Latest news with #JohnO'Sullivan
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Were the IRFU right to cut the men's Sevens?
Nearly a week on from the IRFU's decision to cut the men's Sevens programme, Gordon D'Arcy and John O'Sullivan join Nathan Johns to debate the merits of the decision. Gordon, as a former Sevens player, is well placed to offer insight on the merits of Sevens for players moving into 15s. John has covered the Sevens team as extensively as anyone in recent years and he offers his experience as he dwells on the decision. Do rugby's financials leave the IRFU with any other choice? Is Sevens simply a luxury which cannot be afforded? Why cut the men's team but not the women's? Does this move place too much faith in Ireland's academy structures, narrowing an already small talent pool? Was this decision handled in the best way possible? READ MORE Produced by John Casey. Survey link is here .
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
South Kerry secondary school students win big cash prize for environmental project focused on Kenmare
A team of students from Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine won the Mixed/Large Group Environmental Prize at the 2025 AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards, winning €2,000 for their school. The winning team was recognised for the positive impact it made on the local community through a project focused on the problem of unsustainable pair trawling in Kenmare Bay. The students were announced as award winners at the 2025 AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards ceremony at Croke Park on April 29. Patricia Holbein, teacher at Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine, said it was great for the students' hard work over the last two years to be recognised. Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine teacher John O'Sullivan said the project 'really inspired and empowered students, giving them the self-confidence and belief in their own abilities'. The AIB Future Sparks School Impact Awards celebrate schools making a positive impact on their community, centred on three key pillars of activity: Environmental, Social, and Financial. These pillars encompass a wide range of activities that contribute to the betterment of communities, including volunteering, fundraising, awareness campaigns, mentoring, peer education, skills-sharing, and environmental conservation. Orlaith Ryan, chief customer officer at AIB, congratulated the winning Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine students and other award winners, selected from 124 submissions. 'We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding contributions made by schools and young people across Ireland through the AIB Future Sparks School Impact programme,' Ms Ryan said, 'These awards not only offer students a chance to engage in a new form of learning outside of the regular syllabus, but also inspire students to continue to make a positive impact on their local communities.'
Irish Independent
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Listry dig out extra-time win over Glenflesk in East Kerry minor league division 2 final
Listry 2-21 Glenflesk 1-19 After a thrilling 70 minutes of football, Listry climbed the victory in the East Kerry Minor League Division 2 final with a strong first period of extra-time crucial to the win. After Listry saw an early goal by Tom O'Dowd ruled out for a square ball, Glenflesk got the opening goal of the game with a terrific finish from captain John O'Sullivan. Listry fought back well from this setback, with a run of seven points in a row, with James Clifford and Killian Fitzgerald doing the damage, with a two-pointer from Clifford the pick of the scores. Two late James Kelly points kept Glenflesk within two points at the break, despite being well outplayed. Glenflesk started the second half well, with points from John O'Sullivan and Dylan Bowler. Clifford then goaled for Listry, with Sean Clifford providing the assist. Back came Glenflesk with four more points, with Bowler getting the last as they went ahead again. Listry again responded well, and a Ryan Carey score put them two points up as injury time approached. Glenflesk created one more opportunity. James Kelly was the one to take on the shot, firing over with his left foot from behind the arc to send the game to extra-time. After having victory stolen away from them, Listry got on with the business of winning the game again. Killian O'Donoghue's early goal was followed by a pair of '45's from Fitzgerald. Listry had earned a nine-point lead by half time. Despite Glenflesk's brave efforts to come back, which included another Kelly two-pointer, Listry had done enough to secure the win. Elsewhere in the Division 3A final, four goals for Firies proved crucial in their 4-14 to 0-13 win over Beaufort. In the Division 3B final in Currow the home side beat Gneevegulla by 3-14 to 2-13 where two late goals helped Currow to a four-point win.
