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Irish Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin hurling thriving and one club encapsulates what is building in the GAA
'And we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the green, "Where the helmets glisten in the sun, 'Where the camans flash, and the hurleys clash, 'To the rattle of the game hard won...' - The Dubliners (sort of) 1969 There are 30 senior hurling clubs spread across three senior divisions in Dublin and Thomas Davis — founded in 1888 — can hold their heads up with any. They have been county champions, one of only 27, but remain a village/community club - indeed their nickname is 'The Little Village' Tallaght may be the largest 'village' in Ireland but don't doubt its sporting acumen. Thomas Davis are a dual-code senior outfit while Shamrock Rovers reside nearby and Tallaght AC has been Rhasidat Adeleke's springboard. But as club chairman Paul Nugent, Games Development Officer Stephen Stewart, club stalwart Terry Carthy and senior hurler Jack O'Connor can attest, Dublin's 2025 inter-county hurling side is in 'The Ready Position' - just one win away from a first All-Ireland SHC final in 64 years. That was before The Dubliners — with local hero Ciaran Bourke (tin whistle, flute, guitar) one of their three founding members — released their iconic version of The Merry Ploughboy, in 1969. Nugent played all the way through the club's age-grades, senior for 20-odd years, has been involved at intercounty level (1988-91), managed the senior team, been involved in the committees, been football chairman and occupied a few different roles too. But in his first year as chairman he knows there is something very special going on – the surge of excitement about the hurling team can almost be touched. 'Last week and this week has just been phenomenal. I suppose over the last 20 years, it was all about football, and obviously, with the six-in-a-row team, everyone was interested in that but it probably died down a little bit. 'You know, we used to get 82,000 into Croke Park all the time for the footballers but I suppose winning too much can breed a little bit of neglect, let's say. 'When Dublin won that match against Limerick, the surge in anticipation was plain to see, straight away we had hundreds of applications for tickets for the next match — I suppose people are longing to see them doing well. 'It's been creeping up over the last 10 years of effort put into Dublin hurling. I suppose it takes time to compete with the Kilkennys and Corks, who are hurlers all their lives and by nature go to school with a hurley, but we're getting there!' These weeks are camp weeks across the GAA; here on Kiltipper Road they alternate between football and hurling week on week and Thomas Davis is awash with kids, a reflection of a burgeoning underage section. 'We cater for 300 four-to-seven year old kids in our Saturday morning Academy and another 600 at CCC1 and CCC2 levels at weekends,' says Games Development Officer Stephen Stewart, who combines his work at club level with responsibility for 10 primary schools. His is an interesting combination, blowing his whistle, keeping the volunteers busy, handling logistics for different groups/different ages – he's a watchman, full of encouragement and perhaps helped by his primary schools' role, he seems to know every kid's name! Club dual star and 2022-24 Dublin minor football panelist Jack O'Connor is working skills with 11 year-old Ruairí Ó Murchú, part of a wider group on Thomas Davis's astro-pitch. 'Watching the last game and the lads pulling through with the red card. I was in more shock than anything,' says O'Connor. 'I think they kind of just bonded, came together as one team instead of trying to play as 14 individuals unlike the Limerick team on the day. 'They held together, stuck to their tasks, did the basics better. I really like their mix within the team, sure, some are more disciplined than others, some would be more skillful than others, but they've worked these things together and that's been a thing. 'Overall, style-wise I really like the way they work off the ball, try to play easy transfers, and they have been getting into acres of space for free shots, I think that's a great part of their skill. 'Sean Currie has been an unbelievable player for them, highest scorer for Dublin and the highest scorer in the Championship, also Conor Burke, Conor Donohoe.' This semi-final could be a game specifically about goals... 'Especially with the way the Limerick game unfolded. Cian O'Sullivan and John Hetherton's two goals in space a minute proved vital because the Dubs only won by two points. 