Latest news with #LiamMacCarthyCup
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Kilkenny legend gives honest All-Ireland prediction for the Cats ahead of Tipperary semi-final clash
KILKENNY legend Eddie Keher believes the Cats are poised to end a ten-year All-Ireland drought. Derek Lyng's side will face neighbours Tipperary in Sunday week's SHC semi-final. Advertisement 2 Keher was the all-time leading point scorer in the National League up until March when Patrick Horgan broke his record 2 The Cats have not lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 10 years And while Keher believes Dublin can 'shove it up to Cork' in the other last-four clash, he expects the Rebels to contest the July 20 decider. Kilkenny and Tipp are preparing to face each other in the Championship for the first time since the Premier won the 2019 final. Keher said: 'There's a great rivalry there but a great admiration for both teams as well. I think it'll be a solid battle. 'We were looking at Tipperary early on Advertisement Read more on GAA 'If we do, we could be coming up against a tremendous Cork team. Of course, there's great rivalry there as well over the years. 'But it'll be all to play for and it'll be all on the day. Hopefully our lads will get over it.' While Kilkenny have not claimed the Liam MacCarthy Cup since 2015, Keher has been encouraged by the performances of a side who have He said: 'They're a fine team, Kilkenny. I think they'll make a good run of it and that they'll do well. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Comment 'It's very hard to call any game between Kilkenny and Tipp. It'll depend on who turns up most on the day. 'But I'm very happy with the Kilkenny team that will probably be starting against Tipp.' Brendan Cummins defends time-keeping in Munster GAA hurling final between Cork and Limerick Keher insisted that 'the game is beautiful' when asked for his thoughts on the state of modern hurling. Short passing in the defensive half of the field is a bugbear for the Rower-Inistioge man, who won six All-Ireland medals before retiring in 1977. Advertisement But he said: 'As someone who has played in the forwards, I'd be telling them that the faster you get the ball up there before the defence is set, the better.' EDDIE KEHER is an ambassador for 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge. This year's event, in aid of GAA-related charities, takes place at Killarney Golf and Fishing Resort on October 16 and 17.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hurling great on Dublin's shock rise as he backs them to put it up to Cork
Eddie Keher predicts Dublin can rock All-Ireland SHC title favourites Cork if they can sustain their level of performance against Limerick. Kilkenny legend Keher was blown away by the Dubs' display in toppling the Treaty men in last Saturday's dramatic All-Ireland quarter-final. With the semi-final between Cork and Dublin set to be a sell-out at Croke Park on Saturday week, six-time All-Ireland winner Keher reckons it could go down to the wire. "I suppose the one I remember is Antrim beating Offaly in '89," said the 83-year-old, referring to the shock value of Dublin's two-point victory. "Now, I always felt Dublin were great hurlers but they just didn't seem to be able to get over the line, but I'd say their new manager has instilled a sort of a belief in them and now they're not playing with fear. "They're playing with a want to win and it's happening for them. Cork are obviously favourites and favourites for the All-Ireland too, I suppose. But I think Dublin will shove it up to them now if they can generate the same level of performance." However Keher is hopeful that Kilkenny can finish the championship strongly and frank their Leinster dominance by claiming their first Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph in a decade. "I'm old enough to remember, I think I was only five, the 1947 All-Ireland," said Keher. "It took until 1957 to win the next one, which was another 10 years. Hopefully they'll do it this year." The other semi-final puts the Cats against old rivals Tipperary. "It's a long time coming," he said. "There's a great rivalry there but a great admiration for both teams as well. "I think it'll be a solid battle. Actually we were looking at Tipperary early on during the league and we felt that they might be there this year. They then had a few disappointing games but they've come into form now again. "They're a fine team, Kilkenny. I think they'll make a good run of it. It's very hard to call any game between Kilkenny and Tipp, it'll depend on who turns up most on the day. "We