Organisation: Connacht

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

rugby

Connacht sign Ben O’Donnell and Abraham Papali’i

Ben O'Donnell, nicknamed 'BOD', was named Australian Sevens Player of the Year in 2018 and became the first Australian to be nominated for World Sevens Player of the Year.

rugby

Connacht sign Alex Wootton from Munster on season-long loan

Wootton will be bidding to recapture the heights of his breakthrough 2017-18 season, when he was a regular starter for Munster and finished the term as top-try-scorer on nine tries.

Sligo Rovers treasurer David Rowe said the club had been “railroaded” and “mugged from all sorts of sides”.

soccer

Decision made on League of Ireland but discontent continues

The National League Executive Committee (NLEC) yesterday announced that the SSE Airtricity League will resume on July 31 but will consist of just two rounds of fixtures for a total of 18 matches per club instead of the usual 36.

gaa

Lack of clarity on return to inter-county action leaves London in ‘limbo’

gaa

Own points and unfinished matches: The story of hurling championship games in December

rugby

New three-year Leinster deal sets scene for James Lowe's Ireland bow

Croke Park capacity will be just over 30,000 at best

Croke Park’s capacity is expected to be reduced to just over 30,000 so long as social distancing is in place, GAA director general Tom Ryan has confirmed.

Sat, 27 Jun, 2020

All-Ireland finals fixed for December as GAA fixture plan revealed

The All-Ireland senior hurling and football finals have been fixed for Sunday, December 13, and Saturday, December 19, respectively.

Fri, 26 Jun, 2020

Munster fans have to wait for first sight of star duo Snyman and De Allende

Supporters eager for a glimpse of World Cup winners RG Snyman and Damian de Allende in Munster training gear will have to be patient a little longer.

Tue, 23 Jun, 2020

Sportsman, guard, music lover: Who was Detective Garda Colm Horkan?

Detective Garda Colm Horkan was a music-loving sports fan who had a wide circle of friends in Mayo where he lived and Roscommon where he worked.

Thu, 18 Jun, 2020

PRO14 plan to finish season over four weekends

Rankings for European qualification next season have already been decided.

Thu, 18 Jun, 2020

IRFU expect some coronavirus cases once provinces return to training

The IRFU's chief medical officer is anticipating a “small number of Covid-19 cases” among the four provincial professional squads, their coaches, and support staff as they return to training in the coming weeks.

Wed, 17 Jun, 2020

Dave Curtis: The Irish international turned wine expert who made Zimbabwe home

Dave Curtis took the road less travelled on his journey from Zimbabwe to an Ireland jersey in the early 1990s and the return trip has been just as interesting and rewarding.

Fri, 12 Jun, 2020

Olympic hopefuls, footballers, and rugby pros given nod to return to training

Ireland's Olympic hopefuls are back in business.

Fri, 05 Jun, 2020

What the rest of the 2020 GAA season could look like

John Fogarty looks at how the rest of the GAA calendar will play out.

Fri, 05 Jun, 2020

Irish provinces enter three-week summer break hoping for PRO14 clarity

A Guinness PRO14 board meeting next week is hoped to provide guidance for the four Irish provinces when they are set to resume training at the end of their summer breaks.

Tue, 02 Jun, 2020

Niyi Adeolokun and Eoin McKeon among 12 players to exit Connacht

It means just five of their Pro12-winning starting team will still be at the province next season.

Fri, 29 May, 2020

The day Connacht announced they belong in the big time

It is telling to look back at Andrew Browne’s post-match quotes after Connacht had upset the odds in remarkable fashion at Murrayfield that sunny evening in Edinburgh, just how quickly the commitment had been in the westerners’ dressing room to drive on from the first piece of silverware in 131 years.

Thu, 28 May, 2020

Kieran Shannon: We know the GAA has more pressing worries, but...

As much as we’d come to associate this time of year with glorious hurling weekends magnified by the sport’s highly satisfying new format, we may have forgotten the soundtrack that usually accompanied football around now: the din of complaints and demands for a “new championship structure”.

Thu, 28 May, 2020

Munster prop Brian Scott forced to retire after 18-month injury battle

“I’m devastated to be finishing my career prematurely.”

Tue, 26 May, 2020

Campaign helps John Cooney to take setbacks in his stride

When Ireland’s Six Nations trip to Paris was called off as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Europe, John Cooney could not help but laugh.

Fri, 22 May, 2020

Damian de Allende settling into life in Limerick

Munster Rugby have confirmed that new signings Damian de Allende, RG Snyman, Matt Gallagher, and Roman Salanoa will join the province on July 1.

Tue, 19 May, 2020

Munster sign Salanoa as Arnold and Oliver exit for Connacht

Munster announced the signing of exciting young Leinster tighthead prop Roman Salanoa as Sammy Arnold and Conor Oliver's exits from the province were confirmed on Monday.

Mon, 18 May, 2020

Ten football tyros who would have shone brightly this summer

Had this been any other summer, the various provincial minor football championships would be in full flow.

Mon, 18 May, 2020

‘I was one of only about three players who knew the rules, the rest were footballers’

Having tried and failed to establish rugby in the Gaelic football heartland of north Galway since the 1920s, it must have seemed a tall order to expect anything different when another set of Tuam men embarked on the project in 1970.

Fri, 15 May, 2020

Kieran Marmion was left speechless by call that ended World Cup dream

Connacht scrum half Kieran Marmion says he was left stunned and speechless by a 60-second phone call with Joe Schmidt that ended his World Cup dreams.

