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The Irish Sun
19-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘G'day mate' – Watch Donncha O'Callaghan & Tommy Bowe's hilarious skit as Lions fever ramps up before Aviva Stadium game
DONNCHA O'Callaghan can't wait to say "G'day" to the Lions Tour officially kicking off on Friday - even if his Aussie accent could do with a little refinement. Andy Farrell's charges begin their 10-game slate 2 The Munster great went on the 2005 and 2009 tours Credit: @donnchaocallaghan 2 Similarly, Tommy Bowe was a two-time tourist in 2009 and 2013 Credit: @donnchaocallaghan Ahead of the 2025 edition of the rugby tradition getting officially underway he and fellow Irish legend Tommy Bowe were joined by Lions' CEO Ben Calveley In order to promote that chat Donncha donned his best Aussie Outback hat and channelled Mick Dundee, Alf Stewart and whomever else you're having yourself. Farrell yesterday The headline item from it was that Read More On Irish Sport The prop has not played since to Northampton because of a calf injury. He is joined in the replacements by Rónan Kelleher, the only other Leinster player involved because they were involved in There are still three Irish players in the starting XV with 2021 tourists Bundee Aki of Connacht and Munster's Tadhg Beirne included, along with Finlay Bealham Aki and Bealham's provincial teammate Most read in Rugby Union Farrell has not included any Bath representatives with the side involved in the Premiership final against Leicester Tigers on Saturday. Lions captain 'I live life on the edge' - Watch Peter O'Mahony storm off after wife Jessica startles him while gardening 'Maro has led the group well during our time in Portugal and then Dublin this week. "This is also our first opportunity to show what the 2025 Lions are about and what we want to stand for as a team. 'We know that Argentina will challenge us up front and out wide - so Friday night will be a tough contest, but also a great occasion for all the fans.' After their first outing on Irish soil, the Lions will travel to Australia ahead of the three-Test series against the Wallabies. Lions: M Smith (England), Freeman (England), Tuipulotu (Scotland), Aki (Ireland), van der Merwe (Scotland), F Smith (England), Mitchell (England), Genge (England), Cowan-Dickie (England), Bealham (Ireland), Itoje (England), Beirne (Ireland), Curry (England), Morgan (Wales), Earl (England). Replacements: Kelleher (Ireland), Schoeman (Scotland), Furlong (Ireland), Cummings (Scotland), Pollock (England), Williams (Wales), Daly (England), Hansen (Ireland).
Irish Post
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Post
Irish rugby stars line out to help raise £1m for children's cancer charity
A HOST of Irish rugby stars have taken part in a fundraising challenge to help raise £1m for a children's cancer charity. The 26 Mountains 2 Mayo challenge is currently underway to help Cancer Fund for Children provide vital services for children and families impacted by cancer across the island of Ireland. A team of more than 20 business leaders are currently undertaking the mammoth task, which will see the group climb the highest point in each county across Ireland. Now on the Leinster leg of their journey, the team were joined by Irish rugby legends Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, Declan Fitzpatrick, Devin Toner, Chris Henry and Gordon D'Arcy. The six former Irish rugby stars posed for a snap with Phil Alexander, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children, on Lugnaquilla Mountain in Co. Wicklow, the highest point in Leinster. Cancer Care for Children CEO, Phil Alexander, (second from right) with Andrew Trimble, Declan Fitzpatrick, Devin Toner, Tommy Bowe, Gordon D'Arcy and Chris Henry The fundraiser, organised by Roger Johnston of Axial3D, got underway on Saturday when the group climbed Errigal, the tallest peak in Donegal. After completing the Ulster leg of the challenge, the team moved onto Connacht before heading to Leinster, where they were joined by sporting legends. The group will then travel to Munster before making their way back to Connacht for the final peak, Mweelrea in Co. Mayo, on Sunday. Money raised from the challenge will help Cancer Fund for Children build and equip a therapeutic short break centre in Cong, Co. Mayo. The charity currently operates a similar facility called Daisy Lodge in Newcastle, Co. Down. However, with approximately 10 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every week across the island of Ireland, the charity is facing increasing demand for its services. You can find out more about the challenge and how to support it by clicking here. See More: Cancer Fund For Children, Irish Rugby
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Gordon D'Arcy: Leinster should forget about silencing the critics - just listen to the clarion call
Success in sport is rarely a linear pathway. More often there is a fair bit of rerouting after venturing into some culs-de-sac or hitting the odd speed bump or wobble. In 2009 Leinster won the Heineken Cup for the first time. The following season we believed ourselves to be equally motivated and hungry to repeat the dose but found out that the theoretical and practical weren't quite aligned. We topped our pool, squeezed past Clermont Auvergne at the RDS before coming a cropper against Toulouse in a semi-final in La Ville Rose. To compound matters we lost the Celtic League Grand Final to a strong Ospreys team in our backyard, the RDS. I still haven't come to terms with Tommy Bowe's jersey grab that stopped me making a tackle. To make matters worse he was one of their two try-scorers that day. I remember standing on the pitch, the tension so thick you could almost bite it, our faces serious but we were definitely overcooked – mentally and physically – at the wrong point in the week on match day. READ MORE Shaun Beirne, an Australian outhalf, brought a wealth of experience to Leinster, as well as an appreciation that playing sport was to be enjoyed for the most part, not simply endured. He tried to lift the mood, with words that I can still recall. 