Mary Hannigan

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Mary Hannigan

If you’ve even a drop of Tyrone blood running through your veins, and if Gaelic football is your passion, then there’s some decidedly pleasant reading for you in the sports pages today. First, Paul Keane reports on the county securing back-to-back under-20 All Ireland titles by beating Louth at the Athletic Grounds last night. It was an evening that “red-hot forward duo Noah Grimes and Eoin McElholm will not forget any time soon,” the pair scoring 4-10 between them.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Mary Hannigan

Armagh were already a force to be reckoned with, but the return of Rian O’Neill makes them “even stronger now,” writes Darragh Ó Sé. But what about the fellas whose feathers might have been ruffled by his reappearance? “Cry me a river, boys,” says Darragh. When this side has the chance to become the first from Armagh to retain Sam Maguire, “do you want to sing a sad song or do you want to go after back-to-back All-Irelands?” That’s them told.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Mary Hannigan

“This year,” Denis Walsh reminds us, “the group stages of the hurling championship started before the end of Lent and finished before Gary Lineker”. For those, like Waterford, who didn’t make it through, it’s brutal. Their manager Peter Queally “had conversations with players who couldn’t face a winter of training and meaningless league matches, only for their year to be over in the last month of spring”. He’s pining for a format change that would at least send their season in to summer.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Mary Hannigan

For years, the women’s national soccer squad usually had a sprinkling of players born beyond these shores. They qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland through their parents or grandparents. However, the numbers never came close to the men’s set-up until the last few years. The net is being cast wide. It was striking that when Carla Ward named her squad last week for the Nations League games against Turkey and Slovenia, just 11 of the 24 selected players were born in Ireland.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Mary Hannigan

Senior international camps have been a home from home for Louise Quinn over the years. She has, after all, spent a fair chunk of her life on duty with the Republic of Ireland. There will be a sense of poignancy about this one, though. Barring her being involved in Ireland’s summer friendlies away to the United States, this will be her last time in camp. The 34-year-old announced her imminent retirement from football in late April.