I took this photo from an upstairs window after the second last of those games.
It's hard to see but the kids on the green have abandoned their usual soccer and are playing rugby!
Amazing.
Showing posts with label Sport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sport. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 April 2014
Rugby Fever
In my last posting I mentioned Brian O'Driscoll's last 2 games for Ireland.
I took this photo from an upstairs window after the second last of those games.
It's hard to see but the kids on the green have abandoned their usual soccer and are playing rugby!
Amazing.
I took this photo from an upstairs window after the second last of those games.
It's hard to see but the kids on the green have abandoned their usual soccer and are playing rugby!
Amazing.
The fantastic Brian O'Driscoll
The outstanding person I want to mention in this second posting is Brian O'Driscoll aka BOD aka "Captain Fantastic"!
Brian has been a fantastic servant of Irish rugby for many, many years and has and continues to be a fantastic servant of Leinster rugby.
IMHO he is the greatest Irish rugby player of all time.
IMHO he is the greatest Irish sports person of all time.
It was fantastic to see him bow out of Irish international rugby with:
Here's a picture of the great man taken after the game:
Brian has been a fantastic servant of Irish rugby for many, many years and has and continues to be a fantastic servant of Leinster rugby.
IMHO he is the greatest Irish rugby player of all time.
IMHO he is the greatest Irish sports person of all time.
It was fantastic to see him bow out of Irish international rugby with:
- A win over Italy in his second last match where he scored 3 tries and was awarded man of the match (followed by a very nice tribute to the man)
- A win over France in France (for only the second time in 42 years) where he was again made man of the match
- The winning of the Six Nations Championship!
Here's a picture of the great man taken after the game:
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Dublin are All-Ireland Football Champions
I watched the football final at home at the weekend. Fantastic to see the Dubs take the title once again!
It wasn't a great game, but the Dubs really asserted themselves in the second half and came out worthy winners.
Fantastic achievement.
As I was at home (unlike at the semi-final) I had to resort to taking photos of my TV!
The photo is of the fabuolous Stephen Cluxton preparing to accept the Sam Maguire Cup. Although the fantastic Bernard Brogan was awarded man-of-the-match I'd say that Cluxton was a close second. And I think that Mayo keeper Rob Hennelly also did an outstanding job: making 3 great saves to keep his team in the game right up to the last minute.
Speaking of the last minute: I'll never understand why Mayo decided to take settle for a point at the end of added time - effectively conceding the game. Very strange.
It wasn't a great game, but the Dubs really asserted themselves in the second half and came out worthy winners.
Fantastic achievement.
As I was at home (unlike at the semi-final) I had to resort to taking photos of my TV!
The photo is of the fabuolous Stephen Cluxton preparing to accept the Sam Maguire Cup. Although the fantastic Bernard Brogan was awarded man-of-the-match I'd say that Cluxton was a close second. And I think that Mayo keeper Rob Hennelly also did an outstanding job: making 3 great saves to keep his team in the game right up to the last minute.
Speaking of the last minute: I'll never understand why Mayo decided to take settle for a point at the end of added time - effectively conceding the game. Very strange.
Sunday, 15 September 2013
The REAL Beautiful Game
Recently I have watched:
And I realise something that had never occurred to me before: there is very little that is "beautiful" about soccer.
Now I know that Ireland does not have a great soccer team at the moment. And that is obviously a factor.
But Gaelic football and hurling have MUCH more skill that soccer. And there are more scores. And the games are MUCH faster.
Soccer is full of kicking the ball aimlessly up the pitch. And misdirected passes. And back passes. And awful shots on goal.
In Gaelic football and hurling, you see guys from impossible angles, often while evading a defender and even while turning. The skill levels are through-the-roof. It's quite amazing.
The problem with soccer is, of course, that you have to keep the ball at your feet. As I think about it, this is really silly! Most players can't shoot accurately, can't pass accurately, and haven't got the skill to take on and pass a defender.
This video shows the last 8 minutes of the Dublin-Kerry game. It starts with Dublin 1 point behind. Judge for yourself!
- Dublin v Kerry - Gaelic Football - All Ireland Football Semi-Final - Live in Croke Park
- Cork v Clare - Hurling - All Ireland Final - on TV
- Ireland v Sweden - Soccer - World Cup Qualifier - on TV
- Ireland v Austria - Soccer - World Cup Qualifier - on TV
And I realise something that had never occurred to me before: there is very little that is "beautiful" about soccer.
Now I know that Ireland does not have a great soccer team at the moment. And that is obviously a factor.
