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Irish Daily Mirror
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Meet the TikTok hurling wonderkid who hopes to one day line out for his county
A hurling wonderkid who has become a TikTok sensation hopes to one day line out for his county. Ben Smyth has dazzled social media users with his slick stick skills since his account was created last September. The 10-year-old from Meath plays as a half-forward for the U11s side at St Peter's Dunboyne and proud dad Niall declares that his small stature doesn't stop him from scoring. TikTok hurling star Ben Smyth Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Niall, who also plays for St Peter's Dunboyne, said: "Ben has always been tipping away with a ball since he could walk. "I realised he had a knack for hurling when he was really young - when he was able to hit the ball with one hand. He has really good hand-eye coordination. "He's always playing hurling and Gaelic football and he's always out practising. The hurl is never out of his hand." Niall said his son practices for around two hours each day, in addition to two weekly training sessions and weekend matches. Ben also regularly attends Niall's training sessions and matches with the St Peter's Dunboyne senior team. The proud dad said his son is a "force to be reckoned with" on the pitch before joking: "I don't want to give him a big head." He continued: "He's smaller than the other guys on the opposition team and his own team, but everybody says his heart is huge. He's well able and he gets stuck in. He scores plenty." Ben and his dad Niall Sport runs deep in the Smyth family. Ben's great-grandfather Brian Smyth captained Meath to the county's first All-Ireland football title in 1949 and his late grandfather Bernard also hurled for the county. Dad Niall added: "I'm so proud of him. I've been hurling all my life, and people probably think 'Jesus, I'm forcing him'. But we just let him do his own thing, and he loves it. "I don't mind what he's doing as long as he's happy and enjoying it. The GAA and sports in general are great for kids. I wasn't as good as Ben at 10 - that's for sure." Speaking about their viral success, Niall explained that Ben saw some hurling content on TikTok and decided to make some videos of his own. Niall set up a TikTok called ben_hurl to let others see his talent, but neither realised how big the reaction was going to be. Clips of him practising have since gone viral, with two videos reaching more than one million views. The account, which Niall manages, has nearly 10,000 followers. He said: "The views went off the charts, we didn't expect it." Ben chatting to reporter Danny De Vaal When asked about his TikTok success, Ben said: "It feels good, but I'm always pushing myself to do better and accomplish more. I'd love to play county." The youngster said his idols include Kilkenny veteran TJ Reid and rising Tipperary star Darragh McCarthy. When asked to give his thoughts on the recent All-Ireland Hurling final, which saw Cork lose to Tipperary after a disastrous second half, Ben said: "I think Tipp had a great comeback, Cork thought they had it won, but Tipp came back stronger." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Scottish Sun
27-07-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Kerry vs Donegal live stream FREE: How to watch GAA All-Ireland Football final without paying
The biggest match on the football calendar has arrived APPOINTMENT VIEWING Kerry vs Donegal live stream FREE: How to watch GAA All-Ireland Football final without paying Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KERRY will chase a record-extending All-Ireland Football final win TODAY in a massive match at Croke Park! Donegal are the team trying to stop the dominant side from a 39th title - and lift the trophy themselves for the first time since 2012. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Kerry are looking to win a 39th All-Ireland football final on Sunday 2 Donegal are standing in their way and hoping to win for the first time since 2012 Last week's All-Ireland Hurling final drew rave reviews from TV viewers as underdogs Tipperary stunned Cork in an absolute thriller. Fans will be hoping for a similar show on Sunday, with Kerry the heavy favourites to take the crown. There will also be a break from tradition in the match with BOTH sides decked out in the alternate kits for the final. With both sporting green and yellow colours, the GAA have confirmed that the two teams will wear a changed strip. That means Kerry will appear in blue and Donegal in white. Kerry have seen some mixed team news in the build-up to the game, with Tom O'Sullivan ruled out with injury but Diarmuid O'Connor back and available. How can I watch Kerry vs Donegal for FREE and is there a live stream? Kerry vs Donegal will be shown by the BBC and RTE. In the UK and Northern Ireland, it will be show live on BBC2. Fans can also live stream the action via iPlayer and RTE Player. In Ireland it will be shown on RTE One - rather than the usual RTE Two. That's because the broadcaster has made the decision to switch channels and avoid a clash with the Women's Euro 2025 final between England and Spain. Fans in the US can live stream through the GAA+ app or website. Alternatively, SunSport will cover the build-up and all the live action as it happens. When is the GAA All-Ireland Football final between Kerry and Donegal?
