas. Ecstasy indeed. Then came the agony. In 2023, Buckle almost spearheaded back-to-back county wins – and promotions – but they would fall at the final hurdle to St Oliver Plunkett's. A one-point defeat was hard to take. A year later, 2024, with Paul Mullins in charge, brought similar hope and near-delivery. After negotiating a tough semi-final contest against Clann na nGael, Goleen stood in the way. Determined to go one better this time around, some members of the squad decided to go for a swim and a sauna session the night before the match to loosen up. Unfortunately, the extra effort didn't pay off. Another narrow defeat to another West Cork outfit – this time after extra-time - meant Ballyphehane were forced to go again. Now under the management of Colm Barry, they would again pass the test of Clann na nGael in the last-four, and they duly dispatched of Araglen in the decider. The heartbreak of 2023 and '24 was now put behind them. For another long-time member, club chairman Timmy Walsh – who has seen the club go through all the ups and downs across his 60-year tenure, it was an occasion to remember. Walsh has spent 45-plus of those years as chairman. For such a figurehead, it was a momentous day. 'It was an enormous situation,' Walsh said. "We were sponsored a double-decker bus for the supporters that day. They got 80 people - I don't know how they got 80 people into the bus - but they got them into it anyway, and they went down to Mallow, and they had a great day out. Ballyphehane's Troy O'Sullivan drives past Araglen's Sean Motherway in the McCarthy Insurance Group Confined Junior B Football Championship Final. Pic: Jim Coughlan. 'When they came back, there was big celebrations. The lads came back here with the cup, and they marched up the road, up by the church, and up Pearse Road, up to Noel Murphy's, the local pub." McCarthy also remembers the celebrations fondly. 'It was very special; in a way we had to pinch ourselves to see that it was true. 'We went many a year where we couldn't even win a game out of the county Junior C, couldn't win a game at all. 'One year we played Beara, and they hadn't won a game for yonks, and they beat us and they said, 'thanks be to god we met ye!' 'That would tell you where we were in the Junior C County so for us to be winning Junior B County confined is massive.' Walsh was at pains to single out two individuals for their role in bringing back the good times to Ballyphehane in the last number of years. Owen Sweeney and the aforementioned Paul Mullins may have a few miles on the clock themselves, but as Walsh calls them, they are the 'new kids on the block'. 'Going back into the 2020s, the club ignited again… In the last four or five years, we have two lads I'd have to mention,' Walsh said. 'There's Owen Sweeney, he's a big driving force in the club, and so is Paul Mullins. I call them the new kids on the block. 'They are big assets to the club and they have driven it on relentlessly in the last four or five years, and that's why we're getting the success today.' So what do Sweeney and Mullins have that embodies the spirit of 'The Hane'? It's something that Walsh and McCarthy, among others, have shown over the years. Of course, Billy Twomey too. 'If you have heart, you can move mountains,' Walsh states. "That's what this club has. Total heart for the community, trying to get everybody involved in the area and outside the area as well. 'It's all about people, it's all about giving them something back.'