'Lads, it's meant to be fun, remember that.' Just like that, the mood shifted, a couple of smiles emerged. The pressure didn't disappear, but we carried it differently, we learned to embrace it. A decade and a half later and Leinster find themselves on the cusp of another watershed moment as they prepare for Saturday's URC final against the Bulls at Croke Park. Few teams get to be choosy about silverware, so while Leinster might have preferred a fifth star to signify another European crown, it's not the time to be sniffy about winning a different trophy. The URC might not carry the romance or glamour of a Champions Cup, but it is a brutally tough competition to win, something that Leinster have come to realise over the past four years. They bear the scars of defeat. Saturday provides an opportunity to finish a turbulent season on a high note. Leinster's Joe McCarthy wins a lineout at the Leinster v Glasgow Warriors URC semi-final game at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho Leinster's campaigns in Europe and domestically promised so much but that anticipation and expectation has been replaced by disparate emotions. Criticism has come, piled high – some of it fair, a lot exaggerated – while the vast majority has emerged from the strange, pixelated universe of social media, a space that doesn't reflect real-world sentiment as much as it claims to. It's a place where nuance dies and reaction rules. Unfortunately, it also tends to become the echo chamber for those that seek out kindred spirits in outlook and opinion. It doesn't matter how small or niche the vox pop. Leinster, for all their consistency and high performance over the last decade, have found themselves the victims of some serious schadenfreude in recent weeks. There are people, plenty of them, who get a bit of joy out of seeing Leinster fall short. That's part of the deal when you've set the bar so high. Winning isn't enough when you're expected to prevail. It's treated as if it's a bit ho-hum. But when you don't, critics are gleeful in their disparagement. What's interesting – and frankly refreshing – is that this time the Leinster players have clearly had enough of it. Joe McCarthy and Jack Conan both came out and made it known that the criticism is being heard, and that they're keen to answer back. [ Leinster driven by siege mentality ahead of URC showdown with Bulls Opens in new window ] Maybe what I've written has be taken in that same vein, but I loved hearing that. Too often the modern professional is in a verbal straitjacket, locked into a script, sanitised, safe, coached to be on-message. It's good to see some emotion every now and then. But, of course, calling it out brings its own pressure. Acknowledging the digital elephant in the room is one thing, responding to it with a performance is another. That's where Leinster stand now. They have to turn that siege mentality into a fuel source. While it's nice to hear them get a bit chippy, it's what they do on the UCD training pitches that matters most: how they've trained, talked, recovered, reset. The only energy worth carrying into this final is positive; relying on a faux edge from external criticism to me would not be enough to see them over the line. Jordie Barrett at Leinster Rugby Squad Training in UCD on Monday. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho I'm reminded of Joe Schmidt and what he drilled into us again and again: 'Control the controllables.' When you focus on yourself, all the positives that make you special as a group, it becomes really powerful as a galvanising force. There were genuine signs of life from a Leinster perspective last weekend in the win over Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium. A brilliant line from Dan Sheehan reminded us how dynamic he is with ball in hand. Tommy O'Brien brought energy and sharpness, while Ryan Baird was back to being that annoying, athletic pest every team hates playing against. And Jordie Barrett, slipping down the short side, showed exactly the kind of class that can change games in an instant. The performance wasn't complete, far from it. But there was shape, there was rhythm. The individual quality is still there. The opportunity now is to pull it all together, save the best performance for last, and answer the clarion call. [ Leinster class shines through in bruising URC semi-final that proved familiarity breeds contempt Opens in new window ] This week shouldn't be about silencing critics or snapping in half the proverbial stick people have been beating them with since the Champions Cup semi-final loss. That sort of external motivation burns out quickly in the heat of a match. It should be about turning inward, playing for each other, playing for the 16,000 or 17,000 supporters who keep showing up, even when the music's gone quiet. This is about giving them a day worth remembering. The Bulls are no pushovers, a power-based team with pace who will lick their lips at the idea of neutering the Irish province's set-piece launch pad. The Bulls scrum that tore through the Sharks pack will come for Leinster, every lineout contested, every ruck a dogfight. For the home side parity in these areas is a minimum requirement. Then it comes down to desire, individually and collectively. Leinster need a bit of that this week. Accept the pressure. Embrace it. And remember that they're good enough, if they believe it, to win this final on their terms, regardless of what the Bulls bring. Forget the external noise. Focus on the job, embrace the task with gusto. And enjoy it.
