Indo GAA podcast: Nice guys (Mayo) finish last, Donegal's siege mentality, Kerry's royal defeat
Elsewhere they examine Dublin's lack of goals and two-point scores, how Derry might consider themselves unlucky and Kerry's collapse versus Meath.
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Irish Independent
13 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Kerry's U-16 manager praises defence as much as the attack in 24-point All-Ireland final win
Kerry manager said Tom O'Connor said: 'If someone doesn't block the ball at the back, it doesn't end up in the net on the other side. It was a huge team effort, no stars, no heroes' Kerryman In the week that the Kerry senior ladies footballers take on Meath in an All-Ireland SFC semi-final, with the defending champions bidding to make it back to the final, the younger female footballers in the Kingdom showed that the future of the sport seems in a very healthy state. Not only did Kerry win the All-Ireland Under-16 'A' championship title on Wednesday evening in Nenagh, they dominated and demolished Mayo to the tune of 24 points. To say that Kerry's 4-17 to 0-5 win was emphatic would be an understatement, but they did it with a scintillating mix of attacking invention and defensive rigidity that pleased their manager, Tom O'Connor, no end.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘Be single-minded': Cork hurling heroes of 1966 on what it takes to end an All-Ireland drought
A Tipperary man popularised the use of 'famine' to describe a dearth of success in hurling. Captain Richard Stakelum uttered the term in his acceptance speech after Tipperary beat Cork in the 1987 Munster SHC final replay, bridging a 16-year gap in the process. Cork people still present in the stadium could hardly have taught their own county would face into such a famine. At that stage, Cork led the All-Ireland roll of honour with 26 titles, three ahead of Kilkenny and four ahead of Tipperary. The idea that the Rebels would experience a 16-year barren stretch was unfathomable to most on Leeside. The Rebels have remained consistent in Munster, but they have endured a long wait for an All-Ireland that stretches back to 2005. From the 1890s up to that point in 1987, Cork had won at least one All-Ireland every decade. With the peerless Christy Ring to the fore, they won five titles in the 1940s followed by three in the 1950s. The dry period between Cork's All-Ireland wins in 1903 to 1919 stands out as a particular disappointment. However, that was ancient history by 1987. For Cork fans born in the 1920s, the halcyon days of the 1940s and the first half of the 1950s surely looked like they would never end. Until they did. READ MORE 'Those were the days,' as Mary Hopkin sang over a decade later. Cork's failure to reach All-Ireland finals for a decade following the 1956 loss to Wexford meant fans were desperate for success when a young team finally made it back to Croke Park in 1966. That 1966 team offers the closest example in living memory of what the current Cork team are facing into this Sunday when they take on the Premier County in the All-Ireland final. The current crop of Rebel hurlers will be seeking to prove that famines – even 20-year famines, in their case – do eventually end. But unlike this year's team, who go into Sunday's final as most people's favourites, the Cork team that entered Croke Park for the 1966 decider were rank outsiders and featured several under-21 players. Among them were the three McCarthys, who were all unrelated. Gerald and Charlie hurled with St Finbarr's, while Justin hurled with Passage. This week, all three looked back on a day that earned them and their teammates a particular place in Cork hurling lore. (From left) Gerald McCarthy, Justin McCarthy and Charlie McCarthy, stars of Cork's 1966 All-Ireland hurling triumph, met up this week. Coming up against a seasoned Kilkenny outfit who had beaten Waterford just three years earlier to win the All-Ireland, that young Cork side ran out 3-09 to 1-10 winners. Colm Sheehan from Éire Óg netted two goals and John O'Halloran from Blackrock bagged a third . The three McCarthys also played their part. Justin, who was 21, lined out at midfield, contributing two-second half points. Gerald, also 21, captained the team from left half-forward and Charlie (20) lined out at right corner-forward. Each chipped in with a point. Justin recalls that while Cork had gone over a decade without an All-Ireland, it was no great burden to the team. 'I think we were conscious that it had been 12 years," he said. 'We had all grown up seeing Cork winning in 1952, '53 and '54, and of course the loss to Wexford in '56. I suppose that gave us all an urgency to want to play for Cork and a lot of lads on the panel had experienced the lean years. [ Three Munster finals that created the mythos of Tipperary v Cork Opens in new window ] 'We knew it was important to Cork, but a lot of us were very young. There was a blend of youth with Gerald and Charlie and Seanie Barry and myself, and there were older fellows on the team like Peter Doolan and Paddy Fitzgerald and Tom O'Donoghue and Denis Murphy. 