Latest news with #TheSundayGame
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
RTÉ GAA Podcast: Galway and Mayo face defining clashes, Croker to host cracker
Nigel Dunne joins Jacqui Hurley and Rory O'Neill to look ahead to a busy weekend of championship action. The last two All-Ireland winners - Dublin and Mayo - are set to meet at Croke Park, Cork host Kerry again, while Galway and Derry have a potentially season defining game at Celtic Park. Watch Dublin v Armagh in the All-Ireland Football Championship on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on and the RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Dad delivers heartfelt eulogy at funeral of his son (18) after Kerry swimming accident
Crowds gathered for the funeral of Luke Silles who died last Friday after a swimming accident on May 17 The sombre grey sky over Ballymacelligott on Wednesday morning was broken by the cherished and heartfelt words of a loving father for his son, Luke. Tony Silles performed the speech that no parent wants to make as he bravely captured Luke's unique personality before a packed church at Cloghar where outside the lines of mourners gathered to give Luke his final farewell and guard of honour. Tony spoke of preparing his eulogy by sitting at Luke's study desk in his bedroom, surrounded by his geography books, trying to find the inspiration for the hardest words a parent should have to write about their child. 'These are the same geography books Luke sat in our backyard with studying in the evening sun prior to his trip to Fenit,' he said. Luke 'The CBS Green family, under the leadership of Robert Flaherty, has proved to be one of the strongest communities outside of any parish I have experienced. During Luke's school days you only get snippets of the actual school life. Luke is a school character who found a way to interact with pupils of all ages along with all staff members. "For six years Luke was in the Green school, he filled the corridors and classrooms with an aura and presence that was reflected to us by staff members who showed us outgoing love, care, and support since Luke's accident,' he added. Tony spoke of Luke as always having a friendly nod, smile and simple hello for everyone who passed him. His deep love for family and home life were touched on. 'Luke was probably the coordinator of all activities going on in our household, except for getting out of bed which he delegated to his mom,' Tony joked. 'Anything happening regarding sporting or social activities, Luke would decide what parent goes where…The intercounty trips with Kerry games produced the most enjoyable chats and laughs, especially on the long journeys where often he liked a parking spot close to Croke Park. Then, it was home to watch The Sunday Game and he'd have mom organised to feed us on arrival,' he said. Guards of honour at the funeral of Luke Silles at St Brendan's Church, Clogher. News in 90 Seconds - May 28th 'Sporting activities were always at the top of his agenda. Even though he suffered a few long term injuries lately, he would readily check in on all his teams' performance and help in anyway possible on the day, especially for school teams where he would get a few hours away from the norm. Number one would be Ballymac GAA and being involved with players he grew up with. His passion for the blue and gold was evident every time he laced football boots. Playing football with the school and Castleisland District League were huge honours for Luke with silverware to show for both codes,' Tony said. 'From a young age, Luke also joined Tralee Dynamos soccer club. He played all ages before progressing on to senior teams with his highlight making the Kennedy Cup squad. The school also provided opportunities for him to play soccer, reaching a high level when winning the Munster U15 cup.' Tony said friendship and family values are what mattered most to Luke and were his strongest qualities. He mentioned Luke's 'special touch and gift' he had for dealing with people. The huge circle of friends Luke surrounded himself with was evidence of this trait. 'Luke could socialise for five nights in a row with five completely different groups of companions. There was little said about the female friends but going on the last week and support there was no shortage,' Tony joked. 'Since the dreaded phone call no parent wants to get on the wonderfully fine Saturday evening, our lives have been turned upside down. The support to all of us has been nothing but overwhelming. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank everyone who contributed and helped in any way at a time of most need. Over the coming weeks we will express our gratitude directly to all,' he said. 'I must acknowledge the care that Luke received from the people who rescued him. To the paramedics, both off duty at Fenit and those who arrived at the scene, and the teams in A&E and ICU at University Hospital Kerry. They did everything in their power to give Luke the best care and every possible chance of survival,' Tony said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and now we have to deal with the unimaginable and where life will take us next. Having a presence in every chapter of our children's lives, trying to write new chapters without him seems impossible. I hope Luke's shining light can guide us as we navigate life without him and give his wonderful mother, Paula, brother, Oran, and sister, Aimee, the strength and resilience to keep going during these devastating days. May his gentle soul rest in peace. We love you, Luke. Always.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘We love you, Luke. Always' – Kerry father's Funeral tribute to cherished son
