10 Irish Examiner writers reflect on the highs and lows of 2025 and look ahead to 2026
Heroes of 2025 (clockwise from top left): David Clifford, Troy Parrott, Jennifer Hughes and Aoife Donohue, Rory McIlroy, John McGrath and Kate O'Connor.Â
Rory McIlroy is not a choker. Considering what he had already achieved in his career, that always sounded slightly ridiculous. He did, however, look to have a faltering nerve. That was on display last April. So too were fortitude, heart and a heavy serving of pure sporting genius.
The many strands to the Kate OâConnor story are magnificent. What she did for her sport, what she did across the European Indoors, World Indoors, World University Games and World Championships, what she did alongside her coach and father, Michael.
Gaelic footballâs resurgence. The sense of a crowd captivated at games, the positive discourse that surrounded the sport, the violent lurches that meant no lead was safe and you could never look away. In terms of the components that we want, they were most on display when Derry drew with Galway in the group stages: High pressing, fielding, superb scores, contests, collisions and chaos.
Monaghanâs Aaron McKenna delivered a career-best victory in April as he floored former world champion Liam Smith. The unbeaten contender is now targeting a move up in weight and has spoken about a showdown with Hamzah Sheeraz at super-middleweight. His ambition has always been a world title shot in 2026.
The Republic of Ireland were never irrelevant. Even during some grim stretches, fans turned up. The public cared. There were tedious debates about development pathways and financial support. There was enough passion to make a tinderbox. It just needed a spark.
Irish sport has a proud history of shithousery. This year was exceptional in that regard. In reverse order: 5. The opposition player who mimicked an Antrim accent to abuse the referee and get the ball moved up 50m; 4. Rassie Erasmusâ thumbs up in the Aviva Stadium. He can be infuriating but that was objectively hilarious; 3. A moron disturbing McIlroyâs putt with the brainless: âF you Rory.â Shane Lowry then sinking a long eagle, pointing at said moron and roaring: âF*ck you.â Pitch perfect; 2. Jack OâConnorâs outburst after the Armagh triumph; 1. The Irish fan mimicking crying to a just-sent-off Cristano Ronaldo. Sublime.
In May, Ciara Mageean spoke passionately about the year since her European Championship gold and the heartbreak of a third successive Olympics ending in disappointment. Injury forced her withdrawal. She was determined to make up for it in LA and improve her Irish record. A month later, Mageean issued a statement to announce she had started treatment for cancer. It was felt profoundly unfair. For one of the most resilient athletes in Irish sport, her sole focus became healing. A nation wishes her well.
Pick any moment from the Munster hurling final and watch what how it enthralled a packed Gaelic Grounds. Look at how this game has players mauling each other, look at how it has management confronting each other, look at how it brings even referees to the point of exhaustion, look at a crowd struggling to look on for penalties, look at the red sea that swept the field afterwards, half flocking to the main stand and half underneath DĂłnal Ăg Cusack in the RTĂ corner. Look at what this damn pursuit can do to people.
In the final moments of the All-Ireland club IFC final, Crossmolina, trailing opponents Ballinderry by a point, were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time. County star Conor Loftus stepped up and scored it.
The scenes after the final whistle were remarkable. It was just over a fortnight after the tragic passing of Loftusâ partner, Roisin Cryan. He was surrounded by his teammates for a moment before making his way off the Croke Park field and into the dressing room.
McIlroyâs final walk-off. The CBS version. Not every moment needs a dramatic soundtrack or overwrought script. It was almost seven minutes of no commentary and it was the best piece of sporting broadcasting all year. The moment spoke for itself.
You wonât hear much in 2026 about Kerry lacking depth at midfield. They started the All-Ireland final with Sean OâBrien and Mark OâShea, what would have been considered their number four and five options at the beginning of the season. When Diarmuid OâConnor and Barry Dan OâSullivan return to full fitness, Jack OâConnor will have the good type of selection headache.
Caitriona Jennings. In her first race over the distance, the 45-year-old from Donegal broke the 100-mile world record by five minutes at the Tunnel Hill 100 Mile in November. A couple of days later, she was back at work in Dublin. The commitment of GAA players is so often rightly highlighted but they are not the only amateurs putting in the work.
âŻThe 15 minutes during the second half of the All-Ireland quarter-final against Armagh when Kerry scored 14 consecutive points. It had seemed during the summer, and in the game itself, that Kerryâs chances of winning Sam Maguire were about to fizzle out. It was an exhilarating show of defiance.
John Shortt. The 18-year-old from Galway spent the year smashing Irish records and claiming medals. He won two golds and a bronze at the World Junior Swimming Championships during the summer. He recently added 200m backstroke gold at the European (25m) Championships. The European (50m) Championships are in Paris during the summer, and the World (25m) Championships in Beijing. Youâll be hearing a lot more about him.
