Latest news with #Padraig
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Former Louth and Armagh inter-county star Padraig O'Neill to be remembered with charity walk
The walk in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation is being organised by Cillian O'Neill and will take place on Saturday, July 19. The route will take walkers across the Cooley mountains from The Lumpers Bar in Ravensdale and down into Carlingford, where Padraig, who was affectionately known as 'Bucket', had lived with his family at Grove Road. The Newry-native moved to Carlingford with his family at a young age, and during the course of his career lined out for both Louth and Armagh. He first played Gaelic football to a high standard as a student at the Abbey Christian Brothers' Grammar School in Newry and as a student of Ulster University, won three Sigerson Cup titles. His club career began at juvenile level with Cumann Peile Cuchulainn before moving to the Cooley Kickhams underage sides. Louth MFC and Louth U21FC titles followed and he made his senior team debut in 1982. He won several Cardinal O'Donnell Cup and ACC Cup titles in a lengthy career that ended in 2005. He captained Armagh minors when they were defeated by Derry in the 1984 Ulster MFC final. He went on to play for the under-21 team and was also part of the senior team beaten by Donegal in the 1990 Ulster SFC final. He later declared for the Louth senior football team. On his retirement from playing, he was involved in team management and coaching. He was manager of the Naomh Malachi team when they won the Louth IFC title in 2009, and was also associated with the Cuchulainn Gaels and Cooley Kickhams. The 58-year-old suffered a fatal heart attack on is way home from the 2024 All-Ireland SFC semi-final and died at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, on July 20 last. Now his family and those organising the walk are hoping that his friends from college, work and the world of GAA will join in the walk, celebrate his memory and raise funds for the Irish Heart Foundation. Anyone interested in taking part is asked to contact Daryl Bailey on 087 905 4282 and let him know they can join the hike. A donation of €25 per person is being requested.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Memorial Tournament tests both physical, mental aspects for PGA Tour players
Memorial Tournament tests both physical, mental aspects for PGA Tour players Spectators attending the Memorial Tournament and fans viewing at home get to see how PGA Tour players hone their craft inside the ropes. How the pros perform inside their heads is a different matter. Golf is two games in one. The physical contest – driver swing, putting stroke, iron play – is easy to spot. The mental game – handling the pressure, dealing with doubt, forgetting the previous bad hole – is more challenging to recognize. The physical and mental work in tandem, but which has more impact on scoring? Which is harder to master? Even tour players are not sure how to judge the two. 'It's like an endless question,' said 2023 Memorial winner Viktor Hovland, who has battled mental and physical issues for nearly two years. 'I think I heard Padraig (Harrington) answer that, and he's more in the camp of saying it's almost all mental. But at the end of your day, if your technique or the physics of your golf swing are not matching up and the ball's going everywhere, it doesn't matter how you think.' On the other hand … 'Mental,' J.T. Poston said without hesitation, addressing which aspect of the game is more challenging. 'With physical, it's a lot easier to see the results, Mentally, it's more work. A lot of people struggle or have a harder time in silence, and out here it's a grind. I think golf is the hardest sport (mentally).' Two-time Memorial winner Patrick Cantlay agrees that the 'thinking' side of golf takes longer to work through than grooving the swing. 'You're out there by yourself, and a lot of times you've got to find the willpower to figure it out,' he said of when his game is not where he wants it. The majority of pros tend to think the mental/emotional aspect of golf is more difficult to wrestle through than the physical, probably because they already are gifted biologically to make the game look easy. They don't need Youtube videos to learn how to consistently hit a drive 310 yards into the fairway or crush a 9 iron 175 just do it. As 2002 Memorial winner Jim Furyk explained it while surveying pros hitting lasers on the practice range at Muirfield Village Golf Club May 28, 'You look down and all these guys hit it really well. The mental side of it? We're all going to make mistakes. We're all human. You're never going to master it, but the ones who do a better job of it consistently are your very best players.' But even the best players struggle with a mind that plays tricks on emotions. 'You're always going to deal with doubt, because your game's never going to be firing on all cylinders,' Furyk said. 'I've had rounds of golf where I didn't think I could shake in a 3 footer, and I'm a good putter. But I've had rounds, and weeks, where I was a mess. So there's doubt.' Jack Nicklaus, who with Tiger Woods is one of the mentally strongest golfers in history, summarized the physical vs. mental debate. 'If you don't have the physical, it doesn't make any difference,' Nicklaus said. 'You're not going to win mentally if you don't have the physical. Physically, you can overcome some of the mental, if you're really good enough, but if you're going to win on any consistent basis you have to have both of them.' Nicklaus did, which is why though he leans toward physical being more important than mental, he uses his own career to prove how the mind cannot be overlooked. 