Tony Silles performed the speech that no parent wants to make as he bravely captured Luke's unique personality before a packed church at Cloghar where outside the lines of mourners gathered to give Luke his final farewell and guard of honour. Tony spoke of preparing his eulogy by sitting in Luke's study desk in his bedroom, surrounded by his geography books, trying to find the inspiration for the hardest words a parent should have to write about their child. 'These are the same geography books Luke sat in our backyard with studying in the evening sun prior to his trip to Fenit,' he said. 'The CBS Green family, under the leadership of Robert Flaherty, has proved to be one of the strongest communities outside of any parish I have experienced. During Luke's school days you only get snippets of the actual school life. Luke is a school character who found a way to interact with pupils of all ages along with all staff members. "For six years Luke was in the Green school, he filled the corridors and classrooms with an aura and presence that was reflected to us by staff members who showed us outgoing love, care, and support since Luke's accident,' he added. Tony spoke of Luke as always having a friendly nod, smile and simple hello for everyone who passed him. His deep love for family and home life were touched on. 'Luke was probably the coordinator of all activities going on in our household, except for getting out of bed which he delegated to his mom,' Tony joked. 'Anything happening regarding sporting or social activities, Luke would decide what parent goes where…The intercounty trips with Kerry games produced the most enjoyable chats and laughs, especially on the long journeys where often he liked a parking spot close to Croke Park. Then, it was home to watch The Sunday Game and he'd have mom organised to feed us on arrival,' he said. 'Sporting activities were always at the top of his agenda. Even though he suffered a few long term injuries lately, he would readily check in on all his teams' performance and help in anyway possible on the day, especially for school teams where he would get a few hours away from the norm. Number one would be Ballymac GAA and being involved with players he grew up with. His passion for the blue and gold was evident every time he laced football boots. Playing football with the school and Castleisland District League were huge honours for Luke with silverware to show for both codes,' Tony said. 'From a young age, Luke also joined Tralee Dynamos soccer club. He played all ages before progressing on to senior teams with his highlight making the Kennedy Cup squad. The school also provided opportunities for him to play soccer, reaching a high level when winning the Munster U15 cup.' Tony said friendship and family values are what mattered most to Luke and were his strongest qualities. He mentioned Luke's 'special touch and gift' he had for dealing with people. The huge circle of friends Luke surrounded himself with was evidence of this trait. 'Luke could socialise for five nights in a row with five completely different groups of companions. There was little said about the female friends but going on the last week and support there was no shortage,' Tony joked. 'Since the dreaded phone call no parent wants to get on the wonderfully fine Saturday evening, our lives have been turned upside down. The support to all of us has been nothing but overwhelming. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank everyone who contributed and helped in any way at a time of most need. Over the coming weeks we will express our gratitude directly to all,' he said. 'I must acknowledge the care that Luke received from the people who rescued him. To the paramedics, both off duty at Fenit and those who arrived at the scene, and the teams in A&E and ICU at University Hospital Kerry. They did everything in their power to give Luke the best care and every possible chance of survival,' Tony said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and now we have to deal with the unimaginable and where life will take us next. Having a presence in every chapter of our children's lives, trying to write new chapters without him seems impossible. I hope Luke's shining light can guide us as we navigate life without him and give his wonderful mother, Paula, brother, Oran, and sister, Aimee, the strength and resilience to keep going during these devastating days. May his gentle soul rest in peace. We love you, Luke. Always.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Paying referees could be best way to improve quality of officiating
WE FOUND OURSELVES as referee of an U13 Gaelic football league game in Meath recently. It's a lottery most weeks whether an official ref is appointed, so when needs must a mentor who holds an Award 1 coaching credential can fill in. So it was that we were thrust into activity for Division 3 rough and tumble. The amount of incidents to adjudicate on, from lunging tackles, clean pick ups and dodgy hand-passes, to whether the requisite number of players were in either half of the pitch, to the scoring arc, to score-taking and substitutions, was head spinning. At one stage, while quickly checking on a player's welfare after a collision, an incident occurred out of our view which drew outrage among the visiting support behind the wire. We hadn't seen a bit of it. The linesman offered no input. We threw the ball up and restarted play. One half of the assembled parents lost their mind. Afterwards, we needed a lie down. Natasha Barton / INPHO Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO So we approach the issue of refereeing with nothing but admiration for those who do it week in, week out – particularly hurling refs. Approaching the half-way point of the hurling Championship, we've already torn through a squadron of them, highlighting their errors and inconsistencies. Michael Kennedy, for example, shouldn't have awarded Dublin their ghost goal against Wexford and Colm Lyons probably should have dished out at least one red card to a Galway player last weekend. Advertisement Waterford manager Peter Queally was critical too of Johnny Murphy in the Deise's loss to Cork last Sunday, saying they were 'very disappointed with a lot of' his decisions. In camogie, Tipperary were denied a place in the Munster final because Karen Kennedy's late goal, when the ball hit the net and flew back into play, wasn't given. The list goes on, prompting Dónal Óg Cusack to claim on The Sunday Game at the weekend that 'one of the biggest problems we have in the game is the standard of refereeing'. He too began from a starting point of acknowledging that refereeing can be a thankless task and that, without refs, there'd be no games. The former Cork goalkeeper suggested bringing in 'some sort of technology' to help. But refs would still have to make their own calls around hand-passing. Was it a throw or a perfectly executed pass with the most minimal of hand contact? It's nearly impossible to know. "One of the biggest problems that we have in the game is the standard of refereeing" Dónal Óg Cusack discusses