âŻIn terms of Irish 800m running, the build-up to the World Championships was all about Mark English, but Cian McPhillips ended up taking centre stage. English hit the form of his life earlier this year, breaking the Irish record on multiple occasions. McPhillips not only ended the championships as Irish record holder but also came agonisingly close to winning a medal.
Damien Duff watching Shelbourne play Bohemians from a grassy knoll overlooking Dalymount Park while serving a touchline ban. Heâd brought a chair that looked like it came from his living room, and perched his laptop on it. The photos went worldwide. Duff said he was more mortified for the league than for himself. Unfortunately for the league, he was gone from it a month later.
âŻCiara Mageean announcing in July that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Not just one of the most likable Irish sports stars ever but also one of our most talented. Weâd felt all those ups and downs from the European gold to narrowly missing out on a world medal. This moment hit like a train.
âŻIn September, Conor Bartley stepped off the bench to play 17 minutes for Munster against the Scarlets. It was a special moment on an incredible journey. Heâd spent 10 years playing in the AIL for Young Munster before getting a surprise call from Thomond Park, at the age of 29, in late 2024. There were injury problems in between but with persistence, dreams can come true.
âŻTony Brosnanâs brother Stephen, born with Down Syndrome, being in the middle of the Kerry celebrations as they paraded the Sam Maguire in front of Hill 16. Joe OâConnor held him in the air as Stephen lifted the cup and the players went crazy. As the father of a child with Down Syndrome, it was beautiful to see him included.
Has to be Troy Parrottâs winner against Hungary. The moment that held everyoneâs attention for days. We watched every angle, every possible commentary and still struggled to understand how he guided it to the net. Berghain by Rosalia is song. It hits you with that same sense of exhilaration you felt when the ball went in.
The absolute requirement for change in ladies football. It is hard to imagine that only a few short years ago ladies football and its almost fluid innocence was held up as the envy of the menâs game. 2025, though, was the year of a revitalised menâs game and a hard-watch womenâs campaign. The recent announcement of widespread rule changes in ladies football, including increased physicality and removal of the in-vogue blanket defence, was most timely.âŻâŻÂ
While they continued collecting medals on the water, my pick of Fintan McCarthy, Mags Cremen, and TiarnĂĄn OâDonnell is tied to the bravery, honesty, and vulnerability each showed when opening up on their respective personal struggles in conversation with the Irish Examiner. Mags, in particular, is to be commended for stepping out of her comfort zone to bring attention to a most undiscussed issue, that being the dangerous and harmful habits male and female athletes can fall into when their sport demands they hit a certain number on the weighing scales in order to compete.âŻâŻâŻâŻÂ
Since mid-July, myself and Julia White (close friend to me, six-time All-Ireland camogie winner with Cork to you) have been meeting every Tuesday morning on Court 1 at Monkstown tennis club. Few items in the weekly diary carry as much enjoyment or sweat. Thus far, the Galway racket has just about been shading this ever-increasing rivalry. Hereâs to maintenance of such in 2026.âŻâŻÂ
How about a return to stardom for the Limerick hurlers. The âcalming mother figureâ that is Caroline Currid is back on board after two seasons away. Given their June exit, John Kiely has never had such time to plan - and plan meticulously - for the following yearâs assault. You reckon theyâll need at least two of the group in their early 20s to have a season similar to Adam Englishâs breakout 2025 campaign. The Liam MacCarthy field of genuine contenders is actually quite small when you parse through them all, so why not a successful last dance for Limerick in â26?
Easy - the Galway senior camogie team. Cork, as we all know, were firm favourites for a rare three-in-a-row of All-Ireland crowns. That consensus hardened when Cork inflicted a double-digit hammering on their sole rival in Aprilâs League decider.⯠On August 10, and in the countiesâ third final meeting in five years, Galway brought a physicality, robustness, and unashamed in-your-face hostility that unnerved and undid Corkâs latest three-in-a-row charge. Add in the inaugural U23 crown, also achieved at Corkâs expense, and there was a definite shift at the top of camogieâs pecking order.âŻâŻÂ
Definitely not funny, definitely filed under âweird, most unusualâ. John Shorttâs bid to defend his European Junior 200m backstroke title was charting a successful course at the halfway mark. But in the raceâs third leg, Shortt drifted to the side, repeatedly smashed his arm off the lane rope, lost balance, and ended up a distant third. It had the potential to define his year.
