Latest news with #Omagh
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘I admire Kneecap. I'm proud of how brave they've been' – says director of hit show Severance
Director of Apple TV hit Severance, Omagh's Aoife McArdle on working with Ben Stiller, the success it's brought and having the courage to follow your own path 'Ben Stiller called me,' said Aoife McArdle, matter of fact, just like that. 'Well, there were agents involved but yeah, he called me, said there was something he was working on, he liked some of my previous work and asked me to take a look at the script and see if I was interested in getting involved,' she said.
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Rally Estonia 'a real benchmark' for McErlean
Motorsport So far, as their maiden Rally1 journey continues within the top tier of the World Rally Championship, the Irish crew of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy seem to perform better on gravel surface and this weekend's Delfi Rally Estonia, one of the fastest gravel rallies in the WRC, awaits as they continue what is still a learning experience. McErlean, who celebrated his 26th birthday on Wednesday has only one previous experience of Estonia - in 2023 when he drove a Hyundai i20 Rally2 to an eighth place category finish. 'Rally Estonia is a real benchmark for pace and commitment - fast roads, big jumps and no room for hesitation. It's an incredible feeling driving these roads and one I've been looking forward to ever since stepping into the Puma Rally1. Every kilometre is a chance to grow, and I'm keen to keep pushing, learning and showing what we can do.' Last time out, a succession of punctures, suspension damage and only front-wheel drive for a time, gave them a torrid time on the Acropolis Rally Greece. "That was one of the toughest tests we've faced, physically and mentally. But it showed us where we can improve and what we're capable of overcoming. Now it's about taking those learnings and applying them to a much faster rally like Estonia.' Outlining the plan, he concluded, 'The priority is to deliver a clean rally, we want to apply everything we learned from Greece, from car set-up to tyre management and adapting to conditions, to rebuild our momentum. Estonia is a place I enjoy, but mistakes here are costly, especially with how precise you need to be. Estonia has no room for errors on the stages'. With some 308 stage kilometres until Sunday, the Kilrea driver and his Killeagh co-driver will have plenty to keep them busy to attain their quest including Saturday's infamous Otepaa stage with its equally renowned jump and Sunday's all-new Power Stage - Kaariku. While championship leader, Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) doesn't have his team mate and nearest challenger Sebastien Ogier snapping at his heels on this occasion, the presence of former event winners Ott Tanak (Hyundai 120 N Rally1) and Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) will chase the Welshman hard. Tanak's victory on the Acropolis Rally Greece has put him right back in contention, closing the gap to Evans twelve points, victory in his local event (he won in 2020) would continue to ramp up his bid. Tomorrow (Saturday) Omagh's Cathan McCourt (Skoda Fabia Rally2), outgoing NI champion Caryduff's Jonny Greer (Toyota Yaris Rally2) and Muff's Joe McGonigle (Citroen C3 Rally2) headline the R Kings Down Rally that brings the curtain down on the Brown & Brown Northern Ireland Rally Championship. The eight-stage event is also a counter for the UK National Asphalt series where Jersey driver Sam Touzel (Ford Fiesta Rally2) could inherit top spot in the absence of series leader Jason Pritchard. Others in the top ten include newly crowned NI champion Donegal's Aaron McLaughlin (VW Polo GTi R5) and Kinallen's Stuart Biggerstaff (Ford Fiesta Rally2). The first stage starts at 9.30am. Meanwhile, having lost the lead of the Triton Showers National Rally Championship to the Moffett brothers (Josh and Sam) some two weeks ago on the Raven's Rock Rally, Kilkenny's Eddie Doherty (Skoda Fabia R5) has a quick opportunity for reparation on Sunday's Sligo Rally, the fifth round of the series. Power steering issues whilst holding a sizeable lead meant Doherty only gleamed a solitary point from the Waterford based event. As the top seed in what is a capacity entry Doherty will aim to cut the ten points deficit to the Moffett duo, who are joint leaders of the series. Sam will steer the newer model Hyundai as Josh stays faithful to the R5 variant. The other main championship contenders are Derry's Desi Henry (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Declan Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2). Others in the top ten are Donegal's Michael Boyle (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Kevin Eves (Ford Fiesta Rally2), Armagh's Darren Gass (VW Polo GTi R5) and Maynooth's Paul Barrett (Citroen C3 Rally2). The first of the day's nine stages (Ladies Brae) is at 10.07am.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Tyrone need to try something unexpected to shock Kerry