'None of us had ever played in an All-Ireland final before, but we were quite confident – we had beaten Clare after a replay and then Limerick and Waterford in the Munster championship, and we were well geared up and we were quite confident going in that we could beat them. Gerald McCarthy says youth helped him deal with the pressure ahead of the 1966 All-Ireland hurling final between Cork and Kilkenny 'Gerald and myself were rooming together and I remember that morning, as we were going to Mass, he said to me, 'we have a good chance'. I said, 'we have, and we'll have that cup in this room this evening'. We had no fear.' Similarly, Gerald McCarthy acknowledged that they were all conscious of Cork's 12-year barren run. He said: 'There's always an expectation in Cork – the fans nearly demand success. But in fairness, it wasn't being overdone by people. We didn't have fellows coming up to us on the street and saying 'it's 12 years' or that sort of thing. We were a young team and people recognised that. [ Cork crowds, Tipp trips, Munster mastery: Seven-step guide to the 2025 hurling championship Opens in new window ] 'Okay, there was a bit of pressure, but I think when you are young, you can deal with it better. We had played Kilkenny in the league semi-final in Croke Park earlier that year, but we didn't have a semi-final after winning Munster, so it was our first championship match in Croke Park. 'So, we didn't have any real experience of Croke Park, certainly not a crowd that size. We were a good mix of young and experience, but I think the younger players just took it on. When you are young, you don't take in the whole impact of it and can deal with it better than an old stager. 'I remember as we were going in from Lucan to Croke Park on the bus, The Beatles had a hit with Yellow Submarine and somebody started singing 'We All Live in a Red Submarine'. It just clicked and everyone fell in with it and it just broke the tension, so we handled that well.' Charlie MacCarthy says it helped Cork that Kilkenny were such favourites to win. 'We went into the game without any one really giving us a chance,' he said. 'It's a bit like Sunday with Tipp, nobody is giving them a chance. I was only a young fellow, just turned 20 and the attitude was, 'we have nothing to lose, we'll go up there and give it our best shot'. Charlie McCarthy is tipping Cork to get the better of Tipperary in Sunday's All-Ireland SHC final. 'And in fairness, everybody got stuck in and stuck in early. We really didn't give Kilkenny a chance to settle down – our backs were very good, very tight and we got our goals at the right time and it settled us. We kept plugging away and things turned out right for us in the end.' Gerald acknowledges that Cork are going into Sunday's game as favourites but says players can react in different ways to being favourites and the pressure it may bring. 'The pressure can affect your head, but everyone is different and you have to learn to deal with it somehow.' Charlie thinks it will be a tight game, but feels that Cork might shade it, especially as they are driven by the pain of losing last year's All-Ireland final to Clare. 'I think it will be close enough,' he said. 'The Tipp lads are after improving since the League final and the round-robin game and they battled back well against Kilkenny in the semi-final, so it will be close. But I have a slight fancy for Cork and think they will shade it.' As for Justin, his advice to the current wearers of the jersey is forget about history and simply go out and hurl. He agrees that the desire to make amends for last year's narrow loss to Clare could help drive them on 'Yes, they have a chance now to redeem themselves for last year. That's a good motivation but forget about 20 years – you can think about that afterwards when you win. It's all on the day and you just have to be single-minded and go out with the belief you are good enough to win it.'
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Kieran McGeeney's Armagh GAA backroom staff to undergo major change as big name assistant departs
KIERAN DONAGHY has left Kieran McGeeney's Armagh backroom team. The Kerry icon ended his five-year stint with the Orchard, who he helped to Advertisement 2 Donaghy helped to an unlikely All-Ireland title last year 2 He thanked Kieran McGeeney in his farewell statement Donaghy operated as Armagh's forwards coach and underwent 800km round trips to attend team training from Tralee. Armagh reached their third Ulster SFC final on the spin this summer but They still looked on course to claim back-to-back Sam Maguires when they topped their All-Ireland series group. But Advertisement Read More On GAA It remains to be seen if Armagh will replace the 2006 Footballer of the Year. Former Derry star Conleith Gilligan and ex-Orchard ace Ciarán McKeever are also on McGeeney's backroom. But four-time All-Ireland SFC winner Donaghy will be on the radar as eight counties hunt for new managers ahead of the 2026 campaign. Roscommon, Dublin, Sligo, Mayo, Waterford, Antrim, Cavan and Derry are managerless. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football But Donaghy may be top of Kerry's recruitment list when they reconvene after Reflecting on his time with with the Orchard on 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal "Thank you to Kieran McGeeney, who took a chance on a rookie coach. You said one year, it became five, only you could pull that off. "You said I could help and that you would help me in return. You were a man of your word every step of the way. Advertisement "To the backroom team, thank you for pushing me, teaching me, and raising the bar. I learned so much just being around ye. To the players, what a group. Tough, resilient, and relentless. "Watching you chase your dream and finally reach the top in 24 was a privilege. Especially to the older lads, you never stopped believing and you earned every bit of it. "Thanks to the Armagh County Board for all their support."
