
Hollywood star shows his support for Donegal ahead of football final
Jim McGuinness' men take on Jack O'Connor's lads in an Ulster v Munster All Ireland taking place at Croke Park at 3.30pm on Sunday.
The football final comes just one week following Cork's devastating 15-point loss against Tipperary in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final. Jim McGuinness' men take on Jack O'Connor's lads in an Ulster v Munster All Ireland taking place at Croke Park at 3.30pm on Sunday. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Jacqui Hurley and Des Cahill presented RTÉ's annual Up for the Match on Saturday night with Anna Geary reporting live from Rathmore, Co Kerry while Marty Whelan was with supporters in Towney, Co Dublin.
Ferris Buellers' Day Off star Matthew was amongst the Donegal supporters talking about his late parents James and Patricia Broderick.
Kilcar in Donegal host an underage GAA tournament in memory of the pair, who were big supporters of the local club. Hollywood royalty Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will be amongst those shouting for Donegal as they take on Kerry in the All Ireland Senior Football Championships on Sunday afternoon. Pic: RTÉ
Matthew has been visiting Donegal since his childhood, with the tradition expanding to himself and wife Sarah Jessica Parker, who still regularly come to Donegal, where they have their won family cottage.
The RTÉ show came ahead of the culmination of the football calendar on Sunday afternoon with all roads leading to Croker for the biggest football showcase of the year.
Kerry's David Clifford will get the opportunity to cap off what has been one of the best individual inter-county seasons in recent memory and all a second All-Ireland title to his growing legacy. The county colours for both teams is green and gold, with Kerry set to line out in the away blue shirt while Donegal will don their white ensemble. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
For Donegal, Jim McGuinness and Michael Murphy returned in hopes to bring a talented group back to the top of Ulster and potentially add a third All-Ireland title to their belt.
The final comes as Kerry beat Armagh and Donegal overcame Meath two weeks earlier.
Sunday will appear quite different for the two teams who last met in a final back in 2014 as both counties will play in alternate strips on the day.
The county colours for both teams is green and gold, with Kerry set to line out in the away blue shirt while Donegal will don their white ensemble.
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Irish Independent
20 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
‘Pure heart and determination' – Kerry fans rejoice after epic display to land the Kingdom's 39th All-Ireland
It was a rousing opening quarter display from the Kingdom that set the tone for their demolition of Donegal, and with talismanic performances from David Clifford and Gavin White, among others, Kerry cruised to All-Ireland glory. It was the names of the Clifford brothers, Paudie and David, along with White, that spewed from fans' mouths as they streamed out on to Jones' Road in delight after Kerry's 10-point win over Donegal. Michael Harmond from Ardfert, Co Kerry, said: 'It was tense enough, but Kerry were almost always in third gear and eventually they pulled away at the end.' Despite criticism of Kerry, which made the team feel 'disrespected', according to David Clifford, Mr Harmond never doubted them. 'I think it was always coming,' he said. David Clifford was a standout player for me 'We played more football, they took so long, almost two to three minutes each time to get a score, I felt. 'Even when they were losing with a few minutes to go, they were taking that much time. We were more clinical, I thought. 'David Clifford was a standout player for me and he was marked very well.' Similarly unyielding in support was Brendan Reardon, who watched the match with his daughter Aoibhín. 'It was an absolutely fantastic performance, they were brilliant in the first half and kept on going in the second,' he said. The pair travelled from Beaufort for the final, a first for Aoibhín, with Mr Reardon saying that she was Kerry's 'lucky charm'. 'It took pure heart and determination, they kept going and never gave up even when Donegal came back in the second half, Kerry kept going,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations 'Gavin White and Paudie Clifford were absolutely unbelievable. 'We just couldn't be happier. We are lost for words now and roll on the celebrations.' Fandom in sport comes in all shapes and sizes and a woman who has only indirect ties to the Kerry team, but was nonetheless ecstatic, was Deirdre Brady from Co Louth. Sporting a Palestine GAA jersey, Ms Brady said: 'My husband is from Cork but his grandparents are from Kerry. He's a big Kerry supporter, so are my sons. 'I thought Kerry came in very strong in the first quarter and in the second quarter Donegal came back but Kerry had enough of a buffer to keep going, it was a great game.' Donegal did indeed come back in the second half with a Michael Murphy-led charge at Kerry, but they could never get the gap below four points and despite the urgings of Donegal manager Jim McGuinness, Kerry found another gear when it mattered. After the match, Jack O'Connor indicated that he will step aside as Kerry manager, after watching Kerry lift the most coveted trophy in football five times as manager. 'You can't beat panel spirit. We said what happened to Cork last week wouldn't happen to us. It's the stuff of dreams. I'm delighted for them all, a massive team effort, backroom effort, panel effort,' he said. It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup It was to be an uneasy journey home for boyfriend and girlfriend, Wendy Eadie and Conor McGinn, who were wrestling with both delight and disappointment while milling out of Croke Park. Donegal supporter Mr McGinn, from Creeslough, Donegal, said he was 'sickened' by the match while Ms Eadie, whose family is from Killarney, expressed her delight. 'It was a tough one to take but we'll regroup,' Mr McGinn said. '[David] Clifford got on very well; they kept [Michael] Murphy very quiet. 'They were very strong around the midfield. Obviously with Clifford there was a lot more threat for scoring two-pointers, and we didn't really pose that threat.' Donegal's lacklustre offensive was a hot topic, with another Donegal supporter, Anthony McBride, from Downings pointing to the Kingdom clinching the title by nullifying their threats. 'I can't really complain, I don't think Donegal played to their usual level. I am very disappointed, we'll come back next year,' he said.