Two days later, Shortt rebounded to win 100m backstroke gold. The following month, he won double gold - 100m and 200m - at the World Junior Championships. He rounded out 2025 in sensational style with a World Junior record when first to the wall at the European senior short-course championships.âŻâŻâŻÂ
Staying local with this one. Eoin Moloney and Conor Lehane were Midletonâs two outstanding performers on the road to Octoberâs Cork hurling final. Rotten luck meant neither got to feature in said county final.⯠Moloney ruptured his Achilles at the end of the extra-time semi-final win over Blackrock. In the process, his inevitable Cork call-up under new manager Ben OâConnor cruelly perished. An Achilles problem also denied Lehane final involvement. The pair watched from the sideline as the depleted Magpies came up a distant second of Sars.âŻÂ
A WhatsApp group of five lads inquiring amongst each other, âhow many seconds does 34 points equate to in the womenâs 800m pentathlon?â 34 points was the gap Kate OâConnor had to wipe out in order to pip Britainâs Jade OâDowda to European Indoor bronze back in March. There were many more WhatsApp conversations in the months after calculating what brilliance Kate needed to magic up in order to collect further medals, many more conversations marvelling at her big-day temperament.âŻâŻâŻâŻÂ
On the eve of last monthâs All-Ireland camogie club final, Athenryâs Jessica Gill told this newspaper how the decider fell on the same day as her late dad Mickeyâs 70th birthday. Jessica's parents split when she was 10. Mickey was the only other family member with an interest in Gaelic games. He was her No.1 supporter until his premature passing two years ago. Gill was involved in the 74thâŻminute equaliser that completed Athenryâs late comeback from a position of six down. Standing on the Hogan Stand sideline with her two sons afterwards for a photo, she remarked that the birthday boy was looking down from above.
Troy Parrottâs toe-poke, obviously. Zero marks for originality here. Then again, sometimes the most obvious choice is the one to plump for. As for accompanying music, letâs go with Olivia Deanâs Man I Need.
That Willie Mullins is a training genius. OK, not many were disputing it before, but there were pockets of racing fans whoâd point to the financial might behind him who suspected other trainers might prove just as successful with that kind of artillery. But in 2025, it felt like any doubters had to fully concede: Mullins was champion trainer in both Britain and Ireland; heâd 10 winners at the Cheltenham Festival; he won a third Grand National; and capped it all with a win at the Breedersâ Cup. Case closed.
Kate OâConnor. She won four medals from four championships, rising above her previous best continuously. Throughout it all, she showed a rare, enviable quality of being utterly bankable in the big moments, despite contesting an event thatâs so prone to errors or underperformances. But even when the pressure was greatest, even when she was carrying an injury, she just produced â again and again.
The 36-minute period in March when Mark English, Sarah Healy and Kate OâConnor all won European Indoor medals. Championships are a whole lot more fun to cover when the Irish do well, and Iâve been at plenty where they never landed a blow. But having followed that trio to various places over the years, to see them all rise to the occasion on the same day, and to actually get paid to write about it, was a reminder of why I never got a real job.
Cian McPhillips. His quiet, unassuming nature doesnât lend itself to stardom, but his performances in Tokyo this year â winning his heat and semi-final and smashing the Irish 800m record to finish fourth â indicated an ability that could see him explode in 2025. He said recently that heâs âway aheadâ of where he was in training this time last year. Watch this space.
The Republic of Ireland football team. They havenât done much yet, obviously, but they did prove that nothing else â no athlete or boxer or GAA team or rugby team â can grab the whole country by its ear and make it care so deeply and widely about a sporting outcome. If they somehow make the big dance, those games in the US/Mexico will register with a bigger impact than anything in Irish sport since the 2002 World Cup.
When the fan at the Ryder Cup told Rory McIlroy âthat bunkerâs looking tastyâ as he prepared his approach shot. There were many obnoxious, insulting heckles that weekend, but that was an objectively hilarious line to say to a golfer as he lined up a shot. And McIlroyâs response was even better. âGuys, shut the f*** up.â To absolutely nail the shot just made the moment all the better.
Mark English sitting in the âhot seatâ after his world 800m semi-final, watching on as he lost not just a place in the final but his Irish record as Cian McPhillips powered to victory in the next semi. English got drawn alongside two Olympic medallists in a race that went out slow, meaning third place wasnât enough to advance. McPhillips got an easier draw and made full use of it. Switch them around and the fates could have been reversed. Thatâs the luck of the draw, but it was cruel luck for English.
What else would we do with our lives, dearest invader? Shopping? Give me the captivating chaos of the 2025 Champion Hurdle: Constitution Hill falling at the top of the hill, State Man crashing out at the last, and the third biggie â Brighterdaysahead â being unable to capitalise. A 25/1 winner beats a 66/1 runner-up with a 150/1 shot third. Unscripted, unpredictable, and yet all so brilliantly real.
Not long after Sarah Healy won European Indoor 3000m gold, she met her parents alongside the mixed zone and clasped them both in a giant, tears-of-joy hug. Theyâd been there, trackside, just as devastated as she was when it had all gone wrong at several previous championships. That made it all the sweeter, and more moving, when it so beautifully clicked.
Rory McIlroy sinking the putt to win the Masters, with that giant key change in Celine Dionâs âMy Heart Will Go Onâ occurring right as his ball drops into the hole and he drops to his knees in tears. Sign me up for all of that schmaltz.
