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Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Joe Brolly: Ger Brennan's steel can forge a new era for Dublin
Pat Gilroy tells a story about Ger Brennan when he was starting his senior career with St Vincent's. They were playing Na Fianna. Ger, who was 18 or so, was centre-back, marking Kieran McGeeney, who by then was an icon of the game, former Footballer of the Year and captain of the International Rules team. Pat was midfield.
Irish Daily Mirror
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin's lucky charm on what motivated her to come back and win All-Ireland
Dublin's lucky charm Eilish O'Dowd admits she felt like she was 'missing out' after parking her inter-county in 2024. The former Leitrim player, a long-time Dublin resident, was called up by her adopted county ahead of the 2023 season after impressing for Na Fianna at club level and slotted in at midfield as they went all way, beating Kerry in the All-Ireland final for their first Brendan Martin Cup success since their four-in-a-row run from 2017-20. But, like so many in the ladies game, her head was turned by the AFLW last year and she signed for the GWA Giants, with whom she made a notable impression, which included kicking the fastest goal in the competition's history some 15 seconds into her debut against the Western Bulldogs. Back home, Dublin relinquished their All-Ireland title at the quarter-final stage in O'Dowd's absence, suffering a surprise defeat to Galway at Parnell Park and with long-serving manager Mick Bohan stepping down in the aftermath, it seemed like the end of an era. However, with O'Dowd back on board after her Australian stint and Paul Casey and Derek Murray providing a seamless transition as they took over from Bohan in a joint capacity, Dublin are back on top after making light work of Meath, who sensationally halted their five-in-a-row bid in 2021, in Sunday's All-Ireland final. It means that, in terms of All-Ireland success, O'Dowd has a 100% record in her Dublin career with both of her two seasons having ended with the ultimate glory. 'It's great, fantastic, I can't complain!' she said. 'God, it's just so special to be back here. 'I think when I stepped away last year to go over to Australia and focus just on AFL, there definitely was a big part of me that felt like I was missing out, and even just watching the girls last year going in the group stages and even the League, you always feel like… you're just missing out, and you want to be a part of it all the time. 'It's very hard when you're over in Australia, the time difference and everything. That definitely gave me the motivation to want to come back and do it all again, because when you get the taste for that glory, you just want that success again. So, yeah, delighted to be able to get a second one. Two out of two!' The Dublin team maintained the tradition of taking the cup to the children's hospital in Crumlin this morning, while there will be a victory celebration staged in Smithfield Square tomorrow at 6pm.
BreakingNews.ie
20-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Dublin hurler Conor Burke hopes county can learn from this season
It may have ended in a heavy defeat to Cork in a semi-final, but Dublin hurler Conor Burke looks back on the season positively. At the beginning of the year, not many fans and pundits would have put Dublin in the final four come July, but a remarkable quarter-final win over Limerick shocked the country. Advertisement In a first semi-final since 2013, it wasn't to be for the boys in blue, as Cork were ruthless 7-26 to 2-21 winners in Croke Park. A big part of Dublin's progress, Burke says Dublin must build from this season into the future, and could look to Cork for inspiration. "For us, what I think is important is we are at those big stages more regularly and more consistently, that we are playing in the business end against the best teams and bringing a level of performance that gives us a chance of beating them. "Last year, we were in the Leinster final and we had another poor, poor showing. Cork have gone through a lot of heartbreak over the last couple of years, and they have regrouped and taken their learnings from those big days. Advertisement "For us, it is about putting ourselves in that position as often as we can and taking our learnings as they come." When it comes ot hurling, Dublin has had the attention taking away, with much of the spotlight on the footballers over the years. In a rare year when they have gone further than the football side, it shows the progress made in Dublin hurling. Combined with All-Ireland wins for Na Fianna and Cuala, Dublin have shown how hard work is paying off. Advertisement Having been written off ahead of their quarter-final against Limerick, Dublin produced arguably the performance of the season to defeat Limerick, who have won four of the last five All-Ireland's. A game that will likely never be forgotten, the Dublin midfielder said they approached it like any other game. "You are just focused on the task at hand, there is enough motivation for ourselves to get to the later stages and the reward was big enough. I don't think there was any additional motivation. "Limerick are a brilliant team and have had huge success over the last couple of years. "It is only when you are walking over getting pulled aside. You are so engrossed in the game trying to do your job. "Just trying to enjoy the moment as well, it brought a lof of joy and to my family and friends as well."