'I think they will need to think clinically about goals against Cork but they have shown they definitely have goals in them, especially from those long, driven frees.' And yet Dublin hurling is not just about attaining a first All-Ireland final for seven decades, even if it is on the back of All-Ireland titles for Na Fianna (2025) and Cuala (2018 & 2017). They are the first Dublin clubs to have won that but this it was on the shoulders of a hell of a lot of club building - there have been 124 Dublin senior hurling Championships, dating back to 1887. Thomas Davis were on board for the county Championship within a year, a little-known entity from a tiny village against the backdrop of the Dublin mountains, its future as one of the city's thriving sprawls a long way off. Says Nugent of then and now: 'Our current facility was only bought in 1982, before that we were down near the village. We used to have a pitch there that we rented from Kevin Molloy, the local publican. 'Kevin was a barrister by trade, a very professional guy and on the committee here, and was instrumental in us buying this land in the late 1970/80s and starting us off here which was fantastic. 'We have an all-weather facility here albeit it's down 20 years and for which we are hoping to raise a lot of money, maybe ¤500k, to get it recovered alongside two main pitches, one we purchased from An Post probably six or seven years ago and we've recently developed. 'So we have great facilities but we also have over 100 teams so you never have enough facilities. It's always a battle with the county council to try and get enough pitches to cater for maybe 50 home games every weekend or during the week.' Dublin-Cork match will be the focus of this weekend for those who go to Croker, but there will also be those in a heaving and excited clubhouse catching the action. 'Yeah, we have our travel organised, one of the lads here has coaches and buses (Gerry Moore's Ridgway Coaches) so whatever is required it's kind of put out. There's at least a couple of buses going and if the demand is there for more he just puts them on. 'The clubhouse will be packed. We are not simply 'open' to the public for the day, we would always be welcoming to anyone in the local community, and over the last couple of years we've developed what we have to offer here. 'We have a cafe that opens at 9am, serves breakfast and then lunches up to half-two, then Thursday to Sunday we have food upstairs anyway.' Drop down if you are near! Thomas Davis are confident you'll like what you see, a modern, well-run operation, part of the identity of thriving Tallaght. 'It's a big community hub here and we field 100 teams each week. There's just loads of people giving a hand, running things like the Tallaght Festival or the St Patrick's Day parade, you put a small committee together and you try and get things done. 'There's two or three mentors with each team, then you have ground staff, you have committee staff, you are always looking for people to come in and help out and we've over 300 volunteers here -— volunteerism, as most people understand, is actually where the GAA is.' 'Actually it is the young people who are the lifeblood of this club,' says longtime club veteran Terry Carthy. 'They're fantastic, you take those helping at the camps today, they're going to be the Paul Nugents of tomorrow. 'Paul was a coach here one time too — now the young coaches are they're going on to play senior football and senior hurling. That's the way it works here. 'They are a fantastic group of young people, you couldn't get better in any area, in any other sport, because the idea is that it has to be that it is self-sustaining, that has to be your target.' 'You're always working at something,' says Nugent from the Thomas Davis bridge. 'I suppose, there's always a bit of fundraising going on, and here in Tallaght, a lower income area, it can be harder to raise funds. 'Our senior hurlers are in Division 1B, one down from the top echelon. We kind of went up and down a couple of times over the years but it's a big jump and we've struggled with it. 'Our footballers are in the top division, we got to the Championship final in 2020 and we'd be optimistic this year, we have a couple of lads who came back from abroad so it has strengthened our team. 'We have an intermediate team playing in Division 3 and our junior team is playing Division 5 in football so to have three teams at one, three and five is excellent. 'The girls' section is just thriving, imagine we have just one minor (Under-18) boys team but three minor girl teams. 'Obviously then, we are looking to re-cover our all-weather pitch, you're always trying to get a few grants and South Dublin County Council have been good to us over the years, or the government, let's say, with the grants originally. 'We have a big facility here that helps the whole community and we are proud to represent it too.'
