In an ideal world - whatever that is - the intention would have been to begin this piece by musing that at least the circus pertaining to the Republic Of Ireland manager job appeared to have the curtain drawn on it. But it appears it may still only be the interval therein as John O'Shea... Continue Reading →
Brave Rathkenny undone by cruelty of the modern world
There was something strangely apt about Ireland putting in another abomination of a performance against The Netherlands just hours after Meath's Rathkenny exited the Leinster Club IFC at the penultimate hurdle via penalty shootout as Scoill Ui Chonaill of Dublin advanced. Now read on... During his 1994 show 'Live At The Olympia' the late, great... Continue Reading →
Dunboyne’s Keeley Premier League Bound
Just a few short years ago, Darragh Lenihan became the first Meath man to be capped by the Republic Of Ireland at Senior level. Thereafter, a bit like the scenario with the busses, quickly enough thereafter Jamie McGrath from Athboy became the second. The chances of there being a third surely improved this week after... Continue Reading →
Duff opens with derby defeat but will lift League
Hasn't this scenario played out many times before? The big star returns home to take over the local team. The crowds flock for the first game, the ground is full, the atmosphere buzzing and the entire competition lifted by the local boy done good. If anything is going to go off script, it will be... Continue Reading →
Give youth a chance
Rep. Of Ireland...3 Azerbaijan...0 Saturday would have been John Lennon's birthday. No, I wouldn't have known either only it was spotted trending on Twitter. In the days leading up to it, his great festive anthem Happy Christmas/War Is Over on a television commercial. Yes, in the first week of October. Nauseating. Having watched Ireland's victory... Continue Reading →
Black and Blue Saturday
At a point in the early 1980s when Meath football would have required promotion to be considered in the doldrums, the Meath Chronicle ran a front page depicting a coffin with the words 'Meath Football R.I.P.' inscribed thereon. Obviously, to the betterment of generations of us, the prophecy was certainly debunked and then some. However,... Continue Reading →
Weird window leaves many questions
A few years ago, on Deadline Day of the winter transfer window, I wrote a piece headlined "Almost time to take down the tent". Inference being that the concept and the time around it resemble a circus. At the time, that manifested itself in the insane fees clubs were paying for players and the manner... Continue Reading →
Trouble at the top? Dung always falls downwards
Do you ever simply stop and ponder how we all got by before social media? On one occasion recently, it was Twitter that informed yours truly that the following day’s National Hunt racing fixture at Newton Abbot had been postponed. That was only one example of the tsunami of information people can access in seconds... Continue Reading →