But Gaelic football and hurling have MUCH more skill that soccer. And there are more scores. And the games are MUCH faster.
Soccer is full of kicking the ball aimlessly up the pitch. And misdirected passes. And back passes. And awful shots on goal.
In Gaelic football and hurling, you see guys from impossible angles, often while evading a defender and even while turning. The skill levels are through-the-roof. It's quite amazing.
The problem with soccer is, of course, that you have to keep the ball at your feet. As I think about it, this is really silly! Most players can't shoot accurately, can't pass accurately, and haven't got the skill to take on and pass a defender.
This video shows the last 8 minutes of the Dublin-Kerry game. It starts with Dublin 1 point behind. Judge for yourself!
Friday, 6 September 2013
Ireland beaten by Sweden
Just finished watching Ireland being beaten 2-1 by Sweden in the World Cup qualifiers.
Looks like we won't be going to Rio. So depressing.
Richard Dunne got the man of the match award afterwards. And he was indeed our best player.
But the best player on the field by a long chalk was Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović. He was a real game changer.
So this seems to mark the end of the road for Giovanni Trapattoni. I don't think many will look back on his time in charge with any great fondness.
So the question now is who will replace him?
Looks like we won't be going to Rio. So depressing.
Richard Dunne got the man of the match award afterwards. And he was indeed our best player.
But the best player on the field by a long chalk was Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimović. He was a real game changer.
So this seems to mark the end of the road for Giovanni Trapattoni. I don't think many will look back on his time in charge with any great fondness.
So the question now is who will replace him?
Dublin beat Kerry in the 2013 All-Ireland Football Semi-Final
I was fortunate enough to go with my family to see Dublin play Kerry in Croke Park at the weekend. What a game!
The Irish Independent described it as "two outstanding football teams in one of the greatest games of all time".
As a Dublin supporter, the game was nail-biting for most of the 70 minutes.
At half time we trailed by 1-9 (12) to 3-5 (14).
With 20 minutes to go we took the lead for the first time since the 4th minute and we were literally jumping for joy.
With 2 minutes remaining on the clock the sides were once again level.
And then Kevin McManamon score a goal and we all went wild once again. Eoghan O'Gara scored another goal but even before that the win looked safe.
So now we meet Mayo in the final on the 22nd. I'll be watching this one on TV but I can't wait.
Here's a picture I took before the game started. Our seats were high in the Davin Stand but our view was excellent.
The Irish Independent described it as "two outstanding football teams in one of the greatest games of all time".
As a Dublin supporter, the game was nail-biting for most of the 70 minutes.
At half time we trailed by 1-9 (12) to 3-5 (14).
With 20 minutes to go we took the lead for the first time since the 4th minute and we were literally jumping for joy.
With 2 minutes remaining on the clock the sides were once again level.
And then Kevin McManamon score a goal and we all went wild once again. Eoghan O'Gara scored another goal but even before that the win looked safe.
So now we meet Mayo in the final on the 22nd. I'll be watching this one on TV but I can't wait.
Here's a picture I took before the game started. Our seats were high in the Davin Stand but our view was excellent.
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Ireland beat Wales in Six Nations
Even though I am feeling miserable with a cold, and even though I have a college assignment to complete for Monday, I had the pleasure of watching Ireland beat Wales in the Six Nations on TV this afternoon.
What a performance and what a start to the competition for Ireland!
We were dominant in the first half. And four minutes in the second half, after a Brian O'Driscoll try, we had a 27 point lead!
The remainder of the game saw Wales mount a series of determined attacks, and Ireland organise a heroic defence. And often with only 14 men. Nail biting stuff indeed!
It finished 22-30 and man of the match was non other than the aforementioned Brian O'Driscoll. What an emphatic comeback to match fitness!
A fabulous game for any viewer, but especially for one supporting the winning side.
Here is a picture of Simon Zebo on his way to scoring the first Irish try:
What a performance and what a start to the competition for Ireland!
We were dominant in the first half. And four minutes in the second half, after a Brian O'Driscoll try, we had a 27 point lead!
The remainder of the game saw Wales mount a series of determined attacks, and Ireland organise a heroic defence. And often with only 14 men. Nail biting stuff indeed!
It finished 22-30 and man of the match was non other than the aforementioned Brian O'Driscoll. What an emphatic comeback to match fitness!
A fabulous game for any viewer, but especially for one supporting the winning side.
Here is a picture of Simon Zebo on his way to scoring the first Irish try:
Friday, 1 February 2013
Impact of Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong made a public admission of his cheating, drug use and general unacceptable behaviour on Oprah recently.
