Latest news with #Foley
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘There's more to life' – Jason Foley finds meaning beyond football after Kerry's Meath meltdown
THIS time six weeks ago, Kerry football folk feared that the sky was falling in. A projected routine Advertisement 2 Jason Foley of Kerry in action against Meath during their shock loss earlier this season 2 Foley is looking at the bigger picture as Kerry head into today's All-Ireland final against Donegal In a county where football flows through the blood of the natives, it was a doomsday defeat. But for Jason Foley, life's bigger picture made its way back into his line of vision as soon as he returned to the workplace. The Although it is a career that he considers his true vocation, he admits there are some days which are more challenging than others — such as the Monday following the 1-22 to 0-16 loss to the Royals. Advertisement read more on gaa He recalled: 'I went into work that morning and I was covering someone else — another SNA — who wasn't in work that day. 'It was like a sign that was given to me to just get on with it. There's more to life. 'It was the one day that I had to cover someone else and it was the most perspective I've had in a long time. It's great that way.' Through good times and bad, perspective can be an elusive commodity for supporters and players alike. Advertisement Most read in GAA Football Exclusive Exclusive For contrasting reasons, and quite understandably, the people of Tipperary and Cork in Croke Park may have struggled to accept that hurling is only a game at 5pm last Sunday. Kerry and Donegal battle for Sam Maguire in GAA All-Ireland football final Ever since he left behind a promising athletics career at the age of 17 to focus on football with Ballydonoghue and Kerry, Foley has emptied himself in the pursuit of success. That is verified by his winning of an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award in 2022. And having emerged on the losing side in two of his three previous appearances in the Sam Maguire showpiece, he is sure to be crushed if today belongs to Donegal. Advertisement But his vocation has helped the 27-year-old to trust that the world will keep spinning nonetheless. Foley, who represented Ireland as a sprint hurdler at schools level, works mostly to aid children with autism spectrum disorder. He said: 'That's the thing about working with children with special needs or ASD in general — I suppose you don't know what way they're going to come in every morning and you just have to roll with the punches and make their life as great as possible for that day. So I love it.' A former University College Cork student, Foley inherited his passion for working with children from his mother Noelle and his Cork-based maternal grandmother Anna O'Donovan. Advertisement He explained: 'My grandmother, she would have fostered a lot of children. I would have gone down to visit her often. "Mom would have told me all the stories about her fostering children and how hard she worked, so it was kind of a natural progression really. 'I kind of wanted to do teaching initially and then kind of fell into Early Years and Childhood Studies in UCC and really enjoyed it. 'I was advised to go into it. I was told that I was compassionate towards children with special needs on placements and stuff like that and really enjoyed it. Advertisement "I really enjoyed helping children develop, I suppose, and I'm very, very lucky to be involved in it. 'I think it puts great perspective on things when I go into work on a Monday morning and see what struggles children have or what struggles parents have. 'I might have struggled at the weekend — my man might have kicked a few points off me. 'I'm coming into work on a Monday morning with a sour head on me but then quickly realising that there's more to life than that.' Advertisement Just like the children that Foley works with in Milltown, near Killarney, the Kerry defence has been in safe hands since he made his Championship debut in 2018. Michael Murphy will put him to the test if their anticipated match-up materialises. But this is a man not known for shirking challenges in any area of his life. FAMILY LIFE On his profession, Foley continued: 'My mother would have been a childcare nurse and when she came to Kerry, she would have been looking after a lot of children. "She would have done a lot of child-minding and stuff like that. Advertisement 'We would have been surrounded by children when we were growing up and when I was a teenager. We'd be out kicking ball with kids and we'd have been surrounded by cousins and stuff the whole time. 'I don't know, I just kind of fell into it. But it's kind of funny how things work out really. 'As I said, I genuinely love it. I love going into work every morning and there's a good camaraderie between the SNAs and the teachers.' For Foley, one of the perks of the job is the opportunity to briefly shed his skin as an inter-county footballer. Advertisement He said: 'The nice thing most of the time is that the children I'd be working with would nearly be totally oblivious to the fact that I am who I am, or I play with Kerry, or football in general, which is kind of nice. 'It's kind of endearing in a way. I can kind of go in and do a jigsaw puzzle or help them with their work. "It's just a completely different life. I suppose, in a way, I can switch off from it too because when you're surrounded by adults the whole time or staff members or different kids, it can be all questions about the game. 'Sometimes it can be a breath of fresh air when you're surrounded by children who are oblivious to that.' Advertisement Putting another Celtic Cross in his pocket will not alter how Foley is viewed by the children who depend on him. Ultimately, his scope to improve their lives will be unaffected by the outcome of the 2025 All-Ireland SFC final. And when all is said and done, no victory that is attainable on the field can measure up to the ones being achieved by Foley in the classrooms.
