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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘They don't make them like you anymore' hails ex-Ireland star as Paul McGrath & Kevin Moran reunite
TERRY Phelan was among the Irish football fans delighted by a photo of Paul McGrath reuniting with Kevin Moran. Icon McGrath had shared the brilliant photo with his former Ireland centre-half partner to 4 The pair look remarkably good for their age Credit: @paulnumberfive 4 McGrath is the younger of the two at 65 4 While the former Dublin GAA star is 69 4 The early years of Phelan's international career overlapped with both men They've clearly remained close over the years as Back in the here and now, McGrath captioned their most recent snap together: "Great to catch up with an 'old' friend today. He still blames me for getting him sent off in the FA Cup final." Moran did earn the infamous distinction of becoming the first player ever to be dismissed during an FA Cup decider in In the play in question, his fellow Dubliner landed him in deep trouble when McGrath's pass was intercepted at the halfway line. Read More On Irish Football As the last man back, Moran made a desperate sliding tackle to try and win it back but was fractionally late - taking the legs out from under All is mostly forgiven nowadays with the duo grinning from ear to ear in their latest rendezvous. The social media post served as nostalgic gold for Irish football fans - as well as a few former players. Most read in Football 42-times capped Phelan replied: "What a pair of central defenders. "They don't make them like that anymore. I had the great privilege to play alongside them both. Fantastic times." Forest Green Rovers Unveil World's First Fully Vegan Football Kit & Launch Mental Health Initiative Times have of course grown leaner for the Boys in Green since their last World Cup qualification in 2002 and most recent Euros adventure in 2016. Fans will at least learn whether that long wait for another World Cup outing will come to an end before the end of the year as the 2026 tournament qualifiers will be a short, sharp burst from September-November. First up, October 11 and 14 will bring an away tie with Portugal as well as the reverse fixture against Armenia. On November 13 the Aviva Stadium will play host to Like the 1994 edition that Moran and McGrath were at (though the former was a bit-part player at 38 by then), the 2026 competition But unlike its predecessor, the US will be sharing hosting duties this time around with Canada and Mexico owing to the expanded 48-team format.
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Former Dublin football captain Seán Doherty dies at age of 78
The death has taken place of Seán Doherty, captain of Kevin Heffernan's 1974 All-Ireland winners. He was 78 and is the fourth member of that ground-breaking team to pass away, after Anton O'Toole, Brian Mullins and earlier this year, Paddy Cullen. 'The Doc' was a traditional full back, a big presence under high ball and a physical marker. He won three All-Ireland medals, 1974, '76 and '77, and six Leinsters, 1974-79. In that breakthrough season of 51 years ago, his performances were described as 'outstanding' and he won that year's All Star in the position. In all, he played in five successive All-Ireland finals from 1974-78 and was a replacement in a sixth, the following year. Captain again in 1975 when Dublin lost their title to Mick O'Dwyer's youthful Kerry, he was succeeded the following season by Tony Hanahoe. READ MORE In the famous 1977 All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry, it was a towering catch by Doherty from a long free driven in by Ógie Moran that began the move for Bernard Brogan's goal, which sealed Dublin's comeback win with three minutes left. There was controversy in the 1975 All-Ireland when his challenge on Mickey Ned O'Sullivan took the opposing captain out of the match and hospitalised him. The pair were long reconciled and shared in the social reunions between Dublin and Kerry players. Dublin captain Seán Doherty lifts the Sam Maguire Cup after the 1974 All-Ireland SFC final. Photograph: Connolly Collection / Sportfile O'Sullivan told Dermot Crowe in the Sunday Independent earlier this year the two had never discussed it since, preferring to leave it 'behind the white lines'. His last championship was in 1979 and after retirement, he went on to be involved with the county at senior level. When Heffernan finally stepped away from management in 1985, he was replaced by a triumvirate of his players Brian Mullins, Robbie Kelleher and Seán Doherty. Although they served for only one year, he was retained as a selector in the succeeding management of Gerry McCaul, which won the 1987 NFL, defeating Kerry in the final and two years later, deposed Meath in Leinster before losing that year's All-Ireland semi-final to Cork. Doherty was born in Wicklow in 1946 and spent his early years there before moving to south Dublin where he was a member of Ballyboden Wanderers, later Ballyboden St Enda's. In later years he was also player manager with St Anne's. Although his first career was as a plumber, he subsequently became a well-known publican in Rathfarnham. In later years he returned to his native Wicklow in Glenealy.