I know very little about Lance Armstrong and I care very little.
What does interest me is the negative impact of his behaviour on others.
I think there are a number of distinct groups here (I am omitting people like his family here).
The first group contains people like Paul Kimmage, David Walsh, Emma O'Reilly and others. These people spoke and wrote about his doping and cheating and he attacked them (and even sued some of them) for doing do. They are now vindicated and he is shown to be the cheat and the liar. I saw David and Emma on The Late Late Show on Friday. They observed (quite rightly in my opinion) that Armstrong has no remorse for what he did, and no remorse for the consequence of his actions. His remorse seems to relate to the fact that he was caught and to the money which he has lost.
The second group contains people who looked up to or were inspired by Armstrong . I am thinking of the people who worked in his Foundation. I am thinking of Michael J. Fox who spoke so highly of Armstrong in his second book "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist". I can only imagine what these people are feeling. I see that the charitable organisation has taken various steps to distance itself from Armstrong including changing its name in November 2012 to the "Livestrong Foundation".
The third group are the riders who did not achieve what they should have in cycling because they were unwilling to participate in the cheating which contributed to the success of Armstrong and people like him. Can you imagine what it is like to participate in a sport where a man who was cheating won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005? Paul Kimmage referred to Armstrong as the "cancer" of cycling. Paul Kimmage was right.
Here are some interesting videos:
Armstrong swears under oath that he never did or took anything on the banned list (2005)
Armstrong lies in interview (2006)
Armstrong attacks Paul Kimmage (2009)
Michael J. Fox interview Armstrong (date unknown)
Interview with Paul Kimmage
Interview with David Walsh
Emma O'Reilly interview
Interview with Frankie Andreu, former cycling team-mate of Lance Armstrong, and his wife Betsy
Betsy Andreu angry and upset in interview
I know very little about Lance Armstrong and I care very little.
What does interest me is the negative impact of his behaviour on others.
I think there are a number of distinct groups here (I am omitting people like his family here).
The first group contains people like Paul Kimmage, David Walsh, Emma O'Reilly and others. These people spoke and wrote about his doping and cheating and he attacked them (and even sued some of them) for doing do. They are now vindicated and he is shown to be the cheat and the liar. I saw David and Emma on The Late Late Show on Friday. They observed (quite rightly in my opinion) that Armstrong has no remorse for what he did, and no remorse for the consequence of his actions. His remorse seems to relate to the fact that he was caught and to the money which he has lost.
The second group contains people who looked up to or were inspired by Armstrong . I am thinking of the people who worked in his Foundation. I am thinking of Michael J. Fox who spoke so highly of Armstrong in his second book "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist". I can only imagine what these people are feeling. I see that the charitable organisation has taken various steps to distance itself from Armstrong including changing its name in November 2012 to the "Livestrong Foundation".
The third group are the riders who did not achieve what they should have in cycling because they were unwilling to participate in the cheating which contributed to the success of Armstrong and people like him. Can you imagine what it is like to participate in a sport where a man who was cheating won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005? Paul Kimmage referred to Armstrong as the "cancer" of cycling. Paul Kimmage was right.
Here are some interesting videos:
Armstrong swears under oath that he never did or took anything on the banned list (2005)
Armstrong lies in interview (2006)
Armstrong attacks Paul Kimmage (2009)
Michael J. Fox interview Armstrong (date unknown)
Interview with Paul Kimmage
Interview with David Walsh
Emma O'Reilly interview
Interview with Frankie Andreu, former cycling team-mate of Lance Armstrong, and his wife Betsy
Betsy Andreu angry and upset in interview
Monday, 13 August 2012
Olympics - Katie Taylor
Ireland did really well at London 2012 - equalling our best ever result from Melbourne in 1956:
Gold - 1 - Katie Taylor (Boxing)
Silver - 1 - John Joe Nevin (Boxing)
Bronze - 3 - Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan (Boxing), Cian O'Connor (Showjumping)
Our medal winners, and all our competitors, did the country proud.
Special mention must be given to Annalise Murphy who came fourth in a sailing event (extremely unlucky not to get a medal), Robert Heffernan who came 4th in the 50K walk and 9th in the 20K walk, and Natalya Coyle who came ninth in the modern pentathlon.
But the star, of course, was Katie. She was an inspiration. The best in the world. So much as expected of her, and she did not disappoint. A credit to herself, her family, her team, her club, and her country.
Well done Katie!