âŻDebunking the myth that Ireland doesn't have the players to compete for major tournament qualification. If Wales could reach the 2022 World Cup and Scotland the 2024 Euros, then Ireland were well capable of replicating. It took emerging from the depths of Armenia to the peak of Hungary but Heimir HallgrĂmssonâs side are within two playoff games in March of a first World Cup since 2002. Ireland possess talent. All they lacked was managerial nous and self-belief.
Troy Parrott deserves to be on the tip of the tongue but Pico Lopes shades it. Parrott is only 23 whereas Lopes is 10 years his senior and took a later and circuitous route to reach his World Cup platform. His domestic success â captaining a Shamrock Rovers side with five titles in six years and counting â is admirable but how the Dubliner declared for Cape Verde at the age of 28 and is US-bound next summer is fairytale stuff.
PuskĂĄs Arena, Sunday, November 16 at 5.05pm local time. Covering the Irish menâs team can be a slog, full of false hope and questionable calls, but that all vanished deep into stoppage time when Troy Parrottâs outstretched toe guided the ball past Hungaryâs stranded goalkeeper DĂ©nes Dibusz. An epic 66 hours for the Irish football team that began by beating the Portuguese, minus a red-carded Cristiano Ronaldo by the end, reached a crescendo for the ages.
No spring chicken like Luke Littler, given he turns 40 in July, but Limerickâs William OâConnor is sashaying his way into the reckoning of a competitive World darts field. The man from Cappamore only last week hit the highest average (102.36) of any contestant among the expanded first round series at the Ally Pally. Facing three-time champion Michael van GerwenâŻnext was daunting but he was one dart from taking the first set, before eventually bowing out 3-1.
Kate OâConnor. Hardly a bolter but mastering the multi-event heptathlon, where one slippage across seven different events can be fatal, is an endurance test. OâConnor made steady improvements on 2024, collecting the bronze at the European indoors and silver at the world equivalent. Moreover, she withstood a host of rivals and a niggling knee injury at the Tokyo-hosted Worlds to also visit the podium. Her silver was the sole medal for the Irish at the games.
Watching the Munster hurling crown being decided by penalties was certainly weird.⯠Hurling produces sufficient excitement to be spared dreaded shootouts but the condensed schedule led to what critics derided as an appalling vista. All 43,580 fans inside the Gaelic Grounds werenât complaining at extra-time and penalty pucks to settle the outcome. Drama was franked by history as Limerick were denied a seventh provincial title on the trot by Cork â Patrick Collins the shootout hero.
Promising Cork City playmaker Cathal OâSullivan sustaining his second ACL rupture by 18, scuppering any looming UK transfer, didnât correlate with fairness but the standout saddest moment was the passing of Ollie Horgan in August.
He was just 57 and had long attained legendary status in the League of Ireland for his eight-year term in charge of Finn Harps and subsequent term as John Caulfieldâs Galway United assistant. Above all, he was a ceaseless influence on his players and a family man to the core.
âŻEven an extraterrestrial would need a heart of stone to be unmoved by the various joyous glimpses delivered by Rory McIlroy on the golf course. There was the Ryder Cup triumph for Europe, the elusive Masters finally completing his Grand Slam, but the memorable sight was of father and son, LenâŻand CallumâŻHall,âŻcelebrating his 72nd-hole eagle putt at the K-Club to earn the ultimately successful playoff for the Irish Open. Sport unifies humankind, familiar or otherwise.
âŻItâs probably the only GAA tweet Iâve actively engaged with but I was one of 3,600 X users to repost Eamonn Maguireâs footage of David Cliffordâs sublime two-pointer on the stroke of the All-Ireland final interval.
For those like this writer not in Croke Park, the angle from the stand illustrated the sheer dexterity of Clifford to hug the sideline for a minute during the build-up before dashing inside to leave Brendan McCole in his wake and hoist a massively telling two-pointer.
âŻOnly one winner here, without bias too. To paraphrase the late great bard Con Houlihan: "I missed the Troy Parrott frenzy - I was in Budapest at the time." Parrottâs 96th-minute winner would be bereft without the scenes of delirium back in Ireland; hence the various clips from bars and parties, including the Dublin Airport instalment, are essential to intersperse with the magic moment. Accompanying music? Considering Oasis made their comeback within 600 metres of Parrottâs family house, letâs go with Masterplan.
Shorts v skorts. It needed a player protest and a âSpecial Congressâ (and 98% vote) for the Camogie Association to finally listen to its players but the divided skirts that have so long, er, divided opinion, are no longer compulsory. Players can now wear shorts OR skorts, common sense finally ruled, no one was scandalised and the All-Ireland final was still a one-point thriller with Aoife Donohue and Galway reigning supreme. Result!
