‘Let's make this next chapter something special' – American businessman confirms he has taken over running of Athlone Town
He has assumed control after protracted discussions around the club's future which also involved Canadian Eric Perez, who runs English non-league side Truro City, and Zack Goldman, the founder of Tiger 11, a company designed to be a strategic partner with football clubs.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Antiques: Nine American gold eagle $10 coins make €10,000 in Dublin
ALL that glitters is not gold is an aphorism that collectors need to be aware of always, especially now. In these uncertain times, there is nothing remotely uncertain about the strong demand for a precious metal that is a long-term hedge against inflation and falling values. Always a safe haven for money in a stormy climate gold — headed by a group of nine American gold eagle ten-dollar 'Indian Head' coins from 1926 — made up no fewer than eight of the top 10 lots at the James Adam Jewellery Box sale in Dublin on June 24. They were the top lot of the auction and made €10,000 at hammer. A collection of 26 gold half-sovereigns made €7,500, a group of 12 gold sovereigns made €6,500, 23 Victorian half-sovereigns made €6,000 and other gold coins in the top 10 made hammer prices of €6,000, €5,500 and €5,000. Where all that leaves everything else on the auction market in Ireland right now is an open question. All sorts of collectibles are selling well, Irish art continues to be a mainstay, demand for antique furniture remains pretty much in the doldrums and demand across the board can best be described as variable. A 1913 centrepiece by West and Son with Celtic Revival detailing at Sheppards. House sales are always a draw. Sheppard's will offer contents from a classic Victorian house at 6 Royal Terrace in the leafy suburbs of Dun Laoghaire on July 15 and 16. There will be much interest in the collection of lawyer Philip Murphy, a partner at McCann FitzGerald, who died last year. His father, JT Murphy, served as a Labour Party TD for West Cork from 1923 until his sudden death in 1949, at which point he had been Minister for Local Government in the John A Costello government. Philip Murphy and his late wife Constance were collectors of everything from Killarney ware and antique clocks to silver, Arts and Crafts carpets and oriental art. Among the prime lots in the sale are: an 18th-century Irish ebonised bracket clock by Graydon, Dublin (€4,000-€6,000), a Donegal runner by CFA Voysey (€3,000-€6,000), a Guangxu lime-glazed bowl (€3,000-€6,000), a pair of Ottoman flintlock pistols (€2,000-€3,000), a West and Son Irish silver Celtic Revival centrepiece from 1913 (€2,000-€3,000), a Killarney games box (€1,400-€1,800), two Killarney writing boxes and a Killarney ware box, each estimated at €800-€1,200, and a 19th-century marine chronometer by Thomas Roberts, Liverpool (€4,000-€6,000). Art by Mark O'Neill, Graham Knuttel, Markey Robinson, Louis le Brocquy and John Butler Yeats will feature at Aidan Foley's auction at 6pm on July 7 and 8. This is a sale of art, antique furniture, garden statuary and collectibles, offering everything from a Georgian oak coffer and a Killarney wood trinket box to Victorian games, tea and dining tables and Oriental rugs and runners. A Warming Glow by Mark O'Neill at Aidan Foley's auction. A double-weight Vienna wall clock in walnut is estimated at just €200-€400, as is an 18th-century oval dropleaf dining table and a Victorian parquetry inlaid side table. Tribal art is always of interest, and a large carved African mask is estimated at just €60-€100. Choices range from a coromandel wood games box ((€60-€80) and a vintage Babycham dish for nibbles (€40-€80) to a pair of large blue and white platters (€200-€300) and a Tiffany style table lamp (€200-€250). The auction is on view in Doneraile on July 5, 6 and 7. Should you decide to go in search of gold, you will find it at the Matthews sale in Kells on Sunday and Monday. Lot 538 is a US Liberty double eagle 1903 gold 20-dollar coin (€1,500-€2,500). A selection of the jewellery on offer at Matthews in Kells. A Queen Elizabeth II gold sovereign is estimated at €400-€700, and a 1905 half-sovereign is estimated at €200-€300. The top lot is an art deco diamond-link bracelet mounted in platinum (€20,000-€30,000), and the sale offers a wide selection of desirable pieces. Read More Online sales of affordable art reflect current global trends
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Trump signs 'big, beautiful' bill on US Independence Day
