Latest news with #Finnerty
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Derry and Galway maintain hope of advancing from group of death after thrilling draw
Derry 2-20 Galway 4-14 Michael McMullan reports from Celtic Park DERRY AND GALWAY have given themselves a chance of advancing from the group of death after their draw on Sunday afternoon in Celtic Park. A late Conor Doherty point settled the game after Matthew Tierney hit a fourth Galway goal. It's the second time they've drawn this season with Derry making a spirited comeback in the February league game which they'd have won but for a John Daly block in the last play to deny Ethan Doherty a winner. Galway were the only team not to have beaten Derry on their way to relegation but both sides now have two weeks to prepare for their final throw of the dice in a bid to emerge from the 'group of death'. Galway were against the wind in the first half and Sam O'Neill kicked the opening score before Brendan Rogers landed a two-pointer for Derry. Conroy levelled before Derry pushed ahead with points from Glass and McGuigan. Derry were playing like a team with their season on the line, aggressive on the Galway kick-out. The visitors hit the front when Finnerty forced the ball over the line in a goalmouth scramble but it was Derry who hit back immediately. Baker made the run from defence, passing to Loughlin with Glass finishing at the far post. Cassidy and McGuigan (free) kicked two-point scores as Derry pushed 1-8 to 1-3 ahead. Finnerty replied with a Galway score before Walsh pushed inside McEvoy to bag a second Galway goal. Derry finished with a flourish with Loughlin and McFaul kicking Derry into a 1-11 to 2-6 interval lead. John Maher and Niall Toner (free) exchanged points before Connor Gleeson made a brilliant save to deny Paul Cassidy. Glass kicked the 45 for a 1-13 to 2-7 lead. Glass with Loughlin then made it a five-point lead in the 49th minute as the home side began to creep into a position of control. Substitute Lachlan Murray then created a goal for Loughlin with his first touch from a Derry kickout. Advertisement Cooke kicked a two-point score with his first touch with Glass winning the next kick out and Cassidy hitting a response. Derry breathed a sigh of relied when a Finnerty shot for a point which whizzed wide and they needed McKinless to touch a Seán Kelly shot over the bar. Finnerty punished a kickout to score and it was a five-point game again with 12 minutes to go. There was also a Cooke fisted effort that flashed wide. Galway hit back with a goal. A questionable sideline ball went Galway's way and when Finnerty squared the pass and Tierney bagged their third goal. Derry failed to kill off the game and when Tierney hit the game's last goal, Doherty levelled the game with the last kick. With Dublin hosting All-Ireland champions Armagh in Croke Park, there will still be more twists ahead of the third round of games in a fortnight's time. Scorers for Derry: Conor Glass 1-3 (1 45), Niall Loughlin 1-2, Shane McGuigan 0-4 (2tp), Brendan Rogers, Paul Cassidy 0-3 (1tp) each, Lachlan Murray 0-2, Conor Doherty, Niall Toner (f) and Ciaran McFaul 0-1 each Scorers Galway: Matthew Tierney 2-0, Robert Finnerty 1-3 (1f), Shane Walsh 1-1 (f), Peter Cooke (tp), Matthew Costello 0-2 each, Sam O'Neill, Damien Comer (m), John Maher, Paul Conroy, Céin D'Arcy and Seán Kelly 0-1 each Derry 1 Ben McKinless (Ballinderry) 2 Diarmuid Baker (Steelstown), 3 Eoin McEvoy (Magherafelt), 4 Patrick McGurk (Lavey) 5 Conor Doherty (Newbridge), 6 Paudi McGrogan (Newbridge), 20 Dan Higgins (Magherafelt) 8 Conor Glass (Glen), 9 Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil) 10 Ethan Doherty (Glen), 11 Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy), 12 Ciaran McFaul (Glen) 13 Shane McGuigan (Slaughtneil), 17 Niall Loughlin (Greenlough) 15 Niall Toner (Lavey) Subs: 23 Lachlan Murray (Desertmartin) for E Doherty (INJ 44), 7 Ruairí Forbes (Ballinderry) for McGurk (57) 14 Anton Tohill (Swatragh) for Loughlin (60) 10 Ethan Doherty (Glen) for Toner (63) Galway 1 Connor Gleeson (Dunmore MacHales) 2 Johnny McGrath (Caherlistrane), 3 Seán Ó Maoilchiaráin (Oileáin Árann), 4 Jack Glynn (Claregalway) 5 Dylan McHugh (Corofin), 6 Seán Kelly (Maigh Cuilinn), 7 Liam Silke (Corofin) 8 Paul Conroy (St James'), 9 John Maher (Salthill Knocknacarra) 10 Matthew Thompson (Salthill Knocknacarra), 11 Cillian McDaid (Monivea Abbey), 21 Sam O'Neill (St James') 13 Matthew Tierney (Oughterard), 14 Rob Finnerty (Salthill Knocknacarra), 15 Shane Walsh (Kilmacud Crokes) Subs: 12 Céin D'Arcy (Ballyboden St Enda's) for O'Neill (19) 22 Peter Cooke (Maigh Cuilinn) for McDaid (50) 26 Damien Comer (Annaghdown) for Conroy (50) 23 John Daly (Mountbellew Moylough) for Walsh (60) 19 Kieran Molloy (Corofin) for McHugh (64) 24 Johnny Heaney (Killannin) for Ó Maoilchiaráin (67) Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Can Mayo lift the air of apathy and gloom in Omagh?
