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The Irish Sun
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Dublin boss Niall Ó Ceallacháin hails Cork hammering as ‘the best hurling performance this year'
AFTER Cork sunk his side's hopes of All-Ireland SHC glory, Dublin boss Niall Ó Ceallacháin admitted the red wave will be hard to break. The Rebels remain odds-on favourites to land the Liam MacCarthy Cup on Sunday week after their 2 Ó Ceallacháin's side reached the All-Ireland semi-final for the first time since 2013 2 The Dubs fell victim to a rampant Cork as they lost 7-26 to 2-21 Alan Connolly claimed man-of-the-match honours after hitting a hat-trick in Saturday's semi-final. Brian Hayes and Tim O'Mahony found the net twice. During his first season in the hotseat, Ó Ceallacháin was one step away from steering Dublin to a first All-Ireland final appearance since 1961. But a rampant Cork outfit had other ideas. The Sky Blues chief said: 'They're going to take some beating. That's as good a team performance from a sharpness perspective that I've seen in a long, long time. 'We couldn't live with their goals. We couldn't live with their pace and power inside. Did Alan Connolly get three? And that's not on the lad that was marking him. Read more on GAA 'They were breaking the line and they had the composure and presence of mind in tight scenarios to be really aware of who was outside and just pop the ball outside. They did that extremely well. They were quality goals.' Returning from a four-week lay-off since their It was the first time since 2006 that the Leesiders backed up a provincial title triumph by advancing to an All-Ireland SHC decider. Pat Ryan's side will now look to go one better than in 2024, when an extra-time final defeat to Clare saw them fail to end Cork's longest-ever wait for hurling's biggest prize. Most read in GAA Hurling Ó Ceallacháin added: 'I don't want to do Cork a disservice by over-hyping them. Every game is different. 'But what I will say is that was by far the best hurling performance over 75 minutes that I've seen this year by a long way.' RTE pundits weigh in on scoreboard controversy that marred Tipperary's dramatic win over Kilkenny Dublin secured their place in the knockout stages of the Championship with wins over Offaly, Wexford and Antrim. Defeats to Kilkenny and Galway then cost them a place in a second straight Leinster final. But after easing past Kildare in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter- finals, the Dubs defied the dismissal of captain Chris Crummey to record Ó Ceallacháin said: 'Is there a difference of 20 points between us and the top team in Ireland? I don't think there is. 'But the reality as we leave here is that's kind of what we're looking at. Is there more in us? There absolutely is. And that experience for a few lads will probably serve them well. 'But we were never in this for a two-year thing or a three-year thing or a five-year thing. We're just very disappointed.' It has been a hectic year for Ó Ceallacháin, who was still juggling club and county commitments when he guided Na Fianna to All-Ireland success back in January at the expense of Cork side Sarsfields. Asked about his aspirations for 2026, he said: 'No idea. Listen, we need a bit of time now. 'We were planning on being back here in a fortnight's time. I don't know what the future holds.'
The Irish Sun
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘A fair question' – Niall O Ceallachain admits Dublin GAA ‘proven wrong' in hammering against Cork but defends approach
DUBLIN boss Niall Ó Ceallacháin vowed to take the criticism on the chin after a Cork goal blitz killed their hopes of reaching the All-Ireland SHC final. The keeping of a clean sheet was a vital component of the Dubs' Advertisement 2 Niall O Ceallachain accepted the criticism after Dublin were hammered by Cork Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 2 Te Dubs shipped seven goals against the Rebels Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile But they Ó Ceallacháin said: 'If you concede four goals, you're going to be in a tricky spot and that's obviously where we were. 'Did we set up right at the back? I'm sure that question is going to come. 'We found it very hard for long periods in that second half. I thought we showed a bit of fight to get back into it but it felt like each time we did, there was a sucker-punch of a goal.' Advertisement Read More on GAA When asked if he could have provided extra protection to his full-backs, Ó Ceallacháin said: 'It's a fair question when you concede seven goals. I'll tell you straight out that we intentionally didn't. 'I've been proven wrong now so I can be fairly criticised, but the way we see it is there's just no point in going with a zonal back six against a team like 'Is it a risky set-up? It absolutely is. Should I be criticised? Absolutely. It didn't work . They were very sharp and they were excellent. But what I would say is with the alternative, you won't lose by 20 points but you will lose the game.' Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling For Ó Ceallacháin, it was a sobering way to end his first season in charge. He added: 'Obviously it was a huge win a couple of weeks ago. We can be fairly criticised now that we didn't follow up two weeks later. We have to be better.'