Irish Daily Mirror
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ronan O'Gara breaks character as he laughs about sport star's viral video
Ronan O'Gara has joined in the love for the viral video of Irish sprint star Sharlene Mawdsley racing down the streets of Tipperary. Mawdsley, a 400m track star, attended last weekend's All-Ireland Hurling final to watch her boyfriend Michael Breen help Tipperary to beat Cork and lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The 26-year-old Tipperary woman joined the celebrations to the extent that she ended up in a video that took social media by storm. In the video, the European gold medallist gave a man a head start in a road race down a Thurles street before powering clear at the line. And Irish rugby great Ronan O'Gara has been singing the praises of the video as Tipperary continue to celebrate their All-Ireland triumph. Talking about the scene on Off the Ball, he said: "How good is that? It's just so good. "Like lads, full to the gills with liquor, are going, 'I reckon 10 metre, 20 I'm telling you, you wouldn't beat her. I'm telling you that you wouldn't beat her. "And it ends up on the road! "You are watching and thinking, what is this fella doing? Like he's not racing anyone, then all of a sudden, bang." Mawdsley has poked fun at herself for the video, saying on social media: "Swapping the streets of Thurles for the track today" The sprinter and Tipperary defender Breen announced that they were dating at the start of the summer. As well as being part of a highly successful 4x400 women's relay team, Mawdsley has quickly become one of the leading 400m runners in the world.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Sharlene Mawdsley responds to viral street sprint video after All-Ireland win
Sharlene Mawdsley has joked that she is happy to return to the track after racing on the streets of Thurles while enjoying the All-Ireland Hurling celebrations. Mawdsley's partner, Michael Breen, was part of the Tipperary team that beat Cork in Sunday's All-Ireland final, and the Irish Olympian enjoyed the celebrations with the panel and their friends. And as the celebrations rolled on, a video circulated of sprinter Mawdsley racing on the streets of Thurles where she won comfortably, despite giving her competitor a head start. After a couple of days of well-deserved celebrations, Mawdsley shared a snap back on the track and poked fun at herself, saying: "Swapping the streets of Thurles for the track today" Sharlene appeared on stage with her partner, Tipperary defender Mikey Breen, and the pair were captured in a lovely photograph showing the two of them holding the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Tipperary player Michael Breen celebrates with his partner, Olympic athlete Sharlene Mawdsley (Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) Mawdsley and Breen have formed something of a sporting power couple in recent times, with the sprinter going 'Instagram official' with the Tipp defender at the beginning of the Summer. Mawdsley took to Instagram in the wake of Tipp's win, sharing a photo of herself with Breen on the Croke Park pitch along with the caption: "Proud of you every day, but that little bit prouder today." For Breen, it is his third All-Ireland title win, and has been a mainstay for the Premier County throughout his intercounty career. For the latest headlines and top stories from the Irish Mirror, visit our homepage
The Irish Sun
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
What happens if the GAA All-Ireland hurling final is a draw? Is there extra-time and a replay this year?
CORK are taking on Tipperary in a huge GAA All-Ireland Hurling final at Croke Park in Dublin. The match is 1 The All-Ireland final is underway in Dublin Credit: Sportsfile However, The Rebels have lost FOUR finals since they last collected the Liam MacCarthy Cup back in 2005 - including last year's showpiece where they were edged out by a single point. Cork now come up against who are trying to bridge a six-year gap themselves having not won the title since 2019. What happens if the All-Ireland Hurling final is a draw? Should the All-Ireland final finish as a draw then 20 minutes of extra-time will be played, at 10 minutes a half. Then if the match is still drawn the final will go to a replay. The replay is scheduled for two weeks after the final on Saturday, August 2. What has been said? Cork manager Pat Ryan - who lost in the bonus period last year - has been among those to criticise the finals going to extra-time. Ryan said: "It becomes a lottery [going straight into extra-time]. "We had fellas going down injured, we lost players during the game, Clare lost players – Shane O'Donnell went off, Peter Duggan went off. Most read in GAA Hurling "We lost Rob Downey, we lost Seamus Harnedy and Niall O'Leary. It's just a bit of a lottery. "A replay would be the fairest but look they were the rules coming into it, we had planned for it, we had spoken about it. "Going forward, I think it's a thing that the GAA should change."
