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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Paudie Clifford covers every blade of the pitch – and doesn't hold back in post-match chat
The changes in Gaelic football this season didn't only come with the new rules, or innovations, at play. For those watching on television, the diamond-patterned turf in Croke Park proved a distraction that took a bit of getting used to, although Joanne Cantwell on RTÉ One assured us the view from up high was quite different from that which the players would encounter at field level. Still, for those of us sitting on our sofas, not expecting an episode of Landscape Artist of the Year, it took a bit of getting used to, and that was only in the parade when Donegal for some reason decided enough was enough of marching behind the Artane Boys Band and took themselves away from the formalities of it all. Darragh Maloney referred to Donegal's abrupt departure from the parade as part of the 'mind games' in the psychological warfare that goes on between teams at All-Ireland finals. Kerry , though, stuck to the old ways and stayed true to tradition in marching behind the band until the death. READ MORE 'There's greatness in their DNA,' Sarah Mulkerrins over on BBC 2 Northern Ireland had told us upon Kerry's arrival on to the pitch ahead of the parade, while the Beeb's match commentator Thomas Niblock in his build-up essay had talked of how the players from Donegal and Kerry came from counties where football 'isn't just played, it's inherited'. Both RTÉ and BBC have evolved their prematch coverage of All-Irelands and their use of a corner of the now diamond-patterned pitch near the Nally Stand had Joanne and Sarah as their respective main presenters, each knowledgeable and bringing a mix of pertinent questions of their punditry teams with a little humour too for a match where there was a common consensus that the new rules had, as Philly McMahon put it, 'reinvigorated everybody'. Kerry's David Clifford and Brendan McCole of Donegal in action in the All-Ireland football final. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho In the build-up to the game, the BBC cameras brought us high into the premium seats where a number of award-winning actors – among them Douglas Henshall, Martin Compston and Chaneil Kular, who are all starring in The Revenge Club, a new thriller being filmed on locations in Ireland – were among the station's guests. 'I cannot believe I've missed [Gaelic football] my whole life,' remarked Henshall (of Shetland fame) with Compston (you know him from Line of Duty) marvelling at the lack of segregation among the supporters, which he described as 'mind-blowing'. The RTÉ lads, meanwhile, were hardly building us up for a game of the century or anything like that, with Peter Canavan being 'sceptical about a free-flowing game', while Tomás Ó Sé added: 'I don't think it's going to be a classic.' [ Kerry player ratings: The Clifford brothers star as Kingdom lift Sam Maguire Opens in new window ] So much for all of us with our popcorn and cups of tea settling in for a game where we wanted free-flowing football and drama, and hoping someone somewhere had a bit of revenge to add to the mix. By half-time in a game of, yep, free-flowing football dominated by Kerry, the BBC's Niblock seemed to tip his cap to what he'd seen from Kerry and especially to Kerry's chosen one. 'What do you say about genius?' he asked of DC, although the same could have been said about Paudie – whose energy levels should be harnessed for the national grid – and others as the game seemed all but done for. Former Dublin manager Jim Gavin working for RTÉ in Croke Park: 'Half-time is only a break in play, I think this is far from over.' Photograph: Morgan Treacy Hold your horses, or something like that, seemed to be the message coming from pitchside down below where none other than former Dublin manager Jim Gavin – the head of the Football Review Committee – had joined the BBC analysts. 'Half-time is only a break in play, I think this is far from over,' said Gavin. Jim was right until he was wrong. Donegal's fightback seemed to briefly hold out the prospect for a comeback akin to Tipperary's against Cork in the hurling but that never happened, and Kerry did what Kerry usually do when the Sam Maguire is within touching distance. [ How Tipperary capitalised on Cork's chronic lack of flexibility to take All-Ireland title Opens in new window ] 'It's amazing to see Kerry so excited about winning an All-Ireland,' remarked Mickey Harte on the Beeb, to which Niblock responded by observing – after so many pundits had foreseen a Donegal win – of Kerry that, 'the hurt, the anger, whether it is manufactured, a team can feed off it.' Indeed, over on RTÉ, Damian Lawlor had done what no Donegal defender had managed and only gone and nabbed Paudie Clifford, who seemed more charged up than he had been in his terrific performance throughout where he seemed to cover every blade of the diamond-patterned turf. Paudie didn't mince his words either in his chat with Lawlor. 'We did feel disrespected, being called a one-man team,' he said, with all the assurance of a big brother who knew the bigger picture. It's in their DNA, for sure.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
All-Ireland finals could move to August in 2027
GAA president Jarlath Burns says the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling finals could be pushed back to August from 2027. While the two showpieces games were traditionally played in September, they have been staged in July since 2022 as part of the split-season model. Earlier this year, Burns said the finals would not be moved to August in 2026, but a proposal to tweak the calendars could now be considered at Special Congress in at the launch of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship on Tuesday, Burns said: "Croke Park operates with regard to its priorities and how it does its business a year in advance. So, already, because we hadn't made a decision on that, August 2026 is taken up. That puts August 2027 into the mix."I'm around the country all the time, in clubs and counties every single day of the week, and the thing that I get most debate on are the timings of the All-Ireland finals. "And there is a school of thought that is saying that first and third weeks in August, leaving everything as it is, okay, first and third weeks in August."Burns, whose term as president ends in February 2027, also said he favours provincial finals being decided by replays. Cork beat Limerick on penalties in last weekend's Munster Hurling decider while Burns' native Armagh lost Ulster Football final shootouts in 2023 and 2024."I suppose that brings that into focus as well," added Burns."There are people who are very favourable towards the preliminary quarter-finals, but we will always be led by what the counties want. We decided that we would hold that particular one back."You don't have to talk to me above anybody else about replays and provincial finals. We've (Armagh) lost three now, two quarter-finals, on penalties. I would be very much in favour of replays where at all possible."
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Men's All-Ireland finals could be in August from 2027, says Jarlath Burns
Jarlath Burns believes the men's All-Ireland senior hurling and football finals could be played in August from 2027. Speaking on Tuesday at the launch of the 2025 All-Ireland senior hurling championship at the Faithful Fields in Offaly, the GAA president also admitted he would be in favour of drawn provincial finals going to replays instead of using penalty shoot-outs to produce a winner on the day. In April, Burns conceded there would be no alteration to the scheduling of July All-Ireland finals for 2026 as commercial arrangements are already in place for concerts at Croke Park next summer. But Burns, whose presidency ends in February 2027, would be in favour of bringing in a change that would see the hurling final played on the first weekend of August and the football decider on the third Sunday. READ MORE 'Croke Park operates with regard to its priorities and how it does its business a year in advance. So, already, August 2026 is taken up,' said Burns. 'That puts August 2027 into the mix. 'I'm around the country all the time, in clubs and counties every single day of the week, and the thing that I get most debate on are the timings of the All-Ireland finals. 'And there is a school of thought that is saying that the first and third weeks in August. 'You might have heard me saying that this isn't going to happen during my presidency. The decision might be made during my presidency, but it might not actually occur during my presidency. 'But I am certainly open to the first and third weeks in August from 2027 on. At the end of the day, we are a games organisation.' A motion to push out the All-Ireland finals could be tabled at Special Congress on October 4th. And Burns would also be in favour of replays for drawn provincial finals. Last Saturday's Munster SHC decider was won by Cork after a penalty shoot-out win over Limerick . Cork's Robert Downey lifts the trophy. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho A motion on reintroducing replays for deadlocked provincial finals was debated at this year's Congress but was withdrawn for further consideration after delegates discussed the pros and cons of adding games to an already congested structure. 'At the end of this championship, because it's a three-year phase, we're going to review all aspects of it,' added Burns. 'I agree with the split-season but I definitely think that any review should consider the possibility of replays, particularly in provincial finals. 'I just think that was such a game of drama [Cork v Limerick], it was just a pity the way it ended. The Armagh-Donegal Ulster football final could have gone the same way for the third year in a row, so I'm totally in favour of replays. 