Latest news with #CáitLynch
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Armagh even stronger with the return of Rian O'Neill
Armagh were already a force to be reckoned with, but the return of Rian O'Neill makes them 'even stronger now,' writes Darragh Ó Sé. But what about the fellas whose feathers might have been ruffled by his reappearance? 'Cry me a river, boys,' says Darragh . When this side has the chance to become the first from Armagh to retain Sam Maguire, 'do you want to sing a sad song or do you want to go after back-to-back All-Irelands?' That's them told. There might have been a tear or two shed in the Waterford hurling camp after their defeat by Cork last weekend ended their championship season even before summer arrived. Seán Moran reckons manager Peter Queally's suggestion that hurling follow football's example by having an All-Ireland series after the provincial championships might be worth a look. Gordon Manning, meanwhile, talks to Kerry captain Cáit Lynch about her second coming for the All Ireland football champions, following a spell living in the Netherlands, and Ciarán Kirk hears from Meath captain Aoibhín Cleary who's hoping to lead her county to their third All Ireland in five years before she sets off for Australia to play for Richmond in the AFLW. In rugby, Gordon D'Arcy looks at Leinster's desperate need to finish their season on a high , 'having morphed into the 'nearly men'', by winning the URC. 'There's one caveat. How badly do they want it,' he asks. READ MORE Munster's last URC trip to South Africa wasn't the most fruitful, ending in defeats by the Stormers and Sharks. They are, then, hoping for a happier outcome when they return to Durban to take on the Sharks again in Saturday's quarter-finals. Gerry Thornley talks to interim coach Ian Costello ahead of the game. And just to get you in the mood for this summer's Lions' tour, Luke McLaughlin reminisces about his trip to Australia in 2001 when the hosts recovered from losing the first test to take the series 2-1 against Graham Henry's side. Luke has a warning for Andy Farrell's current crew: 'Be warned: the Aussies still hate losing, and are sure to indulge in a spot of Lions-baiting, too.' In football, Gavin Cummiskey looks back on an English season that had a fair few more lows than highs for Irish players , to the point where there might be as few as seven of them playing in the Premier League next season. Caoimhín Kelleher will, more than likely, leave Liverpool in search of regular game-time, while Evan Ferguson's career is in need of a serous reboot. And in racing, the career of 'arguably the best stayer seen in Europe for decades' came to an end on Tuesday when Kyprios was retired after aggravating an old injury , Brian O'Connor hearing from his trainer Aidan O'Brien. 'He's been the most incredible horse, he had an incredible mind to go with his incredible ability,' he said of the two-time Ascot Gold Cup winner. TV Watch : TNT Sports continues its coverage of the French tennis Open (from 10am) and cycling's Giro d'Italia (from 11.30am) today, and at 7.30 this evening, TG4 has the under-20 All Ireland football final between Louth and Tyrone. Half an hour later, Chelsea and Real Betis kick off in the Conference League Final (TNT Sports 1).
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Returning Kerry footballer Cáit Lynch is living proof that a sequel can outshine the original
Cáit Lynch's second coming as a Kerry footballer is turning out to be quite the sequel – from Castleisland to Croke Park, via Amsterdam . The two-time All Star defender captains Kerry this season – 10 years after she last filled that role and about half a dozen since it looked like her days in the green and gold were over. Lynch, who made her Kerry senior debut in 2012, moved to the Netherlands in 2016 to work with Bord Bia . She soon got involved playing what was, essentially, recreational Gaelic football in Amsterdam. As the years drifted by, so did Lynch's hopes of playing for Kerry again. She also had a spell in Central America but then Covid-19 hit and Lynch found herself back in Ireland. It wasn't long before she was back in the Kerry dressingroom. READ MORE 'I thought the county days had passed me until Covid happened,' said the 32-year-old. 'I had to make the decision to leave for work (in 2016) so it was a very big decision at the time (to leave the Kerry panel). They put down a good few tough years as well when I was away, so I was lucky enough to come back when I did.' Lynch was on the pitch at the final whistle last August as Kerry beat Galway to win a first All-Ireland senior title since 1993. Kerry captain Cáit Lynch with the Brendan Martin cup at the launch of the 2025 TG4 All-Ireland ladies football championships. Photograph: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile The Kingdom are out to retain the Brendan Martin Cup this year with Lynch as team captain. She had previously captained Kerry to a Munster title in 2015. Fast forward a decade and she was official squad captain in Mallow last Sunday as they beat Waterford to win the provincial crown. Lynch is now Kerry's longest serving player and admits the retirement of Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh last December has left a void in the dressingroom. That hole, it can't be filled, but you look at the panel and you just have to work harder and try and keep her legacy going in terms of Kerry football — Cáit Lynch 'It's a hole that can't be filled. She was part of the furniture,' adds Lynch. 'We're just so grateful to Louise for the service that she's given to Kerry football and to ladies football in general. 'She has really become a face of ladies football. There are little girls growing up who want to be like Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh. We couldn't thank her enough for what she has done for ladies football. 'That hole, it can't be filled, but you look at the panel and you just have to work harder and try and keep her legacy going in terms of Kerry football.' So far, so good, as far as 2025 is concerned. Kerry won the Division One league title in April, beating Armagh in the final. Last week's Munster decider win means the Kingdom have claimed two of the three trophies on offer to them this season. The TG4 All-Ireland football championships were launched at Croke Park on Tuesday and Kerry are aiming to retain the senior title for the first time since their nine in-a-row run between 1982 and 1990. 