Irish Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Brendan O'Carroll reveals what's in store as Mrs Brown's Boys returns
BRENDAN O'CARROLL has revealed what's in store as his beloved Mrs Brown's Boys returns with a new series this month. The Dubliner, who created, writes and stars in the popular sitcom, will return to our screens as family matriarch Agnes Brown next month, when the fifth series airs on BBC One. This week the Finglas native shared some insights on what viewers can expect when the Irish family return to our screens next month… What does the new series have in store for Agnes? The mini-series focuses on the continuing life in the Brown family and surrounding households in Finglas. Cathy gets involved with a podcast producer, which obviously is commandeered by Agnes, Winnie and Birdy. Granddad decides that he wants to leave the family home for a care home, Agnes of course packs his bags for him. Winnie's husband's car, which has been lying up for ten years, is pressed into action by Winnie, leading to a disastrous driving test which ends with a huge shock for the Brown family. In Foley's lounge bar, Father Damien stages his annual Finglas talent show, with some hilarious entries. All capped off with a wonderfully hilarious "trip" as Agnes is confined to a mobile chair. How do you approach writing for the show? The writing of the mini-series is much more relaxing for myself and Paddy Houlihan, who joins me as a writer. With the Christmas Specials, I have to keep it within the Christmas period (including the Christmas trees which have emerged as their own event), unlike the specials we can focus on anything, within reason. How did the ideas for the episodes this series come about? The ideas for these episodes are no different from the previous 53 episodes. Believe it or not most of the story lines are based on true events that either happened to my family or have been told to me by people about their families. Everybody has a story, and it's quite common for someone in a family to say in the middle of a family disaster, "This is like an episode of Mrs. Brown's Boys". Did you have a favourite moment filming this series? Oh yeah, Having Agnes on that mobility scooter was such fun. She goes nuts, with hilarious consequences. Also in the "Talent Show" episode I love the interaction between Agnes and Granddad. Look, in every episode there is something that stands out for me, I love being Agnes Brown and I love her family, and her neighbours like Winnie and Birdy. If you could play any other role in Mrs Brown's Boys what would it be? This is a hard one. I love being Agnes. I'm not lying when I say... I could not play any of the characters better than the actors who play them now. In particular, the likes of Cathy or Mark, without them the gags don't work. What does filming the show in front of a studio audience bring to it? Filming in front of a live audience is essential to the show. So many times, at the end of rehearsals for a particular episode, our Director, Ben Kellett will say "All this needs now is the audience" and he is so right. They follow every move, every line and add so much to our performances. We would be lost without them. What's the secret to the enduring success of the show? I honestly don't know the secret to the enduring success of Mrs. Brown's Boys, I write and perform what I think is funny and just hope that somebody somewhere watching gets a laugh out of it. That's it, and, although I sometimes try to include a "family" message along the way, essentially, it's just a bunch of actors trying to make you laugh. Mrs Brown's Boys airs on BBC One at 9.30pm on Friday, August 1.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Sponsored content: Monster Jam!
