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The Irish Sun
27-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘There's more to life' – Jason Foley finds meaning beyond football after Kerry's Meath meltdown
THIS time six weeks ago, Kerry football folk feared that the sky was falling in. A projected routine Advertisement 2 Jason Foley of Kerry in action against Meath during their shock loss earlier this season 2 Foley is looking at the bigger picture as Kerry head into today's All-Ireland final against Donegal In a county where football flows through the blood of the natives, it was a doomsday defeat. But for Jason Foley, life's bigger picture made its way back into his line of vision as soon as he returned to the workplace. The Although it is a career that he considers his true vocation, he admits there are some days which are more challenging than others — such as the Monday following the 1-22 to 0-16 loss to the Royals. Advertisement read more on gaa He recalled: 'I went into work that morning and I was covering someone else — another SNA — who wasn't in work that day. 'It was like a sign that was given to me to just get on with it. There's more to life. 'It was the one day that I had to cover someone else and it was the most perspective I've had in a long time. It's great that way.' Through good times and bad, perspective can be an elusive commodity for supporters and players alike. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Exclusive Exclusive For contrasting reasons, and quite understandably, the people of Tipperary and Cork in Croke Park may have struggled to accept that hurling is only a game at 5pm last Sunday. Kerry and Donegal battle for Sam Maguire in GAA All-Ireland football final Ever since he left behind a promising athletics career at the age of 17 to focus on football with Ballydonoghue and Kerry, Foley has emptied himself in the pursuit of success. That is verified by his winning of an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award in 2022. And having emerged on the losing side in two of his three previous appearances in the Sam Maguire showpiece, he is sure to be crushed if today belongs to Donegal. Advertisement But his vocation has helped the 27-year-old to trust that the world will keep spinning nonetheless. Foley, who represented Ireland as a sprint hurdler at schools level, works mostly to aid children with autism spectrum disorder. He said: 'That's the thing about working with children with special needs or ASD in general — I suppose you don't know what way they're going to come in every morning and you just have to roll with the punches and make their life as great as possible for that day. So I love it.' A former University College Cork student, Foley inherited his passion for working with children from his mother Noelle and his Cork-based maternal grandmother Anna O'Donovan. Advertisement He explained: 'My grandmother, she would have fostered a lot of children. I would have gone down to visit her often. "Mom would have told me all the stories about her fostering children and how hard she worked, so it was kind of a natural progression really. 'I kind of wanted to do teaching initially and then kind of fell into Early Years and Childhood Studies in UCC and really enjoyed it. 'I was advised to go into it. I was told that I was compassionate towards children with special needs on placements and stuff like that and really enjoyed it. Advertisement "I really enjoyed helping children develop, I suppose, and I'm very, very lucky to be involved in it. 'I think it puts great perspective on things when I go into work on a Monday morning and see what struggles children have or what struggles parents have. 'I might have struggled at the weekend — my man might have kicked a few points off me. 'I'm coming into work on a Monday morning with a sour head on me but then quickly realising that there's more to life than that.' Advertisement Just like the children that Foley works with in Milltown, near Killarney, the Kerry defence has been in safe hands since he made his Championship debut in 2018. Michael Murphy will put him to the test if their anticipated match-up materialises. But this is a man not known for shirking challenges in any area of his life. FAMILY LIFE On his profession, Foley continued: 'My mother would have been a childcare nurse and when she came to Kerry, she would have been looking after a lot of children. "She would have done a lot of child-minding and stuff like that. Advertisement 'We would have been surrounded by children when we were growing up and when I was a teenager. We'd be out kicking ball with kids and we'd have been surrounded by cousins and stuff the whole time. 'I don't know, I just kind of fell into it. But it's kind of funny how things work out really. 'As I said, I genuinely love it. I love going into work every morning and there's a good camaraderie between the SNAs and the teachers.' For Foley, one of the perks of the job is the opportunity to briefly shed his skin as an inter-county footballer. Advertisement He said: 'The nice thing most of the time is that the children I'd be working with would nearly be totally oblivious to the fact that I am who I am, or I play with Kerry, or football in general, which is kind of nice. 'It's kind of endearing in a way. I can kind of go in and do a jigsaw puzzle or help them with their work. "It's just a completely different life. I suppose, in a way, I can switch off from it too because when you're surrounded by adults the whole time or staff members or different kids, it can be all questions about the game. 'Sometimes it can be a breath of fresh air when you're surrounded by children who are oblivious to that.' Advertisement Putting another Celtic Cross in his pocket will not alter how Foley is viewed by the children who depend on him. Ultimately, his scope to improve their lives will be unaffected by the outcome of the 2025 All-Ireland SFC final. And when all is said and done, no victory that is attainable on the field can measure up to the ones being achieved by Foley in the classrooms.
The Irish Sun
25-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Ex-Premier League manager wins bitter battle with neighbours over 7 ‘nuisance' trees full of squawking magpies
FORMER Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has won his battle with neighbours to axe seven "nuisance" trees at his Cheshire mansion - despite fears for magpies. The Advertisement 3 Retired football player Kevin Keegan Credit: Getty 3 The sycamore trees near his home (not pictured) are all in poor condition. Similar trees are pictured on a public road Credit: Matthew Pover One protestor even sent a sound recording to the local council of birds in the trees including blackbirds, blue tits, parakeets, robins and Magpies, in a desperate bid to save the 60ft-high sycamores. Newcastle are called the Magpies because of their black and white striped kit, like the bird's plumage, and The 50-year-old trees were slapped with a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) before the row of four houses, including Keegan's, were built. But Keegan and his neighbours have now successfully applied to the local council to have the "dead and decaying" trees completely felled to the ground. Advertisement Read more neighbour rows In a letter, one objector wrote: "The protected trees have always provided a welcome and quite natural habitat for the wide diversity of animals, especially birds. "For many years, our property and those of our neighbours have overlooked an empty field. Now our view, especially during the winter months, is of four detached houses. "During the summer months, a time when most people enjoy being out in their gardens, the protected trees have provided a level of privacy, shade from the sun and good noise reduction (for all parties). "Over the last 40 years I can honestly say the protected trees have caused no real problems at all. To destroy live trees would be a tragedy." Advertisement Most read in Football Exclusive Exclusive Another objector, whose house backs on to They said: "I am in total agreement that tree maintenance and action is required to the trees. My objection is with some of the proposed action." A third objector said: "The face the trees are now considered a nuisance shouldn't necessitate their wanton removal, after all the trees were there long before the houses were built." Keegan won three Division One Championships, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup and a European Cup in his playing career at Advertisement As a manager, he is famous for his "I would love it if we beat them" rant at Sir Alex Ferguson as his The former England boss moved to his five-bedroom Cheshire pad in 2002 and has since added a loft conversion, two dormer windows and a rear conservatory. Officials at Trafford Council gave the go-ahead for the tree felling by April 2027, but ordered that new trees should be planted. They said: "The sycamore trees proposed for removal are all in poor condition, most have areas of dead bark on the lower stem, structural weaknesses in the crown and poor leaf budding rates. Advertisement "Decay is evident in several previous pruning points and these trees are likely to become hazardous in the near future if they remain." 3 The former England boss moved to his five-bedroom Cheshire pad in 2002 Credit: Jon Bond - The Sun
