Students from Wexford and Kilkenny schools to feature in new RTÉ documentary
Filmed in cinema-quality 4K, the series also features the final television interviews conducted with GAA stalwarts Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Kerry's Seán Murphy and Mick O'Dwyer, Dublin's Jimmy Gray and Mayo's John O'Mahony and Dr. Mick Loftus.
Chronicling how the game has changed through more than a century of rebellion and revolution, bitter rivalries, triumphs, upsets and comebacks, the series is both a celebration and exploration of a unique arm of Irish life. Its unique story is told through the testimonies of players, managers and expert commentators, captivating archive and stunning visuals.
Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football tells the story of a game born out of necessity, dreamt up by a nation in search of a social identity and something that could challenge the pre-eminence of foreign games. Gaelic football later took root in the northern counties and became a truly all-island sport - a game of and for the Irish people.
A sport with a presence in just about every village in Ireland, Gaelic football has a hugely important legacy, and this is the story of that legacy. The entire series consists of over 80 interviews conducted with, among others, Michael Murphy, David Clifford, Jack McCaffery, Juliet Murphy, Shane Walsh, Brian Fenton, Mick O'Connell, Cora Staunton, Joe Brolly, Tony Hanahoe, Colm Cooper and Briege Corkery. It also features contributions from managers past and present - Jim McGuinness, Padraic Joyce, Seán Boylan and Kevin McStay.
Meanwhile, school children from Catherine McAuley Junior School, New Ross Educate Together and Marymount NS The Rower feature in the series, with players from Rathgarogue Cushinstown GAA also included.
Produced by Crossing the Line Productions, one of the producers, Siobhán Ward is a native of The Rower in south Kilkenny, and is proud to have worked on the series from her hometown, and to see the local areas and participants also included in the production.
The first episode, The Renaissance, will see Brian Fenton fighting back tears as he details his love of the game, while David Clifford's magical feet are revealed in slow motion and Shane Walsh kicks the paint off the gable wall at his family home. The series debut takes the viewers from these modern magicians on a journey back in time, to the rough and tumble origins of Gaelic Football. Through rebellion and civil war, it exploded like a prairie fire to become the most played game in Ireland.
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Extra.ie
23 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
How Donegal's defence can cope with David Clifford
There was a moment of levity during Jim McGuinness's press conference ahead of the All-Ireland final. The Donegal manager was asked when he knew that Finnbarr Roarty, the fresh-faced teenage defender who has been one of the revelations of this summer, was ready for senior inter-county football. 'I would say about a year ago I thought he might have been good enough, but I was a day out on my calculation!' McGuinness smiled, a reference to how he handed Roarty his senior debut in a McKenna Cup game, despite him still being a minor, which was against GAA rules and resulted in Donegal getting a slap on the wrists. But it did show how long the youngster, a clubmate of the manager in Naomh Conaill, has been on the radar. One of the big questions that surrounded Donegal ahead of this season was how McGuinness would adjust his team's defensive structure and shape to the new rules. While much of how they defend remains based on a system — and how they like to set up zonally just inside the arc — they have adapted it to the new game. Even with 11 v 11, he has trusted his team's shape. Finnbarr Roarty has been one of the revelations of this summer. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie 'That is probably the one thing that has surprised me about Donegal this season,' says Eamon McGee, the All-Ireland-winning corner-back in 2012. 'McGuinness came back last year and loved his defensive shape, and I wondered if he would remain true to that there or is he going more to a hybrid approach where he is getting out and putting the pressure on. 'But he's stayed true to that. I'm surprised that he's able to work it out, and they've been very brave, in fairness to Donegal, how they defended those zones and how they're leaving that third zone, nearly man-free. There's one man keeping an eye on it, but they're getting across so quick. From a defensive perspective, I'm surprised that they're able to manage it as well as they have.' McGuinness has been able to make it work because of the quality of defenders they have, and the speed at which they can move into a zone if they sense danger. Tyrone's decision to go man-on-man against Kerry resulted in David Clifford filling his boots on Padraig Hampsey, scoring 1-9 and probably leaving another couple of goals out on Croke Park. It was clear from early on that Hampsey was left too isolated, especially given how wide open his team were down the central channel where Joe O'Connor had a field day and roughly half of Kerry's 10 goalscoring opportunities originated. That is one area Kerry may find clogged upon Sunday, particularly if Caolan McGonagle returns to centre half-back. David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Ulster champions are wedded to the zonal system, defenders are still required to win their individual battles. One-on-one defending still matters. Roarty's ability to strip the ball from an opponent — most clearly seen in dispossessing Meath's Keith Curtis in the semi-final to start the move that led to Ciaran Moore's goal — is reminiscent of Karl Lacey in his pomp, as both McGuinness and McGee have pointed out. 