The Irish Independent's View: A feast of weekend sport is distraction we need in a world full of suffering

Irish Independent

5 hours ago

Over the past fortnight many of us have been stricken by a series of international crises, as the agenda of horrors changed hourly, epitomised by the outrages in Gaza and Ukraine slipping down the world news agenda.
We all deserve an opportunity to switch off and get a little quality time. So, the upcoming weekend sporting banquet for Irish fans of all kinds brings us some ideal opportunities to simply enjoy the coming days.
The fun starts in earnest today with the opening game of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in Perth.
The really delightful news here is that all games kick off at 11am Irish time, allowing many of us a great chance to join in the excitement.
A big talking point is Lions' team manager Andy Farrell's surprise decision to give the captaincy to Dan Sheehan of Ireland as he makes his debut in the red jersey. This honour has fed speculation on still more such preferments that may be coming his way.
But let's avoid putting pressure on such a gifted athlete. Let's just enjoy the nine games of this tour as they build towards the first of three test matches against Australia in a fortnight, on July 19, in Brisbane.
On the GAA fields, hurling is given a rest after recent thrills and upsets, and the focus is very much on Gaelic football, not forgetting Camogie and women's football.
New football rules have improved things for spectators, and today and tomorrow the four quarter-finals of the All-Ireland go ahead at Croke Park.
First, this afternoon, Donegal play old rivals Monaghan, with much speculation about how Donegal will fare after six-day turnaround from their last outing.
Then comes Dublin versus Tyrone, which brings intrigue, as both sides have been something of an enigma this season.
Tomorrow, Meath play Galway and, with both sides coping with injury problems, this one could go either way.
Then Kerry face-off against champions Armagh in a potential game of the season.
Tomorrow, all roads for racing enthusiasts lead to 'horse country central', on the Curragh of Kildare, for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Organisers hope the weather gods will smile and this fixture will gather crowds worthy of its glories in the recent past.
All that is a mere flavour of what is on offer for the sports-mad Irish nation this weekend. These, and many other delights, offer a chance for us to forget the world's woes and have fun.