Tyrone will arrive to this weekend's celebration of Gaelic football at Croke Park like a guest invited to the afters of a wedding. Nobody is thinking or talking about them much. They are part of the weekend, but in truth they're a bit of an afterthought. There has been plenty of catastrophising and hype around Kerry throughout the summer, plenty of scrutiny and expectation around Donegal, plenty of wonderment and freshness around Meath. But what of Tyrone? They are very much the outlier of the quartet – Tyrone have certainly been turning heads by hoovering up silverware at minor and under-20 level, yet their senior footballers have progressed to these semi-finals very much under the radar. And nobody has an accurate gauge on them. READ MORE They went up to Ballybofey in the first round of the group stages and beat Donegal – a not insignificant accomplishment as it was the first defeat Jim McGuinness suffered in MacCumhaill Park as Donegal manager. Buoyed by that victory and with top spot now in their control, Tyrone welcomed misfiring Mayo to Omagh the following week and proceeded to lose by seven points. Mayo had lost to Cavan the previous Sunday. It made no sense. Or it shouldn't have. But those two games are almost a microcosm of Tyrone in recent years. Consistently inconsistent. You are never sure which Tyrone are going to turn up. I was in Croke Park a fortnight ago watching them play Dublin in the quarter-finals and although they won that match, I wasn't overly impressed by Tyrone. The fact they won by seven points possibly says more about Dublin than anything else. I felt Tyrone were quite flat, they didn't really seem to have any massive urgency to get back behind the ball – there were occasions when they had maybe four or five up front and were only defending with nine or 10 players. If you do that against Kerry, you are going to be destroyed. Their energy all over the pitch against Dublin would be a concern. Still, despite a slow and ponderous first half, they actually led at the break against Dublin – thanks largely to some well-taken two-pointers. They went more man-to-man in the second half and played a lot better, they had more energy. And this is where their best chance of causing an upset lies – because I think they will need to try something unexpected, such as starting Eoin McElholm. Eoin McElholm could help surprise Kerry on Saturday. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The rising under-20 star came on during the second half against Dublin and you couldn't help but notice his impact, his direct running, his fearlessness and how his presence seemed to energise the team. Starting McElholm on Saturday would give Kerry something different to think about. Nobody doubts Tyrone believe they can win but to achieve that outcome they will need more energy around the pitch – McElholm has the potential to be that spark. At the same time, another factor worth considering when looking at Tyrone's display against Dublin is the fact a lot of their younger players don't have vast experience of playing at Croke Park. I remember looking at Ciarán Daly and saying they'll have to take him off because he just couldn't get himself in the game, he couldn't get his legs moving. But out he came after half-time and popped over two good points. He needed that time to find his confidence. So I think Tyrone will be a lot better from the experience of playing Dublin two weeks ago. They also have some significant weapons – not least Niall Morgan, who is an exceptional goalkeeper. You can be absolutely certain he has spent much of the last two weeks picking apart Kerry's press against Armagh. If Kerry go with a similar press again, I reckon Morgan will be able to figure it out and he'll be armed with a plan to counteract it on Saturday. Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan may see the Kerry press coming. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Primary possession is going to be so crucial this weekend, because the forecast is for two really hot days. You don't want to spend the game chasing down the opposition because it takes up so much energy. Winning your own kickout will be crucial. Morgan is one of the best in the business in terms of mixing it up, he is able to go long and short, find his man and provide his team with primary possession. It could give Tyrone an advantage in that department. Don't dismiss how much of a factor the heat could be on both days. When the mercury rises, down at pitch level Croke Park becomes a sauna. It is hard to describe how the intensity of the heat and the occasion just sucks the energy out of your legs and lungs. It's a hot box. The 2017 All-Ireland final against Mayo stands out as a really warm day when it was difficult to catch your breath, the heat just fatigues players and leads to mistakes. You are as perfectly hydrated as you'll ever be but everything just feels harder and more intense. And I think dealing with the heat will be amplified under the current rules. The intention for both teams will be to press high to force mistakes but if it's a scorching hot day the players just won't be able to maintain that effort so the sides might pre-empt that situation and we could end up instead with a slow methodical encounter where both teams are allowed win their short kick-outs and build from there. Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho Malachy O'Rourke has done a fine job in his first year with Tyrone. Given the level of underage success, it appears Tyrone are on the verge of producing an incredibly strong senior team over the coming years. It has already been a positive season and I don't actually believe relegation to Division Two is a bad thing for them because it will allow O'Rourke to blood some new players while resting the more experienced guys early next year. The fear I would have for them this weekend is that their quarter-final win was achieved against a Dublin team very much unsure of themselves. Dublin just weren't on it this year while Kerry appear to have found form at just the right time. Of course there are also questions over Kerry – can they reproduce that 15-minute spell from the Armagh win for a longer period this Saturday? But Kerry's scoring power just looks too great for Tyrone to shut them out. Dublin didn't carry a two-point scoring threat two weeks ago and Tyrone were able to defend accordingly. They won't have that luxury against Kerry. They'll probably have to go a bit more man-to-man in defence and I believe that will make Tyrone more vulnerable. Kerry have the forwards to capitalise on that vulnerability. Tyrone will need so much to go right this weekend if they are to leave Croke Park clutching an invite to come back for the biggest day in Gaelic football's calendar. It just doesn't feel like an upset is on the cards.
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Northern Irish flute band visits Guelph to mark major anniversary
Members of the Blair Memorial Flute Band from Northern Ireland posed for a photo in Guelph, Ont. on July 7, 2025. (Karis Mapp/CTV News) The sound of flutes and drums cascaded over Guelph as a band from Northern Ireland made a stop to mark a major milestone. Fifty members of the Blair Memorial Flute Band from Omagh, Northern Ireland visited Orange Hall on Waterloo Avenue on Monday night as part of a Canadian Tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary. 'A lot of our members in the band are working class,' David Swann, Band Master of the Blair Memorial Flute Band, explained. 'Canada's probably somewhere they've dreamed of going to and they haven't been able to go.' Band members woke up before the sun had risen to hop onto a plane. They touched down in Canada on Monday. After a brief stop for a photo opportunity in Omagh, Ont., southeast of Milton, they headed to Guelph. 'We do know some people who have left Northern Ireland and emigrated and set up roots here,' Swann said. 'We have family members, extended family, here. And just the beauty of Canada. We've seen it on the television – we know about Niagara Falls, we know the people are very hospitable and they're very kind and warm and you get a good welcome.' Members of Guelph's Orange Lodge lived up to that reputation, greeting the band with open arms. Blair Memorial Flute Band performance Guelph, Ont. Members of the Blair Memorial Flute Band from Northern Ireland performed in Guelph, Ont. on July 7, 2025. (Karis Mapp/CTV News) The Orange Lodge organization was formed in memory of King William III, Prince of Orange. Orange Halls can be found in Ireland, Scotland and parts of the United States and Canada. 'We want them to go back to Northern Ireland and to parade and to tell people in Northern Ireland and in Scotland about what a fantastic welcome they had here in Guelph and in Canada and get other people to come see what a wonderful country we live in,' Paul Allen, Worshipful Master of the Guelph Orange Lodge said. After their stop in the Royal City, the musicians be heading to Stratford tomorrow and then they're off to Niagara Falls for Thursday. The trip culminates in a performance in Toronto on Saturday, known as the Twelfth of July Orange Parade at the Ted Reeve Arena. Despite their busy schedule, Swann said they have booked tickets to visit Canada's Wonderland before they head back to Northern Ireland.
Belfast Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
How Omagh Town have been brought back to senior football from the dead by former Loughgall star
Omagh Town are back in senior men's football after two decades away — thanks to the work of former Loughgall star Caolan McAleer. Omagh, who once upon a time competed in the Irish Premiership and represented Northern Ireland on the European stage, have been away from senior men's football since folding in 2005.
