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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Extra trains added for Oasis Croke Park gigs but some might say to book early as they are likely to sell out
Thousands of people are expected to be on the move across the country to attend the long-awaited concerts. It comes as several Dublin-bound Intercity trains from Cork, Galway, and Limerick in the afternoon hours on Saturday and Sunday are entirely sold out. And as Irish Rail do not want to leave commuters standing at the station, in need of education on their timetables, they have facilitated extra trains to the capital and has encouraged passengers to book tickets early as remaining tickets are selling fast. Irish Rail told the Irish Independent: "We will have extra trains before and after the Oasis concerts on the Maynooth line, serving Drumcondra for Croke Park." The company has advised passengers to travel early and expect trains to be busy. Additional trains will be provided on Dart, Northern Commuter, and Intercity routes before and after the gigs. On Saturday, there is an additional 8am service from Cork to Dublin Heuston, and 10.15am from Waterford to Dublin Heuston. After the concert, there are two extra trains - 00.30am from Dublin Heuston to Galway, and 00.40am from Dublin Heuston to Cork, with connection at Limerick Junction for Limerick. Both trains are in the early hours of Sunday morning, therefore passengers are advised to look for tickets on August 17. On Sunday, there are four additional trains - 7.45am from Cork to Dublin, 10.45am from Waterford to Dublin Heuston, 14.15pm from Dublin Heuston to Waterford, and 00.40am from Dublin Heuston to Cork, with a connection at Limerick Junction for Limerick, with the last train departing on Monday, August 18. ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, Dublin Bus has 23 routes that serve Croke Park, such as: 15, 1, 6, 7, 7a, 16, 19, 27, 27a, 27b, 33, 40, 40b, 40d, 41d, 42, 53, 122, 123, 130, H1, H2 and H3. A spokesperson for the National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the organisation has attended statutory meetings in preparation for the Oasis concerts and has been consulted by event management company MCD, Croke Park and Dublin City Council. "We have worked with all transport operators: Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Bus, Transdev (Luas), Go-Ahead Ireland and Dublin Bus, who will all be supporting these events,' they said. 'For this and other large-scale events, we typically receive information from the promoter on regions where attendees live, which allows us to better plan transport services. 'We believe we have a robust transport plan in place to ensure that fans get to and from the Oasis concert series. 'Large-scale events such as this are usually announced many months in advance, so the NTA is in a strong position to work with event organisers and local authorities to cater for attendee transport needs insofar as we are able to, without impacting on our other services,' they added. After a 16-year hiatus, the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, announced last August they would perform together for the first time since the band's split in 2009. They will bring their highly anticipated Live '25 tour to Croke Park in Dublin for two sold-out nights on Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17.
The Irish Sun
09-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Louth GAA hailed for ‘classy gesture' to Dublin-bound Ger Brennan as they wish him success ‘except when against us'
LOUTH & PROUD Louth GAA hailed for 'classy gesture' to Dublin-bound Ger Brennan as they wish him success 'except when against us' LOUTH GAA were praised for their parting message to Ger Brennan after he was appointed as Dublin football manager. On Friday, Brennan was revealed as successor to Dessie Farrell, who stepped down after the All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Tyrone. 2 Ger Brennan was appointed Dublin football manager 2 He led Louth to the Leinster title in 2025 Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile In a statement, the Wee County wished their departed boss for when the two sides meet. It read: From all at Louth GAA, we wish our former manager Ger Brennan – who guided us to our historic Leinster Championship win in 2025 – the very best of luck with his native county Dublin. "Wishing you every success… (except when you're playing us) "We will be forever grateful for his work during his tenure as Louth boss "Beir bua agus beannacht Ger" Fans praised the statement, with one saying: "The wee county with a whole lotta class" A second posted: "Some sympathy for Louth, considering the big steps forward under Harte & giant step under Brennan,both lost to *Big guns' "Decent & magnanimous congrats by Louth GAA" A third commented: "Very gracious and classy!" and a fourth hailed: "Very classy from Louth GAA" Louth will be led into 2026 by new manager Gavin Devil and assistant Peter Dooley. 'Aged like milk on a windowsill in July' - Watch BBC's GAA pundits ALL predict Donegal to beat Kerry Meanwhile, Ger Brennan will take on the biggest challenge of his still young management career that reached its greatest landmark in 2025. Louth celebrated historic success by winning the Leinster SFC, beating in the final a Meath team that had handed Dublin their first provincial defeat in 14 years. The 37-year-old is a two-time All-Ireland winner with the Boys in Blue and was a teammate of Dessie Farrell himself. Brennan - a rock-solid defender in his playing days - will now be tasked with taking Dublin back to the summit of Gaelic football after Kerry's Sam Maguire win over Donegal. Dublin GAA confirmed the news on social media on Friday evening, saying they were 'delighted' to welcome Brennan into the hot seat. A brief statement read on X read: "Dublin GAA are delighted to confirm the appointment of Ger Brennan as the new Dublin Senior Football manager." His backroom team is expected to be announced in the coming weeks as preparations begin for the 2026 Allianz League campaign. A further statement read: "The Dublin County Board are delighted to confirm that Ger Brennan has been appointed as manager of the Dublin Senior Football Team for a three-year term. "The St. Vincent's clubman enjoyed a hugely successful playing career, winning All-Ireland titles with Dublin under both Pat Gilroy in 2011 and Jim Gavin in 2013. "Dublin County Board chairman Ken O'Sullivan has congratulated Ger on his appointment, saying: 'Ger has achieved the highest honours as a player with Dublin and he has our full support in leading the Dublin Senior Football panel in pursuit of further honours in the coming years. 'We wish Ger, his team and the panel the very best and look forward to the 2026 season'.