"Are we back in Longford?" asked the boys on the Ah Ref podcast the other week. They weren't talking about Center Parcs. Or surveying the majesty of the restored St Mel's Cathedral. Rather, they were referencing that infamous qualifier loss in Pearse Park (or Pearse Brothers Glennon Park as one website once called it) back in 2010, which marked a sorry end to John O'Mahony's often glorious inter-county management career. The Mayo blogger 'An Spailpin Fanach' invoked Ballinamuck in 1798 afterwards, writing that "O'Mahony, like Humbert, had met his Waterloo in Longford." In the days of thunder which followed in the 2010s, the disaster in Longford would often be recalled as a reminder of how far they'd travelled. One possible difference between 2010 and 2025 is that a huge Mayo crowd had descended on the midlands that sunny June evening, evidently not deterred by their shock loss to Sligo in the Connacht championship. There were only 7,000 in attendance at the now infamous loss to Cavan under a fortnight ago, a sign that the Mayo football team are currently in the doghouse with their public, if not the warehouse. Even fewer hung around long enough to see injury-time, with the home supporters streaming out the exits before the end. Some of them were possibly back in their cars in time to hear Martin Carney talking about trying to "climb Everest in the nude". Apathy has taken hold of Mayo football in the past. After the horrid beating against Cork in the 1993 All-Ireland semi-final, the Mayo public decided they'd had enough of it for a while and barely showed up for the subsequent two Connacht finals, both of which were lost. When Mayo were smashed by Galway in the 1995 Connacht final on a baking hot day in Tuam, a few leading players were even of the same mind. Liam McHale was concentrating on basketball that year, where he figured he'd a chance of winning a national title, while Anthony Finnerty had forsaken the game to participate in the Macnas parade in Galway city. As in 2010, this nadir immediately preceded a dramatic revival. John Maughan, who'd listened to the '95 Connacht final on a wireless while on peacekeeping duty in Lebanon, was installed as manager and told McHale and Finnerty they were to report back for duty. This set in train the epic, thrilling journey of 1996, which ultimately wound up kick-starting Mayo's subsequent psychosis around All-Ireland finals. In his last game for Mayo, Finnerty was to the famous Meath brawl what Gavrilo Princip was to the First World War (as determined by the findings of the Spillane Commission). The pre-Maughan slump of the mid-90s was long before 'Mayo for Sam-ism' evolved into a public religion. For well over a decade, the Mayo fanbase has been among the most fanatical and un-ignorable in the country. Their quest for an All-Ireland title had become obsessional and all-consuming, as well as an internet meme. The attitude was best typified by the words of County Council chairman John O'Malley at the sorrowful 2013 All-Ireland final homecoming, when he sent everyone into the night with the defiant roar: "The Americans got Bin Laden, we will get Sam Maguire!" Over the course of the next decade, this encapsulated their mindset as Mayo's elite Navy SEALs team made several daring raids on the Croke Park compound, coming within a whisker of capturing Sam on a couple more occasions, only to be foiled by Jim Gavin's Dubs. At its zenith, the US President had been briefed to roar "Mayo for Sam" from the podium in Ballina. The late Pope had been ambushed with a Mayo jersey at Knock airport. One Mayo man working in this organisation had taken to using the phrase as a standard farewell at all times of the year and regardless of the nature of the conversation that had taken place. It was further evidence that the 'quest for the Holy Grail that's tantalisingly out of reach' fan experience is the most intense and absorbing of all (see also Liverpool fans at the turn of the decade). But that dogged, relentless spirit has been waning in recent years and has probably never recovered from the 2021 All-Ireland final loss. "There's a very specific breakpoint and that was the 2021 All-Ireland final," John Gunnigan of the Mayo GAA blog told the Irish Times ahead of the league final in March. "I think that broke everyone." That certainly tallies with the vibe around Jones' Road that evening, as this correspondent recalls it. In previous years, Mayo supporters had been teary-eyed and heartbroken after All-Ireland final defeats, inclined to lash out at a ref but express pride in the players. But the mood was very different