Glasgow Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Ireland's The Highstool Prophets to perform in Glasgow SWG3
The Highstool Prophets, best known for songs like This Is The Life, will take the SWG3 stage on Friday, December 19. The announcement comes after the band just dropped their new single, How Did We End Up Here?, last month. READ NEXT: 'Can't wait to see you': Pop duo announce Glasgow show as part of anniversary tour Tickets for the show will go live on July 4 at 10am. To purchase tickets, click HERE Inspired by artists like The Dubliners, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, the band are known for bringing a unique twist to folk music. The five-piece band from Cavan have performed a wide range of sold out shows in Ireland and have done both TV and radio appearances. READ NEXT: 'Long time coming': Arab Strap share excitement for first arena show in Glasgow For more information on the group, visit
Glasgow Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Keltic Storm brings Ultimate Irish Hooley to Airdrie
Billed as the Ultimate Irish Hooley, the event at Airdrie Town Hall on August 2 is promising a night of high-octane music, comedy sketches, and traditional Irish reels and jigs. With an all-star cast of musicians, legendary Irish songs and party anthems from artists like The Pogues, The Dubliners, Christy Moore, Van Morrison, and Thin Lizzy are all expected to grace the evening's festivities. Read more: No trains to run on part of major Glasgow railway line this weekend Why this pub with a 'mind-blowing' selection of whiskies is Glasgow's top-rated Brand-new food spot to open 'first' of its kind drive-thru in Glasgow A surprise performance from a Donegal artist is also expected to be part of the event. The event starts at 7.30pm. For tickets and further details, contact the box office on 01698 274545 or visit the website
Irish Post
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Johnny McEvoy still singing at 80
JOHNNY McEvoy, from Banagher in Co. Offaly, has a unique place in Irish entertainment. Neither pure showband, folk, nor country, he occupies a space all of his own, somewhere between all three. And, unlike many of his contemporaries and those who followed in his footsteps, he has written much of his own material. In the early days, a lot of this was vaguely seditious: anti-war songs, protest songs—leading to frequent comparisons with Bob Dylan. Over the years, however, his songwriting developed strongly, and he can lay fair claim to having written some genuine classics: Long Before Your Time (a hit in 1976), Rich Man's Garden, You Seldom Come to See Me Anymore, and Michael, a tribute to Michael Collins. Johnny pictured at Killmainham in 1979 (Pics: Johnny McEvoy) But it was with a song of unclear origins (see panel) that Johnny scored his first hit. In 1966, he reached No. 1 in the Irish charts with the definitive version of Mursheen Durkin, instantly turning the song into an essential part of any ballad singer's repertoire. The air to which it is sung is Cailíní Deasa Mhuigheo (Pretty Girls of Mayo), a popular reel dating from the 19th century. The lyrics were added, it is believed, in the early 20th century by our old friend Anon. Whatever its origins, the song clicked with the public. But Mursheen was no overnight success—Johnny had a sackful of Irish ballads over his back. 'From the early sixties I was doing folk clubs and fleadhs. I was brought up on traditional music—I used to spend every summer at my grandmother's in Co. Galway, and I was virtually fed folk music and storytelling intravenously. It's one of the abiding memories of my childhood.' Johnny's Gaiety Show in the 1960s As Johnny reached his twenties, he fell under the influence of the wider contemporary folk scene—Hank Williams, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. In Ireland, the ballad scene was underway, and The Dubliners and The Clancys were beginning their steady trek to folk superstardom. It was against this background that Johnny achieved his first hit: 'In 1965 I recorded Today Is the Highway—which didn't do a lot. But the folk boom had begun, and I had a go with Mursheen a year later. It just clicked and sped up the charts. Getting to number one then was about the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me.' Two further massive hits followed—The Boston Burglar in 1967, and Nora in 1968. Johnny McEvoy was on his way—he soon had his own series on Ulster Television, played the Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall, and toured America, Ireland and Europe. 'They were great days, alright,' Johnny nods appreciatively. 