Person: Colm Begley

Laois blow Longford away in clinical six-minute spell

Four goals in six minutes of devastation sent Longford packing and set Laois up for a Leinster quarter-final clash with bitter rivals Kildare.

Mon, 22 May, 2017

Tipperary stay on promotion trail

Tipperary 1-16 Laois 1-10: Their county board delegates may have gone against the football fraternity and helped the so-called All-Ireland Super 8 series become a reality, but Tipperary shrugged that disappointment aside with another eye-catching performance to keep their promotion hopes alive at O’Moore Park.

Mon, 27 Feb, 2017

Disputed penalty saves Meath

Laois 1-16 Meath 2-13: A controversial late penalty saw Meath advance on Saturday night in Stradbally to the O’Byrne Cup semi-finals at the expense of hosts Laois.

Mon, 16 Jan, 2017

2016's unsung sporting heroes

Everyone knows who the sports superstars were in 2016. But countless players, coaches and officials flew under the radar, failing to get the plaudits and praise their efforts deserve. Those on our list of unsung sports heroes may not have been in the national spotlight too often, but their accomplishments and contributions deserve to be remembered and saluted.

Fri, 06 Jan, 2017

GAA helpless against AFL poachers

This Thursday evening Castleknock play in their first senior football semi-final. Formed in 1998, they truly are the nouveau riche of Dublin GAA. Their story is a heartening one, their defiance to make their presence felt in west Dublin all the more impressive with the mammoth St Brigid’s for company.

Tue, 25 Oct, 2016

Roving Colm Begley back to boost Stradbally in Laois senior football finals

By the time Colm Begley was 21 he had already played in three Laois senior football finals with Stradbally.

Fri, 14 Oct, 2016

Clare revel in rain and stun Laois in stoppage time

Clare only led once in this qualifier, but they hit the front when it mattered most, landing a winner as the game slipped into stoppage time to crown a great weekend for the Banner County.

Mon, 11 Jul, 2016

Victor Stevenson's memorial is justice for Westbank Orphanage survivors

Why did the primary schools accept that the Westbank children all had the surname, ‘Mathers’? asks Victoria White

Thu, 26 May, 2016

O’Moore Park snub a travesty, rages Mick Lillis after Laois progress

Laois 3-16 Wicklow 0-18: It’s over six months since the Leinster Council decided that Dublin should begin the defence of their provincial crown in Kilkenny, but Laois manager Mick Lillis was still spitting blood about it on Saturday night after his side booked their place on the same bill.

Mon, 16 May, 2016

James Kielt rescues draw for Derry in injury time

Laois 1-22 Derry 5-10: Laois and Derry played out a dramatic draw in O’Moore Park yesterday as James Kielt’s injury-time point ensured a share of the spoils for the visitors.

Mon, 14 Mar, 2016

Mickey Harte not getting carried away with Tyrone start

Laois 0-14 Tyrone 1-14: Three wins from three now for Tyrone, but it isn’t as if Mickey Harte’s team have been affording him a comfortable ride.

Mon, 29 Feb, 2016

UCD find fitting way to honour Dave Billings’ memory

UCD 0-10 DCU 2-2: John Heslin is unsure if Saturday was his last outing in the UCD colours.

Mon, 22 Feb, 2016

Dublin City University v Athlone Institute of Technology - Independent.ie HE GAA Sigerson Cup 1st Round

Shane Carey grabs hat-trick as DCU run riot

DCU 6-14 Athlone IT 1-7: Monaghan’s Shane Carey fired a brilliant 3-6 as holders Dublin City University made a strong statement of their intention to capture back-to-back Sigerson Cup titles for the first time.

Wed, 27 Jan, 2016

Your Thursday lunchtime catch-up

BREAKING: The suspected mastermind of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a police raid, the Paris prosecutor said.

Thu, 19 Nov, 2015

Tadhg Kennelly: Lack of championship matches damaging GAA

Tadhg Kennelly is convinced Gaelic football will lose out further to rival sports if they don’t increase the number of championship matches.

Thu, 19 Nov, 2015

GAA players’ amateur ethos still baffling for Aussie Rules stars

Colm Begley says his former AFL team-mates still can’t believe senior Gaelic footballers aren’t paid to represent their counties.

Thu, 19 Nov, 2015

International Rules all about the money

Two days before last year’s International Rules test in Perth, Brendon Goddard was one of three Australia players made available for interview.

Tue, 17 Nov, 2015

County rivalry set aside as International Rules duty comes first for Ireland squad

Manager Joe Kernan plays down differences team-mates may have had with one another, writes John Fogarty.

Thu, 12 Nov, 2015

Time to put Dublin on the road, says Colm Begley

Laois’s Colm Begley believes Dublin would find life more difficult in the Leinster championship away from Croke Park.