Kate OâConnor. For an Irish athlete to win a world silver medal in multi-eventing and win medals in all four of her major championships this year was beyond belief at times. There is no Irish athlete, in any other sport, with the same versatility and application. To do it while home-based and home-coached makes it even more remarkable and her achievements in 2025 erased every imagined barrier for Irish youngsters hoping to follow her in either track or field. Truly mnĂĄsome.
See above, particularly OâConnorâs 800m run to secure bronze at the European Indoors. That first medal was not only a game-changer for her self-belief but visible proof of her incredible mental fortitude which was reiterated in Tokyo when she produced five personal bests in seven events â and another PB in the 800m despite nursing an injury. The Dundalk superstar is physically brilliant but itâs her mental strength that makes her a serious medal prospect for LA 2028.
John Shortt (18). Galwayâs double world junior backstroke champion in 2025, looks set to make even bigger waves in 2026 after winning the European 200m short-course title in December. That was his first senior international medal and he won it with a new world junior record time of 1:47.89. Watch too for Emma Hickey, a remarkable talent from New Ross (United Striders AC) who, aged 16, won bronze in the U20 race at this yearâs European Cross Country Championships.
Kerry footballer Joe OâConnor. Hard to be an overnight sensation at the age of 26 but OâConnor gave new life to the art of high catching and restored a dominant midfield to the All-Ireland champions. Also gave total main character energy and skill in the All-Ireland final. A deserved All-Star.
Funniest was the flying herd of deer (and accompanying soundtrack) that nearly took out a bunch of quality runners just nine miles into this yearâs Dublin Marathon - check it out on Olympian @colingriffinâs Insta/TikTok. Weirdest was Jake Paulâs âyou know who I areâ weigh-in rant before the Joshua âfightâ⊠correcting the theory that professional boxingâs reputation canât go any lower.
RĂșben Neves headed goal which snatched victory from the jaws of a draw for Portugal in that World Cup qualifier. Given the quality of Irelandâs defence for so long that night AND Caoimhinn Kelleherâs mind-boggling trailing leg penalty save from Ronaldo, it felt like the cruellest of blows. Rarely think a team âdeserves a drawâ but felt like Ireland did that night.
Just show a montage of those OTT Irish fansâ reaction to the final goal of Troy Parrottâs hat-trick versus Hungary, including pubs, airports and households across the world. No explainer needed to underline the power of sport to unify and give joy and a lift to a nation.
Claire Meliaâs role in helping giant-killing Spanish team Baxi Ferrol to a European (second-tier) basketball cup final, particularly her performance in the first leg of their victory over Lyon. The Kildare star not only scored 27 points but, defensively, kept French superstar Dominque Malonga out of the game. Malonga was subsequently drafted second overall by Seattle Storm in the WNBA draft and made the WNBA Rookie Team of the Year. Meliaâs performance that night was jaw-dropping.
Rory McIlroy collapsing to his knees after finally conquering the Masters to the sound of Van Morrisonâs âDays Like Thisâ. Written by another Ulsterman who is equally unique, virtually every line of it could have been custom-written for the occasion, not least that âold Judas kissâ one. Everyone who watched it will identify with âwhen no one steps on my dreams, there'll be days like this.âÂ
Warning: this list is going to be unashamedly Rory McIlroy-influenced. On Palm Sunday, he added the omega to his alpha of 14 years ago when he claimed his first Major, the US Open. Statistically, Scottie Scheffler had the better season on the PGA Tour but nobody made more of an impression on golf this year than McIlroy. He has unquestionably confirmed himself as Irelandâs greatest sportsperson.
McIlroy. Itâs often been said that so much of his popularity is founded in how erudite, open and human he is. If he hasnât been welling up in tears, heâs tearing up polo shirts. The man has mastered a game that frustrates the living bejaysus out of so many of us but boy has it exasperated him too. Seve Ballesteros is still revered because he entertained as well as triumphed. McIlroy is of the same ilk. He toggles between the majestic and the mire.
April 25. High-tailed it (legally, of course) up the M9 from the Waterford-Clare Munster SHC game in Walsh Park to work in The Lord Bagenal Inn and watch Liverpool win the Premier League. Nothing can take away from the previous 2020 triumph but an audience sure frames an achievement. Game-wise, the Down-Galway All-Ireland SFC clash in Newry was an immense affair and demonstrated the potential of footballâs new rules.
OisĂn OâDonoghue. That may sound trite for a chap who scored three goals in the championship but despite his size he remains a chap â he doesnât turn 20 until next year. The dexterity and power he showed to score that goal against Kilkenny was phenomenal. Watch back his goal in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Galway and how quickly he snapped his shot to evade two defenders. He also scored 1-18 across Tipperaryâs successful U20 campaign.
Wild horses will have to stop Shane Lowry from playing in Adare Manor next year, but he will again probably play no more than three times. Thatâs beside the point as is his 50% record in the Ryder Cup and having yet to win a singles match. In Bethpage in September, Europe were in danger of bleeding out, but he stayed in his game to secure the cup. That Tadhg Furlong-like jig to follow his birdie on 18 will live long in the memory.