Gold - 1 - Katie Taylor (Boxing)
Silver - 1 - John Joe Nevin (Boxing)
Bronze - 3 - Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan (Boxing), Cian O'Connor (Showjumping)
Our medal winners, and all our competitors, did the country proud.
Special mention must be given to Annalise Murphy who came fourth in a sailing event (extremely unlucky not to get a medal), Robert Heffernan who came 4th in the 50K walk and 9th in the 20K walk, and Natalya Coyle who came ninth in the modern pentathlon.
But the star, of course, was Katie. She was an inspiration. The best in the world. So much as expected of her, and she did not disappoint. A credit to herself, her family, her team, her club, and her country.
Well done Katie!
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Olympics - London 2012
Every 4 years the Olympic games roll around once more.
And between each event I seem to forget how enjoyable they are.
I forget the joy and excitement of seeing people operate at the peak of physical performance. Whether running, jumping, throwing, swimming, boxing, sailing, or whatever.
I forget the joy that people experience when they win a gold, and the desolation they feel when they do not.
I forget the pride that the competitors obviously feel in representing their countries.
I forget the amazing variety of sports on display.
I forget the purity of seeing people compete against each other to prove who has the most talent, or who has worked the hardest, or who simply wants it most.
And every 4 years I re-learn all of these things.
In a world that is very complex, there is something very pure and simple and inspiring about the Olympics.
And between each event I seem to forget how enjoyable they are.
I forget the joy and excitement of seeing people operate at the peak of physical performance. Whether running, jumping, throwing, swimming, boxing, sailing, or whatever.
I forget the joy that people experience when they win a gold, and the desolation they feel when they do not.
I forget the pride that the competitors obviously feel in representing their countries.
I forget the amazing variety of sports on display.
I forget the purity of seeing people compete against each other to prove who has the most talent, or who has worked the hardest, or who simply wants it most.
And every 4 years I re-learn all of these things.
In a world that is very complex, there is something very pure and simple and inspiring about the Olympics.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Ireland - Euro 2012 - Friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina
In an hour's time, Ireland will play Italy - our last act in the Euro 2012 competition.
So far, the event has not been a happy one for the Irish. Certainly not in keeping with our excitement at being back in a major competition after an absence of 10 years.
The only thing we took pleasure/pride in so far was the quality of the singing by the Irish supporters at the last game (against Spain).
And some Irish people were even critical of that - saying that we shouldn't be singing after being beaten 4-0.
So in this post I will look back on happier times, before the competition started!
My son Andrew and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to see Ireland play Bosnia Herzegovina in the Aviva stadium on 26th May. It was Andrew's first time seeing the Irish national soccer team in action. It was a very enjoyable evening: we played well (especially in the second half) and we won 1-0. The goal was set up by Aiden McGeady (in my opinion, Ireland's most exciting player at the moment) and scored by Shane Long.
We even had great seats. Here is a shot of our view during the opening proceedings:
So far, the event has not been a happy one for the Irish. Certainly not in keeping with our excitement at being back in a major competition after an absence of 10 years.
The only thing we took pleasure/pride in so far was the quality of the singing by the Irish supporters at the last game (against Spain).
And some Irish people were even critical of that - saying that we shouldn't be singing after being beaten 4-0.
So in this post I will look back on happier times, before the competition started!
My son Andrew and I were lucky enough to be given tickets to see Ireland play Bosnia Herzegovina in the Aviva stadium on 26th May. It was Andrew's first time seeing the Irish national soccer team in action. It was a very enjoyable evening: we played well (especially in the second half) and we won 1-0. The goal was set up by Aiden McGeady (in my opinion, Ireland's most exciting player at the moment) and scored by Shane Long.
We even had great seats. Here is a shot of our view during the opening proceedings:
Monday, 19 March 2012
Meeting a hero: Sugar Ray Leonard in Dublin
I met of hero of mine on Friday.
On Friday morning I was in Eason's book-store in Dublin and I saw a sign saying that Sugar Ray Leonard would be signing his book that afternoon.
I was back at 5 PM and joined a long queue to meet the man who I believe was the best fighter I ever saw.
He was a fast, intelligent, skilful boxer and not afraid to play to the crowd (or play mind-games with his opponent). He had courage and determination. He had what fighters refer to as "heart".
After queueing for an hour I got him to sign my book and I got to shake his hand. He got on very well with everyone and seems to be real gentleman.
I've never been to a book signing before, and I never met a personal hero before. It was a great experience.
He appeared on the Late Late Show that evening. This was a surprise as he told one of the other guys who was getting the book signed that he wasn't and that he was heading home. Not sure if (a) it was a last minute thing or (b) Sugar Ray didn't know or (c) he thought he was supposed to keep the appearance secret. In any event, you can see the interview here.