Wales Online
05-07-2025
- Wales Online
Easy coastal walk leads to a lighthouse with a haunting secret
Easy coastal walk leads to a lighthouse with a haunting secret You can walk to a spooky Welsh lighthouse on a Wales Coast Path circular route that starts and ends near a pub You can walk to a spooky Welsh lighthouse on a Wales Coast Path circular route (Image:) Stretching over 1,680 miles, the rugged Welsh coast is home to countless lighthouses, each with its own story. Some still shine their light for sailors, while others stand abandoned, their weathered facades adding to Wales' hauntingly beautiful maritime legacy. You can walk to a spooky Welsh lighthouse on a Wales Coast Path circular route that starts and ends near a pub (my favourite kind of walk). On this coastal trek, you'll have plenty of bird-spotting opportunities at the RSPB bird hide, estuary views, and industrial landmarks in one of Wales' oldest - the Point of Ayr Lighthouse. Known locally as Talacre Lighthouse, this reputedly haunted lighthouse appears marooned on its own island off the Flintshire coast when viewed on Google Maps. The map is deceptive, though, as the 60-foot structure is surprisingly accessible at low tide, when the waters recede, clearing a footpath to the historic tower. Built in 1776, this Grade II listed lighthouse guided ships entering the Dee estuary for over a century before its closure in 1883. When Chester was a thriving port long before Liverpool stole the spotlight, navigation relied on lights at Whitford Garn in Flintshire and Hillbre Island on the Wirral, funded by the Earl of Chester. Article continues below However, the tragic loss of two Dublin-bound vessels in 1776 sparked calls for better coastal lighting, paving the way for the construction of Point of Ayr. Talacre Lighthouse otherwise known as Point of Ayr Lighthouse on the Dee Estuary (Image: North Wales Daily Post ) Designed by Henry Turner, the lighthouse was ingeniously built on sand, supported by screw piles drilled deep below the surface. The sturdy tower featured three floors and even a coal store tucked away in its basement. Originally, the lighthouse displayed two lights. The main light, perched 63 feet high, cast its beam towards Llandudno while a lower light guided vessels navigating the River Dee. Together, they made the lighthouse a vital guardian of the craggy North Wales coast. You can walk to the lighthouse along the coast path, starting near the dog-friendly Lighthouse Inn. According to Gruff Owen, Wales Coast Path Officer, this route is a "family-friendly walk that's great for buggies and somewhere where the kids can explore and get close to nature." It's relatively easy to follow, too. At the end of Station Road, go up onto the embankment. Take the path to the right, which is clearly signed with orange way markers 'Point of Ayr Circular'. The path is straight and wide, with a gravel surface to start. It also has information panels, picnic benches, and sculptures. Continue following the markers, pass the bird hide, and enjoy the views of the estuary and the haunted lighthouse. You can complete the loop or extend your walk along the coast path, and even walk down to Point of Ayr Lighthouse to see if you can spot a spectre. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here A haunting secret Point of Ayr Lighthouse was sold to private ownership in 1922 and is currently owned by the nearby holiday park. While long deserted by keepers, it remains a commanding figure overlooking the Irish Sea and has a haunting secret. According to Go North Wales, the historic lighthouse holds a chilling reputation as one of the most haunted places in North Wales. Visitors and locals have reported eerie sightings of a figure resembling a keeper standing atop the lighthouse. Some mediums and paranormal professionals also claim to have made contact with a lingering spirit of a man tormented by heartbreak, while others describe the presence of someone who succumbed to a fever, a fate said to have befallen the lighthouse's former keeper, Raymond. One woman who saw the ghostly figure told BBC Wales: "My husband and I were on Talacre beach a couple of years ago and saw a lighthouse keeper at the top of the lighthouse, in front of the glass dome. "He was wearing an old-fashioned dark worsted lighthouse keeper's coat and hat. The lighthouse was locked and chained." She added, "My husband and I can't see how anyone could get there unless they were dropped by helicopter and we would have heard that." Some mediums and paranormal professionals also claim to have made contact with a lingering spirit of a man tormented by heartbreak (Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live ) Tribute to the ghost The