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The Irish Sun
38 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Made history' – Former Republic of Ireland manager mourning death of his GAA legend brother
FORMER Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill's older brother Gerry has died at the age of 88. Gerry O'Neill was well-known in his own right due to him also being an accomplished manager with the Armagh GAA team in the 1970s. Advertisement 3 Armagh GAA remembered him as a key figure in their success that decade Credit: @Armagh_GAA 3 Gerry O'Neill has passed away at the age of 88 Credit: X 3 Martin, 73, played for Derry up until minor level before focusing on soccer Credit: Kenny Ramsay In 1977 the Kilrea native led them to what was only their second appearance in an All-Ireland final where they lost to Dublin. During his tenure the Orchard won two Ulster Championship titles in addition to Division Two and Three crowns. The esteem with which he was held in within Armagh GAA circles was evident in a statement released by the county board on Tuesday. It read: "It is with deep sadness that we learn of the passing of Gerry O'Neill (RIP), former Armagh Senior Football manager and a lifelong servant of the GAA. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football "Gerry made history in 1977 when he guided the Armagh Senior Football team to the All-Ireland Final — a moment that marked a turning point in Armagh's footballing journey and inspired a generation of players and supporters. "He led Armagh to win two Ulster Championships as well as collecting Div 2 and Div 3 NFL titles. "His leadership, vision, and unwavering belief in his team left a lasting legacy in the county. "Gerry was held in the highest regard across the GAA community, not only for his achievements on the sideline but also for his humility, wisdom, and love for the game. Advertisement Most read in Football Live Blog Live Blog Gossip "We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife Meava, sons Niall, Shane, Rory, Phelim and Conn, wider family, friends, former players, and all who had the privilege of knowing him. "Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam." 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal Among the replies, Brian posted a further tribute, adding: "A very well respected man RIP." Similarly, Brenda added: "A fitting tribute to a legend in Armagh's history, alongside others within the county." Advertisement Pete recalled: "Another legend of yesteryear gone he took Armagh when no one wanted them may he rest in peace." Lastly Liam said: "RIP Gerry he gave us some great memories following Armagh condolences to the family."
Irish Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Brother of Martin O'Neill and former Armagh manager Gerry O'Neill passes away
Former Armagh manager and the brother of Martin O'Neill, Gerry O'Neill, has passed away aged 88. Kilrea native Gerry guided Armagh to their second-ever All-Ireland final in 1977 and won two Ulster titles as well as a Division Two and Three title in his time at the helm. He is also the brother of former Ireland manager and two-time European Cup winner Martin O'Neill. Armagh GAA shared a tribute to Gerry after learning of his passing, saying he left a 'lasting legacy in the county'. "It is with deep sadness that we learn of the passing of Gerry O'Neill (RIP), former Armagh Senior Football manager and a lifelong servant of the GAA," an Armagh GAA statement read. "Gerry made history in 1977 when he guided the Armagh Senior Football team to the All-Ireland Final — a moment that marked a turning point in Armagh's footballing journey and inspired a generation of players and supporters. "His leadership, vision, and unwavering belief in his team left a lasting legacy in the county. " Gerry was held in the highest regard across the GAA community, not only for his achievements on the sideline but also for his humility, wisdom, and love for the game." The 1977 Armagh team cruised to Ulster victory, picking up big wins against Cavan, Monaghan, and Derry en route to victory, and went on to win a dramatic replay against Roscommon in their All-Ireland semi-final to earn their spot in the final. They would ultimately lose out to a strong Dublin team that was led by player-captain-manager Tony Hanahoe as they won their second successive All-Ireland title.