Sponsored content: Monster Jam! Brianne Foley heads to Scotia Speedworld to get a preview of the upcoming World Series of Monster Trucks.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Kerry star Jason Foley hoping experience counts as Donegal battle brews
Kerry may be favourites for Sunday's All-Ireland final, however, Jason Foley is expecting a battle to the finish against an impressive Donegal outfit as both sides aim to land the Sam Maguire at Croke Park. The Kingdom's march towards glory suffered a set-back in June, losing out to Meath in Tullamore, which led to the back-door route of coming through the preliminary quarter-finals, however, Jack O'Connor's side appear to be back to their best throughout the knockout stages. Three Ulster sides in a row, as Kerry first accounted for Cavan, then took down the All-Ireland champions, Armagh, in the quarter-finals before securing their place in this year's decider thanks to a victory over Tyrone. And now one more northern side stand in their way as Jim McGuinness' Donegal lie in wait at HQ on Sunday afternoon. Donegal, likewise, had to take the road less travelled to the final, and have equally impressed en route to Jones' Road, and while there may be a clash of styles with the way both sides play the game, Kerry defender Foley is expecting every eventuality. "We're expecting a tough game," said Foley, speaking to RTE Sport. "We're expecting it to go down to the wire, so yeah, we're expecting a battle, so we have to be ready for that, and we have to bring what we can to the game and hopefully that will be enough to get us over the line. "We're reviewing their games and I'm sure they're doing the same for us and we're trying to find where we can get at them and they're probably doing the exact same, so it might be a clash of styles, all right, but I'm sure the game might take on a life of its own and we'll just be ready for whatever they can throw at us." "I think we've just learned from game to game," said the Ballydonoghue man, when asked what had changed since that defeat to Meath in the round-robin stage. "We've learned our lessons in games, and we've taken what we needed to learn and focused in on training and produced a performance and backed it up with another performance and here we are, we're in the final. "So I don't even think we had a lot of time to read into a lot of that kind of stuff, we just have to focus on the games in front of us." While much of the spotlight has centred around the gifted talents of Kerry star forward David Clifford, Donegal are also blessed with real attacking prowess, most notably in the guise of Michael Murphy, and Foley is embracing the challenge that awaits once the ball is thrown in on Sunday. "I think I go into every game looking forward to a different challenge and they produce different challenges all over the field," said the 29-year-old. "They have a real selection of good forwards and we'll have to be very wary of all of them, so yeah, absolutely looking forward to a different challenge." A game of fine margins, perhaps, between the two forms sides of the campaign, and while it may come down to the kick of a ball, Foley is hoping that past experiences on the big stage can help Kerry get over the line on Sunday afternoon. "Hopefully, it's something we can rely on, maybe coming down the stretch, that experience," said Foley. "I've been in finals before and losing a few and only winning one; they're totally different experiences. "So hopefully when the game comes around, we'll be able to harness some of those lessons that we learned in the finals that we lost."
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
Idaho man charged with cyberstalking Mass. professor after attending Zoom class one time
Prosecutors did not immediately respond to the Globe's request for confirmation of the hearing. He is slated to face the same charge in federal court in Boston at a later date, the statement said. Advertisement The class where Kay first encountered the professor was an online course on psychosis offered through a university extension program. The statement didn't identify the school, and Foley's office did not respond to the Globe's request for clarification Tuesday evening. After attending one Zoom meeting and a single class session, Kay 'became fixated' on the professor, Foley's office said. He quickly dropped the course but continued sending her threatening messages through email and LinkedIn for the next five months. 'That day I saw you on Zoom… You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,' he allegedly wrote in one of the emails, dated April 1. 'Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me." Advertisement In later messages — some of which she received directly, others of which were sent to other university offices with her copied in — Kay urged the professor to leave the university, referenced her young child, and expressed a desire to separate her and her husband. 'You are still free. But you are not unreachable,' one email read, according to Foley's office. Another warned of 'action[s] of serious consequence... in accordance with divine alignment and institutional justice.' '[This is only] the VERY BEGINNING... She knows what is coming,' Kay allegedly wrote. On June 5, Kay allegedly emailed both the professor and the university president to announce he had bought a ticket to Boston's Logan Airport to attend an in-person negotiations class that summer. At that point, he was already barred from enrolling in any of the university's courses, according to the statement. Airline records confirmed a July 11 booking under Kay's name. However, he never boarded the flight, the statement said. Rita Chandler can be reached at