had fierce battles in my day but we're all great friends now. Great friends with Babs and Len Gaynor and some of them that have passed away, Mick Burns and John Doyle, I was very friendly with John. So whereas there's intense rivalry, there's also great friendship." Keher is a fan of the modern game and the high standards that have been evident in recent years, but not the emphasis on short passing. "The game is beautiful, and the skill level and the fitness levels are tremendous," he said. "There are parts of the game I don't like, such as the short passing game. I'm not saying there's not a place for it, but it shouldn't be overdone. "I think passing in the defence is dangerous. Like Galway last Saturday, they threw away points from short passing in the defence. From there on, it's OK. "Because both teams, Kilkenny and Tipp, have very good forwards, though it'd be seen as old-fashioned now, as someone who has played in the forwards, I'd be telling them that the faster you get the ball up there before the defence is set, the better. "The only ones I always saw doing that effectively were Limerick to Aaron Gillane - when you get quick ball down in front of him, he can be unstoppable. "I'd like to see a bit more of that in today's game. Other than that, I'm very happy with the standard - there's a lot to look forward to." *Eddie Keher was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge in aid of GAA-related charities at Michael Lyng Motors (Ford) in Kilkenny
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Graeme Mulcahy predicts how much turnover there'll be across Limerick's panel and staff after Dublin letdown
AS Limerick braces itself for a winter of discontent, Graeme Mulcahy is adamant that John Kiely's men can come back in from the cold in 2026. Dublin shook up the hurling world last Saturday by 2 John Kiely's men went down in one of the biggest Championship upsets ever 2 Graeme Mulcahy ahead of the 2025 Electric Ireland GAA All-Ireland Minor Championship Finals Credit: Inpho Mulcahy was part of a Limerick team that raised the bar by winning five All-Ireland SHC titles. But for the first time since Kiely took charge in 2017, they are set to endure back-to-back seasons without landing the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Mulcahy, "We took a lot from that year and those learnings really stood to us in the 2020 to 2023 period. Read More On GAA 'We lost to Cork last year. I stepped away so I don't really know what happened within the confines of the group. But did we learn enough from it? I don't know. 'Losing the Munster final on penalties and losing an All-Ireland quarter-final two weeks later, there'll be a lot of soul-searching done. 'It'll be a difficult six-month period before they get back in December, January to really think hard on it.' Insisting that they are also capable of a semi-final shock against All-Ireland favourites Cork, Mulcahy is full of praise for a 'very impressive' Dublin team who defied the first-half dismissal of captain Chris Crummey to overcome the Treaty. Most read in GAA Hurling As for Kiely's crew, having lost to the Rebels in a gripping provincial decider that was decided by a shootout at a packed TUS Gaelic Grounds a fortnight earlier, they tried to muster a positive response. But Mulcahy felt they found it difficult to reacclimatise for an All-Ireland quarter-final that was played as a curtain-raiser to 'So much integrity' - RTE viewers hail Stephen Cluxton for 'principled stand' Dublin GAA icon took during Parnells saga He said: 'Trying to come down off a Munster final that will live long in people's memories in terms of the drama, then going to Croke Park a couple of weeks later, an empty stadium effectively with little or no atmosphere... "You could hear the referee's whistle echoing around the stadium for the first five, ten minutes — it was just a completely different experience for that Limerick team. "That really played into Dublin's hands, allowing them to get a bit of a foothold. It didn't allow Limerick to make the blistering start that they might have wanted.' Given that quarter-finals are ordinarily played on neutral ground, Mulcahy agrees that Limerick would have been better served by playing at a venue like Semple Stadium. On the contrast in atmosphere to their previous outing, the 2018 All-Star added: 'Psychologically, if you're not prepared for that and if you haven't spoken about it, it can have a huge effect. 'If that game had come down to Thurles, you would've had probably three times the amount of Limerick fans that were in Croke Park. On the flipside, you wouldn't have had as many Dublin fans travel. 