Gaelic football and hurling are great games, but the players have no international outlet to really test themselves. Rugby is international and we have done reasonably well with the oval ball in recent years, but if you want to grab the pulse of people then it has to be soccer. The joy experienced by the players and supporters after our dramatic 3-2 win over Hungary in Budapest on Nov. 16 brought back memories of Euro ’88 and Italia ‘90. That win in Budapest gave the nation a major boost and for a while everybody forgot about their daily travails.
Going into our last two World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Hungary not even the most optimistic Irish fan gave the Boys in Green much hope. But two goals from Troy Parrott at the Aviva Stadium and three more from the Dubliner in Budapest changed the landscape and now we are looking forward to a World Cup semi-final play-off against Czechia in Prague on March 26 and hopefully a final play-off against either Denmark or North Macedonia in Dublin five days later.
Ireland players and squad members celebrate at the final whistle in the Puskás Aréna, Budapest, on Nov. 16. [Inpho/Anthony Stanley]
Parrott made his senior debut in the 3-1 win over New Zealand in November, 2019 when Mick McCarthy was manager. Prior to November, 17 of Troy’s 33 caps were won as a sub, while playing for seven different clubs. And truth be told Parrott would probably have not started those games if Evan Ferguson had been fit.
Our Women’s team also gave themselves a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil in 2027 when they beat Belgium in play-off to secure a place in Group A of the Nations League which should ensure a slightly easier route to the finals in Brazil. It was another young Dubliner, Abbie Larkin, who scored the winner in the second leg against Belgium in Leuven.
Domestically it was all about the double, Shamrock Rovers won their first League-Cup double since 1987 and Athlone Town became the first women’s team to ever win the League-Cup double. Attendances at League of Ireland games continued to grow and most of the Premier Division clubs were getting full houses at home games. After leading Shelbourne to win the League title in 2024 Damien Duff shocked everybody by walking away from Tolka Park in June, but another former Irish international Joey O’Brien got Shels back into Europe for next season. Mason Melia became the first League of Ireland player to be transferred for over €1 million. The Wicklow-born striker agreed to leave St Patrick’s Athletic for Spurs on Jan. 1 for a fee of 1.8 million. Then that deal was bettered when Shamrock Rovers confirmed that 16 year-old Victor Ozhianvuna will join Arsenal in January 2027 for a fee believed to be worth €2 million
When a big game doesn’t go according to plan the first theory touted by some people in Ireland is a conspiracy. Looking back at the GAA year Cork’s shock defeat to Tipperary in the All-Ireland hurling final comes to mind. At half-time Cork seemed to be in control and led by six points. But the Rebels managed only two points in the second half and Tipp ran out easy winners on a final score of 3-27 to 1-18. So the rumor of a row in the Cork dressing room at half-time gained momentum, but it looks like it was just that, unfounded rumor. Earlier in the summer Cork had beaten Tipp to win the National Hurling League final for the first time since 1998 and then denied Limerick seven in a row in Munster to lift the new Mick Mackey Cup for the first time. Limerick then took the scenic route, but were well beaten by Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
There was a major row in camogie when the women refused to wear skorts and it took a special Congress to allow women wear either shorts or skorts in games. The majority were already wearing shorts when training. Meanwhile, the main GAA Congress decided to drop the controversial GAA Go service and replace it with GAA+
Jim Gavin’s Rules Committee probably saved Gaelic football with some simple but effective rule changes, but later Gavin’s own presidential bid ended abruptly. Louth had a sweet win over Meath to take the Leinster title for the first time since 1957 and the Wee County manager Ger Brennan would later replace Dessie Farrell as Dublin manager. Kevin McStay failed to deliver for Mayo and it was Kerry and Donegal who contested the All-Ireland football final. Kerry had many stars as they collected their 39th title with a 10-point win; Paudie Clifford was their play-maker, while his younger brother David was majestic as usual and Gavin White was named Man of the Match.
It was a disappointing Six Nations campaign for our rugby team, which was aiming to be the first team to win the competition three times in a row outright; instead, they finished third behind France and England. Long serving trio Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy all retired. Ireland provided 15 players for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia in June where Tadhg Beirne was named Player of the Series. Caelen Doris, who had been tipped for the captaincy role, missed out through injury. Doris is a Mayo native and I’m sure he was proud to see a first-ever interprovincial game between Connacht and Munster played at MacHale Park, Castlebar.
After losing to the All Blacks in Soldier Field, Chicago, Ireland had wins over Japan and Australia in Dublin, but World Champions South Africa once again proved to be much too strong in a Test game at the Aviva where the referee Matthew Carley brandished seven yellow and one red card. At club level Leinster ended their four-year drought, beating the Bulls from South Africa in the final at Croke Park to win the URC championship. It was World Cup year for our women’s rugby team and after easy win over Japan and Spain and a heavy loss to New Zealand, they were beaten 18-13 by France in the quarter-final played in Exeter.
A great year for our golfers with Rory McIlroy becoming the first Irish golfer to win the US Masters in April, beating Justin Rose in a play-off. In September McIlroy was a very popular winner of the Irish Open at the K Club in County Kildare, beating Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren in another play-off. A few weeks later McIlroy lined up alongside Shane Lowry on the European Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale and it was Lowry who sank the crucial putt on the 18th green to earn the half-point required for Europe to retain the Ryder Cup. Afterwards Lowry said: “I said to my caddie Darren Reynold walking down 18, I that I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here. The Ryder Cup means everything to me. Honestly, I have won the Open in Ireland; it’s amazing, it’s a dream come true. But the Ryder Cup for me is everything.’’
We are used to seeing Willie Mullins saddling winners at National Hunt tracks, but this year he broke new ground when winning a big race at Ascot and later traveling to Australia to win the Melbourne Cup. Inothewayurthinkin, trained by Gavin Cromwell for owner J.P. McManus, denied Mullins’ Galopin de Champs from making it a hat-trick of Gold Cup wins at Cheltenham, but the Carlow based trainer ended the National Hunt festival as top trainer for the seventh year in a row. Ireland won the Prestbury Cup once again, beating England 20-8 following a “green wash” Friday when all 7 races were won by Irish trainers. Mullins then won the Scottish Grand Natonal with Captain Cody before donning his top hat for Royal Ascot. Mullins and his wife Jackie took part in the royal procession before Ethical Diamond made it a momentous day for them when winning the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes in the hand of Ryan Moore. Then in November, he took Ethical Diamond to Australia where the horse gave Mullins his first Melbourne winner. Jockey Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement and a few months she was confirmed as an Ambassador for the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival.
And of course the O’Brien family are never out of the news. Aidan O’Brien become the most successful trainer in Breeders’ Cup history with Gstaad’s emphatic victory in the Juvenile Turf. It secured a record 21st Breeders’ Cup win for O’Brien. While Aidan claimed the all-time record at the championships, his son Donnacha celebrated his first Breeders’ Cup win when Kerry-born jockey Oisin Murphy rode Balantina to win the Juvenile Fillies Turf. Earlier in the year at The Curragh Aidan had saddled Lambourn to win the Irish Derby, his 17th Derby winner at The Kildare track.
Katie Taylor announced that had got married and before that announcement she had beaten Amanda Serrano for the third time at MSG. At home former Olympic champion Kellie Harrington said she was making a comeback.
A great week for Irish athletes at the European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn in March with Sarah Healy powering to gold over 3000m and bronze medals won by Mark English in the 800m and Kate O’Connor in the pentathlon. Later at the World Athletic Championship in Tokyo O’Connor claimed a historic silver medal in the women’s heptathlon. She finished with 6,714 points to come second behind gold medallist Anna Hall of the USA (6,888) after registering five personal bests across the two days of competition. She was named Irish Times Athlete of the Year. Earlier this month swimmer Ellen Walshe won gold in the 200m butterfly final at the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland and in Athletics our men’s team won silver at the European Cross Country Championships in Portugal, the first time they have finished on the podium in 25 years.
During the year we lost some famous sports stars. They included: Formula One owner Eddie Jordan, All-Ireland winning footballers, Mick O’Dwyer, Johnny Culloty, Seamus Murphy Paddy Cullen, Seán Doherty, Tony Hadden and Frank Evers; hurlers Seán McLoughlin, Matt Hassett, Michael Coleman; rugby players Bill Mulcahy and Barry McGann; soccer internationals Peter McParland, Tommy Hamilton, Mick Kearin, John Herrick, Olympian Maeve Kyle and Rás Tailteann winner Gene Mangan.
