Latest news with #All-IrelandFinal
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory Grugan felt like Armagh had 'something special' and wanted to go again
Rory Grugan was 33 when he helped Armagh land the All-Ireland title - but walking away never entered his head. It was a long and painful climb to the top with plenty of heartache along the way, including back to back Ulster Final penalty shoot out defeats and All-Ireland exits (2022/23). But the idea of 'One and Done' wasn't something the Ballymacnab playmaker entertained for a second. 10 months on from that famous All-Ireland Final win over Galway, Armagh are back in the last eight again and looking formidable. Their five point victory over Dublin at Croke Park at the weekend meant Kieran McGeeney's men not only topped the table for the third successive year, but they also made another piece of history. Armagh became the only side across the three years of the round robin series to qualify for an All-Ireland quarter-final with a game to spare. 'I think when you reach that pinnacle there might be a perception on the outside like, oh you'd walk away or whatever,' says Grugan, who hit eight points against Dublin. 'I was 33 at the time. It was honestly the opposite - where you wanted to go again. 'You felt like you had something special and that was Geezer's thing straight away. It's just the way he is. It's about driving it again and seeing where it can take us. 'No team in Armagh has certainly done it (back to back All-Ireland titles). It's obviously a very long way away to be talking about that type of thing. 'I suppose it's something that drives you, and we are at a stage where we are at an All-Ireland quarter-final and we'll just see where it takes us from there.' Grugan says Armagh can use all the experience they had from the good days and the bad ones. 'I think we are in a position where we probably were frustrated,' he says. 'You were in danger of being given a tag of not getting over the line in a close game, or nearly men, or whatever you want to call it. 'Then when you get there and you win that thing, there's definitely a sense of it taking a certain element of pressure off and it liberating you a bit. 'You know that you have that reliance on your experience to get over the line and to win that. 'That when it comes to it, you think that you've been here before. That doesn't mean that it's easy. 'If anything it's actually harder because you have teams that are coming for you now, but I suppose that experience stands to you. You'd like to think that it helps as the year goes on.' Grugan had an easy sell for his team mates in the huddle at Croke Park last Sunday as Armagh geared up for a first Championship encounter with Dublin since 2010. 'You are talking about being one of the older players,' he continued. 'I think when you know you are closer to the end in your career, you relish these things. 'I said after the game last week (win over Derry) I've never played against Dublin in a Championship game in Croke Park. 'I know it wasn't a sellout but I suppose playing into the Hill, the sun shining in Croke Park. I said it to the boys in the huddle before the game. 'This is why you play football. If you can't enjoy that, there's something wrong with you. It's obviously easier when you win. Those are the days you relish, so we'll be looking forward to being back here.' Grugan is playing as well as he ever has, conducting the Armagh attack and weighing in with scores and big defensive plays. 'I think you always have to try and improve,' he says. 'The minute you feel like you are the finished product you are in the wrong game. 'Even the new rules have rejuvenated it for me. You are looking for new things all the time. How you can get better and whether that's defensively or with your shooting and different things. 'There is so much of my game I would like to be better at. You'll come away after the thing (Dublin game) and it's all great, but there's so much I know from both the team perspective and even my own that you could do better. 'That's what high performance is. You are always striving for perfection. You will never get there.' The 34 year old French teacher says Armagh won't be treating the Galway game lightly, even though it's a dead rubber for them. 'I don't think at this level taking a step back or having some sort of mindset of not wanting to win a game is a good thing,' he continued. 'Momentum is a big thing. You have two weeks to Galway and two weeks after that to an All-Ireland quarter-final. 'So I think we are going to be really going after it. We just have to take it as a normal game. I know it's not do or die in the sense of we have already topped the group. 'There is talk about the boys that want their spot. Everyone is going to be pushing on, so I think everyone has enough pride in the thing to be saying they want to go on and win that game. 'It means you are going into a quarter-final with momentum rather than coming off a loss.'
Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Eoin McElholm's jawdropping scoring stats as Tyrone end Louth All-Ireland dream
With three All-Ireland under-20 football titles in four years the Tyrone conveyor belt is rolling at a serious pace again - and the others better watch out. More Sam Maguires seem certain to follow. The last time Tyrone had a run of underage success like this - 1997-2001 - landing two All-Ireland under-21 titles and two minor All-Irelands - we all know what happened. Stephen O'Neill happened. Sean Cavanagh happened. Conor Gormley happened. Philip Jordan happened. Kevin Hughes happened. Enda McGinley happened. Owen Mulligan happened. And we could go on Their talismanic leader from those sides, the late Cormac McAnallen, who passed away in 2004, captained Tyrone to win that 2000 All-Ireland under-21 title, just over 25 years ago. It's hard to believe the Tyrone captain passed away a quarter of a century ago, but his spirit was alive and well in Armagh City this evening. In Eoin McElholm Tyrone have an absolute gem. The Loughmacrory club man added another 2-4 from play in an All-Ireland Final to go with 0-7 from play in last year's under-20 final victory over Kerry and 2-5 in Omagh CBS' 2023 Hogan Cup Final win over Summerhill (Sligo). That's 4-16 from play in three All-Ireland finals, averaging out at just over nine points per final. Let that sink in. Talk about star quality and doing it on the big day. Tyrone fans will be praying they AFL snipers, who have already been in touch, don't come to pick off their prime assassin. McElholm had a Robin to his Batman at the Athletic Grounds this evening as Tyrone ran out 5-16 to 0-17 victors, or maybe McElholm was the Robin to Noah Grimes Batman. Grimes hit an unbelievable 2-6 from play as the dynamic duo shot 4-10 from play between them. Louth struggled to get a hand on the quicksilver pair to even foul them. And what an achievement for former Tyrone All-Ireland finalist and Ulster Championship winning player, Paul Devlin, to surpass Mickey Harte and Danny Ball's two All-Ireland under-21 triumphs and do it three times. Devlin said afterwards: 'The last three finals we've turned up in the final.' That was exactly it. Tyrone looked entirely at home with the occasion where Louth looked jittery, and it wasn't that they played poorly. Their midfield pair James Maguire and Sean Callaghan dominated the skys and scored some sublime points, but it was what happened on the ground that counted most. As soon as Tyrone got any measure of parity on the kickouts they made hay to run out 14 points victors. They were utterly ruthless. When Louth snatched at goal chances, Darragh Dorian blazing one gilt edge opportunity off the crossbar and Tyrone skipper Joey Clarke taking another off the line, Tyrone went straight up the other end and scored points. Those two incidents, both early in the second half, amounted to an eight point swing. Had Louth hit the net with both of them they would have been 2-13 to 2-9 ahead after 41 minutes. There can be no arguing with the winners though, and you'd fancy Tyrone would have mustered a response, so composed and well drilled were they, but that would have tested them. McElholm twice steadied himself, showing that rare poise that marks a player out, and rolled low to the corner of the net for goals. Grimes' finishes for his two goals were also coolness personified. Tyrone are doing some line in slippery as an eel inside forward man. For McElholm and Grimes see Darragh and Ruairi Canavan, or Darren McCurry. The small inside man is certainly back again with the three-up rule. And Tyrone made hay here with some outstanding defending and lightning quick breaks off turnovers that created acres of space for McElholm and Grimes to do their thing. The amount of Tyrone players who could use both hands and both feet to jink and weave in tight areas was notable too, as was their pace and athleticism. McElholm is a star in the making and plenty of others will follow the likes of 2022 All-Ireland winning under-20 captain Niall Devlin, Seanie O'Donnell and Ciaran Daly into the senior starting line-up soon enough. Devlin, Daly, O'Connell, and last year's All-Ireland under-20 winner Cormac Devlin, all started in last weekend's All-Ireland round robin victory over Donegal at Ballybofey. Louth weren't without their chances, with goalie Tiernan Markey having a couple of two point frees in the first half that tailed left and wide and those goal efforts. But Tyrone were operating on a different level and one that should have the others worried going forward.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland's best restaurant, cafe, pub and more named at Irish Restaurant Awards
Success was on the menu for acclaimed Cork eatery Dede at the Customs House, Baltimore on Monday as it took home the top prize at the All-Ireland Final of the 2025 Irish Restaurant Awards. The glitzy awards bash took place at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin, where over 1,000 of the country's top hospitality professionals, which included owners, chefs, managers and staff, gathered to celebrate the finest establishments in Irish food and drink. Now in its 16th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards - which have been dubbed Ireland's 'Food Oscars' - received a record breaking 165,000 public nominations for restaurants, cafés and venues across the country - the highest in the Awards' history. Prior to the night's splendour and opulence, regional events were held in Kildare, Cork, Sligo and Monaghan, where county winners across various categories were announced. From these winners, the All-Ireland winners were chosen. Taking home the top honours at Monday's ceremony was Dede at the Customs House, Baltimore, who were named Best Restaurant, while John Kelly of the Lady Helen Restaurant at Mount Juliet Estate was awarded Best Chef in Ireland. Renowned Chef Neven Maguire was also honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award recognising his contribution to Irish food and hospitality. You can check out this year's winners in full in the list below:
Irish Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Pat Spillane falls for hilarious sporting lookalike over social media post
Kerry football legend and former Sunday Game pundit Pat Spillane was led on badly by an X post comparing a Donegal footballer to a Premier League star. Spillane has had a long and fruitful career behind the mic, broadcasting on the Sunday Game for over 30 years, so perhaps he is excused the occasional gaffe. Appearing on the Indo Sport podcast, he spoke on the strengths of Donegal under Jim McGuinness after they claimed the Ulster football championship last weekend. The Forgotten County came on top after extra time in a barnstormer against Armagh which easily could have been, and may still be the All-Ireland Final come July. He then moved on to sing the praises of wing-back Ciaran Moore for his industrious performance before being taken off in the final. He continued on the merits of the player before making the fatal error, saying, "What did I see this week, he was with Brighton" He was undoubtedly led astray by a post online joking that the St Eunan's man was prized away from Brighton & Hove Albion due to the resemblance to Brighton defender Valentin Barco. It wasn't long before the error was caught, with many online finding the funny side of it. Barco is currently on loan at Strasbourg in Ligue 1 from Brighton, with the 20-year-old Argentine generally operating at left back. Spillane's experience undoubtedly puts the proof in the adage "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear", especially when you find it on social media.
