
Deadly and dithery Cork make Munster final
hurling's provincial round robins proved to be a bit on the underwhelming side
, not helped by two of the games being dead rubbers. He was, though, impressed by Galway, but he still has his doubts about Cork. Did their performance against Waterford 'answer the file of queries raised by the disintegration in Limerick? No, absolutely not'.
Cork were, writes Denis Walsh,
'slick and sloppy and deadly and dithery'
, in keeping with 'their bipolar performances in the championship' thus far, but job done, they're through to the Munster final where they'll get another crack at Limerick. They'll need to work on their accuracy, though. '
The scores we missed were brutal, for want of a better word
,' as their manager Pat Ryan put it after the game.
An understrength Limerick lost to Clare, but
it was too little too late for the All-Ireland champions
, they were already out, but
Galway booked their slot in the Leinster final
, Seán Moran at Parnell Park to see them pick up their first away win against Dublin in the championship. Up next for Galway is
Kilkenny who lost to Wexford in one of those dead rubbers
, while
Offaly retained their Leinster SHC status
with a jittery win over Antrim.
In football, Monaghan brought newly crowned Leinster champions
Louth crashing back down to earth
in Newbridge, while
Donegal had their bubble burst by Tyrone
in Ballybofey.
Armagh eased some of the pain of their Ulster final defeat
by getting the better of Derry, while
Meath bounced back too from their Leinster final loss
by beating Cork in Navan. And on the women's side,
Galway and Kerry retained their provincial titles
with victories over Mayo and Waterford, respectively.
READ MORE
In soccer,
Ken Early reflects on the Premier League campaign just ended
. So much for it being 'the season of the underdog' – 'in the end the top five had a reassuringly familiar composition: two American-owned sports-groups, two clubs owned by Gulf states, and whatever the hell Chelsea are.' We also look back on
how the Irish fared
on 'a weekend marked by joy for some and heartbreak for others',
no one experiencing more joy than Katie McCabe
after
Arsenal's Champions League triumph over Barcelona
.
In rugby, Gerry Thornley reports on
Bordeaux Bègles' Champions Cup triumph over Northampton
Saints, hearing from their
assistant coach Noel McNamara
after the game, his CV looking 'increasingly impressive'.
Declan Kelly has a heck of a CV too: 'From Tipp to Salford via Wall Street.' Denis Walsh traces his remarkable career,
the latest chapter his involvement in Salford City
, the League Two side that was famously owned by Manchester United's Class of '92.
TV Watch
: Tennis fans will be in heaven, it's French Open time, TNT Sports bringing an entire 13 hours of coverage from Roland Garros today (from 10am). In the afternoon, TG4 has horse racing from Ballinrobe (4.15pm) and later, they have highlights from the GAA weekend (8pm).

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kenny raves about St Pat's ace and lauds 'incredible football intelligence'
Stephen Kenny has hailed Jay McClelland for stepping out from the shadows and into the European spotlight for St Pat's. McClelland was the Saints man-of-the-match in Thursday's tense 1-0 Conference League win over nine-man Kalju, a result that puts St Pat's in control going to Estonia. And if they hold their rivals at bay on Thursday, the Inchicore men will face the loser of the Europa League tie between Besiktas and Shakhtar Donetsk. As it stands, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Besiktas are the most likely opponents as they lost Thursday's first-leg 4-2 at home. McClelland, 28, has been at St Pat's since 2020 but hasn't always been a starter and when he does play, he could be deployed in any number of positions. Lately, the attacking midfielder has been playing at left-back but has also popped up on the left wing and in the middle of the park. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . But Kenny has hailed McClelland's professionalism for refusing to cave when opportunities were hard to come by, after becoming a key man in Europe this year. Ex-Ireland boss Kenny said: 'No, he hasn't (always been a starter), and hasn't always been in the squad - he's been in the stand in the past. He's had to bide his time but he's just having a run of form and his innate football intelligence is incredible. St Pat's Jay McClelland and Daniil Tarassenkov of Kalju (Image: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne) 'He can see great pictures and has the technical ability to execute really intelligent passes and crosses. He's a very intelligent player. The physicality maybe wasn't his strongest point but he has adapted that to his game to help him play there. 'He's worked on aspects of his game which weren't his strongest points where you might get exposed as a left-back, in your one-on-one defending and your heading. 'He's got much better at those facets of the game and his distribution is very inventive. It's a competitive area for us. Anto Breslin has never let us down, he's always been a terrific full-back at the club. 'At the start of the season we probably wouldn't have factored Jason playing at left-back but when people take their opportunity you have to reward that.' McClelland only started five league games last season - he came on another 16 times - but already has 12 Premier Division starts this year from his 21 league appearances. At no stage since Kenny took charge 14 months ago has the Dubliner ever knocked on the manager's door demanding to leave. St. Patrick's Athletic's Jay McClelland (Image: ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy) Kenny said: 'He was out of contract last year but I made it clear to him that I wanted him to stay. His versatility is important. Even when he's not in the team, he's super fit and that's a challenge because players find it hard to stay at the level when they're not in the team- they get demoralised.' Ryan McLaughlin, the former Liverpool and Northern Ireland player, is another who has stepped up to snatch a starting role. He was behind Axel Sjoberg as Kenny's right-back option, but has now wrestled the shirt off the Swede. Kenny continued: 'Ryan and Jason didn't start any of the European games last year and they're in the positions now. "You see the passing, Ryan to Jason and then Jason back to Ryan. You don't see that much in matches, those touchline to touchline passes from full-backs. But Ryan has that in his locker and the in-joke in the group is that he showed Trent Alexander-Arnold how to do it! Meanwhile, Kenny won't rule out signing a midfielder before Monday's 11pm transfer deadline for contracted players, as Romal Palmer remains on the long-term list. But Chris Forrester is nearing a return to the starting line-up after stepping up his comeback from injury of late, and scoring the all-important late winner against Kalju. Kenny said of Forrester: 'He's been a great player, a regular in nearly all of my games since I took over but he was out for eight weeks. 'That's two months and you can lose a lot. He needs to work hard. He's had a few weeks' training and is coming on so he definitely comes into our thoughts.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .


Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Bowling: Shane Crowley retains Munster U18 title
Shane Crowley retained his Munster U18 road bowling crown in a show of power and awe against Cathal Creedon at Bantry. Once he hit his stride with his huge second bowl, he quickly took control. Creedon had opened with a brilliant bowl, straight over the sop, towards McSweeney's lane. Crowley's reply was well right of his sop. That handed, what turned out to be, the only lead of the night to Creedon. Crowley wiped out the deficit immediately with his second throw. Creedon did well to miss that by just eight metres. Creedon's next bowl broke left, but still reached McSweeney's farm. Crowley beat that by 70m. That turned into almost a bowl of odds when Creedon beat it by just 45m with his next fourth shot. Crowley was now in full flight. He delivered a searing bowl up the middle towards Harrington's that put him well over a bowl in front. His next one was below par, but he immediately clicked back into top gear. A sensational sixth bowl to light at Casey's cross pushed him two bowls clear. Even a beauty from Creedon past Cronin's cross, could do little to stem the tide. Crowley followed with another massive bowl past the hedge and that brought the curtain down on the contest. Eoghan Kelly was an impressive Munster U14 winner. He defeated last year's All-Ireland U12 champion, Fionán Twohig, by two bowls of odds. This final followed a very similar narrative to the U18 final. Twohig opened with a huge bowl to win the first tip comfortably. Kelly then got a great second bowl, which won him a big lead. He was never again headed. He increased his lead with a great third throw towards the crush. He then produced the score defining bowl. It scorched down the left and ran all the way to Cronin's cross. That catapulted him two bowls clear. It also closed off almost any chance of Twohig regaining a foothold in the score. Still Twohig managed to contain the odds. He had it back to an even two bowls of odds after nine and 11 to the fuchsias past McSweeney's farm. That was as close as he got as Kelly increased his lead again in the run-in.

The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Charlie Bird's wife supporting All-Ireland morning walk in aid of Motor Neurone Disease
THE PUBLIC HAVE been urged to come together and walk 'shoulder to shoulder' by joining a sponsored walk on Sunday, the day of the All-Ireland football final. The walk will take place in Offaly. Organised by a group of Irish sports stars and sporting clubs, the 'Shoulder to Shoulder' walk is in aid of those suffer from ALS, the most common form of Motor Neurone Disease. It will begin the morning of the final at St Brigid's GAA Club, Croghan, Co Offaly starting at 9am. The wife of Charlie Bird, Claire Bird, is supporting the cause. Charlie, the former chief news correspondent with RTÉ, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2021 and passed away in March last year. He raised €3.6m in aid of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta before his death. Claire said that there is now more awareness around MND and progress has been made in improving the quality of life for ALS sufferers and their families, but 'more is needed'. 'In particular, funds are urgently needed to discover the cause and potential treatments for this cruel disease and that's what we are asking for today. Advertisement 'Every donation and every act of support will make a difference in the fight against ALS and MND so please, wear your jersey for your teammate on 27 July and donate whatever you can afford to support the research that will bring hope to future generations.' One of the organisers of the walk, former Galway GAA player Michael Meehan, said, 'All Ireland Final day is a special day in Irish sport and on this special day, we call on you to join us in a heartfelt show of solidarity to support all our 'teammates' who are facing ALS.' He invited everyone to wear their jerseys and join the walk on the morning of the All-Ireland. 'Anyone who can't join the walk can still support the cause by donating to iDonate and all funds will go towards Research Motor Neurone,' Michael added. The walk is to raise funds for Research Motor Neurone, an Irish charitable organisation, led by Orla Hardiman, Professor of Neurology at Trinity College Dublin, and an international authority on Motor Neurone Disease and related neurodegeneration. MND is a progressive neurological condition in which the nerves that control voluntary muscles stop working. In Ireland, around 155 people are newly diagnosed with the condition every year; there are currently more than 470 people living with MND and ALS in Ireland. It is a challenging and debilitating disease for which there is currently no cure. Galway GAA, Mountbellew-Moylough GAA, Cu Chulainns GAA (London), Leinster Rugby, [Connacht Rugby], Ireland U20 Rugby, Garbally College are among those supporting the walk. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal