Articles in the Sports News Category

Farney search for a manager continues COLM SHALVEY REPORTS The saga that is Monaghan’s search for a new senior football manager had another twist last week, with former Dublin defender Ger Brennan the latest front-runner to remove himself from contention. Brennan had reportedly been the favourite to end Monaghan’s lengthy pursuit of a replacement for Séamus McEnaney, but it appears that he will now remain with Moorefield, who exited the Kildare SFC late last month. It leaves Monaghan as one of three Division One counties yet to appoint a senior football manager ...

COLM SHALVEY The Monaghan Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football Championships reach a crucial point of the group stage this weekend as teams vie for places in the knock-out rounds. Scotstown will be expected to make it back-to-back wins in Group One of the Greenfield Foods SFC when they travel to Aughnamullen on Saturday. The holders fell to a first championship defeat since the 2019 county final in their opener against Ballybay, but a strong finish last time out saw them get the better of previously-unbeaten Donaghmoyne. Ballybay can secure top spot ...

COLM SHALVEY The Monaghan LGFA Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football Championships got underway last weekend, with Donaghmoyne sending out another statement of intent to any pretenders to the throne. Having run out convincing winners in the recent Senior League Final against Emyvale, Donaghmoyne were in even more prolific form last Sunday, with the reigning Ulster Club champions ruthlessly seeing off Latton. Donaghmoyne are bid ding to lift a n unprecedented 20th consecutive county title. The other first-round games in the Combilift sponsored Senior Championship were played on Saturday. Emmet Óg, who ...

JACK MADDEN Even in the smallest and most tightknit communities, it really is incredible the stories that can be thrown up. Turmoil, devastation. Victory, elation. On and off the sporting field, in so many walks of life. A GAA club is forced to balance responsibility alongside privilege. Oftentimes that responsibility can be directly exchanged into euros. The modern era can be a challenging one for clubs, with investment needed on an almost constant basis to ensure sustainability, never mind growth. The likes of the Kilmore Development Project in Scotstown is not ...

JACK MADDEN They really do mean more, these club championships. On Saturday afternoon in Emyvale, the trad music played over an hour before throw in. The crowd slowly filtered in, a substantial away support as well as a home one. It really is the glue of a community, especially in this modern age with the Catholic Church on the wane. Many travelled from the second most northerly club in the county to the other IFC clash between Magheracloone and Corduff, where the latter were beaten for the first time in 2022. ...

Jack Madden Big half-time deficits seem to be a bit of a running theme for the Monaghan U-18 ladies, but then so too does winning. That’s the thing with habits, they’re hard broken, and on the 3rd August 2022, some old habits left the Longford ladies heartbroken. For Ulrika McMahon, she started Wednesday morning as a substitute. She finished the very same day a hero, with that status remaining even after the early hours were stolen from Thursday morning in Renaghan’s pub in Clontibret. Drinks on the house, and work off ...

ROAD TO HARPS COMPLEX RENAMED IN MEMORY OF BELOVED YOUNG FOOTBALL STAR A poignant ceremony in the early evening sunshine of Friday last saw the road from Old Cross Square to the Monaghan Harps GFC complex in Monaghan Town renamed in memory of Brendan Óg ‘Ógie’ Ó Dufaigh, the Harps and county U-20 football star who lost his life in a road traffic accident at Clontibret a year previously, having led his Monaghan team to victory in an Ulster Championship semi-final only hours before. The idea of renaming the roadway Slí ...

COLM SHALVEY Just as we went to press yesterday, news broke of Séamus McEnaney’s resignation as Monaghan senior football manager. ‘Banty’ initially took charge of Monaghan Seniors between 2005 and 2010, contesting two Ulster finals and winning an Allianz League Division Two title in 2005. After winning an Ulster MFC title as Monaghan minor manager in 2018, McEnaney returned to the senior hotseat for the interrupted 2020 season, which ended with an extra-time loss to Cavan. With Peter Donnelly and Conor Laverty leaving the set-up for 2021, McEnaney brought Dónie ...

COLM SHALVEY REPORTS Monaghan’s senior ladies have a battle on their hands to preserve SFC status after a heavy defeat away to Armagh last Saturday saw them finish bottom of Group B. The draw couldn’t have been much more challenging for Monaghan– pairing them with All- Ireland champions Meath and threein- a-row Ulster winners Armagh – and it resulted in two harsh lessons for an inexperienced side. Captain Muireann Atkinson and 2022 top scorer Jodie McQuillan remained absent for a depleted Monaghan, who put two points on the scoreboard within 80 ...

Colm Shalvey Co Monaghan boxer Aaron McKenna (PICTURED) returns tocompetitive action this Saturday, June 25.‘The Silencer’, who will be fighting for the first time sincehe won the WBC World Youth title last December, is set tobe part of a Sky Sports televised bill at the Coventry SkydomeArena. Aaron will be bidding for a 15th consecutive win inthe pro ranks, with his opponent yet to be announced. Hisbrother Stephen has a first bout of the year pencilled in forearly next month.Speaking to The Irish News this week, Aaron said: “It’sbeen a while ...