on the night of the 2021 All-Ireland final. Anger had taken hold. The limits of their 'bouncebackability' had finally been reached. It was one defeat too many. This was taking the p*ss. Outside the Savoy takeaway, there was poison in the air and venomous, unprintable comments were flying around. Tyrone fans, never slow to sew it into Kerry supporters after their glorious wins in the 2000s, were almost apologetic and tiptoed around Mayo sensibilities for the night that was in it. It was one thing to fall short against Dublin of the 2010s, quite another to lose to what was perceived as a middling Tyrone team, who had emerged out of leftfield and have done next to nothing in the years since. As time passes, it looks more and more likely that the ill-fated '21 decider will prove to have been the last shot at ultimate glory for that 2010s generation, most of whom have since slipped off into retirement. The Holy Grail is still out there but someone has mislaid the map and the flashlight is beginning to flicker ominously. Kevin McStay, passed over the job in contentious circumstances in late 2014 and who resigned himself to not getting a shot at it, was handed the reins at the end of 2022, right at the moment when it seemed Mayo were headed for a cyclical trough. Lee Keegan called it a day shortly after that, joining Andy Moran and Keith Higgins in retirement. They had some success in the first year, winning the league and eliminating their hotly-tipped neighbours in a preliminary quarter-final in Salthill. However, they flatlined in 2024 and the Connacht title, which McStay won as a manager with Roscommon, has proved frustratingly elusive. Crowds plummeted in the league, with just 6,000 showing up to the nervy home win over Tyrone, a reasonable turnout in anywhere other than Mayo. That they wound up in a league final this year was written off as an accident, something like a computer glitch. There were grumbles about the style of play and Mayo's slowness in adapting to new rules. Ironically, Mayo had embraced the concepts of caution and control right at the moment when the FRC re-wrote the sport. There was an air of extreme despondency that seemed to settle over Mayo following this year's Connacht final defeat, which hit much harder than last year. McStay's face was ashen after the loss; he'd been comparatively chipper after the one-point defeat in 2024. Part of it was down to the unspoken - in fairness, it was spoken in some quarters - perception that Mayo's only realistic chance of championship silverware was gone. In that context, they were acutely psychologically vulnerable to what happened against Cavan the other week. As usual, with results on the pitch gone south, off-field craziness took centre-stage at county board level. There was the jolt of McStay's medical episode which has forced him to take a step back and put things in perspective. While he recovers, Stephen Rochford returns to the hotseat temporarily, seven years after his departure from the role. It wouldn't be unheard of for a team to rally in such circumstances, least of all Mayo. It was a loss to Tyrone which probably brought an end to the 2010s generation's doomed push for a Celtic Cross. Could a win over the same opposition lift them from a low ebb? Watch Dublin v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm
Euronews
27-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
How urban rewilding could be an ‘antidote' to declining biodiversity
When we think of rewilding cities, we usually think of adding more greenery. Two-thirds of urban conservation programmes do focus exclusively on vegetation, according to a new review of thousands of scientific papers, but there's another side to this story. From beavers back swimming in London's rivers after 400 years, to falcons nesting in American high-rises, there are also an increasing number of successful projects returning animals to cities. A new study from the University of Sydney illustrates the benefits of these rewilding projects for city-dwellers as well as global biodiversity. 'They reconnect people with nature - an antidote to what researchers call nature deficit disorder,' says Dr Patrick Finnerty from the University's Faculty of Science, lead author of the global literature review published Sunday in the journal Bioscience. 'In today's urban environments, many children can name hundreds of brands but often not a single native bird or mammal. 