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Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Fontaines DC, CMAT, Charli XCX, bar prices... five talking points from Primavera Sound 2025
1. The Irish contingent With CMAT packing out the Cupra stage on day one, it didn't take us long to realise the Irish contingent at Primavera Sound 2025 was significant. Throughout the weekend, Irish tricolours (often accompanied by the Palestinian flag) and a variety of county and green jerseys littered every crowd. No matter where we were, be it at the main stages, food stalls or in the queue for the toilets, we met our fellow countrymen. Speaking of CMAT, the Dunboyne country-pop star played a blinder, bringing her 'sexy CMAT band' to Barcelona's beachside. Hits like I Wanna be a Cowboy, Baby! got reliably strong reactions, but her new stuff went down just as well, with the whole crowd joining in with her viral TikTok dance for latest single Take A Sexy Picture Of Me. We even spotted former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the crowd. Dubliners Fontaines D.C also gave a stellar performance on the main stage, with frontman Grian Chatten keeping his on-stage remarks to a simple 'Free Palestine'. During I Love You, the band used their platform to call for the crowd to use their own voices with a message appearing on screens: 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice.' 2. Breezy bar experiences One of our highlights has to be just how breezy every bar experience was. We can't recall waiting more than five minutes at any stage for a drink. And, naturally, the cost of those drinks was a lot more affordable in comparison to irish festival prices. Beers and wines were between €5 and €6.50. The most we ever paid for a drink was €7.50 for an aperol spritz. Food stalls had longer wait times but were still very manageable. Prices here were more similar to Irish festival experiences with a pot of noodles €14 and a (very generous) portion of chicken dumplings €11. One gripe was you could only get drinks - including water and soft drinks - at the bars so you had to queue separately to get a beverage with your food. 'Israel is committing genocide. Use your voice' displayed on the screens at Primavera by Fontaines DC. 3. Europe finally gets Sweat With Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan headlining each day of the Spanish festival, this really was the place to be for the girls, the gays and the theys. We kicked off Friday night with Sweat — a hybrid show with Charli XCX and Australian pop star Troye Sivan. The friends and collaborators designed the stadium show last year to promote their respective albums, Brat and Something To Give Each Other, to a US audience. This was the first time Europe got to experience this unique gig, with each artist playing three or four songs at a time before disappearing to allow the other take to the stage. Despite Sivan's impeccable vocals and choreography, he simply couldn't compete with the crowds hunger for Charli. From the moment she stepped on stage in a white bra and underwear (with four outfit changes to come), the crowd went feral. With zero props (unless you count a glass of wine and strobing lights) the energy seemed to jump ten-fold every time she reappeared on stage — and crash back down to earth when she departed. If anything, it made us even more hyped for the 100% Charli show Irish fans can look forward to in Malahide Castle next week. 4. Chappell Roan domination The Midwest Princess was our highlight on Saturday night. With an elaborate stage set up, an all-girl band and plenty of fireworks, the drag-adjacent superstar delivered a stellar show peppered with emotional ballads and straight up pop bangers. Anger, lust, sadness, love... it felt like every emotion was given it's fair due on stage by the Pink Pony Club singer. We have no doubt she will be a highlight of this year's Electric Picnic festival. Chappell Roan on stage at Primavera Sound. 5. A taste of what's in store for Irish fans With Chappell Roan touching down in Stradbally later this summer and Fontaines D.C and CMAT set to headline All Together Now, Primavera got us properly warmed up for the Irish festival season ahead. Other acts we saw that we just can't wait to see again? Wet Leg absolutely smashed the Cupra stage, while Australia's Confidence Man were our perfect final act to close out the festival. Both are on Irish soil in August at All Together Now and Electric Picnic, respectively.
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- BreakingNews.ie
Meath fans spray paint car in the Royal colours ahead of the Leinster final
The forthcoming GAA Leinster final is already driving fans wild with anticipation but Meath supporters have taken things up a gear by spray painting a car in the Royal colours. Friends Callum White, Cathal Melia and Meath GAA legend Sean Boylan's son Oran teamed up to create the green and gold machine ahead of the big game between Meath and Louth on Sunday. Advertisement Other pals soon joined in the collective effort, and over 20 donations from helping hands made it possible to buy the car and all the materials needed. The Dunboyne men started planning the project just days after Dublin's defeat at the hands of Meath and they documented their journey on TikTok, amassing tens of thousands of views. "It started as a bit of craic but it's pretty much gone viral now," said Callum, who works with former Meath manager Sean Boylan. The 21-year-old said other friends then helped with spray painting the car green and gold. Advertisement "We picked up a bit of a banger on DoneDeal for about €300 and then bought the paint. It took us about two days to do it up. "It was the dream of Cathal, Oran and myself but we couldn't have carried it off without the help of other friends who gave their time and donations. "It has no tax or insurance so it won't be driven anywhere but we will probably use a trailer to bring it to a central point in Dunboyne. However we are now thinking because of the reaction we are getting online to the car, we might try and get it to Croke Park someway," he laughed. And what happens to the car come Monday - the day after the Leinster title will be decided? "Well if Meath win, we'll keep it going towards the All-Ireland and if not, we will sell it off as a Kerry car," he laughed.
