Latest news with #SeánKelly
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Bradley Wiggins's revelations show how hard the road ahead can be for retired riders
'Some bastard Italian attacked from the gun today. The first 5km were up a mountain and split the field to bits. Before I knew what was happening, the three cups of Colombian coffee, swallowed just before the off, were coming back up my throat. This race is beginning to stink. Where was the Giro of legend, where riders laughed and joked for five hours and raced for two? ' − Paul Kimmage, Rough Ride. It's probably best for all involved that we don't reveal the exact details of the pirate streaming service that has been a saviour for the purposes of following this year's Giro d'Italia . Trust me, there are plans to upgrade the satellite subscription before the Tour de France , and no cycling commentary is the same without the soft melodious tones of Seán Kelly . But the Giro has always made for irresistible viewing, particularly this year with Sam Bennett chasing another Grand Tour stage win before his career inevitably starts to slow down. At age 34, Bennett's best years aren't yet necessarily behind him, but the years ahead are clearly numbered. He's twice come close to winning in the Giro already – narrowly bumped out in Tuesday's bunch sprint into Lecce on stage four, where he finished sixth, and appeared to blow a glorious chance in Thursday's stage six finish into Naples, where he ended up 11th. READ MORE The Giro has long been revered among pro cyclists as the most beautiful of the three Grand Tours, and the most chaotic. The first week has brought plenty of reminders. With three opening stages in Albania (stunning landscaped noted), one of the podium favourites, Mikel Landa, crashed out on day one, fracturing a vertebra that will require him to remain in a stable lying position for several weeks. Four more riders were forced out after the mass crash 70km before the finish into Naples, including former Giro winner Jai Hindley. These are the inherent risks all pro cyclists face as they go about their rough daily lives, and no one knows that better than Bennett. Sam Bennett of Ireland and Team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale competing on Thursday in stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia, a 227km stage from Potenza to Napoli. Photograph:His first Tour de France start in 2015 was cut short by illness and injury, his second a year later marred by another crash on stage 1, and he finished in 174th position, the last rider of the lot. After three stage wins in the 2018 Giro, and two more in the 2019 Vuelta a España, it was only after joining his own self-proclaimed dream team in Belgian outfit Deceuninck-QuickStep for the 2020 season that Bennett was free to chase stage wins in the Tour. With that his dream season unfolded, Bennett winning two Tour stages, including a victory in the final stage down the Champs-Élysées, only the fifth rider in history to win in Paris while also wearing the green jersey as race points leader. He also became only the second Irish rider is history to win that prize after Kelly last won it in 1989. Bennett has a few more chances to win a stage in this year's Giro, possibly as soon as Sunday's stage nine into Siena, and there's no reason to believe he won't be back for another Grand Tour. At the same time as the Giro was unfolding this week, Bradley Wiggins provided a startling reminder of how some riders struggle after their career ends, revealing he was 'lucky to be here' given the extent of his addictive behaviour and self-destructive tendencies after he retired in 2016. Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour in 2012, crowning that season with a gold medal in the London Olympics. Some of his struggles were known. In 2020, he divorced from wife Cath and last year he was declared bankrupt, but his confessions this week were startling. Jai Hindley of Australia and Team Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe during this year's Giro d'Italia. Photograph:'I had a drug addiction as well, I was doing s***tloads of cocaine, I had a real bad problem,' he said in a joint interview with Velo, the Guardian and Cycling Weekly. 'There were times my son thought I was going to be found dead in the morning. I was a functioning addict. People wouldn't realise. I was high most of the time for many years. 'There's no middle ground for me. I can't just have a glass of wine. If I have a glass of wine, then I'm buying drugs. My proclivity to addiction was easing the pain that I lived with.' 'I already had a lot of self-hatred, but I was amplifying it. It was a form of self-harm and self-sabotage. It was not the person I wanted to be. I realised I was hurting a lot of people around me.' Now 45, Wiggins said he managed to quit his addiction a year ago, but it's a familiar tale in that he's one of many tainted by suspicions of drug use of the doping sort, and whose life after cycling has been far from straightforward. Wiggins also spoke about the support shown to him by Lance Armstrong , who likewise came to the assistance of 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, whose decline and fall after the end of his cycling career was documented in terrifying detail in the 2022 biography The Best There Never Was. [ Jan Ullrich, a sad and lonesome tale of cycling's best there never was Opens in new window ] Wiggins reckoned his drift towards addiction stemmed from a harrowing childhood − his father Gary, an Australian track racer, walked out on the family when he was five, and later came sexual abuse from a cycling coach. Wiggins intends to provide further details of that in The Chain, his autobiography to be published later this year. Every Giro also brings the reminder of Marco Pantani, one of the riders who didn't make it out alive, dying in 2004 shortly after the end of his career. Each story is different, each one nonetheless a reminder of the sometimes perilous life after pro cycling.
