Latest news with #Laverty
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
'East Coast Football' rising ahead of first ever Louth, Down Championship tie
'East Coast Football' was one of the more bizarre quotes of recent times. It really meant Dublin when Jim Gavin coined it first, but with the rise of Louth - and Meath on a roll - it seems more apt than ever now. Could Down be the next 'East Coast' county to make their mark as they face Louth at Pairc Esler on Saturday evening in a crucial Round 2 All-Ireland encounter? Astonishingly, it will be the first ever meeting of the sides who share a border along the M1 motorway. Carlingford Lough splits the counties. The popular tourist village is the Dundalk/Newry Riviera, a weekend and summer playground for locals on both sides of the border. Down are the historical power here, and carried the Sam Maguire through Louth five times on their way home from Croke Park, but the playing field has leveled off. In this year's Division 2 campaign, they both finished on six points with Louth surviving thanks to a final round win over Meath. In the group stages, Louth edged Down out by 2-17 to 0-22 at Ardee. But, in the meantime, Ger Brennan's reds landed a first Leinster senior title since 1957, while the Wee County are riding the crest of a wave at underage level. Their senior breakthrough may have played a factor in Louth's paltry tally of eight points - they also shot four goals - against Monaghan's 1-23 in last weekend's All-Ireland opener, while a week earlier Down thumped Clare by 3-27 to 1-16. It appears to be Louth's time, but they have just seven days to get the show back on the road again, presenting a major opportunity to Down - one they've had to be patient for. Down, the aristocrats of Ulster football, the first side from the six counties to take the Sam Maguire across the border (1960), the mighty Mourne men, the red and black devils have been in the wilderness for over three decades now. They've had to look on as Tyrone (4), Armagh (2) and Donegal (1) have claimed All-Ireland titles since their last triumph, back in 1994. Very much the unloved child of Ulster football in recent years, all the talk has been of Tyrone, Donegal, Derry and Armagh. And, the side they could meet in the final round of this year's All-Ireland round robin, with a coveted last eight place on the line, Monaghan, are starting to make waves too. Conor Laverty's first Championship game in charge of Down was in April 2023, a 2-13 to 1-11 victory over Donegal. Almost 10,000 fans turned up in Newry, but it was a Donegal side in chaos after the resignation of manager Paddy Carr during the National League. It seemed though that the Laverty factor might lead to instant success, or at least fasttrack it. As a player Laverty had won 10 Down Championships, two Ulster clubs and one All-Ireland (as joint-captain). Of far more relevance though were/are, his Ulster Under-20 title wins as Down manager in 2021 and 2023. In fact, he's the only manager to prevent Tyrone winning the Ulster under-20 title since Mickey Donnelly (Derry) in 2018, with Tyrone native Donnelly now part of Laverty's Down set-up. Armagh delivered a dose of reality on Down's next big day out after the Donegal win, hitting them for four goals in a 10 point Ulster semi-final win. Down had come off a Division 3 campaign. Next year, three seasons on from that, they'll play Division 3 football again, after being relegated a few weeks ago. Progress hasn't been linear. It's been steady rather than monumental, but that's not all that surprising given the low base Down are coming from. No Ulster title since 1994 is only the half of it. But, they've stayed patient and stayed working. Along the way, Laverty added Ciaran Meenagh to his coaching ticket, after he left Derry following the departure of Rory Gallagher - and the county's last gasp 2023 All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Kerry. Landing Meenagh, with his attention to detail and experience from his time with Derry, was a real sign of intent. That promise has yet to be fulfilled with a huge turnover of players Laverty has gone with youth and rebuilt his side. Just six players who started the Donegal 2023 game started against Clare 12 days ago: Pierce Laverty, Danny Magill, Daniel Guinness, Ceilum Doherty, Ryan McEvoy and Pat Havern. There are signs that they're getting there. It went largely unnoticed last year that Down pushed Armagh to one point in the Ulster semi-final. But for big displays from Aidan Forker and Rian O'Neill, McGeeney's All-Ireland champions in waiting would have been beaten. That defeat represented an eight point improvement on the year before against Armagh, although in 2024 they scored just 2-6 and played 15 men behind the ball for most of the game. This year Down were fortunate to defeat Fermanagh in the Ulster quarter-final, showing great resilience to hit two late goals in a 2-19 to 0-23 victory. Ulster