The 42
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
I hurl, therefore I am: Dublin's quiet hurling manager tearing up the script
WHEN NIALL Ó CEALLACHÁIN was 36 years of age, he had a decision to make. He loved hurling in a way that wasn't fashionable. He had been good enough as a young player to make the very first Dublin Development Squad. In 2001, he featured alongside Conal Keaney and David 'Dotsy' O'Callaghan on a combined Dublin Colleges team that secured a Leinster SHC 'A' title, beating the famed and fabled St Kieran's Kilkenny in the semi-final before polishing off Wexford's Good Counsel in the final. At club level, he was a midfield stalwart with Na Fianna, known as 'Nelly' within Na Fianna. The issue was as he was nearing the end of his playing days, there weren't enough Ó Ceallacháin's to go around, says then-manager Declan Feeney. 'He was a real leader on the pitch. Our problem was we hadn't enough hurlers. The reality is we had about 12 on the senior panel. We were struggling to field,' he says. 'Probably had a panel of about 20 but we were running three teams. You had to take the boys from the second and third teams to field. Throw in a couple of injuries and you were in bother. 'You would use junior players on any given day, and give the second and third team walkovers just so we could keep fielding at seniors.' For such an exacting figure as Ó Ceallacháin, this might have tested his patience. 'It would have been huge. But there was a core of that group that were really dedicated to playing hurling. We just didn't have the numbers around them to support them,' recalls Feeney. 'Everything was about waiting for another year, for the next crew, and hopefully you would get one or two out of them. Advertisement 'So, patience was certainly a virtue and he has that in abundance.' In trying to bundle the next batch of hurlers for Na Fianna, Ó Ceallacháin went mining himself and took teams from U13 to U16. From that period he polished up the likes of Shane Barrett, Paul O'Dea, Jonathan Treacy, Sean Ryan and Eoin McHugh. He didn't get to keep him with the small ball, but Eoin Murchan showed promise as a hurler. Perhaps his multiple Sam Maguire medals bring some small comfort. Ó Ceallacháin with Paul O'Dea after winning the All-Ireland club title. Ken Sutton / INPHO Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO As Feeney recalls, they were a funny team by the time they reached U16 level. Around half a dozen players were absolute units and around six foot four inches. There were another half-dozen or so that were tidy stickmen, but just tipping around five foot five inches tall. But they all could hurl. Then came The Decision. When those players came of age, Feeney was finishing up. In his three years in charge – the latest spell having done it a few times before then – they had gone from a team in Senior B to Senior A. He had established the team in that company and they even topped a qualifying group. Even with a promising team coming, nobody was joining a race to become manager. Ó Ceallacháin took it and was glad of it. His record there was sensational: a county semi-final in year one. Four consecutive Dublin finals, losing the first two, winning the next two, adding their first Leinster and then All-Ireland titles over last winter. With such a big prize at stake, Ó Ceallacháin accepted the job of Dublin senior manager in the middle of it all. He was also becoming a father for the first time, himself and Sarah having a little boy Alfie who has been present at a few on-pitch celebrations by now. Within the Na Fianna chattering classes, despite the prospect of a senior All-Ireland coming to Mobhi Road, there was no surprise at his accepting the senior county hurling manager's job. 'That didn't surprise me at all,' says Feeney. 'It was probably always his ambition at some stage to take Dublin. 'I know when you go back to Anthony Daly's time, Ger Cunningham, Micheál Donoghue, Mattie Kenny, at some stage they were going to have to go for a Dublin manager. 'That would have been my own feeling on it. They needed a Dublin fella to take it. Niall was flying at the time and he was perfect. You come off winning your second senior championship, you're in a Leinster final, the job presents itself, I would think it would be very hard to say no. It might not be there for you in three or four years' time.' After a day or two celebrating that famous win over Sarsfields on 19 January, he was straight into the Dublin job, exclusively. That weekend they put 14 points on Antrim in a game that the Saffrons, under new management of Davy Fitzgerald, had put a red circle around as their first supposed statement of intent. The Dublin management team celebrate after beating Limerick in the All-Ireland quarter-final. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The only games they lost were by a single point to Offaly, and two points away to Waterford. They reversed that result in the Leinster championship against Offaly, beat Wexford by four, put 15 this time on Antrim in Corrigan Park. Losing the last two group games to Kilkenny (four points) and Galway (five) squeezed them out of the final. All in, it was solid work for a team that were expected to take their leave once they encountered a genuine Liam MacCarthy contender. But they tuned up with showing Kildare just how great the gulf is between Joe McDonagh and Liam MacCarthy, before that sensational 2-24 to 0-28 win over Limerick. In some ways, O'Ceallacháin has been likened to Jim Gavin. For the most part he maintains that inscrutable persona. His post-match interviews leave nothing for the amateur psychologists to gnaw on. Related Reads Desire for silverware fuel Dublin's drive as they seek to build on Limerick upset Cork's Pat Ryan on team selections: 'I don't believe in pulling strokes' Incredible Dublin dump Limerick out of All-Ireland hurling championship But he's still able to combust. This is hurling after all, and after Chris Crummy's sending off against Limerick following a collision with Gearoid Hegarty he was in full finger-pointing mode. 'A very deep thinker,' says Feeney about Ó Ceallacháin's personality. 'The game isn't all about hurling a ball, there is so much more to it. He would question what you are doing – not in a nasty way but it would be as much for his own information as it would be for anything else. 'The players in the team have huge time for him. They still have it. 'Is he friends with any of them? I'd say he's friendly with everyone. But not necessarily friends with everybody, which is what you have to do in management. 'He was able to push the right buttons at right times with certain fellas. If the right competition came along, he knew how to put the right fella into the team ahead of someone that might have been there regularly. And then explain to the fella he was leaving out, the reasons for him being left out and how to respond. It was up to them, then. 'Communication is his key.' It has taken until an All-Ireland semi-final against Cork for the general public to wake up to the Dublin hurling story. Whatever about this weekend, there are a few more chapters coming in good time. Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
Irish Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nelly driving unified Dublin hurlers into All-Ireland semis after club glory
There's a unity that has come from having an all-Dublin management team since the appointment of Niall Ó Ceallacháin as the new boss in January, believes Conor Burke. Ó Ceallacháin is well known in the capital's hurling scene and guided Na Fianna to the All-Ireland club title at the start of the year before taking the intercounty hot-seat, ending a run of outside managers. Pat Gilroy was briefly in charge in 2018 but, either side of that, the Dubs had Anthony Daly, Ger Cunningham, Mattie Kenny (who had been hugely successful with Cuala and Micheal Donoghue as manager. "I think there's a lot of personal connection with 'Nelly' there," said Burke. "The Na Fianna lads have been playing under him for a number of years and they know him really well, he knows all the club scene really well from analysis and whatnot. "But I think there's a sense of unity to get behind him and the other management team, who are obviously Dublin-based as well, and to really put the shoulder away and really believe in what they're trying to do and get behind it." Burke is full of praise for the work that Ó Ceallacháin has done in guiding the Dubs into the All-Ireland semi-finals for the first time since 2013. "Niall's brilliant, he's a great manager, really well organised, has a brilliant team with him, a brilliant team of Dublin clubmen behind him," said Burke. "He's brought that great team with him but there's a great sense of unity there within the team, everybody's playing for him as our leader from Dublin. "And I think he's leading the way and everybody's kind of got behind him and put the shoulder to the wheel and is really pushing hard. So yeah, he's a brilliant manager." eir has reached a major milestone in its network transformation, now delivering 5G to 98% of Ireland's population. As the first operator to launch 5G at Croke Park in 2020, eir continues to enhance the matchday experience for fans and players alike. Known as the fastest field sport in the world, hurling is a fitting match for eir's ultra-fast fibre and 5G networks – now bringing faster speeds, stronger connections, and better coverage to communities across Ireland.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- 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.