'That would have added to giving Limerick an edge, certainly in terms of their performance, that was lacking in Croke Park.' GLASS HALF FULL Mulcahy is confident that 'there won't be a huge turnover' in playing personnel and expects Kiely and coach Paul Kinnerk to remain in situ for a tenth season. The Kilmallock man said: 'I think people want to see an end of an era. They want Limerick gone away and I just hope that's not the case. 'You'll always lose a couple, but if they keep the core group together and take the learnings from this year, they'll be competitive again next year.' FORMER Electric Ireland minor hurler Graeme Mulcahy was speaking ahead of the All-Ireland minor finals. This summer, Electric Ireland are championing the Minor Stars Team of the Year winners from 2017 to the present. Artwork will be displayed in Croke Park to highlight Electric Ireland's support for the Championship and to showcase the minor Championship's record of nurturing players. #ThisIsMajor
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Anatomy of an All-Ireland SHC shock: Dublin 70 mins from first final since 1961
Few bar Dublin hurling's most hardcore fans paid any attention when the team's manager set his sights on reaching a first All-Ireland semi-final since 2013. Two Saturdays ago, at a rain-sodden St Conleth's Park in Newbridge, Niall Ó Ceallacháin made the declaration after the defeat of newly-crowned Joe McDonagh Cup champions Kildare. "We really want to be in that last four," said the man who, just five months earlier, had led Na Fianna to the promised land of a first-ever All-Ireland club title. Ó Ceallacháin believed, his players believed, but there seemed little evidence to suggest they could pull off one of the greatest shock results ever in the game to achieve that goal. But they did, producing a sustained level of high performance and bravery that saw them overcome the blow of losing their centre-back and captain Chris Crummey just 15 minutes in to beat the greatest team of the last decade. That the quietly-spoken Ó Ceallacháin thundered at the decision as he confronted referee Liam Gordon at half-time, earning a yellow card for his remonstrations, underlined how important the loss of Crummey was for his high challenge on Gearóid Hegarty. Dublin still found a way. Their quick-fire brace of second half goals were vital to the triumph, as was Seán Brennan's breathtaking close-range save from Aaron Gillane. "It's a great day for Dublin hurling, but it's also good for hurling," Dónal Óg Cusack told RTÉ. 'We've spoken about it for years. It would be brilliant to see a strong Dublin team, a full Hill 16 all there on time supporting Dublin in an All-Ireland final, will only do the game well.' Cusack's county men of Cork will have something to say about that on July 5 but Dublin are 70 minutes away from a first final appearance since 1961. Getting this far would not have been possible for the Dubs, however, without the fully committed defensive effort that epitomised by corner-back Conor McHugh's display. For so long a Dublin football panellist, McHugh made his senior hurling debut for the county in March at 30 and, just three months on, he was central to keeping Limerick at bay. "It's that lad's mindset is what it is. You've seen him at the club with regards to what he can do there but that's totally mind-set," said Ó Ceallacháin. "He could have played nine or 10 years for Dublin, there's no question about that and you know why that didn't happen. "For him to want to do it and to come in and be with the lads for the first time, but for him to do it at that be honest, it's all mindset upstairs - and that's what he absolutely thrives on." The two-point victory had hurling supporters racking their brains for a result of similar significance. There was Antrim getting to the All-Ireland final back in 1989 by beating Offaly, who had lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup four years earlier. There was Kerry's defeat of Waterford in 1993. More recently, Laois beat Dublin six years ago, and that was a shock - the county's biggest since beating Wexford in the 1985 Leinster hurling semi-final. There are others, too, but none of those David v Goliath successes were against the favourites for the All-Ireland - which was the case at Croke Park on Saturday. You can be sure that Ó Ceallacháin had drilled into his players that Dublin had won the two previous meetings with Limerick in the championship. But the more recent one came 10 years ago. Since then, Limerick have won five-All-Irelands, six Munster crowns and three National Leagues. And Dublin? Dublin