Latest news with #Cawley
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Jack Henry-Francis signing a 'real coup' for Shelbourne
Former Shelbourne midfielder Alan Cawley believes the club's signing of midfielder Jack Henry-Francis is a "real coup". The London-born Republic of Ireland youth international has previous experience of the League of Ireland, having been on loan at Sligo Rovers from Arsenal last season, particularly impressing in a match against Derry City which RTÉ soccer analyst Cawley was working on. Henry-Francis was also on the radar during the latter part of Arsenal's run to the 2024-25 Champions League semi-finals by being included in matchday squads for the then-injury hit Gunners - albeit he did not get any minutes. But after signing for Shelbourne at the weekend, the 21-year-old will now be a boost to the Dublin club as they look to bounce back in the league and navigate the European campaign. "You can see the smile across my face when you mentioned his name. This boy is a fantastic talent," Cawley told this week's . "And it's a real coup for Shelbourne to get him because I remember that night very well and he was absolutely outstanding up in the Brandywell against Derry City, who were obviously going for the league as well and Sligo Rovers not in as good form (at the time). "But he absolutely ran the show, he was brilliant. Not just in terms of getting on the ball and spraying balls around and running the game with technical ability. (But it was) his energy levels, he was involved in everything. "He was like an old-fashioned midfielder, doing a bit of everything but all to a very high level and a very high standard. Sligo midfielder Jack Henry-Francis, who is on loan from Arsenal, scoops the player-of-the-match accolade. 📱Updates: 📺Watch: — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 14, 2024 "So even when you look at that Shelbourne midfield at the moment, and it is quite strong - I thought JJ Lunney and Kerr McInroy played quite well at Windsor Park but they're fairly similar, both left footed, both like to sit deep and get on the ball and play a little bit, and then you have the attacking ones maybe Harry Wood and Ali Coote - I think he (Henry-Francis) is a mix of everything and he'll be a really good addition." A 1-1 draw against Linfield at Windsor Park last week saw Shelbourne win 2-1 on aggregate and advance to the second qualifying round of the Champions League. But the task will be daunting with the very seasoned Qarabag standing in their way, starting with Wednesday's first leg at Tolka Park. Joey O'Brien's side do have the fall back of the Europa League and Conference League should they fail to get past the Azerbaijani champions but if they are to get to a third round tie against either Romanian side FCSB or Macedonian outfit KF Shkendija, the home leg against Qarabag will be key. "I think for Shelbourne, if they have any chance whatsoever, they have to win the first leg," former Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk midfielder Richie Towell said on the podcast. "Even a draw at home, it's not really good enough. They're going to be going over to Azerbaijan (in the second leg), it will be an absolute nightmare of a flight getting over there, it's going to be 35, 36 degrees. It will be like a cauldron. "When I was at Shamrock Rovers, (Qarabag) was one of the teams that you think 'I hope we don't get them' because, one, you have the travel - absolute nightmare getting there and even getting back for your league games it's really hard - you have the weather; I remember we went over and played a match in Slovakia and like that it was 35 degrees and we were trying to warm up in a little corner of the pitch because it was shaded and when the game kicked off, we just sat in a low block the whole game. "So it was a nightmare. Shelbourne will be up against something similar. So if they have any realistic chance, they've got to go and attack the first leg. "Similar to against Linfield, they did, they came out really fast in the first leg. But as Alan said, they didn't put them away and they're not going to get half the chances that they did against Linfield as they will against Qarabag, and if they don't take them, they're going to be in for a really tough two-legged tie."
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Meet the top referee taking charge of his first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
Cawley has come to the fore this year having officiated at a number of important matches but on Sunday week will see him face his biggest test to date. A member of the progressive Sarsfields club in Kildare, Cawley has earned a reputation as a diligent, capable whistler who allows play to flow but is quick to intercede when rough play ensues. He took charge of the All-Ireland 2024 Senior Club Championship Final and has handled a raft of inter-county Allianz League and Championship fixtures since then. Next Sunday's All-Ireland decider will be his 30th Championship game and will see him get another feather in his cap. This year's provincial and All-Ireland Championships saw the busy Cawley take charge of several games involving Ulster teams. These included the meeting of Derry and Donegal, the Ulster Final featuring Armagh against Donegal and the Louth v Monaghan, Dublin v Derry, and the All-Ireland Quarter–Final between Kerry and Armagh. In the Allianz League, he refereed matches between Kerry and Donegal, Galway and Tyrone, as well as Down and Westmeath. His umpires on Sunday next will be Dave Coady and Lee Moore (both from Ballykelly), Eoghan Fitzpatrick (Nurney) and Johnny Farrell (Rathangan). His line umpires on the day will be Monaghan's Martin McNally and Meath's David Coldrick. Cawley's appointment for the All-Ireland Football Final is another significant boost for refereeing in the country as a whole particularly as the whistlers have been strongly in the spotlight because of their administration of the new rules which have transformed Gaelic football as we know it to a certain extent.