'Bringing wildlife back into daily life improves mental health, fosters environmental stewardship, and reminds us that nature isn't something 'out there',' he adds. Of the 2,800 scientific papers that Dr Finnerty and his team reviewed - on reintroducing species to areas where they once thrived - fewer than one per cent involved returning terrestrial fauna to cities. Animal rewilding tends to happen far from urban landscapes, despite biodiversity loss being so pronounced in cities. Other success stories include leopard frogs being restored to Las Vegas, howler monkeys breeding in Rio de Janeiro, and the reintroduction of the oriental pied hornbill to its historical range in Singapore. In Australia, platypus populations are now growing on Sydney's periphery. By 2050, around 70 per cent of the world's population of 10 billion people is expected to live in urban areas - a 20 per cent increase from today. This will necessitate a rapid growth of land-use change, especially in Africa and Asia. To stop urban sprawl steamrolling over natural habitats, the researchers are calling for urban rewilding to be a key part of broader ecological restoration initiatives. The authors say successful urban rewilding requires careful planning, community involvement, and addressing the threats that caused local extinctions in the first place. For example, the recent reintroduction of small mammals, including the eastern pygmy possum, into an urban bushland reserve bordering housing in Sydney required serious invasive predator control efforts to help ensure the project's success. "By integrating wildlife into urban landscapes, we have a unique opportunity to shape healthier and more resilient cities for future generations," says Dr Finnerty. Rising from the Baltic Sea, Kriegers Flak is more than Denmark's largest offshore wind farm. It's a pioneering energy bridge between Denmark and Germany, helping balance electricity prices and strengthen energy security for both countries — all while providing a clean alternative to fossil fuels. As Europe seeks to secure its energy future, wind parks like Kriegers Flak are set to play a growing role. 'Europe needs more homegrown renewable electricity like this,' says Giles Dickson, CEO of WindEurope, an industry body representing over 600 companies. 'That means more energy security, which in turn means economic security and national security.' The numbers are ambitious. The EU wants to grow its offshore wind capacity from 20 gigawatts today to 360 gigawatts by 2050. It's a massive undertaking, backed by policy support and rapid technological innovation. At the Port of Esbjerg on Denmark's west coast, the future is already taking shape. From here, Swedish energy giant Vattenfall remotely manages more than 1,200 offshore turbines across four countries. Algorithms are playing a growing role in this digital transition: according to Laura Ørsted, who heads Vattenfall's operational control centre, automation is key to keeping up with the growth in turbine numbers. As turbines get taller and more powerful, ports like Esbjerg are expanding to meet the logistical demands. Having already handled 80% of Europe's offshore wind installations, the port is now reclaiming more land to accommodate next-generation equipment. 'One of the challenges with offshore wind is that it needs very large port space, port capacity — and that's also why there aren't sufficient offshore wind ports in Europe today,' says Dennis Jul Pedersen, the port's CEO. 'We are lucky here that we have been able to develop the port in line with what the industry needs, and we will also be very, very busy going forward.' Getting turbines installed at sea isn't easy — or cheap. Specialised vessels like the Wind Osprey, operated by Danish offshore services company Cadeler, are critical. With extendable legs that reach down to the seabed, they form stable platforms for lifting and assembling massive components. 'Everything's getting bigger,' says Captain Matthew Christie of the Wind Osprey. 'We've just had a new crane fitted — it's longer and has a bigger lifting capacity, because the tower sections are taller now.' A single day of operation for these ships can cost hundreds of thousands of euros. And once the turbines are up, keeping them running smoothly is another major challenge. Offshore turbines are battered by salt water and storms. Unlike land-based units, they're hard to access — requiring boats or helicopters, and only during calm weather. This makes maintenance one of the most expensive parts of offshore wind operations, accounting for up to a third of total costs. 'The cost of maintenance is actually quite a large fraction of the total levelised cost of energy,' says Simon Watson, professor of wind energy systems at TU Delft. 'There's a big interest in trying to reduce that to make offshore wind energy more cost effective.' The sector is increasingly looking to robotics as part of the solution. In Latvia, a company called Aerones has developed a climbing robot that can inspect and repair turbine blades more quickly — and safely — than human workers. These robots can sand, coat, and inspect blades for damage, dramatically reducing downtime and keeping the turbines turning. 