Irish Independent
20 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Pure play replaces puke football as shrewd Kerry take All-Ireland football title
Rule changes adopted this season have revived the excitement of the game Puke football is in the past. The era of the blanket defence smothering the opposition was killing off Gaelic football as a spectacle, and is now consigned to history. The phrase, famously coined by Pat Spillane, summed up how football was becoming a turn-off. The excitement of hurling, with its fast-paced scoring, was shining an unpleasant spotlight on Gaelic football. But, all told, this has been a season where Gaelic football was reborn, thanks to the rule changes brought in to liven up the game. The two points for kicks outside the 40-metre arc encouraged long-range kicking. The minimum of three players in each half of the pitch reduced the ability to employ all-out defence. The changes influenced how teams approached kick-outs, scoring and defence, and made the game fairer. The excessive use of the hand-pass and the retention of possession by moving the ball over and back across the middle to the third of the field remain a feature of the game. So it's not perfect. But the new rules have seen an increase in scoring and long-range shooting. The first final under the new system saw Kerry – the traditional artisans of the game – take on Donegal, who had masterminded a whole new form of zonal defence in their last title win, but had adapted best of all to the new rules. The All-Ireland final was full of intriguing subplots. Jack O'Connor versus Jim McGuinness on the sidelines ensured the game would be strategically fascinating. David Clifford of Kerry, establishing himself as a player for the ages, against Michael Murphy of Donegal, the county's greatest player now returned from retirement for one last tilt at the Sam Maguire. In McGuinness's first term as Donegal manager, the county had won the title and were then stopped by Kerry on the way to a second win. O'Connor is back in his third term as Kerry manager and has proven his ability to balance the Kingdom's attacking flair with a steely defence. The two best teams in the country faced off in Croke Park. It wasn't the greatest final of all time, but it was intriguing nonetheless. Kerry won the technical and the tactical battle. The Kingdom used greater degrees of energy, skill and savvy to win. The 10-point margin possibly flattered them a little as Donegal put it up to them at various stages of the game, particularly in the second half when they whittled away at Kerry's lead. But the 10 points is also significant, as it matches the tally from the five two-pointers – from David Clifford and Seán O'Shea – that Kerry scored across the game. O'Connor takes the plaudits for the decisions taken on the touchline. Kerry's masterful performance matched whatever Donegal had to throw at them, but also proved to be a fine example of the new rules in action. Hopefully, it's not a one-off, and teams at club- and county-level alike will see that offensive approaches are the way to go in the coming season. From puke football to pure play.


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Enda McEvoy's TV verdict: If Clifford walked on sand he wouldn't leave footprints
The great day has dawned and there are so many questions to be asked and answered. After such a gloriously expansive championship will two notably expansive teams ('It's the right way to end the year,' Lee Keegan declares on RTÉ) provide a cracker, or, perversely and probably predictably, a damp squib? Agus ceist eile. Why do BBC Northern Ireland have an Irish female comedian you've never heard of, an English actor you've never heard of, Douglas Henshall (a Scottish actor you may or may not have heard of) and Martin Compston, the small guy from Line of Duty, empanelled to give their thoughts on the match? This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month