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
It's 1911 and Meath are Leinster football champions for 30 minutes
Analysis: Thousands witnessed the first and last time Meath and Kilkenny would meet in a Leinster Senior football final - but the match almost didn't happen The reign of Leinster Senior football champions can last a calendar year, a few years if a county goes on a good run, or for a record-breaking 14 years as we have seen with Dublin in recent times. But holding a provincial title for only a few minutes is certainly unconventional, as Meath proved over a century ago. It's 1911. The population of Ireland is 4.3 million, the RMS Titanic has been launched and the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu, has just been rediscovered. In GAA terms, the association was still finding its feet at a national level, the Leinster Council was in its infancy and the administration of Gaelic games and its rulebook was neither as stringent or convincing as it is today. All of these factors led to the shortest tenure of champions in GAA history. In the 1911 Leinster Senior football championship, Kilkenny beat Wexford and Kildare to reach the Leinster final. Meanwhile, Meath beat Laois and Dublin, whom they were firm underdogs against. The Dundalk Democrat newspaper reported after the semi-final: 'Wonders will never cease! Who would think for a moment that Dublin, the conquerors of Louth and Navan would go under to Meath? But this happened on Sunday at Jones' Road when Meath, playing a dashing game defeated Dublin in sensational style.' The condensed and hectic fixtures calendar as we know today was never an issue in the 1911 Leinster football championship. The quarter finals were played in July, the semi-finals in August and the final took place in October, on Sunday 22. From RTÉ Sport, A landmark day for Meath and their supporters in Portlaoise, a first Leinster SFC win over the auld enemy in 15 years and a first provincial final place since 2020 The Leinster Senior football final generated huge excitement on both sides and it was described as 'the chief topic of discussion'. Special trains ran from Waterford, Navan and Kingscourt to take supporters to Jones' Road - a stadium that was still in private ownership as the GAA scrambled the money together to purchase it two years later and rename it Croke Memorial Stadium. The match was to be a double header, with a hurling championship tie between Meath (represented by Dunboyne) and Westmeath being played after the football match. Throw-in was scheduled for 1.45pm. The stadium had thousands of spectators ready to witness the first and last time that Meath and Kilkenny would meet in a Leinster Senior football final. But the match almost didn't happen. With the Meath team on the field and the referee ready to start the game, there was no sign of the Kilkenny team. After waiting over half an hour for them to show up, the game was deemed a walk over, it was awarded to Meath and they assumed the title of Leinster champions. A short time later, the Kilkenny contingent, thought to have been delayed by their train, arrived onto the field somewhat disorganised. Some players ran onto the field with one boot on and a large number of them 'did not divest themselves in the ordinary trousers'. Kilkenny declared themselves ready to play and after referee M.F. Crowe consulted with the Leinster Secretary Walter Hanrahan, it was decided to proceed with the match. The Meath team outlined that they would play the match but would do so under protest as they had already been deemed winners. The referee insisted that the match take place and that any issues would rest with the Leinster Council afterwards. The match began at 2.35pm and was played under bad weather conditions owing to heavy rain and a consistent downpour during the last 20 minutes of it. Writing in the Kilkenny People: 'The game was not a good one. To judge the merits of the teams in such bad weather would be absurd'. Meath led in the early stages with a goal in the first minute but Kilkenny quickly responded and took the lead afterwards. The score at half-time was Meath 1-1 Kilkenny 2-2. The second half was a more one-sided affair. Meath failed to score and 'played a stubborn game'. Match reports described them as being 'badly placed, as is proved by the fact that they repeatedly collided with one another'. Kilkenny held out and had a 'deserved victory'. Meath officials objected to the match result at subsequent Leinster Council meetings and insisted that the original decision of a walkover be upheld, as was decided when Kilkenny did not show up at the appointed throw-in time. Their 'narrow minded and childlike' pleas were unsuccessful. 1911 was a successful year for Kilkenny in Leinster as they also won the Senior hurling title. As regards their challenge for All-Ireland titles that year, Antrim beat them in the football semi-finals and the Kilkenny hurlers were declared All-Ireland champions when Limerick gave them a walk over in the final. Awarding walkovers to opponents was a common occurrence in the GAA's early days and was not the frowned upon media frenzy as we have recently become acquainted with. 1911 would be Kilkenny's last Leinster Senior football championship title. They appeared in another final in 1922 when they were beaten by Dublin and vanished from Leinster Senior finals thereafter. The last time Kilkenny participated in the Leinster Senior football championship was in 1982. The 1911 Leinster Senior football final was professed as being clouded by 'several regrettable incidents'. The controversy is a real shame considering the novel pairing of a Meath vs Kilkenny final. Newspapers rejoiced that these were 'two teams who at the beginning of the season were considered not to have the remotest chance of appearing in the final. The uncertainty of football was never better illustrated than in this year's Leinster championship.' 114 years later, we look forward to welcoming a dose of uncertainty in the Leinster football championship final, as new champions will be crowned for the first time since 2010.
