Latest news with #Omagh
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lioness star Chloe Kelly's 'Omagh blood' helped win Euros says relative
A family in Omagh are revelling in the success of their distant relative, Lioness star Chloe Kelly after she led England to victory over Spain in the Women's Euro coming on in the first half, the Arsenal forward not only set up the equaliser but then went on to score the winning penalty against world champions Spain. Chloe's first cousin three times removed Liam Nugent, 79, watched every game she played at the Euros from his living told BBC News NI he was "very proud" of Chloe and he believes having "Omagh blood in her" has helped shape her success. Family tree "I'm trying to work that out myself", Liam laughed when asked his exact relation to the England international. "Chloe's great grandfather Henry was my first cousin and her grandfather Brendan was my second cousin," he told BBC News grandfather Brendan was originally from Gortrush Park in Omagh. When his father Henry got a promotion, the family moved from the Nestle factory in Omagh to the outskirts of London. Brendan used to visit Liam and his family in Omagh before he passed away but Chloe herself has never been. "I've never met the wee girl to tell you the truth. I'd love to meet her." 'Very proud of her' "I'm very proud of her. I'm delighted for her to tell you the truth.""I think she's a fabulous player, she makes a wild difference when she comes on there's no doubt about it. That's my opinion anyway but I'm probably a bit bias but I think she's fabulous.""I think she did brilliantly and she gave a great interview after."Liam said he couldn't watch the screen during Kelly's Euro winning penalty. "I just closed my eyes and just prayed because she missed a penalty a couple of days before and I thought, please don't miss it and God I heard the roar and opened my eyes and the ball was in the net. It was great."My son and my grandchildren think she's fabulous and they would be big into football."Football appears to run through the family, with Chloe's great grandfather Henry playing for one of the local Omagh teams in the 1930s and 40s."He played football here and was supposed to be very good," Liam insisted that being from Omagh has "definitely" helped Chloe. "She's got the Omagh blood in her, we're all great people down here you know."You can listen back to Liam's pre-match interview on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday with Anna Curran.
South Wales Argus
6 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Barry thief stole Michael Kors coat and handbag outside club
Wesley Jones, 48, from Barry took the coat from an unlocked BMW in Bridgend and the handbag outside Live Lounge in Cardiff city centre. He was also arrested for trying doorhandles and looking inside windows at three houses on Morfa Street and Oddfellows Street in Bridgend. The offences took place between April 24 and April 28, Newport Crown Court was told. Jones, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to three attempted burglaries, one count of theft from a motor vehicle and one of theft. Ruth Smith, prosecuting, revealed how the defendant had 54 previous convictions for 131 offences. They include robbery, burglary, theft and shoplifting. His barrister James Evans said his client was a former soldier. Jones had witnessed the aftermath of the horrors of the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland as well as that of Britain's involvement in Kosovo in the 1990s. 'It would have had a profound effect on anyone,' his barrister told the court. 'He comes from a good family and had a catering qualification before he joined the army,' Mr Evans added. 'The defendant suffered from PTSD and turned to drugs, especially crack cocaine. 'He said it has dominated his life since 2006. 'The defendant has spent a large part of his life in custody. 'He wants to become drug free and he wants it more than anything in the world.' Judge Celia Hughes told Jones: 'You targeted a woman outside a nightclub late at night and you knew her.' She added: 'Society must be protected from you until you can manage your drug use and you stop stealing to fund your habit. 'You were committing these offences to buy illegal drugs.' She jailed Jones for 18 weeks for the offences committed in Bridgend and a consecutive term of 18 weeks for the Live Lounge matter He was sent to prison for a total of 36 weeks and told any time he had spent remanded in custody would count towards his sentence. The defendant must pay a victim surcharge.
Irish Independent
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘I admire Kneecap. I'm proud of how brave they've been' – says director of hit show Severance
Director of Apple TV hit Severance, Omagh's Aoife McArdle on working with Ben Stiller, the success it's brought and having the courage to follow your own path 'Ben Stiller called me,' said Aoife McArdle, matter of fact, just like that. 'Well, there were agents involved but yeah, he called me, said there was something he was working on, he liked some of my previous work and asked me to take a look at the script and see if I was interested in getting involved,' she said.