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'F it anyway' - emotional TJ Reid breaks silence following Kilkenny exit
Kilkenny legend TJ Reid penned an emotional message as he broke his silence following Kilkenny's exit from the All-Ireland Hurling Championship. Reid is one of the game's all-time greats, but as he turns 38 this November, time is ticking on his intercounty career. Kilkenny were narrowly beaten by Tipperary in a thriller in Croke Park a couple of weekends ago, and it remains to be seen if that will be Reid's last act in a Kilkenny jersey. However, his emotional post did not mention retirement. "F it anyway Harper. A week on and it still hurts," he wrong on Instagram. "Grateful for another year wearing the black and amber jersey. Completing 6 Leinster titles in a row is still a wonderful achievement but it would have been brilliant to get back into an All-Ireland Final and to compete in it. Thanks to my best supporters @niamhdebrun and my little daughter Harper, and to all the Kilkenny supporters. "Thanks to a group of special players. We had a great journey this year, sport is about the process and progress and we enjoyed every moment of it. "Up Kilkenny". Reid has a whopping seven intercounty All-Ireland titles to his name as well as six club All-Ireland titles in one of the truly great hurling careers of all time. First joining the Kilkenny panel in 2007, Reid would go on to collect seven All-Star awards during his illustrious career and has won 14 Leinster Hurling titles. Speaking to media earlier this season though, Reid has hinted that he wants to play until he is 40-years-old. He also opened up on how he decides if he'll play the following year or not. 'That decision comes in November. If it was in the immediate aftermath of last year's game (loss to Clare) you might have thought differently about it. 'I needed to take the time. I must say most players will be annoyed and frustrated and 'F this' or whatnot, 'F that. This is a waste of a year again.' 'You have to allow things to settle down and go again. But the main thing is that I suppose you have to have the belief in yourself as well that you can be an impact and I'm still very confident in that department. And look, you have to enjoy the process as well. 'We all know for a long time now that the demands of inter-county players are high and the dedication is high, but I always had that and I enjoy it internally as well.'
The Irish Sun
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘A week on & it still hurts' – TJ Reid bares his soul over semi-final agony as Kilkenny fans make plea
TJ Reid has reflected on another year in black and amber and how the pain from their All-Ireland semi-final loss still stings. The nature of 3 Reid and Co needlessly chased a goal in the dying moments thinking they were trailing by a bigger margin than they actually were 3 Being consoled by two and a half year old daughter Harper after their loss to Tipp 3 He noted that winning their sixth Leinster title in succession is 'a wonderful achievement' Sharing a powerful image of him crestfallen at the final whistle but being sweetly consoled by his daughter, the 37-year-old wrote: "F it anyway Harper. "A week on and it still hurts. Grateful for another year wearing the black and amber jersey. "Completing six Leinster titles in a row is still a wonderful achievement but it would have been brilliant to get back into an All-Ireland Final and to compete in it. "Thanks to my best supporters Niamh and my little daughter Harper and to all the Kilkenny supporters. Read More On GAA "Thanks to a group of special players. We had a great journey this year, sport is about the process and progress and we enjoyed every moment of it." At this juncture of his emotional Instagram post he then started to quote a viral speech given by Hollywood A-lister The Ballyhale Shamrocks man continued: "I wish I knew that this too shall pass. You feel bad right now? You feel p***ed off? You feel anxious? This too shall pass. "Oh you feel great? You feel like you know all the answers? You feel like everybody finally gets you? This too shall pass. Most read in GAA Hurling "Time is your ally, and if nothing else, just wait. Just wait it out. - Tom Hanks. Up Kilkenny." The upfront nature of his post prompted a tonne of support from Kilkenny fans as well as those from rival counties. 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal Kieran hailed: "Love this TJ. Great reflection." Similarly, Lauren praised: "Proud of you always, you always give it 100%." Meanwhile Brid noted: "Another amazing year, Harper is so proud." GIVE IT ANOTHER HURL? Despite his advancing years, the seven-time All-Star is still clearly able to be a difference-maker at inter-county level. As such, plenty of followers begged him to continue on with Derek Lyng's side for at least another year. Barry urged: "Congrats on another amazing year with the Cats, than you for all the enjoyment watching you play has been my privilege. Here's to next year." In April Reid It remains to be seen if he will be back for another tilt with the Cats. For now, all eyes of hurling fans can't venture beyond Sunday when Galway referee Liam Gordon
