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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kildare just about see off Sligo's fightback
A windy afternoon in this roller coaster of an Irish summer led to yet another huge second-half turnaround this Tailteann Cup contest in Roscommon between Sligo and Kildare. In the end Sligo didn't quite complete their comeback from 15 points adrift against the Lily Whites, so it was Kildare who secured a home quarter-final in the competition and Sligo will instead have to play host to either Carlow, New York or Antrim next weekend in a preliminary quarter-final. For a Kildare side that is high on talent but equally afflicted with doubt and weak spots, this was a mixed bag of a performance. Concerns over their inability to score goals has been a feature all year long but the return of Daniel Flynn has certainly made a huge difference in that regard. The rampaging full-forward added 2-3 today to his 2-4 haul against Tipperary last time out, and even with Darragh Kirwan still absent, Brian Flanagan's attack looks a lot more potent with Flynn back in harness. Against that however must be considered their ongoing issues with two-pointers, as they only scored two in the first half, despite playing with a ferocious breeze that saw Cian Burke easily hit a couple of kickouts down to the Sligo 45m line. One of those was an Alex Beirne free for a 'breach', and that wasn't the first time Sligo were to pay heavily for that infringement. Late in the game when the 15 point lead was cut to two and Sligo had their opponents on the rack, another three-man-up breach allowed Beirne to kick a relieving point that stemmed the tide. Moreover, Flanagan will look at how Sligo took over at centre field for the final quarter, and how his side coughed up far too many chances. Wides from Alan McLoughlin and Lee Deignan were to prove crucial in the dying minutes, as was Cian Lally's refusal to pull the trigger from 45 metres out with time and space. Lally scored once in the game, a stunning goal that immediately lit a match under this contest. Daniel Flynn replied in kind, collecting a pass from Alex Beirne and scoring at the second attempt, after his first effort was parried by Aidan Devaney. Colm Dalton set up James McGrath for their second with Alex Beirne hammering the ball into the roof of the net for their third after 15 minutes. Crucially however, Kildare struggled to tack on enough points to really and truly put Sligo away. 3-11 to 1-7 at half-time was far from game over, though points from Callum Bolton and Flynn at the start of the second half added an extra few degrees of incline to the hill that Sligo had to climb, and when Flynn got on the end of a team move and finished to the Sligo net with his left ten minutes into the second half, the was soon to be pushed out to 15 points (4-15 to 1-9). When they sit down to reflect on the game, Sligo will regret that it took them so long to take meaningful bites out of that lead. With just 15 minutes remaining the gap was still 11, Sligo had yet to kick a two-pointer from play, and Kildare were picking off enough scores on the break to keep their Connacht opponents at bay. But in the modern game, no lead is safe, and three doubles in the space of five minutes, two from the boot of Pat Spillane, gave the crowd plenty to shout about in the closing stages. By then, Sligo had taken control at midfield where Cian Lally and Canice Mulligan were winning the kickout battle, and despite some touch-tight defending from Mark Dempsey, Niall Murphy seemed to be able to find the posts from all sorts of angles. With five minutes to play, Murphy lobbed up a shot and let the wind do the rest to reduce the gap to two points, 4-17 to 1-24. Kildare supporters might like to think that when the pressure was on, their side stepped up and did what was needed to see out the win. To those in attendance, it felt a lot more like Sligo had the chances, but they just didn't take them. In a Tailteann Cup where Kildare are the uneasy favourites, both of these counties have the talent to be contenders, but they have shortfalls they'll need to address too. Kildare: Cian Burke; Mark Dempsey, Brian Byrne, Harry O'Neill; Tommy Gill (0-02), David Hyland, James McGrath (1-00); Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Colm Dalton (0-03, 1tp), Alex Beirne (1-06, 1tpf, 0-01 45, 0-01 free), Ben McCormack; Ryan Sinkey (0-02), Daniel Flynn (2-03), Brian McLoughlin (0-01). Subs: Jimmy Hyland for McCormack (2), Niall Kelly (0-01) for Hyland (28), Callum Bolton (0-01) for Gibbins (half-time), Kevin Flynn for Bolton (49), Jack McKevitt for Gill (67). Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Paul McNamara, Eddie McGuinness, Evan Lyons; Brian Cox, Darragh Cummins, Jack Lavin; Alan Reilly, Patrick O'Connor (0-03); Cian Lally (1-00), David Quinn (0-02), Canice Mulligan (0-02, 1tp); Alan McLoughlin (0-02 frees), Shane Deignan, Niall Murphy (0-10, 1tpf, 0-02 frees). Subs: Luke Towey for McNamara (half-time), Ross Doherty for Lavin (43), Donal Conlon for Deignan (49), Pat Spillane (0-05, 2tp) for Reilly (49), Lee Deignan for Cummins (67) Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).