Irish Examiner
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Rally Estonia 'a real benchmark' for McErlean
Motorsport So far, as their maiden Rally1 journey continues within the top tier of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy seem to perform better on gravel surface and this weekend's Delfi Rally Estonia, one of the fastest gravel rallies in the WRC, awaits as they continue what is still a learning experience. McErlean, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday has only one previous experience of Estonia - in 2023 when he drove a Hyundai i20 Rally2 to an eighth place category finish. 'Rally Estonia is a real benchmark for pace and commitment - fast roads, big jumps and no room for hesitation. It's an incredible feeling driving these roads and one I've been looking forward to ever since stepping into the Puma Rally1. Every kilometre is a chance to grow, and I'm keen to keep pushing, learning and showing what we can do.' Last time out, a succession of punctures, suspension damage and only front-wheel drive for a time, gave them a torrid time on the Acropolis Rally Greece. "That was one of the toughest tests we've faced, physically and mentally. But it showed us where we can improve and what we're capable of overcoming. Now it's about taking those learnings and applying them to a much faster rally like Estonia.' Outlining the plan, he concluded, 'The priority is to deliver a clean rally, we want to apply everything we learned from Greece, from car set-up to tyre management and adapting to conditions, to rebuild our momentum. Estonia is a place I enjoy, but mistakes here are costly, especially with how precise you need to be. Estonia has no room for errors on the stages'. With some 308 stage kilometres until Sunday, the Kilrea driver and his Killeagh co-driver will have plenty to keep them busy to attain their quest including Saturday's infamous Otepaa stage with its equally renowned jump and Sunday's all-new Power Stage - Kaariku. While championship leader, Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) doesn't have his team mate and nearest challenger Sebastien Ogier snapping at his heels on this occasion, the presence of former event winners Ott Tanak (Hyundai 120 N Rally1) and Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) will chase the Welshman hard. Tanak's victory on the Acropolis Rally Greece has put him right back in contention, closing the gap to Evans twelve points, victory in his local event (he won in 2020) would continue to ramp up his bid. Tomorrow (Saturday) Omagh's Cathan McCourt (Skoda Fabia Rally2), outgoing NI champion Caryduff's Jonny Greer (Toyota Yaris Rally2) and Muff's Joe McGonigle (Citroen C3 Rally2) headline the R Kings Down Rally that brings the curtain down on the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Rally Championship. The eight-stage event is also a counter for the UK National Asphalt series where Jersey driver Sam Touzel (Ford Fiesta Rally2) could inherit top spot in the absence of series leader Jason Pritchard. Others in the top ten include newly crowned NI champion Donegal's Aaron McLaughlin (VW Polo GTi R5) and Kinallen's Stuart Biggerstaff (Ford Fiesta Rally2). The first stage starts at 9.30am. Meanwhile, having lost the lead of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship to the Moffett brothers (Josh and Sam) some two weeks ago on the Raven's Rock Rally, Kilkenny's Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) has a quick opportunity for reparation on Sunday's Sligo Rally, the fifth round of the series. Power steering issues whilst holding a sizeable lead meant Doherty only gleamed a solitary point from the Waterford based event. As the top seed in what is a capacity entry Doherty will aim to cut the ten points deficit to the Moffett duo, who are joint leaders of the series. Sam will steer the newer model Hyundai as Josh stays faithful to the R5 variant. The other main championship contenders are Derry's Desi Henry (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2). Others in the top ten are Donegal's Michael Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2), Armagh's Darren Gass (VW Polo GTi R5) and Maynooth's Paul Barrett (Citroen C3 Rally2). The first of the day's nine stages (Ladies Brae) is at 10.07am.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Tyrone need to try something unexpected to shock Kerry
Tyrone will arrive to this weekend's celebration of Gaelic football at Croke Park like a guest invited to the afters of a wedding. Nobody is thinking or talking about them much. They are part of the weekend, but in truth they're a bit of an afterthought. There has been plenty of catastrophising and hype around Kerry throughout the summer, plenty of scrutiny and expectation around Donegal, plenty of wonderment and freshness around Meath. But what of Tyrone? They are very much the outlier of the quartet – Tyrone have certainly been turning heads by hoovering up silverware at minor and under-20 level, yet their senior footballers have progressed to these semi-finals very much under the radar. And nobody has an accurate gauge on them. READ MORE They went up to Ballybofey in the first round of the group stages and beat Donegal – a not insignificant accomplishment as it was the first defeat Jim McGuinness suffered in MacCumhaill Park as Donegal manager. Buoyed by that victory and with top spot now in their control, Tyrone welcomed misfiring Mayo to Omagh the following week and proceeded to lose by seven points. Mayo had lost to Cavan the previous Sunday. It made no sense. Or it shouldn't have. But those