ghostly legend surrounding Point of Ayr Lighthouse is so strong that its owners sought permission to install a sculpture inspired by tales of a spectral figure in an old-fashioned keeper's coat, often seen near the lighthouse. Created by Talacre-based artist Angela Smith, the 7-foot sculpture The Keeper was installed on the lighthouse balcony in 2010 as a tribute to the tales of the ghostly figure seen there. Crafted from about 120 separate stainless steel pieces, the sculpture is more than just a silhouette of a man; it's a celebration of the sea. Each piece is inspired by coastal elements, including starfish, dolphins, and ripples in the sand, reflecting the lighthouse's deep connection to its maritime surroundings. The result is a stunning, shimmering figure that adds an extra layer of intrigue to this iconic landmark. Lighthouse owner James McAllister, who bought the lighthouse along with two acres of the beach in 1983, wanted the statue to honour the ghost rumoured to be haunting Point of Ayr. He said, 'There have always been sightings of a ghost on the balcony here. 'No one is sure who he is, but people say they see him wearing a sailor's cap and uniform. I wanted a sculpture to represent him.' These days, Point of Ayr Lighthouse remains a fascinating spot for a coastal walk and a bit of mystery. At low tide, you can wander right up to the old tower, take in the sweeping views of Talacre Beach, and see The Keeper sculpture standing watch on the balcony. Article continues below It's worth visiting whether you're here for the history, the eerie ghost stories, or just a chance to plod along the coast. And who knows, you might even spot the famous ghost yourself.
Hindustan Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Delhiwale: Dilli's first Joycean
Meet Dilli's no. 1 Joycean. This gentlewoman in Sunder Nagar is likely to be the only Delhi dweller to have made it to the most significant James Joyce destination on the very first day of its opening to the public. 86-year-old Nayana Goradia fondly recalls being at the site of the novel's opening scene on Bloomsday in 1962. (HT Photo) It all started in 1922, with the publication of Ulysses. Joyce's great Dublin novel unfolds within a single day—16 June, today named Bloomsday after the book's hero, and celebrated across the world. That day, Dublin's sea-facing Martello tower becomes a mecca for Joyce fans; it being the site of the novel's opening scene. In 1962, the tower was filled with souvenirs from the writer's life, and thrown open on that year's Bloomsday as James Joyce Museum. Among the first visitors was a woman in sari. This evening in 2025, ensconced in her living room with her hardbound Ulysses, the 86-year-old Nayana Goradia fondly recalls that afternoon. 'I remember the tower's staircase so clearly—I couldn't believe I was actually there.' Nayana was a literature student in England when she boarded a Dublin-bound ferry in Liverpool. The young woman expected to meet countless Joyce readers on reaching the Irish capital. But she found no Bloomsday buzz. She didn't even encounter much of a crowd in the museum, except for some Joyce fanatics from America. Could it be because Joyce, dead for 20 years by then, didn't yet command the esteem he does today among his country people? Many Irish considered the novel to be insulting to their religion and nation. 'Do you not know that Joyce was a traitor?'—Nayana remembers a Dubliner admonishing her in a pub. Whatever, 'I was thrilled to be walking along the streets that Joyce had written about in Ulysses.' Strolling in the Trinity College grounds, she met a young man lying on the grass with Lady Chatterley's Lover. Turned out his father had personally been acquainted with Joyce! For five days, Nayana walked the Dublin streets in silk saris; her long hair tamed into two neat braids. Today, she is wearing a long kurta over chooridar pajamas; her hair shorter and smart. Walking in careful steps, she escorts her guest to a table laid out with sandwiches, quiches, pakodis, tarts, pastries and chai. She doesn't touch a single snack as she talks about her massive book collection ('neem leaves keep the books safe'). Her chai turns lukewarm, malai forming on the top. A few months after her literary pilgrimage to Joyceland, while visiting friends in Geneva, Nayana chanced to meet a man of letters whose nana was the Raja of Kapurthala. Stuart Ahluwalia Gilbert is more renowned for being the world's first Joyce scholar. He was also a friend of Joyce. Nayana now gets up from the table to show her copy of Gilbert's influential book—James Joyce's Ulysses: A Study. The paperback bears Gilbert's handwritten inscription for Nayana, testifying to their 'agreeable meeting.'