The 42
02-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
No rush in appointing Dessie Farrell's successor, says Dublin GAA chairman
DUBLIN COUNTY BOARD will not be in any rush to appoint Dessie Farrell's successor as senior football manager. There is much speculation around the prospects of Ger Brennan after he stepped down from the Louth job after a wildly successful two years, crowned by winning the Leinster championship, but Dublin don't expect to name a new manager any time imminently. 'We don't have a time frame,' Dublin county board chairman Ken O'Sullivan told The 42 on Wednesday. Advertisement 'There will be a sub-committee proposed next week to the county committee. That's where we are at the minute – there will be a proposal next week.' From there, it will be up to the sub-committee if they wish to present a list of suitable candidates, or just one. With betting suspended on the chances of Brennan becoming the new manager, the choreography of the appointment will be of great interest. Ger Brennan will be a leading contender. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO Meanwhile, O'Sullivan has paid warm tribute to Farrell's contribution to Dublin GAA over 40 years following his decision to step down in the wake of Saturday's defeat to Tyrone. 'Dessie has played many significant roles across Dublin GAA and will feature heavily in the history of Gaelic Games in the county', said O'Sullivan on the Dublin GAA website. 'Many will remember him first as an All-Ireland winner and All-Star, as part of the great 1995 Dublin All-Ireland winning team. Dublin GAA have been so fortunate to have Dessie involved with County panels from Development squad level through to the Dublin Senior panel. 'He led Dublin to success at all levels, managing teams to All-Ireland titles at Minor, U21 and Senior grade. 'Dublin County Board thanks Dessie for his enormous contribution and dedication to Dublin GAA across so many years and we wish him and his family every success going forward. 'We also pay tribute to Dessie's backroom team and his panel, who have brought so much success and joy to Dublin GAA supporters during his tenure.' Related Reads Ger Brennan steps down as Louth manager after Leinster-winning season Tyrone take major step, dominant Donegal, Monaghan's second-half struggles Dessie Farrell steps down as manager of Dublin footballers Check out the latest episode of The 42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
BreakingNews.ie
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Ger Brennan steps down as Louth GAA manager
Louth GAA have confirmed that Ger Brennan is stepping down as manager of the senior footballers. The former Dublin defender took up the post in 2023 and guided the Wee County to their first Leinster senior title in 68 years this season. Advertisement In a statement, the county board thanked Brennan for his "extraordinary dedication, professionalism and inspiring leadership." A two-time All-Ireland winner with Dublin, Brennan took up the role ahead of this season following the departure of Mickey Harte. Louth also reached the preliminary quarter-finals of this year's Sam Maguire, losing to Donegal. The St Vincent's man's decision will intensify speculation he is going to take charge of his native Dublin following Dessie Farrell's decision to end his six-year reign as Dublin boss on Saturday. An All-Ireland SFC winner with Dublin in 2011 and '13, Brennan also won five Leinster medals as a player before retiring in 2015.
Irish Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dessie Farrell played a diminishing hand well, but Dublin will continue to struggle at the top table
It was probably surprising because it was so straightforward. After Dublin's defeat on Saturday, manager Dessie Farrell dropped the curtain on six years of management, the culmination, as he put it, of nearly 40 years of involvement with his county teams. There was no, 'this isn't the time, lads' equivocation. He had already let it be known to county officials that this year would be his last. 'The time has come,' he said. 'It has come to a natural end. It has been one of the greatest privileges in my life to be involved with this group and the other group of senior teams over the last number of years. Some special people involved, not just players, but in the backroom team, the coaches, and not just at senior level, but in my own career as a coach.' His tenure in charge of Dublin was immensely challenging: the ultimate 'follow that' task of taking over from the management of Jim Gavin, which had landed six All-Irelands in seven years, including the historic and no longer mythical five-in-a-row. READ MORE Farrell must have known that extending that sequence to six would be a thankless achievement. He would either have won Sam Maguire with someone else's team or squandered the opportunity. He became the third guiding figure in Dublin's resurgent decade after the foundational Pat Gilroy and the unprecedented gold rush of the Jim Gavin years. Curiously, Farrell is actually the oldest of the three, who were all born in 1971 but who took charge in reverse chronological order, having been born in November, July and June respectively. Farrell's achievements at under-age made him an obvious candidate to take on the senior job. Not only was in charge for the county's most recent All-Irelands at minor (2012) and under-21 (2017) – so far, nothing at under-20 – but his work with the 1993 cohort gave him a critical role in developing players who would have key roles in the successes of the 2010s. So, the idea that he found himself in charge of an All-Ireland winning machine needs to be tempered by reflecting on where the players came from. Nobody could have foreseen the weird circumstances in which that All-Ireland was won: an empty Croke Park in the Covid-ridden winter championship of 2020. This was still going to be a transitional process – and not a rewarding one, as a gifted generation took its leave on an incrementally annual basis. Farrell shouldered the burden, introducing new players to replenish the team but given the impossibility of replacing the departing cohort, he was effectively managing decline. He did the state some service, performing the last squeeze on a generation he had helped to produce, the 1993s, and winning an All-Ireland as prized as any, in 2023, in a pure enactment of Paradise Regained. In that he was helped by the re-commitment of Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey, who he had lost sequentially in 2020 and '21. Dublin's Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion take in the celebrations after winning the All-Ireland title in 2018. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho In a characteristically deadpan interview on Dubs TV after a county championship match in September 2022, Farrell announced – towards the end – that the pair had indicated an intention to rejoin the panel. Months later, Stephen Cluxton also returned. It was a rare splash of good fortune in his management and 2023 became a crusade to win back the All-Ireland and to get captain James McCarthy up the steps of the Hogan to accept Sam Maguire. In filmic parlance, it was getting the old gang together for one last job. Delivering hugely anticipated All-Ireland titles is not easily done and comes with intense pressure but Farrell managed to do it twice. In the down years of 2021 and '22, the team lost focus. The notorious Covid breach in that first year didn't help and resulted in a pre-emptive 12-week suspension handed down by Dublin GAA. There was a strong sense that Farrell was literally taking one for the team, even allowing for the GAA policy of penalising managers if teams broke public health rules to train collectively. One recurring misfortune was the fitness of Con O'Callaghan, joint-captain of the 2017 under-21 champions and later senior captain but always the torch bearer for the youngest generation feeding into the team. Had he not been injured in 2022, might a one-point defeat by Kerry in that year's All-Ireland semi-final have been overturned? Dessie Farrell was unlucky to lose Con O'Callaghan through injury at vital times. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho This year was always going to be challenging for Dublin. It started promisingly with an All-Ireland club title for Cuala in January and the excitement of the new FRC rules – an ambient irony with Farrell facing his taxing final season, as Hosannas rang out for his predecessor as the saviour of football. Last year the team ran out of steam in the All-Ireland quarter-finals, losing a championship match to Galway for the first time in 90 years. Farrell then had the reverse experience of 2022, as Mannion and McCaffrey ended their intercounty careers, as did two of the record-holding nine-time All-Ireland medallists, James McCarthy and Michael Fitzsimons, albeit at an age when they owed Dublin nothing. There was also the fifth loss of Brian Fenton, another of the '93s and still more than young enough to continue but he had put in an intense 10 years, not losing a championship match until the seventh season of his career and winning seven All-Irelands, six All Stars and two FOTY awards. Farrell had to process that scale of departure – the oldest of the lot, the 43-year-old Cluxton, has remained but the odds must be on him following the manager and removing another chunk of intellectual capital from the dressingroom. 'I know there's challenges with underage in the county at the minute or over the last number of years,' said Farrell on Saturday, 'but there's a great crop after coming in there and I'd be very optimistic for how they go about their business in the seasons ahead.' Dublin's Jim Gavin and Stephen Cluxton celebrate winning the All-Ireland title in 2019 after a replay against Kerry. Photograph: Tom Honan Arguably, the supply line came to a halt in 2019 and it was noted at the time that Jim Gavin, who had a terrific knack of adding a new player every year to freshen up the team and none of his anointed choices failed to become regular first-teamers, had been unable that year to find an up-and-coming footballer to supplement the side. Under-age titles aren't everything and a swathe of players from the last decade did not have those medals but those who followed had been part of both Gavin's and Farrell's winners at under-21 and minor. The next team from the capital to lift Sam Maguire may well feature nobody with an All-Ireland medal. Dubliners haven't been unreasonable about all of this. There's a current generation in their 20s who have seen the county contest nine All-Ireland finals and win all of them. To have watched the previous nine, a follower would have to have been in their 80s. It has been a joyous decade and a half but now is the time for hard work to maintain the tradition.