Irish Independent
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Daniel Flynn gets Kildare's Tailteann Cup campaign off to flyer in Tipperary routing
Two goals from Daniel Flynn and an Alex Beirne penalty maintained Kildare's winning start to the Tailteann Cup with a 14-point victory away to Tipperary.
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Tailteann Cup: Kildare put Leinster disappointment to bed, Westmeath blow Antrim away
Kildare bounced back from their Leinster semi-final defeat to Louth with a comprehensive victory over Leitrim in their opening Tailteann Cup Group One encounter at St Conleths Park. Alex Beirne was to the fore for the Lilywhites, landing 12 points as they cruised to a 0-36 to 0-11 victory. There was only two points between the sides with 27 minutes played but the home side finished the first half strongly to claim a 0-16 to 0-7 advantage. And it was all one-way traffic in the second period as Brian Flanagan's side got their campaign off to a winning start. In the same group, Sligo began the Tailteann Cup on a positive note as they saw off Tipperary in Tubbercurry. READ MORE The home side led by three at half time, 2-9 to 2-6, with Pat Spillane and Alan McLoughlin grabbing their goals, while Paudie Feehan and Sean O'Connor raised green flags for Tipperary. Tipperary did level up the tie in the second half but Sligo gained control and with Patrick O'Connor, Ross Doherty and Darragh Cummins adding points they finished up 2-15 to 2-10 victors. Waterford's Jason Curry. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho In Group Two, Laois proved too strong for Waterford at O'Moore Park. Jason Curry helped Waterford into an early 0-5 to 0-3 lead but Laois took control after with Cathal Lee, Mark Barry and Ronan Coffey among the scorers to put them into a 0-19 to 0-7 half-time lead. Laois were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over throughout the second half to record a 0-28 to 1-16 victory. Offaly also registered a win in Group Two with eight points to spare over Wicklow in O'Connor Park. Wicklow dictated things in the early stages to lead by three points but goals from Diarmuid Egan and Jack Bryant put Offaly into a 2-6 to 0-8 half-time lead. Offaly's Dylan Hyland. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho And Offaly managed to pull away in the second half with Jack Bryant and Dylan Hyland tagging on points. Luke Loughlin was in stunning form, hitting 1-17, as Westmeath blew away Antrim in their Group Three game in Mullingar. The opening quarter was well contested but Sam McCartan and Danny McCartan bagged quick-fire goals for Westmeath while Loughlin converted from the spot to leave it 3-9 to 1-10 at the break, the Antrim goal coming from Kavan Keenan. Matthew Whittaker accounted for Westmeath's fourth goal and with Loughlin on target with points they secured a 4-24 to 1-17 win. A strong third quarter was key for Limerick who claimed the spoils against London in Newcastle West in the other Group Three game. The Division 4 champions were slow to get going but gradually found their feet as the half progressed to lead 0-14 to 1-8 at the break. Limerick's Barry Coleman. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho With Barry Coleman and Ian Corbett notching points, Limerick controlled matters on the resumption as they ran out seven-point victors. In Group Four, Carlow produced an upset as they travelled to Brewster Park and returned with the win. Joe Murphy's side started the game brightly with the excellent Mikey Bambrick and John Murphy bagging early goals. Fermanagh did reply through a Conor Love penalty but with Bambrick and Kevin Murphy registering two pointers, Carlow went in at the break with a 2-9 to 1-7 lead. Joe McDade cut the gap back to two with a goal early in the second half for Fermanagh and with 15 minutes to go the sides were level. Carlow's Mikey Bambrick. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho However, Carlow were not to be denied and Bambrick netted his second goal as they ran out deserving 3-18 to 2-18 winners. Wexford produced a good finish to overcome Longford at Chadwicks Wexford Park. Goals from Sean Nolan and Mark Rossiter gave Wexford a 2-4 to 0-4 advantage midway through the first half but Longford rallied, and a Cathal McCabe goal helped them to a 1-12 to 2-7 lead at the interval. The contest remained tight after half-time, but two-pointers from Nolan and Niall Hughes pushed Wexford clear, sealing the win. Tailteann Cup Round One results: Limerick 0-25 London 1-15 Offaly 2-13 Wicklow 0-11 Laois 0-28 Waterford 1-16 Kildare 0-36 Leitrim 0-11 Wexford 2-24 Longford 1-18 Sligo 2-15 Tipperary 2-10 Westmeath 4-24 Antrim 1-17 Fermanagh 2-18 Carlow 3-18
Irish Examiner
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Beirne bags a dozen as Kildare put a scoring clinic on Leitrim
Tailteann Cup: KILDARE 0-36 LEITRIM 0-11 Alex Beirne scored 12 points as Kildare brushed off their Leinster Championship disappointment by strolling to the most facile of victories at a sunny Cedral St Conleths Park in the opening round of the Tailteann Cup. Any lingering hangover from the Leinster semi-final defeat to Louth was blown away as Brian Flanagan's men turned in an exhibition of shooting on a perfect evening for football. Kildare had their chances in that game against Louth and had shown a reluctance to shoot from long range in earlier games this year. Here, against admittedly weaker opponents, you could see their confidence grow with every point as they began to shoot with freedom. Beirne led the way with a superb display of free taking and long-range shooting but he was far from on his own with Darragh Swords and Ryan Sinkey sharing 12 points evenly between them. It wasn't quite all plain sailing though. After a blistering start when Kildare led 0-6 to 0-1 after 14 minutes, Leitrim showed that they weren't just in Newbridge to make up the numbers. Barry McNulty kicked an excellent two-point free and then when Keith Keegan scored in the 27th minute there was just two points between the teams, 0-7 to 0-5. That, however, just woke Kildare from their slumber and they took off on a run of 11 points in the next eight minutes of play, including a two point effort from Beirne. McNulty and Keegan scored the last two points of the half but Kildare still led 0-16 to 0-7 at the break. Leitrim could have fashioned a goal in the opening 30 seconds after the restart but the final pass to Keegan was just at the wrong height and he couldn't make the right connection. After that, it was one way traffic with Kildare completely dominating the tie. Their performance reach a crescendo seven minutes into the second period when the injury-jinxed Jimmy Hyland, making his first Championship start since 2022, set up Beirne for a two-point score and then he brilliantly converted from similar range himself a minute later. To their credit, Kildare never took their foot off their pedal and kept the scoreboard ticking over right up until the last kick of the game when goalkeeper Cian Burke converted a 45. The only thing missing from the Kildare performance was a goal but after scoring 36 points there was few of a Lilywhite persuasion complaining. Scorers for Kildare: A Beirne 0-12 ( 2tp, 2tpf, 3f), D Swords 0-6(1f) R Sinkey 0-6(1f), K Feely 0-3, J Hyland 0-3 (1tp),D Kirwan, M O'Grady, J McGrath, H O'Neill, N O'Sullivan, C Burke (1f) 0-1 each Scorers for Leitrim: B McNulty 0-6 (2 tpf, 1f), T Prior 0-2, K Keegan 0-2, R O Rourke 0-1 KILDARE: Cian Burke; Harry O'Neill, Mark Dempsey, Ryan Burke; Kevin Flynn, David Hyland, James McGrath; Kevin Feely, Mick O'Grady; Darragh Swords, Alex Beirne, Paddy McDermott; Ryan Sinkey, Darragh Kirwan, Jimmy Hyland. Subs: Rian Teahan for Kirwan, h/t; Brendan Gibbons for Feely, 44; Ryan Houlihan for J Hyland, 52; Niall O'Sullivan for K Flynn, 56-63 b/s), Daniel Flynn for Beirne, 59; Niall O'Sullivan for O'Neill, 66. LEITRIM: Daire O'Shea; Éanna McNamara, Donal Casey, Kieran Clancy; James Rooney, Mark Diffley, Jack Foley; Barry McNulty, Cillian McGloin; David Feeney, Keith Keegan, Tom Prior; Ben Guckian, Riordan O'Rourke, Darren Cox. Subs: Tom Hughes for McNamara, 47; Seán Harkin for David Feeney, 52; Ryan Bohan for Rooney, 63; Joe McGloin for O'Rourke, 65; Shane Finn for Clancy, 65. Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo)
