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Irish Times
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Lengthy camogie finals day in Croker finishes with a thrill
It was worth the wait, wasn't it? The GAA and camogie intercounty calendar may be as squashed these days as an overworked concertina but the finals – brought to us as part of a marathon finale to the season by the hardworking RTÉ crew – produced what an out-of-breath commentator Ger Canning described as 'an absolute camogie classic'. He wasn't wrong, after the mother of all finals between Galway and Cork in the senior decider produced the icing on the cake for camogie 's showpiece day at Croke Park, with the Tribeswomen ending the Leesiders' bid for a generational three-in-a-row. 'Nobody had this on the cards,' remarked co-commentator Elaine Aylward. And she wasn't wrong either. RTÉ's broadcasting team must have had their breakfast at Croker, as well as their lunch and dinner and supper, so long were they in GAA HQ for the series of All-Ireland finals that brought us junior, intermediate and finally the senior decider. READ MORE If Damian Lawlor may have felt blessed to be in the company of pundits Anna Geary, Ursula Jacob and Ann Marie Hayes – who between them have a barrow-load of Celtic crosses for their own achievements – the output from the three women and their knowledge of the sport was hugely impressive, not just for the senior match but clearly homework had been done for the junior and intermediate matches too. Indeed, when Laois cantin Líadan C Fennell joined Damo, Anna, Ursula and Anne Marie down at their television anchoring location in the corner of the pitch by the Nally, her sheer joy epitomised how their victory over Armagh in the junior final contrasted with a year ago when she and her team-mates were on the losing side. 'We just did it for the girls,' said Fennell. 'This time last year we had tears in our eyes for another reason and none of us wanted that again.' And while she was uttering those words, Fennell was holding an RTÉ microphone with bloodied fingers; not that she seemed to care. Laois captain Líadan C Fennell celebrates with Lynda Keyes after the final whistle. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Anyway, the baton was moved on from the junior final to the intermediate with seamless ease, even if Lawlor and the pundits seemed less than impressed by what had taken place in the first half between Offaly and Kerry . 'Pretty timid,' said Lawlor, adding seconds later, 'fairly timid.' Ann Marie was more to the point. 'Flat and dead,' is how she described it. Although, by match end, with Offaly claiming the title, commentator Marty Morrissey was anticipating something like a Marty Party in the midlands. 'The bonfires can be lit in the county of Offaly,' he enthused. Many hours after getting their cornflakes and porridge, the broadcast finally got to the senior final. 'The big one, the showpiece for all camogie fans,' said Lawlor, with the emphasis back on skill, endeavour and physicality for the Cork-Galway showdown with little or not talk at all of the skorts matter which had brought camogie to the attention of the wider public earlier this year. The montage produced as part of the build-up, though, showed us clips of last year's final between Cork and Galway, one and all wearing skorts. This year, with the rule change, only a couple of players between both teams wore the skorts. And, of course, the analysts had their own sense of fashion with their gúnaí. Anna wore a red dress. Ann Marie wore maroon. Ursula wore a neutral blue. And they all had their own brilliantly delivered opinions on what would unfold, with Ursula wondering if some 'curve ball' would be thrown in terms of tactics given how well the teams knew each other. Mairead Dillion scores a goal for Galway. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Nobody but nobody, not even Mystic Meg, could have foreseen the first half that unfolded as the two teams produced speed and wizardry and, indeed, a level of physicality that was a world removed from the junior and intermediate finals. And nobody, except perhaps Ann Marie, who had put Damian back in his box when wondering if there was any fear in the Galway camp of what Cork would bring, had the first half finishing with Galway ahead and Cork a player down after Hannah Looney's red card just before the break. 'It's gone from bad to worse,' said Canning of the red card. Not that there was too much sympathy for Looney. 'There's no justification, no argument,' said Aylward of the sending off, before adding: 'When Galway get to All-Ireland finals you can tear up the script, you can tear up the form book, they bring something different.' The outcome, though, went to the proverbial wire. 'Galway are just running on fumes,' mentioned Aylward, 'they're going to have to find a new lease of life off the bench.' She was a mystic, wasn't she? Didn't Cork only score to draw level. 'What a final, so many talking points and no winner,' said Canning. Yet! There would be a winner, Galway. 'An absolute classic. Galway return to camogie's summit, they're back at the top,' said Canning who, hopefully, had packed his lozenges after a fine effort himself in the commentary booth.