Irish Times
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leinster v Northampton live updates: Champions Cup semi-final
6 minutes ago Hello and welcome to the Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster and Northampton Saints at the Aviva Stadium. John O'Sullivan here, and I'll take you through all the pre-match fare, the game and the post-match reaction including Gerry Thornley's match report and Johnny Watterson who has his red pen ready for the Player Ratings. It's a repeat of last season's semi-final, a game Leinster led 20-3 early in the second half through a James Lowe hat-trick but had to cling on for dear life to edge home 20-17. There's been plenty of throughput in the Saints pack, Courtney Lawes, now with Brive a huge loss. But the visitors have a precocious young flanker in Henry Pollock who obviously believes that all the world's a stage for his talent. The Saints are without some stellar attacking talent in Ollie Sleightholme, George Furbank and George Hendy too. Leinster are without secondrow James Ryan – he hasn't started any of Leinster's last five Champions Cup knockout matches as he was a replacement in the 2024 final – but otherwise have few injury concerns. Tommy O'Brien and Max Deegan are rewarded for their brilliant form, Cian Healy gets another starting role like the last day, while the bench contains………well a hell of a lot of talent not least Leinster's man of the match in the quarter-final, Jordie Barrett.
Irish Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
James Lowe in high spirits ahead of Northampton visit
This time last year James Lowe scored a hat-trick of tries for Leinster in their Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton. He fobbed off the feat, though, when he spoke with John O'Sullivan. 'I only ran about 12m,' he said. Besides, he was too busy paying tribute to team-mates, as only James Lowe can - eg: ' RG [Snyman], the big freak . He's 6ft 8ins or taller, he runs like the wind and every time he gets the ball, everyone is looking for the offload because he doesn't want to die with it.' Lowe is, then, in his usual flying form ahead of Leinster hosting Northampton for the second successive year in the last four of the competition, Gerry Thornley bringing you the team news . Surprisingly, the game at the Aviva Stadium is still not a sell-out, 'overpriced' tickets hardly helping. In hurling, Joe Canning gives his thoughts on last weekend's big two talking points , Darragh McCarthy's sending off and Adam Hogan 'throwing himself to the ground' after being 'tipped on the arm' with a hurley. Let's just say, Joe was impressed by neither. Louth football manager Ger Brennan wasn't too impressed either by a club game being played before the Leinster semi-final against Kildare last Sunday. 'We were like sardines,' he told Gordon Manning of the effort to cram his panel and backroom team in to the one dressing room. It should be roomier at Croke Park on Sunday when his side take on Meath in the final. READ MORE Galway, meanwhile, will be bidding for a fourth Connacht title in a row when they meet Mayo in Castlebar, Stephen Barry hearing from Cillian McDaid in the build-up to the game. In golf, Philip Reid caught up with Leona Maguire on her visit to Dublin, the Cavan woman on a week's break from the LPGA Tour . She talked about her hopes for a big summer, which includes four Major championships, Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph and the support and advice she receives from Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley. Johnny Watterson writes about the double standards in sport when it comes to punishing competitors for making religious or political statements . Liverpool's Cody Gakpo is likely to only receive a reprimand for brandishing an 'I belong to Jesus' t-shirt after scoring against Spurs last weekend. If it had read 'I belong to Gaza' how different would the consequences have been? And Brian O'Connor brings the latest from the Punchestown festival, including a preview of Constitution Hill's efforts to ' redeem his reputation as one of the sport's modern greats ' in today's Champion Hurdle. The big winner on Thursday was Gordon Elliott's Teahupoo when he retained his Stayers Hurdle title. Elliott revealed that he had dreamt the night before about the horse triumphing and Meath winning the Leinster Final. One down, one to go. TV Watch: It's round two at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson today, Sky Sports Golf's coverage starting at 12.45 this afternoon. From 4pm, RTÉ 2 has the final day of the Punchestown festival and this evening Sligo Rovers meet Drogheda United in the Premier Division (Virgin Media Two, 7.45) and Manchester City are at home to Wolves in the Premier League (Sky Sports, 8pm).
