IN A CITY that never sleeps, amidst the skyscrapers, Lake Michigan and general hustle and bustle, lies a small but close-knit Ladies Gaelic football club. Despite the abundance of male clubs, there are just two senior female sides in Chicago – one north of the city and one southside. Located just 15 minutes from the heart of downtown, Aisling Gaels is the northside club, formed in December 2008 by local Irish girls living in the city. Every year, the Gaels welcome girls on both graduate and J1 visas to play alongside their resident members, helping temporary players with employment and accommodation. “We pride our club on the great friendships we…

Carbery Rangers players celebrate their Cork senior final victory THERE WERE SIX players who featured during the 2003 Cork junior final that also saw gametime earlier this month when Carbery Rangers at last experienced the winning feeling on county senior final day. If vaulting from junior kingpins to senior champions seems meteoric, they needed plenty patience as well to get to the stage where today they enter the Munster senior club football arena for the first time at the Gaelic Grounds against Monaleen. An All-Ireland winner with Cork in 2010, John Hayes was the hub of the Carbery Rangers attack during that junior success (2003) and the intermediate win (2005).…

Henry Shefflin and Ballyhale players celebrating their 2016 All-Ireland club final win. Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO “WE WERE SLAGGING him actually that he was only back with the club a couple of months and was writing stories about how the club players were being treated! “Jesus, if he’d been there for the last 13 years, that club players association would have been set up a lot sooner!” Andy Moloney is laughing at his recollection of reading Henry Shefflin’s views on the plight of club players this summer. Moloney and Shefflin go back to college days in Waterford IT, a firm friendship struck up with hurling as the bond between them. Now…

Castlebar Mitchels 3-13 Knockmore 0-10 CASTLEBAR MITCHELS HAMMERED home their dominance of the club scene in Mayo with a powerhouse display against Knockmore — running out 3-13 to 0-10 winners. When the game was there to be won early in the second half, they put the foot down and crushed their opponents resistance thanks to a man-of-the-match display from Paddy Durcan, who will be an injury doubt for their Connacht championship opener next weekend after he had to leave the field with 15 minutes to go through injury. Durcan’s 1-1 inside the opening seven minutes of the second half proved decisive on front of 5,375 paying spectators. The wing-back, who…

Updated at 18.30 INTER-COUNTY STAR RICHIE Hogan was in inspired form as his Danesfort side condemned Fenians to relegation from the Kilkenny SHC today. Fenians, for whom JJ Delaney started centre-back, were on the back foot after just nine minutes when James Mulally found the net for Danesfort. But Fenians rallied well and edged themselves back in front through a Conor Tobin goal from a penalty on 25 minutes. The two sides couldn’t be separated last Sunday, as they played out a 0-14 to 0-14 draw, but it was the prolific scoring of Hogan, from play and placed balls, which eventually proved the difference in Palmerstown. Hogan accounted for 13 points…

​Cuala 1-15 Kilmacud Crokes 0-15 Paul Keane reports from Parnell Park  A STORMING FINAL few minutes from Cuala ensured that they claimed back-to-back Dublin SHC titles for the first time though only after flirting with disaster at Parnell Park. Mattie Kenny’s men roared into a 1-7 to 0-1 lead early on and looked to have victory sewn up even at that stage but remarkably found themselves two down after 54 minutes. Crokes, the 2012 and 2014 champions, dominated the second half in what proved to be the ultimate game of two halves and should have held on for the win. Click Here: But having scored just one point, and that…

ON 31 OCTOBER last year, Cuala’s long wait was over. After endring 21 years without a Dublin SHC title, the Dalkey side are now just one game away from defending their crown for the first time in their history. But reaching today’s final [throw-in at 15:00], where they will face Kilmacud Crokes, has been far from straightforward for the reigning champions. Not that inter-county star David Treacy expected anything different. “When you are the champions, others raise their game against you. It can be extremely difficult at times,” Treacy says. “But it is something you have to cope with and we are still grinding out the wins.” The Dublin forward believes…

Clare hurling great Ger Loughnane Source: James Crombie/INPHO CLARE HURLING LEGEND Ger Loughnane, Kerry football great Pat Spillane, Dublin’s All-Ireland winning midfielder Brian Fenton and Waterford hurling manager Derek McGrath were all honoured for their GAA exploits last night. The quartet were recognised at the annual awards ceremony by the Gaelic Writers’ Association in Dublin. Advertisement Loughnane and Spillane are the latest additions to the GWA Hall of Fame while Fenton was selected as the 2016 Football Personality of the Year with McGrath winning the hurling accolade. Loughnane was part of a Clare team that won two National Hurling League medals in 1977 and 1978 while his brilliant displays for…

Glasgow Warriors fans Liam Johnstone aged 8 and Cameron McGarey aged 8 ahead of the side’s match with Benetton Treviso. Source: Craig Watson/INPHO Home The IRFU performance director David Nucifora insists Ireland are simply playing by the three-year residency rule. Rory McIlroy has climbed into contention at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. Isa Nacewa is the only back to retain his place as Leinster prepare for Connacht, while Pat Lam’s team welcome back Tiernan O’Halloran. Away Liverpool are closing in on a deal for teenage wonderkid Emeka Obi. Munster cult hero ‘Dutchy’ Holland is pushing the Hurricanes to new heights. Dwayne Wade began his Bulls career in style at his Chicago homecoming…

AFTER 21 BARREN years Cuala finally got to rejoice last winter after they made a Dublin senior hurling breakthrough. They bounced on from that county title to reach the Leinster equivalent where they lost out to Wexford’s Oulart-the-Ballagh. But after all that painstaking progress, the south Dublin club then almost lost the man who had guided them to that point, Galway native Mattie Kenny. A coach on the Galway side that contested the 2012 All-Ireland final, the Tynagh-Abbey-Duniry native was in contention for the top job with the Tribesmen last winter. Ultimately Micheal Donoghue was installed out west, Kenny stayed on with Cuala and they’re back in another Dublin senior…