'If you aren't strong mentally, you're not going anywhere. You have to learn to get it between the ears sometimes. I look back and see things that happened that were part of my mental growth," Nicklaus said as introduction to a lesson he learned during the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in Denver. Nicklaus led through nine holes but stumbled to a 39 on the back nine to finish runner-up to Arnold Palmer by two strokes. 'I look back and think about how easy it would have been to win that golf tournament if I'd have known how to win,' he said. 'That's what (Ben) Hogan said. His comment was, 'I played with a young man today who should have won this tournament by several shots if he had known how to win.' ' That young lad was Nicklaus, who eventually won four U.S. Opens. Apparently, he figured out how to win. 'The physical was fairly easy for me, but the mental is one that comes later, with experience,' he said. Cantlay pointed out that 'You can develop both the mental and physical,' adding that he sees tour veterans 'catch runs of success they attribute to a certain mindset change.' Jim Furyk got mental help to improve his golf game Furyk includes himself in that group. 'I sought some help," he said. "I was 42 or 43 before I started talking to (sports psychologist) Bob Rotella, and it helped. I shot that 59 and 58 late in my career and I had a lot of voices in my head, whether it was my father's or (wife) Tabitha's or (Rotella's) through the round trying to fight the mental part of breaking barriers.' Furyk's advice to amateurs who obsess over their score? Focus on the process, not the results. The mind wants to 'Break 80' so badly it thinks in terms of 'I need to par this hole, then birdie the next.' That self-pressure only makes matters worse. Russell Henley was so mentally consumed with the numbers on his scorecard that his identity became what he shot for the day. 'When I first got on tour and won, and then had a lot of struggles, I realized that my identity was 100% my score, and then I read this book called 'Counterfeit Gods' by Tim Keller,' Henley said. 'And I realized that the misery and anxiety that was coming from golf was in my whole life, and if my identity wasn't fulfilled by earthly things I was kind of miserable.' Henley turned to God to bring his mental health into proper balance. His additional advice to amateurs who struggle with the mental side of their games is to develop a short memory. 'Forget the last shot,' he said, admitting it is easier said than done. 'Not letting a bad shot affect the moment, not letting it affect the next shot still is probably the hardest thing in golf. But you can learn it. Guys get better at it.' So you're saying there's a chance? No easy mental cure for a pitiful swing Max Homa isn't so sure, especially if you possess a janky swing, which cannot be perfected by online videos promising a quick fix. 'The physical is much harder to master,' Homa said. 'I do think that people like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, rightfully so, get dubbed as the mentally toughest and strongest, but it helps that they're really good at golf.' In other words, if the mechanics are A+ the mental tends to to grade out highly, too. Or is it the other way around? 'Is it the chicken or the egg?' Justin Thomas said, shrugging. 'You just never know, but you just hope they're both as high as possible.' When that happens, well, you just might win the Memorial. Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@ and on at@rollerCD. Read his columns from theBuckeyes' national championship season in "Scarlet Reign," a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Dispatch. Details at
Irish Independent
7 days ago
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Uisce Éireann crews working to repair burst water mains in Wexford
The burst is affecting water supply to Uisce Éireann customers in Gorey and the surrounding areas and crews are on site and are working to repair the burst. It is estimated that repairs will be complete and supply will return to normal levels from approximately 2p.m. this afternoon. Uisce Éireann's Padraig Lyng assured affected customers that supply will be restored as quickly as possible. 'We acknowledge the inconvenience caused to customers by unplanned outages and we want to thank affected homes and businesses for their understanding while our crews work to repair the burst and restore normal supply,' said Padraig. Typically, it takes two to three hours following repairs for normal supply to restore to all customers affected by an unplanned outage. However, it may take longer for normal supply to be restored to customers at the end of the network or on higher ground as the system recharges. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Éireann receive direct communications for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. To register as a vulnerable customer or as an alternative contact, visit their Vulnerable Customers page. For further updates, go to Uisce Éireann's website, X channels @IWCare and @IrishWater, on Facebook and LinkedIn or their customer care helpline which is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278. Uisce Éireann has a free text service, providing real-time updates for local issues. Customers can sign up with their Eircode and mobile number on their text updates page.
