Anthony Foley’s untimely death shakes the world of Irish rugby…

Gerry Thornley on the death of a great servant of Munster Rugby and Ireland, Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley: With his 43rd birthday due at the end of the month, it’s just too sad for words, too shocking to be believed. A legend alright, and much loved. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Olive, his children Dan and Tony, parents Brendan and Sheila, sisters and Orla and Rosie, and all his extended Munster and Irish family of supporters. Donal Lenihan in the …

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Rory Finds Form to Win FedEx Cup

By winning the Tour Championship yesterday in Atlanta, and with it the FedEx Cup for the first-time, Rory McIlroy has turned a decent, if disappointing by his high standards, season into a great one.  Until the FedEx play-offs began his only win this year was the Irish Open.  The new FedEd Cup winner now heads to the Ryder Cup before focussing on next year’s majors, starting with the US Masters in April. To be fair, it was only his putting that has …

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The cautionary tale of Pat Hickey: How the Olympics Got Seduced by Money, and Lost its Way

Ireland and Europe’s most senior Olympic official sits arrested in Rio, on charges of ticket scalping.   Meanwhile, pizza restaurants and small clothing shops receive threatening letters from the Olympics, telling them not to tweet the Games That Must Not Be Named.  (Lawyers say ‘I don’t think that’s what the law says’.) It’s all a sign of an Olympic movement which has lost its way, its officials seduced by big money. See Forbes for more (it’s by me) . Pádraig Belton30 year old journalist …

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Barbers, Car Dealers, Printers: The “Olympic” Small Businesses Around Ireland and the World, and How They’re Watching Rio

DUBLIN.  When Farrell O’Boy launched his Olympic Cars in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, he thought he’d chosen ‘a strong name, and people would remember it’, says Danny McCabe, today its sales manager. Across the Irish Sea, Antonio Leto had emigrated from Sicily and worked as a barber when he set up his own shop, Olympic Barbers, in 1982. ‘He just wanted it to be an international barbershop—multinational, a barber for everyone‘, says his son, Ross, who now runs the shop, cutting …

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Maybe a change of management at the top of TeamIreland on its way?

Something that crossed with the writing of the last post, but it should be here lodged here for the sake of completion. Chair of both the Irish and European Olympic Committees Pat Hickey has been arrested and is under suspicion for turning a quick buck selling an allocation of tickets to local touts… Adds: North Dublin TD was one of the first out of the blocks this morning, and had this to say… “I am now calling on the Minister …

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What can #TeamIreland usefully learn, borrow, beg and steal from #TeamGB?

World Champion Michael Conlon is the final Irish boxer out of the Olympics without a medal. He believes it’s a result of corruption.  Boxing has never run what you might call an open book on how it makes decisions. And it has long been a medal banker (16 since 1924) for Team Ireland. Now it’s not, the slack has already been taken up by a couple of rowing brothers from Skibbereen and a heroic woman sailor from Dublin. Other bright spots include …

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Live Cricket: Ireland v Afghanistan at Stormont – 5th ODI

After a somewhat controversial victory in the 4th One Day International on Sunday, Afghanistan have a 2-1 lead going into today’s 5th, and final, ODI against Ireland’s cricketers at Stormont.  Afghanistan won the toss and put Ireland in to bat.  Live video via CricketIrelandTV.  Cricinfo has the usual over-by-over text commentary.  Ireland made 265 for 5 from 50 overs, with an unbeaten 160 runs for opening batsman Ed Joyce.  Afghanistan chasing 266 runs to win.  Update Afghanistan made 253 for 9 …

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Live Cricket: Ireland v Afghanistan at Stormont – 4th ODI

With the series level at 1-1 after 3 games, Ireland’s cricketers take on the touring Afghanistan team at Stormont today in the 4th One-Day International of 5 scheduled matches.  Afganistan won the toss and chose to bat first.  Cricinfo has the over-by-over text commentary.  Live streaming video via CricketIrelandTV.  Update Afghanistan made 229 for 7 from 50 overs.  Update 2 Ireland 150 all out from 41.0 overs.  Afghanistan win by 79 runs and take a 2-1 lead with one match remaining. Pete Baker

Live Cricket: Ireland v Afghanistan at Stormont – 3rd ODI

Live streaming cricket from Belfast as Ireland take on Afghanistan in the 3rd ODI of a 5 match series.  The first was rained off, and on Tuesday Afghanistan comfortably withstood Ireland’s attempt at chasing down the total of 250 runs they set in the 2nd ODI after being put into bat.  This time, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat, setting a total of 236 all out from 49.1 overs.  Ireland require 237 from their 50 overs to level the series …