RTÉ News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kildare show Tailteann intent with battering of Leitrim
Alex Beirne scored 12 points as Kildare brushed off their Leinster Championship disappointment by strolling to the most facile of victories at a sunny Cedral St Conleth's Park in the opening round of the Tailteann Cup. Any lingering hangover from the Leinster semi-final defeat to Louth was blown away as Brian Flanagan's men turned in an exhibition of shooting on a perfect evening for football. Kildare had their chances in that game against Louth and had shown a reluctance to shoot from long range in earlier games this year but, against admittedly weaker opponents, you could see their confidence grow with every point as they began to shoot with freedom. Beirne led the way with a superb display of free-taking and long range shooting but he was far from on his own with Darragh Swords and Ryan Sinkey sharing 12 points evenly between them. It wasn't quite all plain sailing though. After a blistering start when Kildare led 0-06 to 0-01 after 14 minutes, Leitrim showed that they weren't just in Newbridge to make up the numbers. Barry McNulty kicked an excellent two-point free-kick and then when Keith Keegan scored in the 27th minute there was just two points between the teams, 0-07 to 0-05. That, however, just woke Kildare from their slumber and they took off on a run of 11 points in the next eight minutes of play, including a two-point effort from Beirne. McNulty and Keegan scored the last two points of the half but Kildare still led 0-16 to 0-07 at the break. Leitrim could have fashioned a goal in the opening 30 seconds after the restart but the final pass to Keegan was just at the wrong height and he couldn't make the right connection. After that, it was one way traffic with Kildare completely dominating the tie. Their performance reached a crescendo seven minutes into the second period when the injury jinxed Jimmy Hyland, making his first Championship start since 2022, set up Beirne for a two-point score and then he brilliantly converted from similar range himself a minute later. To their credit, Kildare never took their foot off their pedal and kept the scoreboard ticking over right up until the last kick of the game when goalkeeper Cian Burke converted a 45. The only thing missing from the Kildare performance was a goal but after scoring 36 points there was few of a Lilywhite persuasion complaining. Kildare: Cian Burke (0-01f); Harry O'Neill (0-01), Mark Dempsey, Ryan Burke; Kevin Flynn, David Hyland, James McGrath (0-01); Kevin Feely (0-03), Mick O'Grady (0-01); Darragh Swords (0-06, 1f), Alex Beirne (0-12, 2tp, 2tpf, 3f), Paddy McDermott; Ryan Sinkey (R Sinkey 0-06, 1f), Darragh Kirwan (0-01), Jimmy Hyland (0-03,1tp). Subs: Rian Teahan for Kirwan, h/t; Brendan Gibbons for Feely, 44; Ryan Houlihan for J Hyland, 52; Niall O'Sullivan (0-01) for K Flynn, 56-63 b/s), Daniel Flynn for Beirne, 59; Niall O'Sullivan for O'Neill, 66. Leitrim: Daire O'Shea; Éanna McNamara, Donal Casey, Kieran Clancy; James Rooney, Mark Diffley, Jack Foley; Barry McNulty (0-06, 2 tpf, 1 f), Cillian McGloin; David Feeney, Keith Keegan (0-02), Tom Prior (0-02); Ben Guckian, Riordan O'Rourke (0-01), Darren Cox. Subs: Tom Hughes for McNamara, 47; Seán Harkin for David Feeney, 52; Ryan Bohan for Rooney, 63; Joe McGloin for O'Rourke, 65; Shane Finn for Clancy, 65.