'The largest blades in the world are exceeding 120 metres,' says Aerones CEO Dainis Kruze. 'We optimise the robots for speed, so the turbines have far less downtime while we're doing the job.' At their Riga factory, Aerones is now producing dozens of these machines each month to keep up with demand. The long-term vision? Autonomous maintenance robots for every turbine, overseen by technicians rather than operated manually. 'As the robots become smarter, we try to implement algorithms so the operator would be kind of overseeing the AI agents doing the work, not so much being involved himself, moving the robot left or right,' adds Aerones CTO Janis Putrams. Despite the challenges, momentum is strong. The WindEurope Annual Event in Copenhagen highlighted just how much investment, research, and international collaboration is going into this growing sector. By 2030, the European wind industry — both onshore and offshore — is expected to employ over 900,000 people and contribute more than €100 billion to the EU economy. 'There are the jobs, the growth, the investment that comes locally from building and operating these wind farms and manufacturing the turbines and all the equipment, the grid equipment, that is part of wind energy,' says WindEurope's Giles Dickson. As Europe works to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and unstable energy imports, offshore wind is fast becoming a pillar of its strategy. Scaling up isn't easy, but with innovation and smart investment, the continent is turning its coastal winds into a powerful force for change.
The Irish Sun
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rob Finnerty predicts challenge Dublin will bring to Galway as he's wary of wounded animal in group opener
ROB FINNERTY has revealed Galway are braced for a Dublin backlash today. The Tribe dethroned Dessie Farrell's All-Ireland champions last season and Meath ended their 14-year domination of the Leinster SFC last month. Advertisement An epic quarter-final last June saw the Connacht giants defeat the Sky Blues. And three weeks ago, the Royals served up a similar shock with a 0-23 to 1-16 victory in Portlaoise. Dublin have been licking their wounds since, while Finnerty was helping his county conquer Connacht for a fourth year in a row with victory over Mayo. And the Salthill-Knocknacarra man knows the downtrodden Dubs will be out for blood in a first-ever Championship game between the counties at Pearse Stadium. Advertisement Read More On GAA The All-Star hitman said: 'They definitely will. They're a really hungry group and they obviously still have so many top players. 'They'll probably get a few more bodies back, but you can only imagine what their training's been like since that defeat to Meath — I'd say they're raring to go. 'When you look at their team sheet, there's so many players there with so many All-Irelands so it's hard not to rate them very highly, especially with the extra lads back as well. 'They were missing three or four starters against Meath, and I know maybe two or three of them were only just back on that day. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football 'So maybe they were caught on the hop.' Galway lost the All-Ireland final to Armagh last July and want to right a few wrongs themselves. Louth GAA homecoming in Drogheda after Leinster final win over Meath They will face another battle with the Orchard in round 3 of the group of death next month but back-to-back Championship wins over Dublin is the Tribesmen's first target. Key duo Damien Comer (hamstring) and Shane Walsh (back) are back in Joyce's squad for today's clash after missing their entire Connacht SFC campaign. Advertisement And Finnerty admits topping Group 4 and going directly into the last eight is vital after doing things the hard way in 2024. Pádraic Joyce's side missed out on top spot when they drew with Armagh in the last round. 1 The marksman was speaking at the launch of Harvey Norman's new sponsorship of GAA Hawk-Eye They dismissed Monaghan in the preliminary quarter-finals before taking Dublin's scalp, but played three games in as many weeks. Advertisement Finnerty said: 'Yeah, it's obviously ideal if you do that because you're in that flow of a game every two weeks, so that would be the best-case scenario. 'Last year we played three weeks in a row, Armagh then Monaghan then Dublin. They were all really tough battles. 'It's just the worry that you're more likely to pick up a niggle and if you pick up a small knock in that first game, you might miss three Championship games and then your year is over. 'So obviously we'd like to just keep on this two-week-on, but it's going to be difficult with this group. Advertisement 'We've been in some massive Championship games over the last few years, so we probably do have that extra bit of experience and thankfully we're getting used to getting over the line in those situations.' ROB FINNERTY was speaking at the launch of Harvey Norman's new sponsorships of GAA Hawk-Eye, official stats sponsor for the Men's Senior Football and Hurling Championships and also the Camogie Association stats sponsor. With 18 stores across the island of Ireland and 290 stores worldwide, Harvey Norman is a leading retailer of furniture, bedding, electrical and computers