RTÉ News
29-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Night Of Shame 1985
Delay in Brussels before The European Cup Final as crowd trouble turns the occasion into a tragedy. On 29 May 1985, defending champions Liverpool and Juventus were to play in the 30th European Cup final at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. An hour before kick-off, a ferocious battle between opposing fans flared up. The Belgian police were unable to control the situation. A small minority of Liverpool supporters fired stones and flares at the Italian section of the stadium. As the Juventus fans tried to escape, they were crushed against a wall, which then collapsed. They ultimately found safety on the running track around the pitch. Some of the Juventus players go onto the pitch side track. Multimillion-pound players mingling with the crowd, attempting to console some of them, attempting to keep passions down somewhat. Meanwhile, the Liverpool supporters are eerily silent. Nobody expected that anything like this would happen, it's a total embarrassment for everyone. What was to be a big night for football has descended into, A night of shame, of violence, of mayhem, and of death. Tragically, 39 fans, mostly Juventus supporters, lost their lives, and hundreds more were injured. To avoid more trouble among fans, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) officials permitted the match to go ahead. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Juventus. Following Heysel, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and UEFA imposed a five-year ban on all English clubs from entering European competitions. Liverpool FC was banned indefinitely. This was later changed to seven years, and finally six. The European Cup Final was broadcast on 29 May 1985. The commentator is Ger Canning. MORE ARCHIVES DAILY
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Glory for various Wexford groups at All-Ireland Drama Festival finals
This year's Gala Awards for the open section of the full-length festival circuit in Athlone's Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday, May 17, brought competition to the table that was as tight as ever between nine drama groups, with the overall champions hailing from County Waterford, Ballyduff Drama Group, as Ger Canning directed their performance of The Blackwater Lightship, written by Enniscorthy's Colm Tóibín, in the number one slot. Tóibín's work was adapted for stage by David Horan. The Ballyduff Drama Group members are no strangers to Athlone, and the group has been performing on the 3 Act circuit for over forty years. During that time, they won the All-Ireland in 2004, and more recently this is their third time to win in four years (2022, 2024). The 2025 champions' showcasing of The Blackwater Lightship enlightened audiences to a story set in 1990s Ireland and HIV/AIDS is still a terminal diagnosis. A sister, a mother and a grandmother, along with two friends, have come together to tend to 29-year-old Declan, who has the disease. The Wexford-native's story brings the audience on a journey along with the makeshift family unit to see if they face up to the illness and each other. The Balally Players, directed by Declan Rudden, who performed Ulster American by David Ireland, were placed second on the night. Meanwhile, Wexford's Bridge Drama Group were placed third, for their play directed by Susan Somers, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens. Also taking awards back to the Model County included, Cillian Tobin, Bridge Drama, who won best actor for his role as Christopher Boone in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Catherine Stafford, Ballycogley Players, received the award for the best actress in a supporting role for her portrayal of Maggie in Lend Me A Tenor. The award for best stage management went to Mary O'Connor, Bridge Drama, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and the same play also picked up the award for best stage lighting, perfected by Mark Redmond, Bridge Drama. Wexford Drama Group was also one of the nine groups to reach the finals under the direction of Paul Walsh for their production of Skylight, by David Hare, which continued their qualifying success in the drama circuit to the All-Ireland Drama Finals for three years consecutive years. The Festival Director, Michael McGlone, remarked that it was a privilege for him to take on the role, which comes with a massive responsibility to ensure the high standards are maintained and that finalists coming to Athlone have a rewarding experience. He thanked his committee for their contribution. "This year's festival is extra special because, thanks to the team in RTÉ, our awards ceremony was live streamed,' said Mr McGlone. 'This will no doubt open up a whole new audience to the ceremony and remind everyone that amateur drama is going from strength to strength,' he added. This year's adjudicator, Walker Ewart has a wealth of experience in all aspects of amateur drama since the age of 14. He was awarded an O.B.E. for Services to Education in 2012 on his retirement. He is fully aware of the efforts made by the huge team of volunteers in any production. He said he has basked in, and suffered, adjudications as an actor and director, and understands the sensitivities of groups who have been preparing their work for many months. Mr Ewart deems it an honour to adjudicate his peers in any festival and added that its is 'a particular honour, and an awesome responsibility, to adjudicate Athlone for the third time'. During the week of the Drama Festival, he pronounced to the audience that it was 'a great day to be alive' after seeing many of the performances. Mr Ewart continued his comments on the festival, and said it was 'the best festival' he has ever adjudicated at. 'This year there was a stunning level of performance in every case.' Speaking to Nuala Carey, RTÉ, he recalled the history of amateur drama stemming back to the work of priests going out into communities and setting up drama festivals, and how amateur drama has a legacy of family to family passing down in the community. In praising the nine finalists, Mr Ewart said 'they have all done their communities extremely proud.' He gave the Adjudicator's Award to Emma Walsh, Brideview Drama Group, for her Valerie's speech in The Weir. The winning play by Ballyduff Drama Group, originally written by Tóibín, was noted by the adjudicator as to have 'presented a well-nigh perfect production of the Blackwater Lightship'. "A wonderful lived-in house, inhabited by a totally believable set of characters. The audience was drawn into the bewilderment and the tensions as the characters faced the unexpected and shocking news of the illness of a loved one. The acting was of a consistently high standard, in the majority of cases excellent portrayals. The friends who rallied round to help Declan in his suffering cared deeply for him. The final goodbye was a very moving piece of theatre. In the end, those of us who were privileged to look into this world cared for these characters. An unforgettable production,' he concluded as the curtains came down on the 2025 RTÉ All-Ireland Drama Festival, held under the auspices of the Amateur Drama Council of Ireland (ADCI).