RTÉ News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Meath v Galway: The long and winding road back from 2001
The last time Meath played Galway in Croke Park they had just whipped Kerry in stunning fashion. The 2001 All-Ireland final was the first decider of the 'second chance' era. In other respects, it represented the end of an era, one generally beloved of Gaelic football fans from outside Dublin or the North. That period between Ulster's two patches of dominance in the early '90s and the early 2000s. When Dublin couldn't get out of Leinster. The early years of the Celtic Tiger. Bertie's first term as Taoiseach. Kildare super-fan Charlie McCreevy in Finance. Talk of shiny new stadiums going up all over west Dublin. Half of Croke Park still a building site, covered in Sisk signage. The Galway hurlers and footballers have rarely gone well at the same time (though they have occasionally been going badly at the same time). Like the Irish soccer and rugby teams, relative boom times for one have tended to coincide with lean patches for the other. The second year of the new millennium was one such time, however. It was the closest they've come to emulating Cork's feat in 1990. On the morning of the All-Ireland hurling final, a big yard sign around Enfield addressed the Dublin-bound traffic with the message 'Good luck today Galway but Sam is MINE!!' Unfortunately for the owner of the sign, it happened the other way around. Meath's blithe pre-match confidence was seemingly well-founded in the aftermath of their borderline garish hammering of Kerry in the semi-final. "Just in case you think there's something wrong with the caption in the top left corner of the screen, there isn't. That is the correct score. 2-13 to Kerry's five points," said Darragh Maloney with three minutes left in normal time. Most of the Kerry support were a long way down Jones's Road at that point. Boylan later claimed he felt a shiver of foreboding as the Meath crowd 'way-hayed' every five-metre fist pass in the closing minutes, as if he knew in his bones this was all bad karma. On the other side, Galway's progression to a third All-Ireland final in four years was considerably more laboured. The 1998 champions had lost the previous year's decider to Kerry after a replay and looked a jaded, clapped out team in their four-point defeat to Roscommon in Tuam in June. There was an undue air of finality in the assessments of Galway that evening. "They had gone to the well and found it dry," according to Pat Spillane on that evening's Sunday Game. As usual, the implications of the new format didn't occur to people until they started to play out in practice. Not unlike 2025, Galway made uneven progress out in the wilds of the backdoor, winning their first ever championship fixture against Armagh after almost tossing away a large lead. But, crucially, they made progress, nonetheless. Meath had gone the traditional route, beating Dublin in the Leinster final. Their sadistic habit of holding out the prospect of victory to underdogs in Leinster before snatching it away at the last minute was again in evidence a couple of times against Westmeath that summer. That was all mere prequel to their massacre of Kerry. It remains the heaviest championship defeat Kerry have suffered in the 21st century. The second heaviest was in Tullamore a fortnight ago. The Meath fans, as we've noted before, practically conga-danced their way into Croke Park for the decider. The final itself was a strangely drab one from a neutral perspective. The piéce de résistance semi-final performance being followed by a flat final performance is a story we've seen recur often across sports. England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup being a classic of the genre. In Gaelic football, Meath in 2001 is probably the starkest example of the phenomenon. Their final display was as abject as the semi-final was spectacular. 2001 remembered as @MeathGAA and @Galway_GAA lock horns again in the championship - watch on @RTE2 and @RTEplayer - listen on @RTERadio1 — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) June 28, 2025 It was only seven minutes into the second half, with just one point separating the teams, that Martin Carney put his finger on things - "Meath just seem tied to the ground. There's a malaise there today that we haven't seen throughout the summer." A couple of minutes later, Carney noted that "Galway were pulverising them everywhere but the scoreboard." Soon, they were doing so on the scoreboard. Galway's two most recent inter-county managers were central figures in the second half performance. Kevin Walsh devoured John McDermott on kickouts and then Pádraic Joyce began to get his eye in after an indifferent first half. The Meath defence continually showed Joyce onto his right foot, which might have been a sensible enough strategy on any other day. Joyce finished with 0-10, five with either foot. In his Man of the Match interview that night, he figured the county board chairman accidentally spilt holy water on his right boot before the game. Long before that, Meath were reduced to 14 men when the score was at 0-09 to 0-07. Trevor Giles, who endured surely his worst ever half of football in Croke Park, bizarrely shanked a free-kick into Joe Bergin's hands, who fed Paul Clancy. Nigel Nestor crudely dragged down Clancy from around the shoulder and was banished on a second yellow. Donal Curtis, veins bulging almost with fury at how the game was going, made strenuous efforts to join him though the referee Michael Collins evidently felt he couldn't send two of them off. They were thrown an undeserved lifeline late in the second half when John McDermott was absurdly awarded a penalty for a Golden Raspberry attempt at a dive. All it ended up doing was sapping their morale further as Giles dragged it low and wide of the left upright. Things petered out horribly for Meath after that and the rest of the game was a procession. 