The Irish Sun
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Galway edge Connacht final thriller to claim four-in-a-row over bitter rivals Mayo
IN A game of moments, Galway made the big ones count as they edged another Connacht final classic against Mayo. 2 Galway captain Seán Kelly lifts the Nestor Cup after his side's victory in the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship final vs Mayo 2 Paul Conroy of Galway tussles with Mayo's Donnacha McHugh in a tense and thrilling Connacht SFC final It looked like curtains when But they nearly produced a miracle after an epic second half performance that just fell short, but boss Kevin McStay knows moral victories mean nothing when these two go to war. He said: 'Galway are the champions and we're not, we have to suck that up now and get on with it. 'But that's our job is to kind of put a bit of shape on the next fortnight, we were going to have to play the round robin anyway. READ MORE ON GAA "It's not like if we won, somebody was going to give us a pass to the quarter-finals. 'So win or lose, this was facing us and I suppose I'll take a little bit of comfort from the fact that we've done this, this is our third year now to face into the same circumstances. 'We don't have a provincial title and maybe take some solace from the Armagh effort, this time last year they'd lost a very tight Ulster final. Then, they were able to resurrect their season and keep it going obviously. 'Unless I believe in what we are doing I can hardly sell that to the players but I don't have to because I know they will react. Most read in GAA Football 'But they are so sore now and disappointed and it is a tough dressing room right now. We have only ourselves to blame about how this is. 'We got into a position to win it, we didn't win it and we need to reflect on that now and see can we improve, and we need to improve fairly quickly at seeing out these games. Tipperary GAA legend reveals surprising difference between 'pressure' of playing for club vs county 'Galway have the cup now, we had one shot to draw it, that is how close this bloody thing is, but close is no good.' The Tribes looked home and hosed at the break as star hitmen Shane Walsh (back) and Damien Comer (hamstring) looked on from the stand - but Mayo's revival made for a classic. Two-pointers from Matthew Ruane and O'Donoghue reeled Galway in before Davitt Neary and Darren McHale got them back within one in a flash. But as they stared each other down, Mayo blinked first. They never took the lead in the entire second half, and Connor Gleeson made sure of that when he got a touch on O'Donoghue's free from outside the arc on 53 minutes, reducing its worth to one. A frantic finale followed, and Galway fluffed a huge goal chance when Liam Silke played in Cathal Sweeney but the Salthill man lost his footing and Stephen Coen cleared the danger. Cillian McDaid led Galway's final charge, and scored their first point in 10 minutes to ease the pressure when Matthew Thompson put it on a plate for him. With the game level and an hour on the clock, a disastrous Colm Reape kickout went straight into Rob Finnerty's hands and Rory Brickenden was black carded for hauling him down. Playing with 14 men for the final 10 minutes took its toll against a Galway team gunning for Sam, and their extra bit of quality prevailed. Finnerty scored the resulting free and the brilliant Paul Conroy quickly followed suit from play to bring his tally to 0-7. Gleeson denied Enda Hession a certain goal at the other end, before Dylan McHugh somehow blocked Paul Towie's effort a minute later when he pulled the trigger. Big moments. With their tails up, Liam Ó Conaghaile got Galway's insurance score to put them two ahead as the buzzer sounded and he lapped it up in front of the 27,137 gripped by the game. Mayo craved an equaliser that never came, as Matthew Ruane's wide signalled another summer without a Connacht title since their last in 2021. Padraic Joyce's men enter the All-Ireland series