Irish Daily Mirror
09-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Six figure sum for man whose hearing loss diagnosis took 10 years
A man whose hearing loss was not fully diagnosed or treated for ten years as a child has settled a High Court action against the HSE for €800,000. Padraig Byrne, who has Down's Syndrome, only got his first hearing assessment when he was 17 months-old but while a hearing loss was recorded it was claimed it was not adequately recognised or followed up until he was five years of age. His counsel, Hugh O'Keeffe SC, instructed by Damien Tansey Solicitors told the court that the treatment of the boy was 'wholly inadequate'. It wasn't until the boy was ten years of age that hearing aids to amplify sound were appropriately fitted and verified. Counsel said a ten-year delay was conceded in what was a very complicated case. At one stage, he said the little boy was given hearing aids 'that were clearly going to fail'. Padraig did not have access to the full spectrum of speech sounds between birth and almost five years of age and even then his hearing aids were not optimized until he was ten years old, meaning that he did not have the access to the speech spectrum during the optimal period for language development. Counsel said it was their case had Padraig's hearing loss been diagnosed earlier he would have been given a chance to have a degree of independent living and the delay has had 'a discernible effect on Padraig's future independence'. The HSE, he said conceded an earlier diagnosis may have benefited the boy but it did not accept it had an effect on Padraig's independence. Padraig Byrne, now aged 20, from Co Carlow, had, through his mother, June Byrne, sued the HSE. In the proceedings, it was claimed the delay had resulted in delayed access to optimum speech and language at a time critical for the boy's development of speech and language. The standard of audiological care that the boy received until September 2014, it was contended fell significantly below that reasonably expected and the boy had been denied the best possible access to sound. Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was satisfied that the very best had been achieved for Padraig and the offer was fair and reasonable. In a separate case, a boy, who the court heard suffered a likely net four-year delay in the diagnosis and treatment of his hearing loss settled his action for €310,000. Oisin Flanagan, now aged eight years of Portarlington, Co Offaly, had through his mother, Fiona Flanagan, sued the HSE. A breach of duty was admitted in the case. It was claimed there was a failure to assess the boy's hearing as requiring amplification and he was allegedly deprived of the amplification required to access the speech spectrum of sound which at that time was critical to his speech and language . Approving the settlement, Mr Justice Coffey said it was a fair and reasonable one.
Agriland
04-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
Using collars to improve health, heat detection & pinpoint AI serves
Health and heat detection collars have become very popular on dairy farms across the country as they have the ability to alert farmers of the start of a cow's standing heat, which is invaluable information around the breeding season. With the increased uptake in sexed semen and the precision of the timing of service that needs to come with the product, collars and other heat detection aids have become a necessity for many. Sexed semen is a tampered-with product, as the sperm cells are damaged during the sorting process, which means the viability of the sex-sorted sperm cells in the reproductive tract is shorter (less than 12 hours) than for conventional (over 24 hours). So, the timing of sexed semen is a bit more of a challenge to get right and will require more accurate heat detection along with possibly serving cows at least twice a day. When heifers and cows are being inseminated with sexed semen, artificial insemination (AI) should be conducted 14-20 hours after their observed heat, and the use of heat detection aids allows farmers to get this timing exactly right, improving conception rates. Health and heat detection collars or aids Collars are often fitted on breeding heifers and cows a couple of weeks before breeding to start measuring their behaviours and collecting data to fine-tune the devices. While tags are sometimes an alternative to the collars, they often have a lower battery life. Many systems will measure a range of behaviours, including side lying, low activity, medium activity, high activity, eating (different when inside), rumination, walking, grazing, heavy breathing/panting, and abnormal behaviour. The heat and health detection aids have certainly rose in popularity. MSD Animal Health recently achieved a significant landmark through the sale of its 300,000th SenseHub collar on an Irish farm, a tally it has reached in just four years. This shows the demand out there for collars to improve farm efficiency and streamline work tasks while reducing labour on farms, when it is so hard got. Liam Hyland, who is farming with his father Padraig, milks 850 cows on his holding in Ballacolla, Co Laois, was the landmark recipient of the collar also recently installed the SenseHub drafting gate. Customer Success & Technical Manager, MSD Animal Health SenseHub Technology, Catherine Heffernan alongside farmer Liam Hyland (Ballacolla, Co Laois), recipient of the 300,000th SenseHub collar sold by MSD Animal Health in Ireland. The SenseHub range includes a youngstock ear tag for calves, which monitors their behaviour; collars for heifers, drafting technology as well as a somatic cell count and milk plus a sensor which measures milk constituents for each cow at each milking. Ruminant business unit director for MSD Animal Health in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Jack O'Connor said: 'We're very proud to have reached such a significant number.' 'This success is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team,' O'Connor added. Many systems will send alerts by text and through an app notification for health issues and heat activity, so they can be extremely useful in herds, with their potential to save on missed heats, poor conception rates, and treatment costs. Most systems will provide the following information on individual cows: Heat data, indicating when the cow is in heat, the ideal time for insemination including sexed semen window, anoestrus cows, and irregular heats; Health alerts, including abortions and internal sickness; Transition information between phases, e.g., pre and post calving; Nutrition irregularities; Heat stress; Pregnancy probability. Heat and health monitoring systems are grant-aided through Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) 3. The grant payable on the lower amount of actual cost or reference cost, with the reference cost for a base station at €2,833 and the reference cost of collars at €112.24. If conception rates have been poor and the cost of breeding has increase due to this along with missed heats and health issues in the herd, investing in collars or a heat and health monitoring system may be worthwhile. This investment may also shorten the calving interval, which will mean more days in milk and more milk in the tank. A compact six-week calving rate may work out cheaper by having cows on a predominantly grass diet throughout the year. According to Teagasc, a cow calved in February will have a diet throughout the year of 70% grass whereas a May-calved cow will only have 40% grass diet with about 18% more purchased concentrates, driving up the costs of production. If you are thinking of putting in collars to compact your calving season and improve the health of the herd, do your homework and talk to your dairy advisor to see which system will suit your herd best, as there are multiple companies providing the service and one may suit your herd better than the next.
