Latest news with #UlsterUniversity
Sunday World
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Sunday World
Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor shares photo with footballer boyfriend
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured together in the snap Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with boyfriend, Irish striker Georgie Kelly, as the couple enjoy some downtime on holidays in Portugal. The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'. Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background. She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories. Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Kate and Georgie on holidays News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time. 'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.' It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors. She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level. She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.' For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle. In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'. 'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time. 'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack. 'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.' He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle. But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made. 'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says. 'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.' However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy. 'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August. 'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work. 'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sport
- Sunday World
Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor poses for selfie with loved up footballer Georgie
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured together in the snap Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with loved-up boyfriend Irish striker Georgie Kelly together on holidays in Portugal. The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'. Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background. She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories. Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Kate and Georgie on holidays News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time. 'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.' It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors. She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level. She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.' For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle. In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'. 'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time. 'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack. 'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.' He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle. But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made. 'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says. 'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.' However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy. 'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August. 'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work. 'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Inside the life of Donegal GAA Eoghan Ban Gallagher and his relationship
It's no shock that Eoghán Bán Gallagher has become one of Donegal's most recognised footballers, given his father is John Bán Gallagher. The former All-Star nominee has had a sparkling career with his home county for the most part, but things took a downturn in 2019, at what seemed to be the pinnacle of his career, when he was sidelined due to injury. However, he bounced back stronger and more confident than ever and he is once again pivotal to Donegal's success. Here, we delve into the ups and downs of his time on the pitch and his life outside GAA. Donegal Career Eoghan enjoyed underage success with Donegal, winning the 2014 Ulster Minor Championship final before adding an U/21 medal three years later. The Killybegs man made his senior debut for the county in 2016, playing in many games throughout the year before becoming a team regular the following season. He won his first Ulster Championship medal in 2018 under manager Declan Bonner. His personal exploits on the pitch earned him an All-Star nomination and he was named on the on The Sunday Game Team of the Year. He also won the 2018 Donegal Footballer of the Year award. 2019 was set to be a big year for him, but a freak injury meant he was ruled out of the business end of the championship after picking up another provincial medal. Eoghan said that taking time away from training and matches in lockdown has helped him to improve as a player both physically and mentally. He was able to use the time off to focus on improving his game. "Whenever games are played back-to-back, and you're continually going through training and trying to get ready for the next game, it's hard sometimes to work on things," he said "During the period when we had no games, it gave me the chance to focus on a few individual things that I wouldn't have been happy with. I feel I'm in better shape now." Day Job Eoghan studied at Ulster University at Jordanstown. He worked with AIB before becoming a Company Accountant at Source Civil Ltd, where he is currently based. Girlfriend and Relationship Eoghan is in a relationship with girlfriend Aoife Kelly. The couple regularly share pictures together on social media, including from their trips away. Age and Where He's From Eoghan is from Killybegs on the south coast of Donegal. He plays his club football with his local side, Na Cealla Beaga. He was born in 1996, making him 29 years of age this year. Injury Eoghan Ban Gallagher of Donegal (Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher) Eoghan shattered his ankle in the days leading up to Donegal's Super 8 game against Kerry at Croke Park in July 2019. He said that his world fell apart when he suffered the injury, which ended the championship for him. He suffered mentally, as well as physically, but he got a lot of support from his girlfriend, friends and family at the time. "I went from being involved nearly every single day to being kind of isolated," the GAA star told Donegal Daily. "I was just sitting in the house. A lot of my friends were away and I was kind of lonely at home. I knew I'd have a long road to recovery and that my season was over. It was tough, mentally, rather than physically. "To be honest, I didn't deal with it well at all. I just wasn't in a good place." He said: "The night it happened, it was just a freak accident at training. Eoghán Bán Gallagher and girlfriend Aoife Kelly in Greece "I just heard the crack. I knew straight away. I could feel the pain. "Everything happened so quickly. I got the operation on the Friday. I knew then my season was over. "The only thing in my mind on the Friday was if I would get to Croke Park to see the game. The surgeon just kept saying: 'We'll see'. I wasn't able to go. "It was all taken away and I had no goals. There was no physio and I just had to sit there. "My family and friends started to talk a lot more and I got a lot of support messages."
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Ulster University accused of ‘censorship' after removing Palestinian flag footage from graduation video
Ulster University has been accused of 'censorship' after footage of a student raising a Palestinian flag during a graduation ceremony was removed from its website.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Irish athlete Kate O'Connor wins gold and breaks national record at World University Games in Germany
KATE O'Connor has won the women's heptathlon at the World University Games in the Lohrheidestadion, Bochum, Germany. 2 The 24-year-old will be hoping to continue her form in the World Athletics Championships next month 2 The Ulster University performance scholar has added to her already impressive medal collection She beat her own record she set back in 2021 of 6297 points at the World Athletics Combined Events Challenge in Italy. When speaking to "I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into Tokyo." The also pentathlon national record holder will be hoping to continue her flying from into the World Athletics Championships starting September 13. Read more on Irish Sport She has won bronze at the European Indoors in the Netherlands and The 2024 Olympian added: "To break a national record, well my won national record is something "I'm in the shape of my life at the moment, to go out and do it here on the world stage, I'm really happy with that." O'Connor is only the third Irish women to win gold at the World University Games, following in the footsteps of Sonia O'Sullivan and Danielle McVeigh. Most read in Athletics In the sixth event of the competition, O'Connor finished first in the javelin with a throw of 51.87m, three metres further than anyone else. The final event of the competition was the 800 metres and O'Connor finished second in the final heat with a PB time of 2:10.46. Sharlene Mawdsley takes part in hilarious road race as part of Tipperary's All-Ireland celebration The result has boosted O'Connor to fourth in the world this year as she won the competition by 406 points. O'Connor made history last year by becoming the first Irish heptathlete to compete at the Olympic games. At the 2024 Paris Olympics the University of Texas alumni finished 14th in her first Olympic heptathlon. A strong final day saw her jump from 19th on the second last day to 14th in the standings. She finished third in the javelin before finishing just 113 points off the top 10.