'I even did a week at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. I was the first singer to try a one-man show—and it was a roaring success.' With this background—hit records, telly shows, appearances at some of the world's greatest concert halls, plus an abundance of natural talent in writing, presenting and performing his material—the obvious question has to be asked: why isn't Johnny McEvoy today an international star of the same order as Christy Moore? Or why doesn't he sell records by the lorryload like Daniel O'Donnell? Johnny pictured in 1982 Johnny, a thoughtful man, has obviously pondered this question many times before: 'Well, paradoxically, it was the demise of the showband that really hit me. Up till then, there was a circuit of venues that could host an act like mine for forty-five minutes or so. But with the end of the showband era, and the closure of a lot of the big ballrooms, that circuit no longer existed. And it was then that I made a big tactical error. Instead of going solo as an out-and-out folk performer, I took the wrong course. 'I formed a country & Irish band and started touring what was left of the old ballrooms. I was never happy in that band—neither the material nor the format really suited me. In a way, I felt I had sold out.' But Johnny seems totally without rancour. 'Yeah, there were a lot of mistakes. At the end of the sixties there was, as they say, a time and a tide—and I didn't catch either of them. But I can't complain. I've had decades doing what I love—and I'm not finished yet; not by a long chalk!' The more lenient hours of the concert circuit mean that Johnny has time to indulge in his hobbies—particularly reading. 'I've always been especially interested in biographies and history—especially the Second World War and the American Civil War.' Evidence of this is obvious in his songwriting. His 1977 hit Leaves in the Wind is a poignant anti-war song. 'I am a committed pacifist, and have been since my twenties. And I've always stayed true to those ideals.' By the 1970s it looked like Johnny would provide much of the soundtrack for the rest of the century. That he didn't emulate the likes of The Dubliners or Christy Moore is probably due to a combination of the vagaries of the entertainment business, the fickleness of Madam Luck, and ill-judged career moves. But Johnny remains indomitable. In 2014, he recorded his first album in over ten years, Basement Sessions 1, and it broke the Top 30 in the album charts. As he said himself, 'Not bad for a folky like me.' The singer pictured in 2020 He followed that up in 2015 with Basement Sessions 2—second in a series of five studio albums to be recorded and released over a five-year period. Into the Cauldron was his third studio album, with the hit recordings of My Father's House and Every Night I Dream of Being a Cowboy. While celebrating 50 years in the business, Johnny became part of Trad Nua's exclusive limited edition The Signature Series, with the first edition of his book My Songs, My Stories, My Life in Music. In April, Johnny celebrated his 80th birthday and a career spanning 60 years. He has a brand-new album entitled Both Sides—a collection of 14 songs and six audio stories, recorded and read by Johnny. These delve into the things that are important to him. 'I may not always have stayed true to my music,' he concludes, 'but I've always stayed true to myself.' Mursheen—a music hall song or folk tradition? MURSHEEN DURKIN could be a product of the Irish folk tradition — or a relic of the 19th-century music hall. Like many popular ballads, its history is somewhat murky. Some scholars trace its roots to the stage: a comic music hall song from the 1880s titled Digging for Lumps of Gold, penned by English songwriter Felix McGlennon, shares a strikingly similar storyline — right down to the Irish emigrant heading west in search of riches. A dispute even arose in 1885 when McGlennon sought damages after the song was performed without permission in a Gravesend music hall, allegedly by Irish comedian Pat Harvey. That version features a character named Corny (or Carney), lending weight to the idea that the stage may have shaped what we now recognise as Muirsheen Durkin. On the other hand, the tune has been collected and preserved within Irish folk tradition. It appeared in Colm Ó Lochlainn's More Irish Street Ballads in the 1960s and is often sung to the air of Cailíní deasa Mhuigheo (The Pretty Girls of Mayo), a traditional Irish reel from the 19th century. This gives the song strong roots in oral transmission and suggests it may have evolved as a folk pastiche of existing melodies and emigration themes. See More: Irish, Johnny McEvoy, Singer
Extra.ie
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Ryan Tubridy: 'Watching Aaron, I knew that I had just witnessed a star of the future'