Nothing funny about it but what happened to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final was certainly one of the strangest. As a minor in 2013, Limerickâs Barry Nash had a point wrongly turned down by HawkEye. Here, Noel McGrath was wrongly awarded a 70th-minute point and it misdirected Kilkennyâs approach to the end game. A major error and for a brief period after the game the scoreline stood until it was changed and a statement followed.
Stretching the parameters a little here but Diogo Jotaâs tragic passing on July 3. The 28-year-old was married 11 days. He had been crowned a champion a matter of weeks. Cruel wasnât, isnât, wonât be the word.
Beam them down to Budapestâs Ferenc PuskĂĄs Stadium on November 16. The team in white must put the ball in the net at least once more than the team in red but with time almost gone the team in white are still a score short. Troy Parrott arrives. Troy Parrott pounces. Troy Parrott delivers. Cue poetic pandemonium. The team in white win.
You would have to be a stone not to have felt for Conor Loftus as he won Crossmolina an All-Ireland intermediate football title a couple of weeks following the passing of his fiancĂ©e RoisĂn. Tipperary commentator and journalist Stephen Gleeson lost his father Anthony after a short illness in March. Gleeson called several of his clubâs Upperchurch-Drombaneâs victories this year, including the Munster IHC final. They were undoubtedly emotional moments for him but his professional dispassion never broke and made his coverage even more impressive.
McIlroyâs winning putt in the play-off against Justin Rose. His sobbing relief as he falls to the ground for support and genuflection as he finally conquers his Everest. The crescendo of The Stone Rosesâ I Am the Resurrection. Sport sure can be sweet.
Not sure it was quite settled because too many of us are still bandwagoners, but the sense that a fickle and illogically demanding Irish public had finally turned its arse to the demoralising national football team was fairly (if only temporarily) torpedoed by the legends of the fall. It will be intriguing to see the fallout if we fail in the play-offs. As we may well do.
David Clifford. No more than McIlroy on the world stage, the pressure in these parts on DC to deliver in the big moments is relentless, surely suffocating. And far beyond reasonable. But he prevails again and again for Kerry. That last point in the All-Ireland final off his right side after blasting past a couple of flailing Donegal limbs was some exclamation mark on the final and the year. Seriously in GOAT territory now.
It could be Declan Rice against Real Madrid, itâs easier to hook into the Troy mania, but Rory McIlroyâs comeback, ballsy final round five-iron draw around the trees on the par 5 15th at the Masters as the walls were closing in was the personification of Rollercoaster Rory.
And, of course, he missed the eagle putt.
Will Cork get the Ben bounce? I know not the Newtown man any more than the next fella but his short pre-season dalliance with coach Niall OâHalloran underscores the sense that OâConnor is a laser-visioned doer who doesnât beat around the bush. I saw enough of his interviews as Cork U20 manager to see that much. It will be Benâs way or no way. Calls it straighter than a Hoggy howitzer. Ambivalence by-pass, which is no bad thing.
Got this far without stating the Parrott obvious, so letâs keep going. I didnât think it was going to work for Liam Cahill with Tipp. Thought there was just too little patience in Tipp and too much untidiness around the gaff for him to straighten before the mob started baying. Then there were unfortunate/frustrating red card setbacks, but Cahill held his course and cosied it all back in time for July â with Darragh McCarthy the tip of the Premier spear.
Conor Mooreâs three-minute take-off of Jim Gavin explaining Gaelic footballâs new rules to Ger Loughnane, Joe Brolly and Des Cahill. Look it up on social media. Often do when I need a bit of a lift. âWhat sort of left wing woke muck is this? Oh sweet suffering Jaysus the game is gone, says Loughnane. âWhatâs with the glasses? Theyâre fucking huge.â A hoot.
Ger Loughnane & @JoeBrolly1993 grill Jim Gavin on the new rules! âïž đ pic.twitter.com/x3JyOapccs
— Conor Moore (@ConorSketches) January 31, 2025
ir.
Fair schmair. âFairâ is like âdeservedâ in sport. Ask Mayo. Take the weight off there while we plough on. Sadly, the booze-fuelled embarrassment of MAGA at Bethpage found its nadir on Saturday at dawn when comedian Heather McMahan, the mouthy MC at the 1st tee, warmed up the Yanks with âFuck you Roryâ. McMahan would apologise and pass on the mic. You stay classy, now.
Hard to do the ring road around Budapest any longer. McIlroy at Augusta was about relief â thank Christ thatâs done - Parrott was more about the shrill shock of it all, that one last-gasp toss into the mixer could produce a few minutes of blissful nirvana. Minutes? Yes â everyone waited for the post-match pitch-side interview and neither Troy or RTĂâs TOD disappointed. Only a dead man wouldnât be moved by that. âI love where Iâm fromâ.