what could be done to up the standard of officiating in hurling 📺 Watch #TheSundayGame live - — The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 25, 2025 There is a clear move too in the game, particularly among the top teams, to leave as much as possible in the tackle. The hits are bigger and harder than ever before. Which only adds to the referee's decision-making workload. As ex-ref Brian Gavin put it in the Irish Examiner on Monday of this week, 'There could have been four red cards in Parnell Park' last weekend, instead of none. Adding a second referee is a possible solution. But there is a lack of match officials as it is, and would Lyons' decisions last weekend, for example, have been any different with a second ref in the other half of the pitch? Probably not. So what about an alternative solution – how about throwing money at the problem? How would refereeing at the very elite level look if they were being paid, say, €500 a game for their services? Fergal Horgan, who refereed the 2017 All-Ireland senior hurling final, noted in 2020 that 'a lot of people think referees are getting paid. We get absolutely nothing for refereeing above in Croke Park – only 50 cent a mile from Tipperary to Croke Park and home. €120 for the day, and we're gone at 10 in the morning and home at 10 at night'. With a clearly defined, attractive, match fee to aspire to, the amount of energetic, savvy young GAA members looking to get into refereeing would surely increase from a trickle to a steady stream. And, in time, with greater numbers would come greater quality. There is no inherent suggestion that the current panel of Championship referees aren't fully invested in what they do. It is a lifestyle choice for them as much as it is for players. But by increasing the attractiveness of the position, in the form of a substantial payment for those who make it to a high level, surely the quality of the candidate increases too. It may even be enough to bring former inter-county players to the refereeing table. The GAA, in modern times at least, has never been able to crack that one and to get top players to view refereeing as a credible option after inter-county retirement. The referees' lot has improved somewhat in recent seasons. A portion of their gym fees are paid. They receive a €250 boot voucher every second year. County refs also have access to a counsellor and a sports and exercise psychologist. But, truth be told, it still comes across as a most unattractive proposition to many. Adopting the capitalist principle that by sweetening the reward you improve the output, would be an interesting path to go down. And the better the ref, the bigger the games they get. Paid up professionals are producing stunning returns in other areas of the GAA. Like Croke Park Ltd returning record turnover for 2024 of almost €60m. An army of coaches throughout the country are paid for their valuable services too. What they all do is considered a necessity. So is the work of referees which is fundamental to the smooth running of the entire playing calendar. We recently stumbled across a column which was written in 2017 for The Longford Leader newspaper by their then columnist Mattie Fox, aghast at how little referees were both appreciated and invested in. 'The minimum paid to a referee for inter-county games should be €500 plus travel costs, plus proper food for their umpires,' he wrote. 'That's the absolute minimum. For an All-Ireland, or All-Ireland semi-finals, or provincial finals, the very minimum should be €1000, plus expenses.' It would make for an interesting and, surely, improved inter-county landscape.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
GAA take drastic action to fill Leinster hurling final amid RTE pundits arguing it should be taken OUT of Croke Park
THE Leinster Council are gifting 20,000 tickets for its upcoming hurling final to underage GAA teams. While batches of free tickets are often made available to the next generation of Gaelic football and hurling players, that is a particularly sizeable quantity. 2 TJ Reid, Derek Lyng and Co await Galway on Sunday week 2 Joe Canning said on Sunday that he'd 'love' to see it moved to a smaller ground to ensure it has a good atmosphere Credit: @TheSundayGame It would appear to be a proactive measure given doubts over how many fans from Galway and Kilkenny will take on the hefty expense of venturing up to Dublin for the June 8 decider. After Speaking on The Sunday Game Live, the Galway great reasoned: "I'd love to see it out of Croke Park, being honest about it. "I think the whole atmosphere…it's too big for the crowd that shows up for a Leinster final. Imagine a full Tullamore or Portlaoise instead? Read More On GAA "You'd get a full house there alright. Remember we played you guys there a few times? (At which point he beckoned to Jackie Tyrrell who was nodding in agreement beside him). "It would add to the whole thing. At a smaller ground you'll get a better atmosphere - and it's not going all the way up to Dublin. "But having said that it's great to get a day out in Croke Park." The moment was clipped by The Sunday Game's social team and judging off the replies, Canning's suggestion received broad support. Most read in GAA Hurling Conor Counihan threw another potential setting into the mix, tweeting: "Thurles would be ideal. "Smack bang between both counties and so easily accessible. RTE pundit Joe Canning urges GAA to make huge change for Leinster hurling final as fans 'totally agree' "And before anyone says Thurles isn't in Leinster, both sides played in Leinster final replay in Thurles before (in 2018)." Upon yesterday's announcement, Leinster Council chairman Derek Kent explained the details around it with applications required by 12pm on June 4. He outlined: "This is a celebration of our young players and an investment in the future of our games. "We want every child involved in GAA to feel connected to the bigger picture – to see our players in action, feel the energy of championship days, and be inspired their hurling heroes. "By offering 20,000 free tickets to our players, we're not only giving them a great day out, we're showing them they belong to something special." The giveaway is open to groups of 10 kids comprised of the U14 age grade or younger. Each group must be accompanied by a minimum of two adults. The Leinster football equivalent certainly benefited from