group of death along with Dublin, Derry and whoever loses Saturday's Ulster final between Armagh and Donegal - but beating their arch rivals was top priority yesterday morning. Reigning Footballer of the Year Conroy lorded Castlebar with 0-6 in the first half as Johnny McGrath held O'Donoghue to two scores from open play in a gripping duel. Galway led by eight at the break thanks to Conroy's two-point treble and Matthew Tierney's penalty after McHale's goal on seven minutes gave Mayo a dream start. Davitt Neary split open the Tribe defence when he danced around Jack Glynn, and fed the Knockmore man to lash home despite Johnny McGrath's presence on the line. It fired them 1-2 to 0-2 ahead, but they failed to score for the next 27 minutes as Galway slowly pulled away with wind advantage. Conroy had already boomed over his first orange flag from 45 metres out, and swiftly followed up from a free after McHale's goal to silence the home support. Mayo struggled to feed the ball into Aidan O'Shea, who was well marshalled by Sean Fitzgerald. Conroy fired over on the double again when his brilliant dummy fooled Jack Carney and he planted over to spark a 1-6 scoring spree. Matthew Thompson, McDaid, Sean Kelly and Finnerty followed suit as Jordan Flynn and Reape fired wide at the other end. The Tribes won a penalty 10 minutes before the break when Céin Darcy sent McGrath through on goal. His shot was saved by Reape, but the Mayo stopper was penalised for a foot-block and Tierney fired home from the spot to make it 1-10 to 1-2 before a sizzling second half for the ages. Losing to the old enemy at home was far from ideal, and there was far more pressure on Mayo to win after unconvincing performances against Sligo and Leitrim beforehand. An All-Ireland series group alongside the Ulster champions, Tyrone and Cavan awaits - but MacHale Park was maroon and white. MAYO 1-15 GALWAY 1-17 MAYO: C Reape 0-1 45; J Coyne, D McHugh, E Hession; R Brickenden, D McBrien, S Coen; D O'Connor, M Ruane 0-2, 1tp; D Neary 0-1, D McHale 1-2; J Flynn; A O'Shea, J Carney, R O'Donoghue 0-9, 6f, 1tp. Subs: S Callinan for McBrien (blood) 10mins; P Towey for O'Connor HT, F Boland for Neary 61, F Kelly for McHale 66 GALWAY: C Gleeson; J McGrath, S Fitzgerald, J Glynn; D McHugh, S Mulkerrin, L Silke; P Conroy 0-7, 2tp, 1tpf, S Kelly 0-1; C Darcy, J Maher, C McDaid 0-2; M Tierney 1-1, 1pen, R Finnerty 0-4, 3f, M Thompson 0-1. Subs: C Sweeney for Maher HT; K Molloy for Fitzgerald 41, C Hernon for Mulkerrin 49, P Cooke for Sweeney 61, L Ó Conghaile 0-1 for Thompson 66 REFEREE: P Neilan (Roscommon)
Irish Independent
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Kerry school's pupils praised by Ireland South MEP Seán Kelly for interest in EU on Brussels trip
European politician and Kilcummin native Seán Kelly hosted a group of Kiltallagh NS pupils when they made a trip to Brussels to gain an insight into the workings of the European Union. On their trip, the pupils of the Castlemaine school explored the European Parliament, took part in engaging educational activities and got a first-hand look at the functioning of the most significant EU institutions. Séan Kelly said it was brilliant to bring the young students over to Brussels so they could experience the EU in action. 'Even at a young age, visits like this can spark a lifelong interest in how Europe works,' the former teacher said. 'You could see the excitement and energy in the room—these pupils were genuinely curious and eager to learn.' Mr Kelly said there was 'something special' about seeing young people take such an interest in European affairs. 'The questions they asked and the observations they made were incredibly sharp,' he said. 'These kinds of trips are more than just a tour They're about planting the seed - helping young people see that Europe is theirs too.' The European Parliament member said the group from Kiltallagh were 'absolutely impressive'. 'The enthusiasm they brought with them made it a joy to host them,' Mr Kelly said.