Irish Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Galway star on Dublin's 'revenge' mission and how he picked Mayo's pocket
Rob Finnerty reckons that Dublin will be gunning for revenge when they land in Salthill this evening. Galway scored their first Championship win over the Dubs in 90 years in last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, condemning the then Leinster champions to their earliest exit since 2009. And having relinquished their provincial title last month after losing to Meath, Dublin are now bidding to avoid successive Championship defeats for the first time since 1997, when they were knocked out by the Royals in their first outing having also been beaten by them in the previous year's Leinster final. But Finnerty says that they will be driven by the prospect of avenging last year's defeat. He said: 'They definitely will. They're a really hungry group and they obviously still have so many top players. 'They'll probably get a few more bodies back, but you can only imagine what their training's been like since that defeat to Meath and I'd say they're raring to go. 'When you look at their team sheet, there's so many players there with so many All-Irelands so it's hard to not rate them very highly, especially with the extra lads that are coming back as well. 'I think they're probably missing three or four starters against Meath, and I know maybe two or three of them were only just back on that day. So maybe they were caught on the hop that day or whatever. But yeah, they'll still be really strong.' There is a novel factor to the tie with it being the first Championship meeting of the counties away from Croke Park since the 1933 All-Ireland semi-final, which took place in Mullingar, and it's certainly the most interesting group in this phase of the Championship with All-Ireland champions Armagh and Derry also involved. 'I've heard that a lot now, the group of death,' says Finnerty. 'People were even saying it last week before we even played our provincial final. It's obviously a really tough group but it's probably where you want to be as well. 'Getting the opportunity to play Dublin at home in a Championship game is unbelievable, so we're really looking forward to that.' Galway come into the game having emulated a feat of their greatest ever team by winning four Connacht titles on the spin for the first time since 1966, with Finnerty taking on the mantle in attack in the absence of Shane Walsh and Damien Comer through injury in the provincial final against Mayo. 'Shane and Damien are obviously two of the top players in the country, so they're going to be a massive loss to any team. 'I think a lot of us are that few years older maybe, different players and have that bit more experience and there's loads of different lads coming into themselves. 'We're in a really good place as a group and when we get them back that'll only make us stronger.' The game swung in Galway's favour through Finnerty's ingenuity as he intercepted a Colm Reape kickout in the 61st minute and was pulled down by Rory Brickenden, who was black-carded as a result. It was something that Finnerty says he was waiting to pounce on having studied Mayo's form. 'That's kind of their favourite pocket there. He's a right-footed kicker so he obviously likes to kick that way. 'It would have been something I'd have looked at on video as well, about maybe trying to fake going the other way and then trying to intercept it. So I had a feeling we might get one and thankfully we did and we made it count. 'I probably was trying it a lot throughout the game. It just happened to come off once, thankfully enough.' Finnerty is, of course, the son of former Mayo footballer Anthony, also known as 'Larry' and a long-time Salthill resident, though he suggests that his father's identity has been somewhat diluted at this stage. 'He was absolutely delighted after the game, to be fair to him. I think he's coming around. He's a bit of a Galway man at this stage, obviously you have that extra bit of craic with the family, the cousins and aunties. 'They obviously still have that side to them, where they'd probably be supporting Mayo. It is enjoyable.'