The Irish Sun
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Dublin's reign of terror in Leinster SFC is finally over – but Meath will need to find another gear in final vs Louth
LAST weekend's Royal flush in Portlaoise showed that the days of Dublin holding all the aces in Leinster are finally over. After a 14-year reign of terror, the Dubs have come back to the pack. Advertisement 2 Meath manager Robbie Brennan after the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship semi-final win over Dublin Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile 2 Graham Geraghty of the 1999 All-Ireland winning Meath football jubilee team before the All-Ireland Final between Armagh and Galway Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile The prospect of winning a provincial title suddenly seems attainable for several counties. And that could revitalise the Leinster Championship just a year after it was labelled 'a shambles' by Colm O'Rourke after Meath suffered another hammering at the hands of their old rivals. But the Royals' wait for a Championship triumph over the Sky Blues Even with such a commanding lead at half-time, the Meath supporters in my vicinity were somewhat hesitant to even dare to dream. Advertisement Read More on GAA With Dublin set to be backed by the wind in the second half, the hope was that 12 points would be enough. It was only when I was out on the pitch afterwards that I got a proper appreciation of the strength of the breeze that was there. Nobody thought we would find ourselves that far ahead anyway, particularly when you consider how the Offaly game went. Ultimately Meath fared better against the wind than Dublin did, so they were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over by just enough. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football As the second half progressed, it became increasingly clear as they grew in confidence that this team was capable of hanging on. There can be no taking away from the magnitude of the victory and what it could lead to. Tipperary GAA legend reveals surprising difference between 'pressure' of playing for club vs county But my sense is that Meath may need to find another gear for the Leinster final. Overall it was a positive performance from Robbie Brennan's side, yet plenty of mistakes were made too. Advertisement And in the context of where they once were, Dublin are obviously a team in decline. BOUNCING BACK It has been said over the last week that the Dubs would have mounted a better comeback if the game had been in Croke Park. That is obviously hypothetical and I am not inclined to agree, simply because their display was just so poor. While they may no longer be living up to the standards they set while racking up All-Ireland titles over the last decade and a half, this is still a good Dublin team. When their injuries clear up, it will be interesting to see how Dessie Farrell's side navigate a difficult group in the All-Ireland SFC series. Advertisement But let it not be forgotten that the opposition were also dealing with injuries as Jack Flynn and Jordan Morris are important players for Meath too. The first Leinster final meeting of Meath and Louth since that controversial decider in 2010 — when Meath should have been beaten — promises to be something special. It is a game to be discussed in greater detail next weekend. What I will say now is that the significance of beating Dublin will be diluted if Meath do not become Leinster champions. Advertisement The players are well aware of that too. I congratulated Donal Keogan on the pitch after the game last Sunday and he said to me, 'The job is not done yet, Graham'. GOIN GAL THE WAY For today, Castlebar will be the centre of attention as Galway aim to win their fourth consecutive Connacht SFC crown. But after squandering it last year, this is a Advertisement While Galway's overall arsenal is formidable, losing weapons as powerful as Shane Walsh and Damien Comer would hurt any team's chances. The fear factor alone is considerably lessened by their absences. Walsh might not be in a game at all for 40 minutes but he has the talent to win it on his own with just a couple of moments of magic. Despite all of his injury problems, Comer issued a reminder of what he can do with a man-of-the-match display as he tormented Mayo in last year's final. Advertisement The bizarre decision to hold the draw for the All-Ireland group stages earlier this week has thrust both Galway and Mayo into something of a Catch-22 situation. The consolation prize for the runners-up will be a more favourable set of opponents in the Sam Maguire series, as the winners will have to face Dublin, Derry and the beaten team in the Ulster final between Donegal and Armagh. You would like to think that this has not presented any dilemma to either camp as the value of a provincial title should not be cheapened by the possibility of an easier route thereafter. My expectation is that both teams will go all out to put a marker down and land a blow to a rival by winning the game and getting the confidence boost that silverware invariably brings. Advertisement PROBLEM TEAM As for Clare's latest attempt to cause a shock in a Munster final, I certainly feel Peter Keane's men have the ability to pose problems for Kerry. The Banner will obviously be heartened by how close Cork ran the Kingdom. And However, when you can replace Clifford with a player of Seán O'Shea's ability, it outlines the size of the mountain that the visitors will have to climb in Killarney. Clare were within seven points at the final whistle in last year's decider in Ennis. Advertisement I will be extremely surprised if Kerry's margin of victory is narrower than that this afternoon.
