Latest news with #Corkwoman
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Jacqui Hurley is excited' jokes Des Cahill as RTE pair put out call to arms to Cork & Tipperary fans
DES Cahill joked "Jacqui is excited" while calling for Cork and Tipperary fans to fill out the Up for the Match audience. They leaned into Hurley being a Corkwoman while promoting this year's edition which will take place on Saturday July 19 - the night before 2 Cahill had some fun at his co-host's expense as he teaser her over her natural bias Credit: RTE 2 Alan Connolly's hat-trick propelled them to a dominant semi-final win over Dublin Channelling old school Hollywood icon James Dean, she quipped that the Rebels certainly have a cause as they aim to end a two-decade wait to lift Liam MacCarthy. The adjoining promotional caption read: "Applications for the #UpForTheMatch Hurling Special are now OPEN. "Are you a Cork or Tipperary superfan heading to Croke Park on July 20 for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final? Are you mad about your county, and mad for a bit of craic? "Well then we want YOU in our audience, kitted out in your county colours. Apply now Read More On GAA Tuesday saw the GAA announce that Yesterday also witnessed Premier boss Liam Cahill Noel McGrath's wide in Most read in GAA Hurling Believing they were three points down, the Cats chased a goal in vain before the Premier advanced to the All-Ireland final against And boss Cahill lauded the Cats for leaving it at that ahead of their July 20 showdown against the Rebels. Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny He said: 'We know Kilkenny from the start of time are a huge hurling county and I said that afterwards. "Like ourselves, if Kilkenny don't win it on the field, they ain't going to bring it to the boardroom, that's for sure. 'For me, we were going on the scoreboard. Through Declan Laffan and the lads down the earpiece, there might have been a little query alright but for us we were playing what was in front of us. 'What can we say sure, it's human error, that's the bottom line. A mistake was made but it had no effect on us, on what we wanted to achieve at the end of the day, which was just to get the result. 'Everybody in the GAA, we do our best to try and do things voluntary and keep things as right as we can and unfortunately it was just human error. What can be done, only move on. 'It was out of our control, really. It is unfortunate. From the outset, these boys here were just concentrating on getting over the line. 'Look, you can go into all the ins and out of it, there were several other passages of play, decisions that work out throughout the 74-plus minutes. 'The reality is that's what big matches like that are made of and you just roll with the punches and you take the hits.'
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
From Corinthians to Colosseum - Megan Connolly loving Roman reign
Getting barracked by scowling supporters wasn't what Megan Connolly envisaged, especially in the land of His Holiness. Nothing the Corkwoman had encountered in her career at home, America or England prepared her for the hostility awaiting in the Rome derby. Lazio against Roma is a big deal regardless of gender. Fans from both sides attend men's and women's clashes, applying equality in their approaches to goading opposition players. Connolly was soon exposed to the Derby della Capitale on her debut last August, a feisty 2-2 draw. Playing in the English Women's Super League for Brighton and then Bristol City had brought pressure but this was far more overt. 'You hear so much about the derby but I didn't know what to expect and it was quite a shock,' recalls the Ireland defender. 'There are rivalries in England but it is just a bit different here. Among the Roma fans, you have grown men shouting at you. I still enjoyed the atmosphere and hopefully we can beat them twice next year.' Connolly has reason to be confident. Lazio finished the season strongly by winning seven of their last eight games, albeit it was in the lower half of a split from midseason. She'd snapped a six-year spell in England to try the Continental route. Contractual uncertainty accompanied her on the trip and there was the language barrier but she's content with how her maiden season unravelled. So too were her employers to the point they granted a two-year contract extension. 'While I took quite a big risk to go there, I look back on it as such a great decision for me personally and for my career,' said Connolly. 'At the start it was quite difficult. It was quite a big change moving from England, going to a new culture, a new everything. 'But once you immerse yourself in the culture, learn from it and your Italian teammates, it helps. 'However, the language is quite difficult. That was never my forte in school. I'm doing lessons but I'm not sure if it's making much of a difference for me!' This time last year, the sister of Cork GAA footballer Luke was back home surveying her future options. Yet the wait until August for the Italian job was one she reflects on fondly. 'At that point of my career, there were certain things that I value quite a lot,' she explained about her mindset. 'I'd been at Brighton and then captained Bristol City. 'I had some great relationships and great experiences but knew what I wanted. For the next move I wanted to go somewhere playing football where I could kind of develop my football and also have that feeling of being a key player; someone who could implement their leadership, my style of play, and everything I bring to the pitch. 'I waited for a bit and Lazio came in. As soon as I got the first phone call, I knew straight away. It's hard to put into words the feeling but it was exactly what I was waiting for the whole time. "I got that feeling of a club who were ambitious, had a style of play, and a manager who valued me. 'Looking back on it now, it panned out how I had hoped for. The waiting paid off.' Besides an injury which also kept her out of the April international camp, Connolly has been a mainstay at Lazio. She even chipped in with a sublime goal against Napoli to further endear her to the fanbase. 'It was disappointing to miss out on the top half by just one result and I'm glad they're adding two teams next year to remove the split,' the 28-year-old says. By then, she'll have broadened her knowledge of the Italian capital. Connolly is based in Formello, a brief 25 jaunt from the centre, and she doesn't pass up opportunities of exploring the famous city. 'In the first few months it was more a case of trying to survive, adapt and get the football stuff sorted,' she outlines about the transition. 'Once things on the pitch were going well and I was settled in, I went out a bit more to experience the culture. It's been quite nice, such a beautiful place and city. 'You can turn any corner walking through the city and find a new landmark that you didn't even know. 'You won't get to see everything you want food wise. When I go into the centre there's so many food places, even places you wouldn't think are restaurants. Then you go into the back of them and it's a proper cultural experience. 'Being there for the next two years it will be nice to get out and experience new cultures and restaurants. It's been fantastic and not the worst place to live. Bristol and Brighton were lovely in different ways!' She's in Turkey for Friday's penultimate Uefa Nations League fixture before returning to familiar territory next week. Páirc Uí Chaoímh for the visit of Slovenia on Tuesday evokes happy memories, the most recent her assist for Anna Patten in last July's 3-1 win over France. There'll be droves of young girls in attendance, idolising locals Connolly, Denise O'Sullivan and Saoirse Noonan for their exploits. 'I know that my former club Corinthians have a great underage programme in Cork, so having an international game right around the corner from where they're all training is fantastic. 'The club did a great gesture after the World Cup by putting the banner up on the main pitch. That's always there. Recently one of the teams won the league and got their picture in front of the banner. "It's always nice to see; reminding me of where I come from. I try to give back whenever I'm home by going up there.'