'He punches above his weight in many respects and doesn't fear anybody,' McGuinness said of Roarty. 'There's an innocence to that but a courageousness as well. He's a brilliant tackler. I can see him taking the ball off Aidan O'Shea in Roscommon that day, that's not an easy task. Karl Lacey in his pomp. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 'When he gets you in that grip, a bit like Karl Lacey, he can get the hand in and the hand out. It's clean and it's crisp and it's strong. He's fair. He's been brilliant, the Donegal people love him. They absolutely love him. When he gets a turnover now, I think it's as big a cheer as you're going to get for a point because he is so honest. ' McGee agreed with those sentiments. 'He is so good at sniffing danger and getting to the danger. His ability to rob a man reminds me of Lacey, who was like a boxer with quick hands and able to get the ball without getting the foul on. You watch Finbarr when he gets near the man. How many times we've seen it this summer, where Finbarr's getting the hand in, gets it away. 'He's brought so much to that defensive unit. And remember, Finbarr's coming from an era where he's been brought up in blanket defences, so a lot of those defensive skills were neglected, they weren't coached, it about getting everybody back, and the group, rather than the individual. For him to come out, and in the manner that he has, it's a testament to his club and his coaches and to himself.' Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football and asked to limit the damage that Clifford does in the final. There has been some speculation that Donegal may remain true to their zonal system elsewhere and McCole will be the only one tasked with a specific man-marking role, although the manner in which Ryan McHugh curtailed Rory Grugan's influence in the Ulster final suggests he may be the player to tag Paudie Clifford. Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes But all eyes will be on McCole and how he handles Clifford. In his understated way, the Mountcharles native has grown into arguably the most consistent full-back in the country over the past couple of years and his ability to read the game and sense danger are two of his most impressive attributes, both of which he will need in spades on Sunday. His policing of Matthew Costello in the semi-final underlined his ability. 'McCole has been tasked with the danger man in every game, and he keeps an eye on his man while reading the game,' McGee says. 'If you look at the players who are dubbed man-markers most of them aren't able to do that, they are just focused on their direct opponent. But McCole is able to read the game, he's always aware of where his man is and when to stand off. He's hands-on at times, but he doesn't bring any of the sledging or verbals nonsense.' McGuinness has re-designed parts of his defensive shape to fit into the new game, but he still trusts his players in their individual battle. McCole has the hardest job of all on Sunday, but if his teammates sense trouble, their system means they can move at speed to help — and how they try to nullify the Kerry threats is just one of the reasons Sunday's game is so intriguing.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Michael Flatley 'intends to seek nominations to run for President', court told
Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is moving back to Ireland in the next two weeks as he 'intends to seek nominations to run for President,' a court has been told. An affidavit opened before Ms Justice Eileen Roberts in the Commercial Court on Friday made the assertion, following on from speculation that the Irish-American would contest the upcoming presidential election. Mr Flatley's counsel Ronnie Hudson BL instructed by Maxwell Mooney solicitor introduced the document to court as part of a case where a building contractor and insurance companies involved in carrying out works at the Flatley Castlehyde mansion in Cork are seeking to have the star put up €2.8m security for costs before his action against them begins. A security for costs application is usually made when the defendants in the case apply to the court seeking to have their costs covered if they end up successfully defending the main proceedings. It is often sought when litigants are not resident in the EU. Mr Hudson told the court that Mr Flatley's intention to return to live in Ireland in the coming days represented a 'material change of circumstances' which must be considered by Ms Justice Roberts in her ruling on the security for costs application. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC, representing the underwriting and insurance defendants in the case, objected to the affidavit being admitted to court as the judge had already reserved judgement on the application. He also said it was 'hearsay', given that the affidavit was signed by Mr Flatley's solicitor Mr Mooney rather than the man himself. Counsel for building contractor Austin Newport, Stephen Dowling SC, meanwhile said that there were no details of where he would be living in Ireland and did not meet the threshold to be admitted. Ms Justice Roberts determined that the affidavit would be taken into account. 'In fairness to Mr Flatley, I will allow the affidavit to be admitted,' she said. 