two games are almost a microcosm of Tyrone in recent years. Consistently inconsistent. You are never sure which Tyrone are going to turn up. I was in Croke Park a fortnight ago watching them play Dublin in the quarter-finals and although they won that match, I wasn't overly impressed by Tyrone. The fact they won by seven points possibly says more about Dublin than anything else. I felt Tyrone were quite flat, they didn't really seem to have any massive urgency to get back behind the ball – there were occasions when they had maybe four or five up front and were only defending with nine or 10 players. If you do that against Kerry, you are going to be destroyed. Their energy all over the pitch against Dublin would be a concern. Still, despite a slow and ponderous first half, they actually led at the break against Dublin – thanks largely to some well-taken two-pointers. They went more man-to-man in the second half and played a lot better, they had more energy. And this is where their best chance of causing an upset lies – because I think they will need to try something unexpected, such as starting Eoin McElholm. Eoin McElholm could help surprise Kerry on Saturday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The rising under-20 star came on during the second half against Dublin and you couldn't help but notice his impact, his direct running, his fearlessness and how his presence seemed to energise the team. Starting McElholm on Saturday would give Kerry something different to think about. Nobody doubts Tyrone believe they can win but to achieve that outcome they will need more energy around the pitch – McElholm has the potential to be that spark. At the same time, another factor worth considering when looking at Tyrone's display against Dublin is the fact a lot of their younger players don't have vast experience of playing at Croke Park. I remember looking at Ciarán Daly and saying they'll have to take him off because he just couldn't get himself in the game, he couldn't get his legs moving. But out he came after half-time and popped over two good points. He needed that time to find his confidence. So I think Tyrone will be a lot better from the experience of playing Dublin two weeks ago. They also have some significant weapons – not least Niall Morgan, who is an exceptional goalkeeper. You can be absolutely certain he has spent much of the last two weeks picking apart Kerry's press against Armagh. If Kerry go with a similar press again, I reckon Morgan will be able to figure it out and he'll be armed with a plan to counteract it on Saturday. Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan may see the Kerry press coming. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Primary possession is going to be so crucial this weekend, because the forecast is for two really hot days. You don't want to spend the game chasing down the opposition because it takes up so much energy. Winning your own kickout will be crucial. Morgan is one of the best in the business in terms of mixing it up, he is able to go long and short, find his man and provide his team with primary possession. It could give Tyrone an advantage in that department. Don't dismiss how much of a factor the heat could be on both days. When the mercury rises, down at pitch level Croke Park becomes a sauna. It is hard to describe how the intensity of the heat and the occasion just sucks the energy out of your legs and lungs. It's a hot box. The 2017 All-Ireland final against Mayo stands out as a really warm day when it was difficult to catch your breath, the heat just fatigues players and leads to mistakes. You are as perfectly hydrated as you'll ever be but everything just feels harder and more intense. And I think dealing with the heat will be amplified under the current rules. The intention for both teams will be to press high to force mistakes but if it's a scorching hot day the players just won't be able to maintain that effort so the sides might pre-empt that situation and we could end up instead with a slow methodical encounter where both teams are allowed win their short kick-outs and build from there. Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Malachy O'Rourke has done a fine job in his first year with Tyrone. Given the level of underage success, it appears Tyrone are on the verge of producing an incredibly strong senior team over the coming years. It has already been a positive season and I don't actually believe relegation to Division Two is a bad thing for them because it will allow O'Rourke to blood some new players while resting the more experienced guys early next year. The fear I would have for them this weekend is that their quarter-final win was achieved against a Dublin team very much unsure of themselves. Dublin just weren't on it this year while Kerry appear to have found form at just the right time. Of course there are also questions over Kerry – can they reproduce that 15-minute spell from the Armagh win for a longer period this Saturday? But Kerry's scoring power just looks too great for Tyrone to shut them out. Dublin didn't carry a two-point scoring threat two weeks ago and Tyrone were able to defend accordingly. They won't have that luxury against Kerry. They'll probably have to go a bit more man-to-man in defence and I believe that will make Tyrone more vulnerable. Kerry have the forwards to capitalise on that vulnerability. Tyrone will need so much to go right this weekend if they are to leave Croke Park clutching an invite to come back for the biggest day in Gaelic football's calendar. It just doesn't feel like an upset is on the cards.