Irish Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
From Rory to Sonia and Seán: who is Ireland's greatest ever sportsperson?
Your opinions are in, you have had your say on who is the greatest Irish sportsperson of all time. The years ranged from ancient times (Cú Chulainn, who 'invented hurling without trying') to the currently active and covered a wide range of sports, male and female athletes, from North and South of the island. For this impossible question Rory McIlroy got 23 per cent of responses. Deserved, but no doubt helped by the recency bias of just seeing him put on the green jacket. Next up was Seán Kelly with 13 per cent, with cycling fans arguing a strong case in favour, followed by Paul O'Donovan and George Best . After that there were also multiple entries for Katie Taylor, Roy Keane, Sonia O'Sullivan, Ronnie Delany, Jason Smyth and Brian O'Driscoll. You all argued your points brilliantly and there were many impressive answers, too many to include, but here is a flavour of some of the best: 'For Rory McIlroy to be the first European winner of the career Grand Slam, it cements his name in history' McIlroy is awarded his Masters green jacket by Scottie Scheffler. Photograph: Michael Reaves/Getty 'I think the answer has to be Rory McIlroy. To achieve what he did at such a young age, and to have won four Majors by the age of 25, is an achievement in itself. But the cumulation of it all, when he sank that putt on the play-off hole, was a visceral reaction. To complete the career Grand Slam in golf, which only five previous giants of the game had done? Remarkable. To think of all the Major winners over the years, who had won multiple times and for there to be only two Grand Slam champs in the last 50 years? READ MORE 'If you go through the list of all the modern day professional golfers you might think there may have been many who could have achieved this feat before Rory. But there was only one (!) other, Jordan Spieth, who tied second at the PGA in 2015, denying him that glory. This shows how the career Grand Slam is a Herculean task in modern golf. And not only did he do it, he did it in the hardest way possible. 'Battling personal demons, labels of being a choker, missed cuts, thrown away leads, agonisingly close putts, he put them all to bed. To be the first European winner of the career Grand Slam is an achievement that cements his name in history. For it to be an Irishman couldn't but fill you with pride. To top it all off he is also the first Irishman to win at Augusta. With the golfing talent we as an island have produced over the decades it really is nothing short of one of the greatest achievements by an Irish sports person on the main stage. 'McIlroy won it his way, with ups, downs, drama, despair and triumphant jubilation. No need for the movie of his life, just watch back the full 19 holes Sunday, a Holywood production. Better than any sports biopic Hollywood could make.' − Dermot Sheridan, Co Dublin 'Seán Kelly, the second greatest cyclist of all time and Ireland's best' Cyclist Sean Kelly. Photograph: Getty Images 'Seán Kelly is Ireland's greatest ever sports star. He spent 18 years in the professional peloton, with cycling an incredibly hard sport on the body by any measure. Ranked number one in the world rankings for seven of those years. He had 159 professional wins, nine of which would be considered 'majors' or monuments in cycling parlance. One Grand Tour win, four Green Jerseys. 19 Grand Tour stage wins. Seven Paris-Nice in a row! A sprinter who could climb. Ranked the second greatest cyclist of all time (after Merckx) by the UCI.' − Philip Kearney, Co Dublin 'Paul O'Donovan is a humble man who beat the best on the planet' Ireland's Paul O'Donovan taking a selfie with supporters after receiving a gold medal. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'Paul O'Donovan must be the greatest Irish sportsman of all time, double Olympic champion, a silver Olympic medallist, seven-time world champion, who is not finished yet as he prepares for the next Olympics. He is from a tiny hamlet with initially little financial support and to beat the best on the planet as an amateur participant. The lack of hype in Ireland that surrounded his successes never bothers him. A truly humble man.' − Billy O'Flynn, Cork City 'Sonia O'Sullivan has a range of medals unsurpassed in Irish sport' Sonia O'Sullivan. Photograph: Getty 'My view, for a long time on this question, is that Sonia O'Sullivan is Ireland's greatest sportsperson. Greatness is measured in many ways but surely one of the purest is a measure against the best from every nation on earth. Sports like rugby, horse racing and golf are pursuits in mainly western nations, some with as few as five or six countries competing at top level. Athletics, particularly middle distance running, is a sport enjoyed in every country, and so whomever wins the big events in Olympics, world athletics and cross country, etc, can truly say they are the best in the whole world in their category as measured by all who went before to qualify. Sonia, in her prime, did just that time and again, and has a range of medals unsurpassed in Irish sport. While she missed out on Olympic gold its fair to say it was stolen from her through some very dubious performances.' − Declan Hughes, Co Dublin 'George Best is one of the best footballers of all time' Manchester United's George Best celebrates scoring against Northampton in an FA Cup tie in 1970. Photograph: Michael Webb/Keystone/Getty Images 'He is considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time. This is the view of the players who played, both alongside him, and his opponents. Best was catapulted to superstar status at the age of 19, when he scored two goals in a European Cup quarter-final match against Benfica at the Estádio da Luz on March 9th, 1966. On February 7th, 1970, he scored an FA Cup record six goals in a match where he ran rings around the opponents. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and came fifth in the Fifa Footballer of the Century vote. In 1972 Pele said Best was the best player he ever saw.' − Patrick Brennan, Magherafelt 'There is no greatest Irish sports person of all time' Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor returning home in 2012. Photograph: Eric Luke 'Sport is about the feelings, the shivers down your spine, being drawn back to that time, to that place! Summer of 1992, I'm 14 years old, on my way from Ashbourne to a Meath mixed foursomes pitch and putt competition in Oldcastle. My Dad is my partner and also the driver. Jimmy McGee is commentating on the radio, his daughter taught ballet in Ashbourne, and we're hanging on his every word. Grown men and myself screaming at the radio – hit him, hit him! The criss-cross journey across back roads flew past as we savoured Michael Carruth's victory. 'Summer of 1993 I'm alone in our sittingroom on a glorious June morning. Eurosport still shows the NBA and I'm watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls complete the 3-peat against Charles Barkley and the Suns. I'm basketball mad and in awe of how he floats through the air, tongue out, around the opposition, creativity at its finest. The joy is bursting through me and I skip down the road to the local primary school to watch my little brother and sister compete in their sports day, my sister cleaning up as she did every year, much to my chagrin. 'Olympics 2000, I'm on-site in Lotus Santry. They set up a giant screen in the canteen. Over 1,000 of us cram into the room. The atmosphere is electric – we're breathing in unison. Come on Sonia, come on, come on. Damn Szabo and her kick. We don't care, an Olympic silver medal! On our feet, we ring out 'Ole, olé, olé'. I go back to my desk and ring my Dad. Did you see it? A true rebel, he replies. 'Olympics 2012, I'm in the Excel arena in London. Katie Taylor dances around her opponent as only she can. It might as well be a home fight, there's nothing but green, white and gold. I look at the Russian lad sitting beside me. He shrugs and grins, what else can he do? We don't know much about boxing but we know a champion when we see one. Her hand is lifted and she goes to embrace her Dad. If only my Dad could see it, an Irishwoman winning an Olympic gold in boxing.' 'Masters 2025, my girlfriend rings at 11.47pm. I watch the Augusta greens on her TV through my phone screen, for 47 minutes, as Rory McIlroy misses the putt on 18, and drowns the putt in the play-off against Justin Rose. Even through the phone I see the relief ooze out of him. I wish my Dad were here to witness the first Irish winner of the Masters and the first European to win the Grand Slam in golf. I wish he were here to tell him I watched it through a phone! 'There is no greatest Irish sports person of all time. There are many great Irish sporting moments which we share as a small but mighty nation.' − Jen Daly, Co Meath