In this gig you develop text and WhatsApp relationships with a host of players and managers who might otherwise say zilch with a mic in their way. Trust builds and you get a small sense of their real selves. It helps frame the outline. At a human level I felt desperately sorry for manager Pat Ryan that Cork didnât close the deal in July. He always employed the Kipling maxim on wins and losses. âYouâre impressively normal,â I messaged him after it all. âItâs a handy trait to have.âÂ
Itâs been a bountiful year of Irish moments from Rory to Troy, from Tipp to Kate, from Clifford to Katie, but how about this Irish influence on the Ryder Cup? Shane Lowry up the last â bring him up the 18th, his colleagues implored the Clara man â and that six-foot birdie and the buck-lepping half-point with Russell Henley that secured the Cup and made America groan again (MAGA?). All to the sound of Dexyâs Midnight Runnersâ Come on Eileen.
Is Rory a bottler or a champion? This year, golfâs Sisyphus finally got the boulder to the top of the hill, and he did it his way â not just flirting with disaster but taking it out to dinner and introducing it to his parents. Irelandâs greatest ever sportsperson? Maybe that debate is settled as well.
Kate OâConnor, take a bow. Maybe itâs because Daley Thompson was on all the breakfast cereal boxes when I was a kid, but Iâve always felt the multi-event athletes were the big bosses of the athletics world. Medals in all four of the major championships she entered â for me, she is the true meaning of high performance, not smug blokes on podcasts bleating on about 4am Hyrox sessions.
Troy Parrott in Budapest. Its long-term significance isn't clear yet but as a pure 'high', that toe-poke in the sixth minute of injury time canât be beat. The moment that gave us back our soccer team, gave us hope and showed a whole new generation what all the fuss is about. All the better because four days previously, the team were in the dustbin of the national consciousness.
The Irish rugby team is badly in need of an infusion of fresh blood to regain the momentum lost since the 2023 World Cup. If either Edwin Edogbo or Brian Gleeson â or preferably both â can stay fit in 2026 they could be the catalyst to get the team moving for 2027. Gleeson has been poised for great things since his Ireland U20 breakthrough, and every great Irish pack needs a marauding Munster man.
In January, PSG were scrapping to stay in the Champions League. By seasonâs end they were champions, after a dazzling run that culminated in the breathtaking destruction of Inter Milan in the final. Affection for Luis Enriqueâs team is limited because of how they are funded, but the Spaniardâs feat in turning PSG from fancy dan flops into high octane thrill machine merits all the grudging praise it gets.
There is nothing funny about the stomach-churning dance that Gianni Infantino has performed to please the sun god in the White House. But the World Cup draw in Washington this month was certainly weird, and as the Village People parped out YMCA and the camera cut to the dancing Donald Trump, it was hard not to let out a hollow, queasy laugh.
CorkâŻhurlers ainât getting no sympathy from anyone because, well, itâs Cork, stupid. But the sight of Pat Ryan and his management team watching on from the shore as the great unsinkable vessel plunged into the deep had a tragic quality to it. They stood in congress but were powerless to act as everything that could go wrong for them did. In the grand Sam Allardyce tradition, Liam Cahill âout-tactickedâ Ryan that day, but Cork got no luck.
5.
Back to Budapest. So, human of the planet Earth, this unforgettable moment you speak of? Did it mean your people became almighty rulers of your small, silly planet? No? Did it allow you to go forth to the great planetary contest to decide the rulers of your small silly planet? Not that either? What? It meant that you have a slight chance to go forth to this great planetary contest? This is a very strange and silly planet indeed.
No one knew how the death of Diogo Jota would impact on his teammates and it seemed wrong to speculate. Then Andy Robertson spoke on the night Scotland qualified for the World Cup and talked about how his friend was with him that day, in the solitude of his hotel room, in the hours before the Hampden Park showdown. He relived their dreamy conversations about someday being at a World Cup together. The juxtaposition of joy and grief stopped you dead.
Rory sinking to his knees at Augusta might be the moment that posterity grants most significance but sorry, itâs Troy again, just because of the cinematic quality of the super slomo footage and what it meant for the downtrodden, the written-off and the derided. Killeagh by Kishfishr was the sporting song of the year, so maybe they would do a special version, but keep the bit about âthe green and the white I adoreâ.
Irelandâs greatest sportsperson. Rory McIlroy had probably done enough to top the debate prior to events in Augusta, but the Grand Slam just cemented his standing as the best star to ever emerge from here. The Ryder Cup was a nice exclamation point on the season for the Holywood man, and the coming years will just be about further enhancing his reputation given he has essentially completed the sport.
Kate OâConnorâs achievements over the last 12 months were spectacular and while tracking her progress at the Worlds in particular, it was hard not to just be overwhelmed by the sheer skill required to be a world class heptathlete. PB after PB fell over the two days â five in all for the Dundalk athlete â and the silver was well deserved. Very interesting person to listen to in interviews as well, never afraid to set lofty targets.