'I will treat it then with the weight, if any, I give to it.' The judge also indicated that she had already begun work on the judgement and it would be delivered in a 'reasonably short period'. Mr Flatley's side has previously described the security of costs application as 'a final effort to derail my claim'. Mr Hudson said Mr Flatley is an Irish citizen and has assets in this jurisdiction and he contended it could be 'a form of discrimination' if the court were to make an order for security of costs against him. In the main proceedings, the Riverdance performer claims he and his family had to vacate the Castlehyde period property in October 2023 after alleged toxic chemical residue was detected during routine maintenance. Mr Flatley is suing Austin Newport Group Ltd, the main contractor and insurance underwriters — MS Amlin Underwriting Ltd, AXA XL Underwriting Agencies LTD and Hamilton Managing Agency Limited along with Lloyds Insurance Company. All of the allegations are denied. The court has previously heard the dancing star, who recently directed and starred in his own self-financed action film Blackbird, had been intending to move back to Ireland. Last weekend, he told Brendan O'Connor on RTÉ Radio One that he was not ruling out a bid for presidency to succeed Michael D Higgins in this autumn's election. For Mr Flatley to get onto the ballot, he would need the backing of either 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities. So far, the only candidates to put themselves in the race are independent TD Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness. Conor McGregor has also repeatedly posted on social media that he too wants to be the next president of Ireland. The election must take place before 11 November, when President Higgins' term ends.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Australia v British and Irish Lions second Test: All you need to know
Australia host the Lions in the second Test on Saturday with the series on the line. It's simply win or bust for the Wallabies after last weekend's underwhelming 27-19 defeat in Brisbane. The famed MCG is the scene and a crowd of around 90,000 is expected. A win for Andy Farrell's men will clinch a first Lions series win since 2013. Find out all you need to know here. ONLINE There will be a live blog on and the RTÉ News app, as well as match report, reaction and player ratings. TV Australia v British and Irish Lions will be shown on Sky Sports with kick-off at 11am Irish time. WEATHER There was a severe weather warning for Melbourne on Friday afternoon to evening, and rain is predicted for Saturday 8pm (local) kick-off. Temperature around 11C. Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. While last weekend's scoreline looked close on paper, the Lions held the Wallabies at arm's length throughout the game, and it was only when the contest was over that the Aussies did some damage. Neither side will read too much into that but Andy Farrell will demand an 80-minute performance this time around. There's more heft in the Aussie pack with the addition of Rob Valetini, Will Skelton and David Porecki and the hope for Joe Schmidt is that they provide more front-foot ball for the backs to work off. They were distinctly second-best last week across all areas, on and off the ball, and achieving something like parity up front will be crucial to their cause. It's set for a wet evening in Melbourne so expect a lot of kicking and aerial battles. The Lions have made three changes to the team with Bundee Aki coming in for Sione Tuipulotu, Andrew Porter replacing Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum in for the injured Joe McCarthy. Garry Ringrose was originally selected but withdrew after self-reporting concussion symptoms. Still, there are a record nine Ireland internationals in the starting team, with Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan all retaining their places. Maro Itoje captains from the second row and Finn Russell will run the operation from out-half. Rónan Kelleher and James Ryan are on the bench, alongside Owen Farrell and Blair Kinghorn who didn't make the squad last weekend. For the home side, in come forwards Valetini, Skelton and Porecki with Schmidt also making three changes. This is the 25th meeting of the teams, with the Lions winning 18 and losing six. The tourists, ten-point favourites for this game, have won seven series and lost two. British and Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum; Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jack Conan. Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, James Ryan, Jac Morgan, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Blair Kinghorn. Australia: Tom Wright; Max Jorgensen, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Len Ikitau, Harry Potter; Tom Lynagh, Jake Gordon; James Slipper, David Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa; Nick Frost, Will Skelton; Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson. Replacements: Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Jeremy Williams, Langi Gleeson, Carlo Tizzano, Tate McDermott, Ben Donaldson. OFFICIALS Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) Assistant Referee 2: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ) TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra) WHAT THEY SAID Joe Schmidt (Australia head coach): "We don't have the intention this week of being submissive. It'd be special for this group [to win]. I think it would accelerate a little bit of their growth as well, because in terms of gaining confidence, it's hard to top competing with the best." Andy Farrell (Lions head coach): "We certainly feel we left a few things out there [last weekend], most aspects of our game will need to better but it is proving to ourselves it can be better as well. Doing things properly, that is what we have talked about all week."