A most enjoyable week in London included a trip to the London local on Wednesday evening for the launch of some new music by a singer-songwriter you might not have heard of just yet, but I reckon could be a household name by the end of the year. I met Aaron Rowe a few months ago at The Devonshire, and he was telling me that things were going well in his music career as he was attracting the attention of people like Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi. They spotted Aaron's talent from a mile off and have been putting a gentle wind in his sails as he leaves the harbour of anonymity for the headwinds of global domination! Since we last met, Aaron has supported David Gray at his gigs at the 3Arena in Dublin, duetted with the aforementioned Ed and stunned a crowd of 20,000 in Boston when he joined Dermot Kennedy on stage for a knockout rendition of The Parting Glass. Ryan Tubridy and singer Aaron Rowe. Pic: Supplied On Friday, Aaron released his beautiful single, Hey Ma, and I urge you to download it today as it's an instant classic. At the launch on Wednesday, a crowd of friends and supporters gathered to hear him perform a small but powerful selection of songs. Surrounded by the brilliant trad house band, Aaron belted out the tunes with a gusto I haven't seen since a memorable appearance by Liam Clancy on Tubridy Tonight nearly 20 years ago. It was electric, authentic and distinctly Irish, but with beautiful twists of Motown and The Dubliners – depending on the song. Aaron thanked some of the people who had been backing his ascent and then invited Ed Sheeran to join him for a haunting version of The Parting Glass. The crowd went wild, and the short but perfectly formed launch came to a close. Aaron hugged and shook hands with everyone in the room; the feeling was that we had witnessed something and someone special whose future is big, bright and beautiful. Ryan Tubridy with Vogue Williams and her sister Amber. Pic: File I've always loved chatting with and interviewing Vogue Williams, top right, and since I've moved to London, we see a lot more of each other than either of us would have anticipated. I've always found her to be very authentic and great fun, which explains why her new book, Big Mouth, is so enjoyable. Beginning with a dictionary of Irish slang/expressions for her loyal UK readers, this is a series of episodes in Vogue's life rather than a typical A-Z autobiography, and it's all the better for that. There are stories about her sister Amber, bottom right, her late father (a bon viveur whom they buried with €20 and a packet of Benson & Hedges) and her shock at being divorced and childless at 31. There's a bizarre fantasy moment where she envisions a future in which her husband comes out as gay, living with his husband in a brownstone house in New York's East Village! All told, it's a thoughtful, funny and often poignant tiptoe through the life of a hard-working, thoughtful and entertaining woman who is surfing the pop cultural waves with aplomb. Every so often, a book lands on your lap that you know within a few pages will be an 'event' book, one that everyone will read or want to get their hands on. The Names by Florence Knapp. Pic: File Books like The Time Traveller's Wife and Star Of The Sea would go on to be career-defining tomes for authors and fan favourites for readers. This week, I finished The Names, below, by Florence Knapp. A great name, beautiful cover, and perfect length meant this was a great start before a word was read, and things got better from there. Pitch-wise: A mother carries a baby in one arm while holding the hand of an older child as they make their way to have the baby's name registered. On the way out the door, her husband forcefully reminds her to call the baby Gordon after him and his father and so on. At the registry office, she is asked what she wants to call the baby, and she pauses before giving a name – it's not Gordon. Chapter 2 sees the same scenario, but another name is given, and in the third chapter, she gives the name Gordon. What follows is a series of alternate chapters that imagine how life transpires for each of the characters depending on the name they were given. The consequences are devastating and sometimes painful to read, but that's a testament to the author, who has constructed the most extraordinary series of stories that confront ugliness, fear, kindness, and so much more. The book looks at the power of the names we are given at birth and the impact they can have on the rest of our lives. I've spent a lot of time this week telling everyone about this book, as it's a rare thing to be able to make such a general recommendation that is highly unlikely to disappoint anyone. My favourite comment came from a listener who said that she hasn't read a book in 20 years, but after hearing me rhapsodising about The Names, she went and bought it. With any luck, the book will bring that person back onto the reading bus and she'll never be bored again!