had won nothing. The overwhelming feeling outside the camp was that they were heading for a hammering at HQ. Limerick were licking their wounds after their Munster final defeat to Cork while the Dubs were coming off a very tame loss to Galway in Leinster, with two late goals seemingly papering over the cracks. That result followed the Jekyll and Hyde performance against Kilkenny, when the Cats led by 16 points early in the second half only for Dublin to make it a two-point game in the 69th minute. "The Kilkenny game," reflected Ó Ceallacháin. "When we looked at it, the lazy analysis of that game was we had a poor first half, and then just came out (and played). That wasn't the case. We conceded goals in that game that we just shouldn't. "With the elements that day, we were up against it in that first half and we actually hurled very well for long periods. So there was a level standard of performance there. "Against Galway, we weren't where we wanted to basically be. I put that back on myself as well. We had three games in three weeks there. It's my first year at this, and I don't think I managed those weeks well, to be honest. Did I set the lads right up for it? "But also, games take their own flow as well. I forget the number of wides that we had in that first 20 or 25 minutes, but that does suck energy out of any team. "But there is a base performance there, I don't think we did a huge turnaround. We didn't look deep into our souls over where things were at. "We knew that certain things were where they needed to be, but some things in the Galway performance just were not good enough. Outside looking in, that was probably 'ah, they're back to where they where'. "We'd look under it and feel that there's a lot that was still OK about that day. I'm not understating performance or that we needed to be better. We absolutely did. But with less focus on the outcome of things, there's a lot of trust there that there'd be a base performance there and that we'd be in games." They were never not in it Limerick, not even when the Treaty men produced a third quarter comeback that saw them briefly go back in front. Dublin responded with their two goals, from super sub John Hetherton and Cian O'Sullivan. Hetherton's goal was a moment of sheer class. "His hands are outstanding," stressed the Dubs boss. "So once he got the ball off that left-hand side he has that ability and it was a standout finish. "I've no doubt that in that period, the expectation maybe in the stand or of those outside watching the game would have been that this will settle now and that Limerick will settle into a stride. "We knew the lads wouldn't falter. Anything can happen in a game, but what they won't do is fold. And so we knew we'd be in it." **************DUBLIN Seán BRENNAN 8 John BELLEW 8 Paddy SMYTH 8 Conor MCHUGH 8 Paddy DOYLE 8 Chris CRUMMEY 0-1 4 Andy DUNPHY 7 Conor BURKE 0-5 9 Brian HAYES 0-2 7 Riain MCBRIDE 0-2 8 Fergal WHITELY 0-1 7 Cian O'SULLIVAN 1-1 8 Seán CURRIE 0-9, 5fs 8 Ronan HAYES 0-3 7 Diarmuid Ó DÚLAING 6 SUBS: John Hetherton (1-0) 8 for O Dulaing ht, Darragh Power 7 for Whitely 52mins, Donal Burke 6 for McBride 64mins, Colin Currie 6 for Ronan Hayes 69mins, David Lucey 6 for McHugh 75mins. LIMERICK Nickie QUAID 7 Séan FINN 6 Dan MORRISSEY 7 Mike CASEY 5 Diarmuid BYRNES 6 Kyle HAYES 5 Barry NASH 0-1 7 Adam ENGLISH 0-5 8 William O'DONOGHUE 5 Gearóid HEGARTY 0-4 7 Cian LYNCH 0-2 7 Tom MORRISSEY 0-2 6 Aaron GILLANE 0-9, 6fs 165 7 Aidan O'CONNOR 0-3 7 David REIDY 5 SUBS: Cathal O'Neill (0-1) 7 for Tom Morrissey 23-24mins (blood), Barry Murphy 6 for Casey ht, O'Neill for Morrissey ht, Declan Hannon 5 for Nash 51mins, Peter Casey (0-1) 7 for O'Donoghue 58mins, Shane O'Brien 6 for O'Connor 64mins. REFEREE: Liam Gordon (Galway) QUOTE ME ON THAT "While this result will give us great confidence to kick on, we know we can do it anyway and the challenge for us now is that that's done now. This will be long forgotten if we don't follow through in a fortnight's time," Dubs boss Niall Ó Ceallacháin. STAR MAN Donal Burke (Dublin) Plenty of star turns from Blues players but the St Vincent man stood out for his constant presence and driving runs. Scored five points from play. AN OTHER "It's obviously a huge moment, and obviously the lad striking the ball is as good a striker of the ball as there is. So for Sean to make that save, I think he had the save from the goal chance earlier as well, these are big moments in big games," O'Ceallacháin pays tribute goalkeeper Seán Brennan's save from Aaron Gillane. UP NEXT DUBLIN: All-Ireland SHC semi-final v Cork, Croke Park July 5; LIMERICK: Out of the championship.