Championship games are for winning. In the semi-final they fell to a six point defeat by Donegal, 1-19 to 0-16. They had a safety net though. Down are a great advertisement for the Tailteann Cup. They wouldn't be in the All-Ireland this year, or in with a serious chance of topping their group and going straight through to claim one of the four automatic All-Ireland quarter-final places on offer, if they hadn't won it last season. While some counties have struggled with buy-in, it reflects well on Laverty and co that they got enough player commitment to win the second tier championship. It was the first final they'd won after 12 decider defeats on the bounce, going all the way back to the 1994 All-Ireland Final, including the 2010 All-Ireland decider. Laverty and Down needed that victory badly as they'd lost the Division 3 Final at Croke Park a few months earlier and the Tailteann Cup decider the year before against Meath. It was a serious monkey off the back for Down football, as this group eyes up a first All-Ireland quarter-final since 2010 against a Louth side who made thier first ever quarter-final last year. 'East Coast Football' abu.
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Paul Laverty pays tribute to Palestinian journalist killed by Israeli strike
Paul Laverty, who is known for his collaboration with Ken Loach on I, Daniel Blake, and Sweet Sixteen starring a young Martin Compston, has voiced his outrage at the UK Government's 'collusion with genocide' in Gaza. Ahead of an event in Cannes to remember Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna who was killed on April 16 in northern Gaza, Laverty shared a video message aimed at UK ministers. READ MORE: Labour silent on Israeli government's 'antisemitism summit' invitation Hassouna, 25, and ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister, were killed just days before her wedding. 'If I die, I want a loud death,' she wrote on social media before she was killed. Hassouna was the subject of a documentary made by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi (below), Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk. The film tells the story of the daily life of Palestinians through filmed video conversations between Hassouna and Farsi, was screened at Cannes on May 15. Palme d'Or winners Laverty and Loach also penned an open letter remembering Hassouna as a 'courageous young woman' and urging the international community to speak out about Gaza. In a video clip seen by The National, and due to be screened at a press conference in Cannes denouncing Hassouna's murder, Laverty sent his 'solidarity from Scotland'. (Image: Getty images) 'The genocide convention of 1951, signed by 53 countries is not an option, you are not doing a favour, it is not optional,' he said. 'It is international law, the law of the land. So lets put our politicians on notice that in terms of Article 3 they are in collusion with genocide by directly and indirectly, by the fair view, are supporting genocide in Gaza. 'Let's put them on a wanted list, let's remember their names, all all around the world.' Laverty then called out the UK Cabinet, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey. 'We will remember you,' he said. 'Let's put them on a shame and name list, and say we are coming after you in terms of the genocide convention Article 3.' Laverty added: 'We shall remember your name, we shall put you on a list, and we are after you. Carry out your duties in the term of the law, do you duty, stop genocide now. 'Fatima, we remember you darling.' READ MORE: John Swinney discusses 'need to end conflict' in Gaza with Keir Starmer The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment. Laverty and Loach called for the international film community to advocate for peace in Cannes while the festival is underway. 'For a few short days, the world's attention rests on Cannes as film-makers from many countries try their best to make sense of what is happening around them. Cannes has a tradition of engagement in the affairs of the day, and some still have vivid memories of the events of 1968,' they say in the letter. 'Young Fatima clearly foresaw her own murder, and said, 'I want a loud death.' On 15th May, the day of the screening, can we honour this courageous young woman, and her fellow Palestinian journalists (no foreign journalist has been allowed into Gaza) who gave their lives to bear witness to mass murder.' (Image: PA) Laverty and Loach (above) called for countries to carry out their duties under the Genocide Convention and demand the international community 'puts an end to the war crimes of Israel', and named the UK as an enabler. 'If we do not stop Genocide now, the Israeli/Trump version of the Riviera in Gaza will be built on the rubble and the dead,' they added. 'The ethnic cleansing will continue through the West Bank and the Palestinian people will have been finally driven from their historic homeland. 'If the war criminals escape justice what horrors will come next? 'Fatima Hassouna, and her family, murdered on the 16th April, '25, Rest in Peace.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