The Irish Sun
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘You have to make sacrifices', says Ireland AM host as he admits his young daughter complains he's ‘not home enough'
IRELAND AM host Tommy Bowe has lifted the lid on his dad guilt as he admits his young daughter claims he's "not home enough" The Virgin Media star, who is a mainstay presenter on the hit breakfast show, has a lot on his plate when it comes to work. 3 Tommy Bowe has opened up about his parent guilt 3 Tommy is a doting dad to Emma, eight, and four-year-old Jamie 3 Tommy is a mainstay host on Ireland AM Between hosting But, with two little ones at home, the The 41-year-old and his wife Lucy are doting parents to Emma, eight, and four-year-old, Jamie. READ MORE IN TOMMY BOWE "We keep having to tell the kids, when my daughter is complaining that I'm not home, that you have to work hard to do nice things and to be able to celebrate nice things." He added: "Being away is difficult at times. People see the players representing Ireland and doing well at World Cups or Olympics, but they've been away from their families for weeks at a time. "That's not easy for their partners or their kids. But you have to make sacrifices sometimes." The former Irish rugby star emphasised that his kids understand he works hard to "give them the best life possible". MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN He also highlighted the importance of setting an example in terms of work ethic. The popular presenter added: "It sets a good example for her to see that her mum works hard and I work hard. It's important for her to see that as she grows up." Tommy Bowe praised for standing up to TD on air This comes after Ireland AM fans praised Tommy for giving a TD a "hard grilling" on air. 14-year-old outside Leinster House from 10am last Tuesday to push for urgent action on the growing waiting lists for child disability assessments. Tommy and spoke to Cara and her dad Mark who were still sat outside Leinster House on air yesterday morning before getting the Minister of State for Responsibility for Disability Hildegarde Naughton's opinion on the matter. Turning to the TD, Muireann said: "Minister, looking at Cara and her dad there, outside your place of work, to try to get people to talk about this…" HEATED HOST Tommy added: "In her Winnie the Pooh pyjamas. It's sad." Naughton replied: "Good morning, Cara. Nobody should have to protest outside the gates of Leinster House." During their chat, Tommy asked: "So at the end of 2023, it was 8,893 people looking for this. It then is at 15,000, we're expecting to be at 25,000. You're saying we want to reduce this. "It's going the wrong direction. How many people are currently employed as AON or clinical disability?" Naughton replied: "Within the sector of therapists, we have about 1,800 across the sector. This is what we need to look at as part of the assessment of need process. "If legislative reform is needed, we will absolutely consider that. We also need to look at the health system, where there is no wrong door for people." The former rugby star cut across the "How long is it going to take to look at these things and put them into place? Because this needs action now." 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Naughton responded: "As I said, we're looking at the assessment of need process itself and how that can be changed. The draw on assessment of needs, where people are being asked for them, where they shouldn't be asked for them. We're looking at the retention and recruitment of therapists." Tommy clarified his question saying: "You keep saying looking at. What are you doing?" A short segment of the interview was posted on Ireland AM's One viewer wrote: "Good man Tommy, you put her in her place!!" Kyle said: "It's funny that it's the morning TV show that gives politicians a harder grilling than the nighttime current affairs panel discussions. Fair play lads." Lynn commented: "Fair play Tommy!" Another fan added: "Tommy, well done for how you handled this."
The Irish Sun
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Donncha O'Callaghan reveals ‘fatigue' from working on 2FM caused ‘bad eyesight' as he lifts lid on life after radio
FORMER 2FM star Donncha O'Callaghan has revealed that "fatigue" from working on radio caused him to develop "bad eyesight". The popular presenter, 46, was among five leading stars who left the RTE station last summer. Advertisement 2 Donncha O'Callaghan has opened up on life after 2FM 2 Donncha revealed that working on 2FM gave him bad 'fatigue' The The 46-year-old had followed in the footsteps of Doireann, radio shows. Over the past 12 months, Donncha released his first ever kids' book titled Disaster Dad and launched a sport podcast with his former Irish rugby pal, Tommy Bowe. Looking back on his time on 2FM, Donncha told Advertisement READ MORE IN DONNCHA "But what I actually realised was that it was just fatigue." The dad-of-five revealed that within two weeks of leaving the radio show, he found that he didn't need to wear glasses anymore. He added: "My eyeballs didn't feel like they were burning as much." The sporting star admitted that he misses his breakfast show colleagues, Doireann and Carl every day. Advertisement Most read in News TV He added: "We used to spend the mornings with each other. Now we just spend more time on WhatsApp slagging each other. I definitely miss them. I miss that team." The Cork native confessed that he was "grateful" for the opportunity to host on such a beloved radio programme. Donncha O'Callaghan's major career move after 2FM However, he admitted: "It was time to move on and look to something else I'm busy out with the podcast with Tommy Bowe and doing a few kids' books , which is a bit of fun." The former rugby player told how he has been making a "conscious effort" to steer away from his sporting career once he retired in 2018. Advertisement However, his sports-themed podcast with Tommy Bowe -The Offload has been a major hit with fans since its release in October 2024. The chat show has topped the charts each week and was even made into a live show. The two lads performed to a sold-out crowd in the iconic Olympia Theatre back in December 2024 - and we're guessing it won't be the last.