Thu, 14 May, 2020

Picture Perfect: ‘There was this really warm embrace which lasted about 10 to 15 seconds’

James Crombie reveals his favourite sports picture.

Mon, 11 May, 2020

Munster GAA chief warns insurance could delay return to action

Munster chairman Liam Lenihan has raised concerns about insurance covering players returning to action.

Wed, 06 May, 2020

GAA has case to answer over season ticket, expert claims

Consumer rights expert Dermott Jewell has said the GAA has a case to answer after it changed season ticket terms and conditions last month without notifying holders .

Wed, 29 Apr, 2020

Break from action 'invaluable' for new Munster coaches — Murphy

Ireland’s lockdown could provide an upside for Munster’s new coaching team as the province prepares to return to action later this year.

Wed, 22 Apr, 2020

'I’ve had an absolute ball': RTÉ's Sean O’Rourke announces retirement

Broadcaster Sean O’Rourke has announced that he will retire as presenter of RTÉ Radio 1’s Today programme.

Tue, 21 Apr, 2020

Cullen: It’s important we are open-minded to the best solution

The paralysing uncertainty as to just when sport can emerge again from house arrest has brought all sorts of strange ideas into play. So it is that a scenario previously unthinkable, anathema even, is now being viewed as the best of a very bad lot.

Tue, 21 Apr, 2020

Connacht’s McCartney to hang up boots

Another member of Connacht’s victorious PRO12 squad is set to retire with hooker Tom McCartney about to bring the curtain down on six years at the Sportsground.

Tue, 07 Apr, 2020

Mayo’s indoor dome fit to host Eurovision

Ireland’s first indoor GAA pitch will be capable of hosting the Eurovision song contest if required when work on the structure in Co Mayo is finished this year.

Mon, 06 Apr, 2020

The Shape I'm In: Rugby player, Jack Carthy

Connacht rugby player Jack Carty: "We’re trying to keep morale high."

Sat, 28 Mar, 2020

Mentally tougher Jack Carty no longer searching for social approval

The Connacht and Ireland out-half made a timely appearance to talk about mental health during these disrupted times amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Thu, 26 Mar, 2020

Donal Lenihan: A win that changed the course of Irish rugby

A recent request for a personal auction item to benefit a most deserving cause found me checking the whereabouts of a unique Irish jersey. After a brief search, I found it.

Wed, 25 Mar, 2020

Rugby stars swap tackle bags for shopping bags

Their seasons have been brought to a halt but rugby clubs and players are turning their personal disappointment into positivity by reaching out to the communities around them.

Tue, 24 Mar, 2020

€500,000 boost for club rugby after season cancellation

The Irish Rugby Football Union is to make €500,000 available to its clubs in light of the Covid-19 crisis, the governing body announced on Tuesday evening.

Tue, 24 Mar, 2020

Rugby players in Ireland agree to pay deferral deal

The cost of cancellations and postponements in the Irish rugby calendar due to the coronavirus outbreak will now hit the pockets of those involved in the professional game

Fri, 20 Mar, 2020

PRO14 chiefs defend decision to suspend season

Guinness PRO14 chiefs last night decided to suspend the 2019-20 season indefinitely, with the cross-border league going as far as to cancel its grand final, which had been set to take place in Cardiff on June 20.

Fri, 20 Mar, 2020

PRO14 suspend season indefinitely and cancel grand final

Guinness PRO14 chiefs have decided to suspend the 2019/20 season indefinitely, the cross-border league going as far as to cancel its grand final, which was set to take place in Cardiff on June 20.

Thu, 19 Mar, 2020

No obvious path for rugby as PRO14 decision due

With sporting and cultural events scheduled well into the summer now being cancelled or postponed, it is all too clear that Irish rugby’s current shutdown is set to extend beyond the current March 29 cut-off.

Wed, 18 Mar, 2020

No training for Munster next week as IRFU considers standing down provinces

Ireland’s professional rugby players could be facing further disruption due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak with the IRFU considering standing the provinces down next week.

Fri, 13 Mar, 2020

Jack McGrath commits to Ulster for two more years

Jack McGrath has signed a two-year contract extension with Ulster, which will keep him at Kingspan Stadium until at least the summer of 2022.

Wed, 11 Mar, 2020

Postponements continue as problems mount for rugby chiefs

The spread of the Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc with sport, with Six Nations and Guinness PRO14 competitions once more affected.

Wed, 11 Mar, 2020

Brendan Bugler: St Flannan's victory as good a win as they will ever have

St Flannan’s progress to a semi-final meeting with Connacht champions St Raphael’s on Monday week.

Sat, 07 Mar, 2020

14-man St Flannan’s see off St Kieran’s to advance to All-Ireland semi-final

Fourteen-man St Flannan’s College survived a ferocious battle with St Kieran’s College in the All Ireland Post Primary Schools senior A hurling championship quarter-final at Mallow today.

Sat, 07 Mar, 2020

Galway minor Lee powers Athenry past Christians' challenge

The defeated Connacht finalists were four points ahead at half-time and in spite of playing into the teeth of a strong wind, maintained their dominance to the end.

Fri, 06 Mar, 2020

Battle for hurling glory begins in Kilmallock

The quest for All Ireland Post Primary Schools senior A hurling glory begins this weekend with the two quarter-finals of the Croke Cup down for decision.

Fri, 06 Mar, 2020

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