6 January 2023; Hugh Gavin of Ireland during a friendly match between Ireland U20 and Leinster Development at Energia Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile “That’s always been the big dream but, I suppose your dreams change when I was 12 and 13 all I wanted to be, was a Wegian.” The U20 Six Nations gets underway this month and among the up-and-coming young … [Read more...] about Hugh Gavin’s journey to becoming a “Weigan”
The Parents of Sport
Parents are the driving force behind every sport, for every underage team a parent if not parents are the coaches, but they have so much more involvement and impact on the games we love than anyone gives them credit for. The other evening as I finished up an evening of coaching I watched a parent kick the rugby balls back to her son who was determined to be the best kicker … [Read more...] about The Parents of Sport
Match Report: Ireland Vs Australia
Ireland 13 Australia 10 Photo by Ciarán Ó Flaithearta Ross Byrne shows composure to slot a late penalty seeing off a well-drilled Australian side in an all-around unconvincing win in Dublin. After 4 years the Wallabies faced Ireland in the Aviva Stadium in the final game of the Autumn Internationals with Mack Hansen facing his country of birth for the first … [Read more...] about Match Report: Ireland Vs Australia
The rising star of the Connacht academy: Eoin de Butléir
Eoin De Butléir. Photo by James Crombie, INPHO, via Eoin De Butléir. Eoin de Butléir is one of the Connacht Academy’s most promising up-and-coming front-row players. He continues to go from strength to strength as he rises through the ranks in the Connacht setup. The last couple of months has seen him make his Connacht Eagles debut, captaining the side after only three … [Read more...] about The rising star of the Connacht academy: Eoin de Butléir
Aoife McDermott, swapping slam dunks for line-outs.
Aoife McDermott began playing basketball at the age of 12 when she started secondary school, she was six foot tall and highly athletic having competed in community games and playing for her local soccer and GAA clubs. Before long McDermott began playing with a club and by the age of 14, she was playing both under 14s and 16s for the Sligo All-Stars in the Mayo league finals … [Read more...] about Aoife McDermott, swapping slam dunks for line-outs.