Itâs back to Augusta for me. For years and years, Sunday nights in my home house were spent watching Rory McIlroy for hours with my father Desy. My father doesnât curse much, but over the years thereâs been a fair few expletives thrown in frustration as McIlroy came unstuck on major weekends. All worth it â play-off and all â for that golden moment as he sank that putt to set off the waterworks.
Watching the Republic of Irelandâs strange behind-closed-doors game with Hungary recently, it was clear once again just how talented Abbie Larkin truly is as her hot streak with Carla Wardâs side continued. Larkin moved out of her teens in 2025 and already has a serious amount of experience under her belt despite her young age. She is starting to impress for Crystal Palace in WSL2 and a move to the top English division in 2026 wouldnât be a shock.
Hands up who had Tipperary lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2025? Hands up who had Tipperary lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup after trailing by six points to Cork at the break? Hands up who had Tipperary lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup with a 15-point winning margin? If your hand is up, youâre a fibber.
The GAAâs Football Review Committee brought in sweeping changings, and some of those were there to guard referees with harsher penalties in place â notably a 50-metre penalty for dissent. In an early season challenge match, Antrim gave away a free and a Belfast accent questioned the refereeâs decision. The ball was marched forward, much to the bewilderment of those in Saffron as the perpetrator was an opponent who seemingly was able to produce a nordie twang at the drop of a hat.âŻÂ
Liverpoolâs pre-season clash with Preston proved an incredibly emotional occasion as fans paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva following their deaths just a few days earlier. Just weeks beforehand, Jota and the Liverpool players were on a bus parade through the city with the Premier League trophy, and now many of those same players were in tears as the travelling Reds blasted out the playerâs chant.⯠âŻ
Take that spaceship and head to Dublin airport at 4.02pm on November 16. The scenes that greeted Troy Parrottâs winner there, with luggage being abandoned all over the place as the celebrations took hold, were a reminder of the hold the Irish menâs team in particular can have on our social fabric.
One of the best sporting pictures of the year came after the Tipperary football final. Clonmel goalkeeper Shane Ryan, son of the late Tipp boss Philly who died suddenly in October, was obviously emotional at the full-time whistle seeing as it came a few weeks after his fatherâs funeral. Even in the pain of defeat, Kilsheelan-Kilcash's Emmet Butler went up to him to show his support. A lovely touch caught on camera by Michael P Ryan.
There can only be one scene, Troy Parrottâs unforgettable winner in Budapest. For the song, letâs go with Stayinâ Alive by the Bee Gees.
After all the one-handed flicked goals in hurling last year, will we ever again hear it delivered with the same anger and certainty, that age-old refrain - "two hands lads, two effing hands on the hurley"?
Clubmate and cousin John contributed his fair share of heroics, but Loughmore-Castleiney's TomĂĄs McGrath takes the honour for this groundbreaking and hopefully influential admission after their county final win: "I'm not going to say we were written off because I don't think we were".
The young lad didn't get a ticket to the All-Ireland and he picked Man City early in life so even if another Aguero moment arrives, we won't be dancing around a sitting room together in raucous, disbelieving celebration. But on an unpromising Sunday afternoon in November, Troy gave us that.Â
Big Ev to strike back in the battle of our continental hitmen.Â
Troy, for sure. John McGrath too, in a way. And in the year where Arteta's boys were supposed to get it done, it was the women who delivered a Champions League. Katie McCabe joined the club's pantheon of Irish champions. And it was a fitting cap on a magnificent career for the brilliant Kim Little, the Gunners' 21st-century Brady.
Fran the Man was a funny football film. Glenn Hoddle's "They're taking shots and Spurs have been quite happy with that", just as Vitinha pinged one in the postage stamp, was perfect. While the skorts drama must have looked very weird to the wider world. At least that debate is settled.Â
Plenty of sad exits from the sporting stage in 2025, few more poignant than Diogo Jota's. The pain and sense of dislocation in Tipp's dressing room in the years after Dillon Quirke's death is plainer the more they talk about it. So Liverpool's struggles this season defy regular punditry.Â
No doubt the aliens will only have been fully cognisant of the boundaries of human dexterity having watched Sam Prendergast catch a 'spiral bomb'. And only fully attuned to the power of values after reading this Guardian headline: "Six Nations provides a beacon of light, hope and escapism among global moral surrender."
Ah plenty noticed, but it can never be lamented enough that Gilesy fully retired from punditry in 2025, leaving us without a working barometer for moral courage. Â
Gotta be Troy, bursting bloodvessels to poke in. To the tune of another streetwise Dub's new one, Moved On by Khakikid. And Troy could reasonably throw it back at all of us who pinned our hopes on him: "I thought you moved on... now here you are back again."
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