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Post Brexit word from Eric Cantona [PS, Will Grigg’s on fire]

That would be Eric Cantona as you have never seen him before, nor are likely to ever again… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty

Euro 2016: Northern Ireland through to last 16

Despite losing to world champions Germany earlier today, Northern Ireland’s footballers have secured a place in the last 16 of the UEFA European Championship 2016.  There they’ll face either France or Wales. A heroic performance by NI’s freelance keeper, Michael McGovern, kept the ball out of the net on all but one occasion and the 1-0 win for Germany left Northern Ireland in third place in Group C on 3 points following their win over Ukraine.  Crucially, though, they had …

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The Lions of Lyon to the Princes of Paris

In restaurants, on the Metro, in the stands, the (Northern) Irish were unbeatable. They sang everywhere, all the time. A mix of contagious high spirits, irony and most of all lots of self-effacement they lit up the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday after having already given it all in the streets of the city. If you can sing, “Nous ne sommes pas le Brésil, nous sommes l’Irlande du nord, mais c’est pareil pour moi” that gives you the tone of …

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#Euro2016 sees tensions between Irish supporters at their most relaxed for decades

Now, not everyone will agree with this piece from Brendan Ciarán Browne of TCD, but I suspect it has some resonance given the events of recent days (and not just official inputs). But whatever the media perceptions, the data is once again, ahead of the game: …in 2014, it was found that 63% of those surveyed believed that sport has the potential to break down traditional inter-community barriers. And in 2015, a major study of sport and social exclusion in Northern Ireland found …

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Peer to peer tribute to Darren Rodgers from Republic fans…

I’m guessing that life as a fan in France just now carries with a heightened sense of what’s happening elsewhere in the country. But this afternoon in Paris there was a short burst of sympathy between Irish fans for the tragic death of Darren Rodgers. It was a tribute that did not go unnoticed at home in Belfast… Huge respect to the R.O.I. fans @FanzoneTitanic applauding in tribute to NI fan Darren Rodgers! pic.twitter.com/P8aAHVvZUJ — Fanzone Belfast (@FanzoneTitanic) June 13, …

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EU referendum & Euro 2016

So far it’s fair to say that EU referendum debate hasn’t inspired many. Both sides have often been accused of ‘scaremongering’ over the potential impacts on everything from immigration to border controls and increased terror threats to the price of a nice bottle of wine. Meanwhile many of us across the UK and Ireland have our minds fixed on another great European project, the European Football Championship. The unbridled optimism of plucky fans and the motto “Dare to dream” seem …

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Young Life and Times Survey Results – Children and Young People Positive about Shared Education

The results of the 2015 Northern Ireland Young Life and Times (YLT) and Kids Life and Times (KLT) surveys were launched yesterday at Queen’s University Belfast. There were new questions this time about shared education, which revealed broadly positive experiences and expectations. There were questions about participation in sport, which highlighted areas which could be focused on to improve health and well-being; and new questions about child sexual exploitation and children serving as carers. Respondents to the YLT are 16 …

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No head injury is too severe to despair of, nor too trivial to ignore…

Following a recent boxing match with Chris Eubank Jnr, Nick Blackwell was taken to hospital and placed in an induced coma because of ‘bleeding on the brain’. Thankfully he has since awoken from his coma. The skull is a rigid bony box which contains the brain, blood vessels and a small quantity of fluid. When injured, any organ will swell. Within the skull there is little room for the brain to expand or swell. If the brain has been injured, initial medical …

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MustWatch: Crossmaglen, field of dreams…

Well worth – if you can get it on the iPlayer – but number five in the True North series on BBCNI focuses on Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic Football Club and the passion it invokes and how an addiction to winning has helped transform the outlook of the local community. Not every GAA club is as successful or as well supported as Cross is. But Thomas Niblock does pretty in teasing out just what the GAA and its resolutely amateur code routinely …

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ICC World Twenty20: Bangladesh v Ireland

After defeat in their opening game against ICC World Twenty20 newcomers Oman, Ireland’s cricketers now face group favourites Bangladesh in a must-win match if they are to stay in the running for the Super10 stage.   Despite that favourite status, Bangladesh had a scare against the Netherlands in a narrow 8 run win and two of its bowlers’ actions have been called into question by ICC officials. Apparently the Ireland coach, John Bracewell, doesn’t anticipate making many changes to the starting eleven from the first …

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