0-17 to 0-08 was the slightly jarring final scoreline. Meath were a no-show. And Galway, after surviving numerous scares en route, were champions for the second time in four years. The only county to vote against the backdoor format at Special Congress the previous winter had wound up winning the first ever All-Ireland title via the backdoor. We weren't to know it but it was the last we'd see of either team on that stage for two decades. The following year, a highly physical and well-conditioned Armagh overcame Kerry through force of will in the 2002 decider. A year after that, Tyrone swarmed Kerry in the 2003 semi-final in a spectacle which deeply offended the southern purists (namely, Pat Spillane) to tee up a first-ever all northern final. Ulster was over its late-90s slump and Kerry and Tyrone would carve up the remainder of the decade between them. The 2001 finalists had retreated almost to also-ran status by that stage. Meath's decline was the more precipitous. On the evening of the 2001 defeat, a couple of Meath fans were vox-popped and finished their contribution by announcing that "Sean Boylan is God", which Michael Lyster, back in studio, mis-heard as "Sean Boylan is gone" before chortling at the fickleness of supporters. Though, as it happened, this was Meath's last significant push for glory in Boylan's long reign. His last four seasons in charge were a forgettable post-script, akin to Micko's final three years as Kerry manager. Between 2002 and 2005, they failed to make a Leinster final and were beaten twice by Fermanagh and once by Cavan in early round qualifiers. Meath rallied under Boylan's successors, reaching All-Ireland semi-finals in 2007 and 2009. The late 2000s crop of players were not regarded as world-beaters in their own time, constantly being judged against their illustrious forebears. The succeeding generation, however, would place them in a far more flattering light. "When I look back on it, do I have frustrations? I think we were maybe over-achieving a little bit, to be honest with you," Anthony Moyles said on 'The Square Ball' podcast. "When I look at the next 10 years, Meath didn't get within an a***s roar of an All-Ireland semi-final." The manner of the 2010 Leinster final victory - we won't go there - appeared to do more psychological harm than good. Galway's drop-off was comparably gradual but began to pick up speed by the end of the decade. They still held the whip-hand in the province until the mid-2000s. There have been occasions when Galway have celebrated Connacht title wins with great gusto, usually after they've ended a bit of a drought or pipped Mayo in a classic. The few post-2001 Connacht championship wins were not among those times. The Connacht title wins of 2002, 2003 and 2005 were won almost on autopilot and quickly followed by quarter-final losses and they infamously wouldn't win again in Croke Park until the 2017 Division 2 final against Kildare. Joyce, still relied upon into the twilight of his long career, played his final match in 2012 qualifier loss to Antrim. This result was, at one level, shocking but was nonetheless typical of the era. Throughout that period, the persistent air of purist self-regard which was rife in Galway football was deemed an impediment to their development, in an era of swarmed defences. The televised humiliation of 2013 against Mayo is recalled as the nadir, though it may have had some benefits in the sense of shaking them out of their torpor. It wasn't until Walsh came in as manager, the arrival of Shane Walsh and Damien Comer from the underage ranks, and the shock win over Mayo in 2016 that Galway re-announced themselves as a player. Meath's situation was considerably more grim. Their struggles were the subject of much lamentation and even pity throughout the 2010s, their morale seemingly destroyed by the awesome and overbearing nature of Dublin's dominance throughout that era. Their football identity largely built on always being able to match the Dubs, they suffered a crisis of confidence when they were no longer able to do so. That situation prevailed right up until 27 April, 2025. Now, they look reborn. Despite their manager's misgivings, no team has benefitted more from the rules revolution than Meath, who boast the athletic profile which suits the new game perfectly. They've now beaten Dublin and Kerry in the one campaign, something they only managed once before - in 2001.