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Louth boss Kevin Larkin says no patting themselves on the back ‘just yet' after semi-final win
It was a cagey enough opening to the game but once Louth moved into the lead, boosted by Eimear Byrne's goal, the floodgates started to open. 'We know the more patient we are, we will wear down defences because we've great players like Aoife Russell, Eimear Byrne and Kate Flood who will unlock defences so it was all about when that chance came - we took it and in fairness to Eimear, she took a great goal,' said Larkin. 'It's a great feeling and these days are to be enjoyed as well like you know but, we're still in the hunt for that [All-Ireland] trophy so we won't pat ourselves on the back just yet.' With a big lead at the break, Larkin acknowledged the message to his players was to stay focused, not do anything differently and to try and push on in the second half but also, that they needed to tidy up a bit. 'There was a few fist passes and just basic unforced errors that was just a bit silly,' said Larkin. 'It gave Longford a bit of momentum but to be fair to the girls, when they came out in the second half, they tidied that up, they tagged on a few scores and it was just a great performance.' Louth have a few weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland Final which takes place on August 3 in Croke Park (11.45am throw-in). The chance of a Junior Football Championship crown is what Larkin set as his side's main goal at the start of the season – he has that one big objective still to fulfil. 'Look, it's great to get to Croke Park and that's good in itself but we still have unfinished business there and like I said before, we won't be happy until we're watching Áine Breen [Louth captain] walk up the steps and that doesn't change,' said the Louth boss. 'We still have a job to do and I'm just looking forward to the next three weeks because it's a nice thing to have, to be preparing for an All-Ireland final, but by God will we be prepared.' A lot of 'hurt inside from last year' For Aoife Russell too, there is some unfinished business in Croke Park and while she acknowledged there was a lot of 'hurt inside from last year', when Louth lost by a point in the final to Fermanagh, she wants to go back and rewrite the wrongs of 2024. 'We know what we're capable of as a group, we don't believe that we should be playing at the 11.45am time in Croke Park in three weeks, so now we just need to go back there and prove to everyone that we do deserve to be playing at intermediate and go beyond that and play at senior level in the near future,' said Aoife. 'Without being any way cocky, we just believe that we can go further, we deserve to be there and that's the end goal at the end of the day, to keep powering on and to keep pushing on. 'Especially for the younger girls coming through and then the girls coming from the under 16s and minor level, we know that we believe and we deserve to be up playing at a higher level so that is the end goal at the end of the day.' In terms of the Longford game, while the sides were matched in the opening stages once Louth got a run at them, they showed their quality in what was, for the most part, a commanding performance. 'We came here today with utmost respect for Longford,' Aoife said. 'We knew they were going to put it up to us. We knew that at the end of the day we only beat them by a point in the last game but that wasn't us, that wasn't our real performance. 'We had an off day and again we came back here today to prove that that was an off day. 'We should be beating Longford by more than just a point and that's what we did today and yeah, we're going to keep powering on for the next three weeks and hopefully we'll be home with the trophy and that's the goal.' Particularly strong for Louth on Sunday was the midfield paring of Áine Breen and Aoife Halligan who, considering the heat, put in trojan work all over the pitch. Up front, there was a lot of slick passing, some great movement and it was clear that there is a strong understanding between Aoife Russell and her forward colleagues, with the Glen Emmets player herself contributing three points from play. However, with 10 points and producing a performance Longford couldn't deal with, Kate Flood was in scintillating form but, as Aoife agreed, Louth have so many other players who are more than capable of getting into the scoring act. 'Kate's phenomenal, she's an inspiration, a role model to everyone,' Aoife said. 'The girls inside the camp and girls outside the camp but like you said, there's girls there, whether that be wingbacks, full-backs, half-forwards, it doesn't matter who it is at the end of the day, and it doesn't matter who gets on the team sheet, and we always say that every week, it does not matter who gets the scores. 'It doesn't matter whose name is in the paper, at the end of the day, we all contribute to those scores…and that's the main thing.' In terms of the next three weeks and how Louth will approach the final, compared to 12 months ago, Aoife was quite adamant about what that approach will be. 'We keep the routine, keep the same rituals and we go again.'