Wales Online
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Brian Barry-Murphy's famous dad issued five-word response when asked about Cardiff City job
Brian Barry-Murphy's famous dad issued five-word response when asked about Cardiff City job The Irishman is completing his first week in the job after being unveiled as Cardiff City boss Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy (Image: Cardiff City FC ) When Brian Barry-Murphy sought counsel from his father, the legendary Irish sportsman Jimmy, about the Cardiff City job, the answer he received was about as convincing as you can get: "Don't think twice about it". Barry-Murphy Snr. is a sporting icon on the Emerald Isle, having helped to deliver six All-Ireland titles as a player across both Gaelic football and hurling. A remarkable seven-time All-Star—five in hurling and two in football—his influence on the game extended well beyond his playing days. In 1995, he managed Cork's hurlers to Liam MacCarthy Cup success, returning for a second spell in charge from 2011 to 2015. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. His legacy was brought back into the spotlight in 2022 when Roy Keane, appearing on Monday Night Football, named Barry-Murphy Snr. as his greatest sporting hero—leaving the Sky Sports panel momentarily lost for words. "Growing up in Ireland, the GAA was a big part of my life," said Keane. "Hurling—watching Jimmy Barry-Murphy playing for Cork—you know, brilliant sportsman." So it's fair to say, he is qualified to offer his opinion when his son needs advice in the sporting arena. And his response was unequivocally in the affirmative. Article continues below "I got advice [from his father] in the sense that he just told me to take the job," Barry-Murphy said. "He said: 'don't think twice about it'. "He was speaking about the stature of this club and where it is and what an opportunity it is to put the supporters and the club on a path to something completely different and that is why have come here. "A lot of how I work and how I try to bring people on this journey is down to what I witnessed from him growing up. I thought we could get away without mentioning him, but now that we have there was always an expectation based on my father's exploits, there was always an expectation in our household that we had to win and he had to win and had to be winning trophies. "That kind of stuff you become aware of it from a very young age so I have lived with that my whole life and get out of the spotlight of that." That winning mentality of which Barry-Murphy speaks has been sorely lacking in the Welsh capital for some years now. Indeed it's been a steady slide downwards since the relegation from the Premier League and the club's board hope that the Irishman's appointment signifies a meaningful directional shift in more ways than one. During the head coach's first press conference this week, he outlined with a real clarity how he wants to play and seemed extraordinarily confident that he would be able to deliver it. Admirable, but of course he will have to walk the walk after talking the talk. He does, however, have excellent schooling under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he spent three years as the head academy coach. Going there from Rochdale, where he was lauded for his style of play, but ultimately saw them relegated out of League One, taught him how to turn his philosophy into winning football – which Cardiff fans will hope to see at Cardiff City Stadium over the course of his three-year contract and beyond. "When you go somewhere like Man City you see how to turn that possession-based football into effective football where you have to serve the ball to a certain calibre of footballer who wanted it quicker," he said. "I always knew what I wanted to do, I didn't always know how to do it and that is what I got from Guardiola in terms of that training programme where you keep that ball for long periods, but for what reason? The longer you keep that ball the less effective you are at arriving at the last line of the opponents effectively. "We have the calibre of player here who can attack quickly and if you link it back to a Cole Palmer or an Oscar Bobb, if you spend loads of time keeping the ball at the back with those players by the time if comes to the last line, the opponents are really well structured and organised and it becomes quite a sterile, negative experience. "The way I have arrived as a coach and the way I want to see my teams play is to arrive much quicker and once we have arrived to finish attacks in a much more effective way. "That's something that has evolved over time and leaves me where I am today, it leaves me in a much more progressive way where a team can be more aggressive and it gives the supporters something that I know works and I know how it works based on where I have been and hopefully it will invigorate the Cardiff supporters. "It allows you to win. You can dodge that question as much as you want but really We are here to win and win often enough to achieve the objectives that we want." Barry-Murphy's most recent job was at Leicester City, an experience he says he "got a lot out of" even if Ruud van Nistelrooy's side did suffer Premier League relegation. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here. But it was his first step out into elite, senior football after leaving Man City — he also cites now-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca as a huge help to him there — and now this will be his first head coach job since departing Rochdale in 2022. There is a risk, of course, but all appointments at this level, where these sorts of clubs find themselves, have risks attached. Some will take convincing, but Barry-Murphy wouldn't have it any other way. When asked if he felt he had something to prove as a head coach of a club the size of Cardiff, he replied: "That is the way you want it. "If you were in the background and not being judged and nobody had an opinion on you, that is fine for some people but not for me. I am fine about whatever opinion people have of me. Article continues below "My dedication is to the club and to the players so that they can train every day to win on a Saturday. I am fine about being judged on that. When I was a younger coach or manager I was quite protective about being judged on the result based on trying to justify what we do, nowadays it is fine because I have that experience: win, lose or draw you can say whatever you want, it is fine because I will have done everything I can during the week to give us the best chance to win."