Thu, 22 Oct, 2015

‘Scrutinise Protestant mother and baby homes’

Church of Ireland Bishop Paul Colton was so moved by the experience of a survivor of the Westbank orphanage that he has called for all Protestant homes to be included in the Mother and Baby Home investigation.

Tue, 13 Oct, 2015

Tomás Ó Flatharta focuses Laois for showdown with old rivals Kildare

As a Kerryman who has been manager of Westmeath and Galway, Tomás Ó Flatharta knows all about derbies.

Wed, 03 Jun, 2015

Ryan wants fans to start backing Lilies

Allianz FL Division 2

Mon, 30 Mar, 2015

DCU hero delighted to bring Sigerson medal to Tipp

Steven O’Brien joined a small and exclusive group on Saturday evening.

Mon, 23 Feb, 2015

The highs and Lowe of Sigerson Cup glory for DCU

DCU 1-14 UCC 2-10 (AET): Not for one minute had Tadgh Lowe stood between the posts in either the Higher Education league or O’Byrne Cup.

Mon, 23 Feb, 2015

UCD fury as Smith’s injury time goal a winner for DCU

Sigerson Cup semi-final

Sat, 21 Feb, 2015

John Divilly’s UCD face tough task to halt charge of DCU in Sigerson Cup

Sigerson Cup semi-finals DCU v UCD, Mardyke (R Hickey, Clare), 2pm

Fri, 20 Feb, 2015

DCU’s strength in depth proves decisive

Sigerson Cup: St Mary’s 0-11 DCU 1-11 (AET)

Thu, 12 Feb, 2015

Terms of reference for mother and baby homes inquiry are unacceptable

We, the undersigned, express serious reservations about the recently published draft terms of reference of the forthcoming southern Irish inquiry into mother and baby homes, and related matters.

Wed, 14 Jan, 2015

Innocent children abused at the Westbank Home and then abandoned by the State

I KNOW one of them fell off a train on his way home from school and two people have told me his shoe-laces were tied together. I know he never came back to school, and no-one ever mentioned him again, recalls Victoria White.

Thu, 27 Nov, 2014

Fighting Irish leave us wanting more

Australia 56 (0-17-5) Ireland 46 (2-9-7)

Mon, 24 Nov, 2014

Earley bemoans poor first quarter from Ireland

The result may have well and truly saved the International Series for the foreseeable future, but that will provide Ireland with cold comfort after they left it too late in Perth earlier today.

Sat, 22 Nov, 2014

Ireland’s kicking lets them down as Australia win the International Rules

Australia 56 Ireland 46

Sat, 22 Nov, 2014

O'Neill top scorer for Ireland

VFL Selection 27 (1-5-6) Ireland 100 (9-11-13)

Sun, 16 Nov, 2014

Veteran Hanley fired up for two big matches

There are those who reject the concept of International Rules and then there is Finian Hanley.

Fri, 14 Nov, 2014

15 Counties represented as Earley names International Rules Squad

Ireland manager Paul Earley has included players from 15 counties in his 25-man squad for next month’s International Rules test against Australia in Perth.

Tue, 28 Oct, 2014

Tipperary need late surge to see off Laois

Tipperary 3-17 Laois 4-9

Sat, 12 Jul, 2014

Cork unchanged, Breen returns for Limerick in Munster final

Cork manager Jimmy Barry Murphy has named an unchanged side for Sunday's Munster Hurling final clash with Limerick.

Fri, 11 Jul, 2014

Tierney the talisman for lucky Laois

Laois 0-18 Wexford 0-17

Mon, 07 Jul, 2014

Calls to include Protestant orphans in inquiry

Protestant children who were sent to the Westbank orphanage in Greystones, Co Wicklow, were not told that other residents were their brothers or sisters, mainly lived on baby food and were beaten with clothes hangers and electrical cables.

Sat, 05 Jul, 2014

Gavin against provincial structures being binned

Dublin have won eight of the last nine Leinster SFC titles and are an unbackable 1/7 to make that nine out of 10, but Jim Gavin believes existing provincial structures should not be dismantled in a bid to improve Gaelic football.

Wed, 04 Jun, 2014

Begley’s demotion in the past, says Laois boss

Laois manager Tomas Ó Flatharta insists the county has moved on from the mini-controversy that saw Colm Begley dropped from the squad to face Wicklow in the first round of the Leinster Championship.

Fri, 30 May, 2014

‘More in the tank’ as Munnelly lifts Laois

Laois 0-21 Wicklow 1-11

Mon, 19 May, 2014

Division 2 sees wins for Donegal, Down, Laois and Armagh

Donegal moved back to the top of Division 2 this afternoon as they defeated Monaghan 2-11 to 0-10 in a repeat of last year's Ulster final in Letterkenny.

Sun, 02 Mar, 2014

Ó Flatharta makes case for the defence

A realistic Tomás Ó Flatharta won’t overlook Laois’s defensive responsibilities in a rush to add an extra attacking dimension to their play this year.

Wed, 29 Jan, 2014