'You don't have to talk to me above anybody else about replays and provincial finals. We've lost three now, two quarter-finals, on penalties. I would be very much in favour of replays where at all possible.' However, to allow for the possibility of replays in this current format then something would have to be sacrificed and that might yet be the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. Currently, the Joe McDonagh Cup finalists play the third placed team from the group stages of the Leinster and Munster Championships. 'The counties themselves who would be in that position have always come back and said, 'No, this preliminary quarter-final means an awful lot to our team and our county, and we want to keep it.' 'If you do away with the preliminary quarter-finals there are advantages to that because you could stretch out the Joe McDonagh Cup and you could make that a longer competition. 'There are lots of considerations there but certainly I'd be open to doing whatever has to be done to get replays in for provincial finals. 'Whenever we used to have replays, people gave off to the GAA that we were just doing it for the financial gain. And now we have stopped replays to allow for the club season we're getting, not criticism, but debate over it. 'The GAA do not take these decisions lightly. They are all voted on. We're a very democratic organisation and if people want to change it, we'll be in favour of that.' The GAA has also set up a ticketing work group to examine the possibility of dynamic ticket pricing in the future. 'They're going to produce a report for us on our ticketing structure, on what works, what doesn't work,' said Burns. 'I just think if we can show imagination, particularly if you are in a situation in Croke Park where there's going to be 40,000 empty seats, let's prioritise filling those seats in whatever way we can. So that's the sort of things that they're looking at.' And Burns says no firm call has been made on the International Rules returning later this year given the possible impact it could have on the club season. 'We haven't really made any decision on that. We have a management meeting on Friday night and that's on the agenda. 'Personally, I would love to see the International Rules back, the players would love to see it back, but we have to be very careful about the consequences of bringing it back.'
Agriland
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Agriland
Irish Aberdeen Angus finals to take place at Ploughing 2025
The 2025 Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association (IAAA) All Ireland Finals are set to take place on the opening day of the 2025 National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The announcement was made at the AGM of the National Ploughing Association (NPA) today (Thursday, May 1), by the NPA managing director Anna May McHugh. She said: 'The NPA is absolutely thrilled to have such a prestigious livestock event coming to the Ploughing this year with upwards of 100 animals expected in this competition alone. Univet are again onboard as title sponsor and the All-Ireland Champion will secure the prestigious All-Ireland Championship Trophy – an eye-catching piece of silverware dating back to 1902. The competition is open to all pedigree-registered Aberdeen Angus animals in the Republic of Ireland and the numerous classes, including Junior, Intermediate and Senior Championships, aim to bring together the best of IAAA cattle from the best herds in the country. Whilst the All Ireland Finals take place on the opening day of the Ploughing, there is a full programme of events planned for 'Ploughing Week' in the Aberdeen Angus Tent including: National Youth Development Final, where young livestock handlers from a number of age categories will be doing everything from showing, presenting, stock judging, and interviews on Wednesday. A National Judging Conference, which will incorporate showing, etiquette, and basic-principle talks and classification demonstration addressing the basics of animal physiology, as well as senior judges giving countering arguments on ways they place line-ups of cattle also on Wednesday. Demonstrations showing qualities of Aberdeen Angus and Classification Demos on Thursday. Officials from the Irish Aberdeen Angus Association, including breed secretary Shane Murphy and president John Tait, met with members of the NPA recently on the De Cogan Aberdeen Angus Farm in Co. Cork to finalise details of the event programme before the National Ploughing AGM today. The NPA's exhibition team reported at the AGM that the exhibition arena spaces are 'filling up fast as the 'early bird' package is due to expire in the next few days'. According to the NPA: 'Stand prices starting for less than €1,000 allows many small companies a huge opportunity to sell, promote and network to hundreds of thousands of potential customers and many international buyers as well.' Ploughing 2025 will take place from September 16-18 in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