US President Donald Trump signed into law a massive package of tax and spending cuts at the White House during an outdoor ceremony on the Fourth of July holiday. With military jets flying overhead and hundreds of supporters in attendance, Mr Trump signed the bill one day after the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the signature legislation of the president's second term. The bill, which will fund Mr Trump's immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent, and is expected to knock millions of Americans off health insurance, was passed with a 218-214 vote after an emotional debate on the House floor. "I've never seen people so happy in our country because of that, because so many different groups of people are being taken care of: the military, civilians of all types, jobs of all types," Mr Trump said at the ceremony, thanking House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune for leading the bill through the two houses of Congress. "So you have the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut, the largest border security investment in American history," he said. Mr Trump scheduled the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the 4 July Independence Day holiday, replete with a flyover by stealth bombers and fighter jets like those that took part in the recent US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran. Hundreds of Mr Trump supporters attended, including White House aides, members of Congress, and military families. After a speech that included boastful claims about the ascendance of America on his watch, Mr Trump signed the bill, posed for pictures with Republican congressional leaders and members of his cabinet, and waded through the crowd of happy supporters. The bill's passage amounts to a big win for Mr Trump and his Republican allies, who have argued it will boost economic growth, while largely dismissing a non-partisan analysis predicting it will add more than $3 trillion (€2.5 trillion) to the nation's $36.2 trillion debt. While some politicians in Mr Trump's party expressed concerns over the bill's price tag and its hit to healthcare programmes, in the end just two of the House's 220 Republicans voted against it, joining all 212 Democrats in opposition. The tense standoff over the bill included a record-long floor speech by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who spoke for eight hours and 46 minutes, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would strip low-income Americans of federally-backed health insurance and food aid benefits. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin predicted the law would cost Republicans votes in congressional elections in 2026. "Today, Donald Trump sealed the fate of the Republican Party, cementing them as the party for billionaires and special interests - not working families," Mr Martin said in a statement. "This legislation will hang around the necks of the GOP for years to come. This was a full betrayal of the American people. Today, we are putting Republicans on notice: you will lose your majority," he added.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Leona Maguire sneaks inside cut at Irish Open as amateur Lottie Moad leads the way
Leona Maguire snuck inside the cut at the 2025 KPMG Women's Irish Open where world number one amateur Lottie Woad leads at halfway with Anna Foster best-placed of the Irish in action. An opening round 72 was followed up by a 75 on the O'Meara Course at Carton House to finish on one-over par, a shot inside the cut and a dozen shots adrift of the clubhouse lead on a day where gusts winds reached 60 km/h. Three bogeys in the opening five holes made it a challenging start at the Kildare venue. A birdie at the 10th was immediately followed by a double-bogey at 11 before picking up further birdies at 14 and 16. Foster also struggled to match her opening round score, a 71 followed by a one-over par 74 that leaves as the leading Irish competitor on one-under par. Amateur Emma Fleming found the going tough on her way to a 77 that included a double-bogey and three bogeys. She will start Saturday on level-par, one shot better off than Maguire with Canice Brennan also making it to the weekend. Woad is the player to catch and will take a three-shot lead into the weekend after a six-under par 67. The 21-year-old sat in share of third place overnight, and after beginning from the 10th, made her first birdie on hole 13 before adding further birdies at 15 and 17. On her back nine, the English woman made birdies at the first, fifth and seventh before her only dropped shot on the eighth, but she bounced back immediately with a birdie at the ninth to lead with a score of 11-under-par. "It definitely feels good, it played tougher than yesterday," said Woad. "We thought because we played in the afternoon yesterday it might be a bit calmer this morning, but it wasn't. I played pretty well."