'Thankfully things have gone well for us so far this year,' adds Lynch, who now works in Kerry as a sustainability consultant. 'I suppose at the start of the year we had a lot of changes with players leaving, retiring or taking a year out and we had a complete change to the management as well, so it's hard to know how the year will pan out. [ Meath captain Aoibhín Cleary focusing on championship despite upcoming AFLW move Opens in new window ] [ 'Those two weeks felt like two months': Kilkenny captain Katie Power reveals overwhelming toll of skorts protest Opens in new window ] 'But we were lucky that a really strong core of the team had stayed and I think that really helped with the transition from last year. 'You just never know how a season is going to go. We were hoping that we'd do well in the league, I think initially we were trying not to get relegated and then anything after that is nearly a bonus. 'We were hoping to do well in the Munster championship as well. We've been delighted with how the season has gone so far.' Kerry's Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh lifts the Brendan Martin cup after last year's All-Ireland senior football final. She has since retired. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Ultimately, the aim is to be back in Croke Park on August 3rd for the All-Ireland final. During the launch at the stadium on Tuesday, Lynch was asked what emotions spring to life on returning to the stadium. 'I'm just lucky to have so many memories of playing at Croke Park at this stage of my career. It's just such a wonderful place to be. 'There are a good few tough memories from here as well, but it's always just such a lovely place to be. I'm always just happy to be back here.' Back in Croke Park and back in a Kerry jersey. *The 2025 TG4 All-Ireland finals will be staged as a triple-header at Croke Park on Sunday, August 3rd, with the junior final at 11.45am, followed by the intermediate decider at 1.45pm and the senior final at 4.15pm.
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kerry quest for back-to-back begins as Galway eye All-Ireland title
The 2025 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Championships kicks into action this weekend with 33 counties aiming to get to Croke Park for finals day on Sunday, 3 August. The senior championship will commence on Saturday, 7 June with three fixtures, as Galway take on Tipperary, Kerry meet Mayo, and Meath face Armagh, with Waterford's clash against Dublin taking place on the Sunday. Defending champions Kerry, aiming for back-to-back titles and fresh from retaining their Munster title at the weekend, are in Group 2 alongside Mayo and Cork. Group 1 features Connacht champions and 2024 All-Ireland finalists Galway, Donegal and Tipperary, with Ulster champions Armagh, Meath and Kildare in Group 3. Group 4 contains Leinster champions Dublin, Waterford and Leitrim. . @MartyMOfficial heard from defending champions Kerry and some of the teams looking to take their title at today's launch of the All-Ireland Ladies Football Championships #LGFA — RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) May 27, 2025 Speaking at the launch of this year's championship, Kerry captain Cáit Lynch reflected on the joy of winning in 2024 having already lost on two occasions, and she believes that her side should be able to play with a bit more freedom as a result. "It was just a wonderful, wonderful day for us to finally get over the line after 31 years of trying and knocking at the door," Lynch told RTÉ Sport. "I suppose after losing two All-Irelands we started to wonder would it over happen for us. "This year there is a little bit less pressure but obviously the goal and the hope for us is to win another All-Ireland. "I can't wait for it to start, the championship has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years and there is nothing between the top teams at the moment. " There was a massive turnaround at the start of the year and 12 players left the panel, either retiring or taking a year out," she added, when asked about this year's panel. "But it's testament to the strength of the panel that we've been building over the last few years. "A lot of players have now come back in after taking a year or two out, the likes of Rachel Dwyer is flying at the moment, also Caoimhe Evans, Niamh Broderick. It's great to have players back that were team-mates a couple of years ago." Galway captain Kate Geraghty believes that her team are well-placed going into the competition, buoyed by the success of winning the provincial championship. " Everyone's aim is to get to the All-Ireland final. We have Tipp and Donegal in the first two rounds and hopefully get good performances there. I think after winning Connacht and then the league final everyone is buzzing," said Geraghty. " We have a lot of depth in the panel. From last year the Noones (Lynsey and Eva), Siobhán Divilly, Kate Slevin and Kate Thompson are back and a few younger girls are coming through." Dublin and Waterford find themselves in the same group this year and both sides are looking to improve on last year's performance in the championship. The Dubs won the Leinster and topped the group, however, they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage, losing by a point to Galway after extra time. "We weren't happy with our performance last year, so I think it's about redemption and just doing ourselves and the county proud," said Dublin captain Niamh Donlon. "Waterford put in a really tough fight against Kerry in the Munster final and Leitrim are intermediate winners, so there is no backing off, and while it's going to be tough, we're looking forward to the challenge." The Déise also made their exit in the last-eight stage, losing to Cork, and captain Emma Murray believes that her side have the momentum behind them to go further in the competition this year. "We had a fairly successful league campaign, and a fairly successful Munster campaign, so there is a bit of momentum there," said Murray. "A lot of us have been there for about ten years so we have a lot of experience at this level and we have a good group of younger girls who are getting used to the flow of things. "We'll take it game by game, and if you get top of the group, you're getting a home quarter-final, and if you're second you still get into the quarter-finals, which we got to last year, so this year we'll be hoping to go a step further, at least."