RI data breach: How to protect your online accounts
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A new analysis from Crowdstrike released on Thursday revealed how hacking group Brain Cipher was able to gain access to Rhode Island's online social services portal last year, exposing the personal information of more than 650,000 residents. All it took was one Deloitte employee's login information. Cybersecurity expert Patrick Laverty said similar tactics have been used in data breaches around the country. REPORT: Hackers accessed RIBridges using Deloitte rep's credentials 'It seems like these hackers have a pretty decent amount of sophistication to their techniques,' he told 12 News. But what are those techniques? Laverty says one way bad actors can gain access to confidential information is by sending out phony emails. 'Maybe they sent an email to somebody and tricked them into filling out a form to get their password,' he suggested. He recommends staying on the lookout for red flags like typos or spelling errors in emails, phone calls or text messages that may otherwise look legitimate. And when it comes to personal online accounts, it's important to make sure you have strong passwords. 'You want your passwords to be long and to be memorable and to really not be reused,' Laverty said, recommending extra protections like multifactor authentication and password managers. Rhode Islanders affected by the breach should also freeze their credit so they can be alerted to anyone trying to use their personal information, because the consequences can be severe. 'They can do things like file insurance claims, file tax returns, fill out credit card reports,' Laverty said. 'They have your name, your Social Security number, your home address.' READ NEXT: 12 Responds answers FAQs about the RI data breach Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Down's Laverty 'bitterly disappointed' by Donegal loss
Down boss Conor Laverty admitted to being left "bitterly disappointed" by his side's six-point Ulster SFC semi-final loss to Donegal. Donegal led by eight points at half-time but Down failed to make life more uncomfortable for Jim McGuinness' side after missing goal chances in the second period. Advertisement Shay Miller was denied by Shaun Patton before Eugene Branagan lashed a shot wide when he was bearing down on goal. "We're bitterly disappointed with how the game finished," Laverty told BBC Sport NI. "There was a period in the second half where we felt we got to grips with the game and we had opportunities to close the gap. "They kept us at arm's length. They had goal chances but if our chances go in it gives us serious momentum going into the home straight." Having won last year's Tailteann Cup, Down have an All-Ireland campaign to look forward to. And while Laverty admits his panel have not had enough exposure at the highest level, he feels his players are trending in the right direction. Advertisement "This is a young squad and they maybe haven't had the exposure of playing at that level," added the Kilcoo club-man. "Division Two helped us this year, playing against Armagh in the semi-final last year and Donegal today. "We're closing the gap, I still feel there are three or four teams in Ulster that are ahead of everybody but as a group we're closing that gap."
BBC News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Down's Laverty 'bitterly disappointed' by Donegal loss
Down boss Conor Laverty admitted to being left "bitterly disappointed" by his side's six-point Ulster SFC semi-final loss to led by eight points at half-time but Down failed to make life more uncomfortable for Jim McGuinness' side after missing goal chances in the second Miller was denied by Shaun Patton before Eugene Branagan lashed a shot wide when he was bearing down on goal. "We're bitterly disappointed with how the game finished," Laverty told BBC Sport NI. "There was a period in the second half where we felt we got to grips with the game and we had opportunities to close the gap."They kept us at arm's length. They had goal chances but if our chances go in it gives us serious momentum going into the home straight."Having won last year's Tailteann Cup, Down have an All-Ireland campaign to look forward to. And while Laverty admits his panel have not had enough exposure at the highest level, he feels his players are trending in the right direction. "This is a young squad and they maybe haven't had the exposure of playing at that level," added the Kilcoo club-man. "Division Two helped us this year, playing against Armagh in the semi-final last year and Donegal today. "We're closing the gap, I still feel there are three or four teams in Ulster that are ahead of everybody but as a group we're closing that gap."