The 42
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Dublin make two changes for All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Cork
NIALL Ó CEALLACHÁIN has made two changes to his starting Dublin side to face Cork in Saturday's All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final. Conor Donohoe and Darragh Power come into the Dubs' XV, with Chris Crummey and Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing making way. Donohoe returns from suspension to start in midfield in place of Crummey, who is himself suspended following his red card in Dublin's stunning quarter-final success over Limerick. With Power chosen to start at half-forward, Ó Dúlaing takes a spot on the bench where Conal Ó Riain has also replaced James Madden. Advertisement Power forward John Hetherton has not been named to start for Saturday's encounter, which will see the Dubs line out at the semi-final stage for the first time since 2013 when they were incidentally beaten by the Rebels in a close, thrilling affair. The 2025 edition will throw in at 5pm and will be shown live on RTÉ 2 and BBC Sport NI. Dublin (v Cork) 1. Sean Brennan (Cuala) 2. John Bellew (Lucan Sarsfields), 3. Paddy Smyth (Clontarf), 4. Conor McHugh (Na Fianna) 5. Paddy Doyle (Naomh Barróg), 6. Conor Burke (St Vincent's), 7. Andrew Dunphy (St Brigid's) 8. Conor Donohoe (Erin's Isle), 9. Brian Hayes (Kilmacud Crokes) 10. Rian McBride (St Vincent's) 11. Fergal Whitely (Kilmacud Crokes), 12. Darragh Power (Fingallians) 13. Sean Currie (Na Fianna), 14. Ronan Hayes (Kilmacud Crokes), 15. Cian O'Sullivan (St Brigid's) Subs: 16. Eddie Gibbons (Kilmacud Crokes), 17. Dónal Burke (Na Fianna), 18. Colin Currie (Na Fianna), 19. Paddy Dunleavy (Ballyboden St Enda's), 20. Daire Gray (Whitehall Colmcille), 21. John Hetherton (St Vincent's), 22. Andrew Jamieson-Murphy (Na Fianna), 23. David Lucey (Kilmacud Crokes), 24. Paul O'Dea (Na Fianna), 25. Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing (Commercials), 26. Conal Ó Riain (Kilmacud Crokes) Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
The 42
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
I hurl, therefore I am: Dublin's quiet hurling manager tearing up the script
WHEN NIALL Ó CEALLACHÁIN was 36 years of age, he had a decision to make. He loved hurling in a way that wasn't fashionable. He had been good enough as a young player to make the very first Dublin Development Squad. In 2001, he featured alongside Conal Keaney and David 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan on a combined Dublin Colleges team that secured a Leinster SHC 'A' title, beating the famed and fabled St Kieran's Kilkenny in the semi-final before polishing off Wexford's Good Counsel in the final. At club level, he was a midfield stalwart with Na Fianna, known as 'Nelly' within Na Fianna. The issue was as he was nearing the end of his playing days, there weren't enough Ó Ceallacháin's to go around, says then-manager Declan Feeney. 'He was a real leader on the pitch. Our problem was we hadn't enough hurlers. The reality is we had about 12 on the senior panel. We were struggling to field,' he says. 'Probably had a panel of about 20 but we were running three teams. You had to take the boys from the second and third teams to field. Throw in a couple of injuries and you were in bother. 'You would use junior players on any given day, and give the second and third team walkovers just so we could keep fielding at seniors.' For such an exacting figure as Ó Ceallacháin, this might have tested his patience. 'It would have been huge. But there was a core of that group that were really dedicated to playing hurling. We just didn't have the numbers around them to support them,' recalls Feeney. 'Everything was about waiting for another year, for the next crew, and hopefully you would get one or two out of them. Advertisement 'So, patience was certainly a virtue and he has that in abundance.' In trying to bundle the next batch of hurlers for Na Fianna, Ó Ceallacháin went mining himself and took teams from U13 to U16. From that period he polished up the likes of Shane Barrett, Paul O'Dea, Jonathan Treacy, Sean Ryan and Eoin McHugh. He didn't get to keep him with the small ball, but Eoin Murchan showed promise as a hurler. Perhaps his multiple Sam Maguire medals bring some small comfort. Ó Ceallacháin with Paul O'Dea after winning the All-Ireland club title. Ken Sutton / INPHO Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO As Feeney recalls, they were a funny team by the time they reached U16 level. Around half a dozen players were absolute units and around six foot four inches. There were another half-dozen or so that were tidy stickmen, but just tipping around five foot five inches tall. But they all could hurl. Then came The Decision. When those players came of age, Feeney was finishing up. In his three years in charge – the latest spell having done it a few times before then – they had gone from a team in Senior B to Senior A. He had established the team in that company and they even topped a qualifying group. Even with a promising team coming, nobody was joining a race to become manager. Ó Ceallacháin took it and was glad of it. His record there was sensational: a county semi-final in year one. Four consecutive Dublin finals, losing the first two, winning the next two, adding their first Leinster and then All-Ireland titles over last winter. With such a big prize at stake, Ó Ceallacháin accepted the job of Dublin senior manager in the middle of it all. He was also becoming a father for the first time, himself and Sarah having a little boy Alfie who has been present at a few on-pitch celebrations by now. Within the Na Fianna chattering classes, despite the prospect of a senior All-Ireland coming to Mobhi Road, there was no surprise at his accepting the senior county hurling manager's job. 'That didn't surprise me at all,' says Feeney. 'It was probably always his ambition at some stage to take Dublin. 'I know when you go back to Anthony Daly's time, Ger Cunningham, Micheál Donoghue, Mattie Kenny, at some stage they were going to have to go for a Dublin manager. 'That would have been my own feeling on it. They needed a Dublin fella to take it. Niall was flying at the time and he was perfect. You come off winning your second senior championship, you're in a Leinster final, the job presents itself, I would think it would be very hard to say no. It might not be there for you in three or four years' time.' After a day or two celebrating that famous win over Sarsfields on 19 January, he was straight into the Dublin job, exclusively. That weekend they put 14 points on Antrim in a game that the Saffrons, under new management of Davy Fitzgerald, had put a red circle around as their first supposed statement of intent. The Dublin management team celebrate after beating Limerick in the All-Ireland quarter-final. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The only games they lost were by a single point to Offaly, and two points away to Waterford. They reversed that result in the Leinster championship against Offaly, beat Wexford by four, put 15 this time on Antrim in Corrigan Park. Losing the last two group games to Kilkenny (four points) and Galway (five) squeezed them out of the final. All in, it was solid work for a team that were expected to take their leave once they encountered a genuine Liam MacCarthy contender. But they tuned up with showing Kildare just how great the gulf is between Joe McDonagh and Liam MacCarthy, before that sensational 2-24 to 0-28 win over Limerick. In some ways, O'Ceallacháin has been likened to Jim Gavin. For the most part he maintains that inscrutable persona. His post-match interviews leave nothing for the amateur psychologists to gnaw on. Related Reads Desire for silverware fuel Dublin's drive as they seek to build on Limerick upset Cork's Pat Ryan on team selections: 'I don't believe in pulling strokes' Incredible Dublin dump Limerick out of All-Ireland hurling championship But he's still able to combust. This is hurling after all, and after Chris Crummy's sending off against Limerick following a collision with Gearoid Hegarty he was in full finger-pointing mode. 'A very deep thinker,' says Feeney about Ó Ceallacháin's personality. 'The game isn't all about hurling a ball, there is so much more to it. He would question what you are doing – not in a nasty way but it would be as much for his own information as it would be for anything else. 'The players in the team have huge time for him. They still have it. 'Is he friends with any of them? I'd say he's friendly with everyone. But not necessarily friends with everybody, which is what you have to do in management. 'He was able to push the right buttons at right times with certain fellas. If the right competition came along, he knew how to put the right fella into the team ahead of someone that might have been there regularly. And then explain to the fella he was leaving out, the reasons for him being left out and how to respond. It was up to them, then. 'Communication is his key.' It has taken until an All-Ireland semi-final against Cork for the general public to wake up to the Dublin hurling story. Whatever about this weekend, there are a few more chapters coming in good time. Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