Note: I looked though the official RTE recording of the programme (on "Player") and they have cut out the part with Sugar Ray. I'm sure there's an interesting story there!
The following evening he appeared on the Jonathan Ross show. Jonathan is a self-confessed boxing fan and described him as "the best boxer, pound for pound, of any boxer in the history of the sport". Obviously I would concur with that analysis. You can see it here.
Interestingly, although Tubridy knows a lot less than Ross about boxing, his interview provides much more insight into the man.
Sugar Ray's book is called "The Big Fight: My Autobiography"
On Friday morning I was in Eason's book-store in Dublin and I saw a sign saying that Sugar Ray Leonard would be signing his book that afternoon.
I was back at 5 PM and joined a long queue to meet the man who I believe was the best fighter I ever saw.
He was a fast, intelligent, skilful boxer and not afraid to play to the crowd (or play mind-games with his opponent). He had courage and determination. He had what fighters refer to as "heart".
After queueing for an hour I got him to sign my book and I got to shake his hand. He got on very well with everyone and seems to be real gentleman.
I've never been to a book signing before, and I never met a personal hero before. It was a great experience.
He appeared on the Late Late Show that evening. This was a surprise as he told one of the other guys who was getting the book signed that he wasn't and that he was heading home. Not sure if (a) it was a last minute thing or (b) Sugar Ray didn't know or (c) he thought he was supposed to keep the appearance secret. In any event, you can see the interview here.
Note: I looked though the official RTE recording of the programme (on "Player") and they have cut out the part with Sugar Ray. I'm sure there's an interesting story there!
The following evening he appeared on the Jonathan Ross show. Jonathan is a self-confessed boxing fan and described him as "the best boxer, pound for pound, of any boxer in the history of the sport". Obviously I would concur with that analysis. You can see it here.
Interestingly, although Tubridy knows a lot less than Ross about boxing, his interview provides much more insight into the man.
Sugar Ray's book is called "The Big Fight: My Autobiography"
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Sporting Heroes
Now that I am a blogger (well, after all, this is my third post!) I can’t let the opportunity pass to comment on the fantastic sporting events of last week.
On Saturday morning, Ireland had a historic victory over Australia in the Rugby World Cup. At half time the scores were 6-6 and we thought we were still in with a shot. But we completely dominated the second half and scored an additional 9 points while Australia scored nothing. Full time score: Ireland 15 Australia 6. What a fantastic victory. There was no doubt that the better team won on the day. And Tommy Bowe came oh so close to a phenomenal try right at the end which would have provided a fitting finish. As Brian O’Driscoll said after the game: “It was the performance we knew we had in us.”
Then on Sunday came the All Ireland Senior Football Final. Dublin hadn’t won for 16 years while Kerry had been taken the Sam Maguire in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009. Dublin played well in the first half and finished it one point in front. Kerry were stronger in the second half and with 7 minutes remaining were in the lead with 1-10 to 0-9. I couldn’t see them doing it at that stage but they scored a goal and 2 points to Kerry’s single point to put the two sides level And in the 3rd minute of injury time, goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton scored a point from a free to leave the final score at Dublin 1-12 to Kerry’s 1-11! It is difficult to imagine a more exciting conclusion to a match and to a championship!
What a fantastic weekend for the sporting underdog!!
On Saturday morning, Ireland had a historic victory over Australia in the Rugby World Cup. At half time the scores were 6-6 and we thought we were still in with a shot. But we completely dominated the second half and scored an additional 9 points while Australia scored nothing. Full time score: Ireland 15 Australia 6. What a fantastic victory. There was no doubt that the better team won on the day. And Tommy Bowe came oh so close to a phenomenal try right at the end which would have provided a fitting finish. As Brian O’Driscoll said after the game: “It was the performance we knew we had in us.”
Then on Sunday came the All Ireland Senior Football Final. Dublin hadn’t won for 16 years while Kerry had been taken the Sam Maguire in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009. Dublin played well in the first half and finished it one point in front. Kerry were stronger in the second half and with 7 minutes remaining were in the lead with 1-10 to 0-9. I couldn’t see them doing it at that stage but they scored a goal and 2 points to Kerry’s single point to put the two sides level And in the 3rd minute of injury time, goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton scored a point from a free to leave the final score at Dublin 1-12 to Kerry’s 1-11! It is difficult to imagine a more exciting conclusion to a match and to a championship!
What a fantastic weekend for the sporting underdog!!
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