Irish Independent
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Kildare referee Brendan Cawley to take charge of All-Ireland senior football final
It will be the Sarsfields club man's first time taking charge of an All-Ireland senior football final, having made his senior inter-county debut as a referee six years ago. He officiated Kerry's All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Armagh last month as well as the Ulster final between Donegal and Armagh, which Jim McGuinness' side won after extra-time. He was also the man-in-the-middle for their provincial first-round victory over Derry. Monaghan's Martin McNally is his stand-by referee on the day, which will be Cawley's 30th championship game as referee. Kildare GAA lauded Cawley's 'dedication, consistency and composure' in a statement on X saying it was a matter of when rather than if he'd get the top job, having previously taken charge of the All-Ireland club football final in 2024 when Derry's Glen defeated Roscommon's St Brigid's. 'His dedication, consistency, and composure have long marked him out as one of the very best in the game, and it is fitting that he now takes charge of this prestigious fixture,' wrote Kildare GAA. Cawley follows in the footsteps of Sean Hurson who threw the ball-in for last year's decider between Armagh and Galway. He'll be the first Kildare man to referee the final since 2005 when Michael Monaghan took charge of Kerry's victory over Tyrone.
The 42
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Kildare's Brendan Cawley to referee the All-Ireland senior football final
KILDARE'S BRENDAN CAWLEY will referee this year's All-Ireland senior football final between Kerry and Donegal. The clash on 27 July will be the first senior showpiece that Cawley has taken charge of. A members of the Sarsfields club, Calwey was previously the referee for the 2024 All-Ireland senior club final, the 2023 Division 1 league final, and senior semi-finals in 2022 and 2024. Advertisement This season he has been in charge of Donegal against Derry and Donegal against Armagh in the Ulster championship. In the All-Ireland series he refereed Louth against Monaghan, Dublin against Derry, and the quarter-final tie between Kerry and Armagh. His line umpires on the day will be Monaghan's Martin McNally and Meath's David Coldrick. Martin will be the standby referee, and the Sideline Official will be Thomas Murphy from Galway. Also on duty will be Garreth Whelan, from Wicklow, who will be Hawk-Eye Official, along with Seán Laverty, from Antrim, who will be the Time Official. Cawley's umpires on the day will be Dave Coady, Lee Moore (both from Ballykelly), Eoghan Fitzpatrick (Nurney) and Johnny Farrell (Rathangan). *****
Irish Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man jailed for a spate of offences including the robbery of a German tourist
An 'endemic recidivist offender' has been jailed for a spate of offences in Dublin City Centre on three different men including a German tourist in his 60s. Patrick Cawley (35) of Plunkett Crescent, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault, theft and robbery. He has 127 previous convictions. When the German man pursued him, Cawley hid behind shelves in a convenience shop and then grappled with him while trying to retrieve his rucksack. In sentencing, Judge Orla Crowe described Cawley as an 'endemic recidivist offender' whose behaviour was 'reprehensible.' All the victims were male and in one case, a man had to have his jaw wired when Cawley and another man set upon him. The judge noted Cawley has a very significant list of offences but noted he had a life marked by 'endemic drug addiction'. She said she wanted to incentivise Cawley in dealing with his drug addiction and to facilitate his return to society. Judge Crowe imposed consecutive sentences totalling five years and three months. She suspended the final 12 months of that term, leaving Cawley with an effective jail term of four years and three months. It was backdated it for time spent in custody. The court heard a German tourist who was with his family on holidays, was on Aston Quay in May 2023. Cawley asked him for a fist bump and requested a cigarette but then stole the man's rucksack. The German man ran after him and said 'give me back my bag'. Cawley had gone into a convenience store in Westmoreland Street and hid behind the shelves in the shop. The injured party found him and grappled with him at the door of the shop. Gardai were later able to identify Cawley and he was arrested and interviewed. The German man made a victim impact statement - the injured party said he was shocked after the incident and suffered from anxiety and stress. 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 He also said he now has a fear of crowds and of travel. The man said he had an economic loss of €1,100 relating to having to cancel other parts of his holiday but the rucksack was recovered, the court heard. In another incident Cawley and another man punched a man in the face on Westmoreland Street, leaving him with a broken jaw. That man did not make a victim impact statement but a medical report stated he had an acute mandibular fracture consistent with punch to the face. The man's fractured jaw needed wiring, the court heard. Cawley pleaded to assault contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Under cross-examination Garda Robert Kennedy agreed with Declan Higgins BL, defending, that tragedy and adversity 'has visited his door more than once.' The court heard that Cawley's parents and his brother all died within a short period of time when he was 15. Gda Kennedy agreed Cawley was co-operative in interview and identified another party who was not before the court and was 'very upfront'. In another incident, a man was going home from the gym and was at a Luas stop on April 28, 2024 when he was mugged by two men and his wallet was taken. The men went towards Stephen's Green Shopping Centre and when the injured party caught up with them, both men were congregated around tents and denied having his wallet. One of the men said 'don't accuse me of stealing your wallet or I'll break your head open'. The injured party managed to cancel his card but an attempt had been made to tap it in a convenience shop. CCTV was taken from various locations and Cawley, who was then serving a sentence, was arrested on January 17, 2025 and brought to Pearse Street Garda Station where he indicated he had been involved in the robbery and said he 'was sick and he needed the money'.
