Soccer
Ireland’s 23-man squad and coaching team will depart Dublin today for France and the 2016 European Championship. The squad will be bolstered by the news that Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane have signed new deals to remain in charge until the 2018 World Cup.
It is believed that the duo have secured significant pay rises but it is unclear as to how much, if any, businessman Denis O'Brien is contributing.
That information is being kept under tight wraps in the FAI but perhaps our Lost Shoes diarist knows. The FAI insider has written the third instalment of his new column.
Meanwhile, Robbie Brady is well on the way to recovery from a back spasm and ready to take on Sweden in Ireland's opening match on Monday.
“Initially, when it happened, I was thinking; ah no, of all times not now but it settled down straight away. It’s not ideal to be picking up knocks and injuries coming up to the first game but I’m fine. I’ll be 100 per cent ready to go tomorrow,” Brady said.
It's been a remarkable rise for a number of players in the Northern Ireland squad, but none more so than Conor Washington.
The QPR striker was playing in the United Counties League and working as a postman during Euro 2012. This weekend he will line out for his country at the European Championships.
In domestic news Galway United fans have threatened a boycott after a fan was banned from attending Eamon Deacy Park because he held up a banner reading "Repeal the 8th".
“I was standing in the singing section about 15 minutes into the second half, cheering along with the hard-core Galway United fans. Then I was approached by the events controller who was with two gardaí,” Joe Loughnane said.
Rugby
In his column today Gordon D'Arcy talks about the good habits that Joe Schmidt instils in his squads.
“Joe’s first day at Leinster began with a handshake. Every single day thereafter, today even, every member of the squad and staff shakes everyone else’s hand. A habit was formed,” he writes.
Meanwhile Gerry Thornley reports from Cape Town on how the Irish squad is dealing with the intense heat of South Africa as they prepare for the first Test match this weekend.
Speaking yesterday Simon Easterby said that the South Africa tour is, he feels, the first step towards the 2019 World Cup.
We’ll find out over the next three weeks can those players come with us for the next couple of years building towards Japan in 2019 and maybe without a couple of those injuries to more established players we wouldn’t see that . . .” Easterby said.
In Manchester last night there was a thrilling finish to Ireland's opening Pool A match in the Under-20 World Championship as they just about got over the line to win 26-25 against Wales.
Olympics
With the Olympics creeping ever closer Katie Taylor has spoken of how difficult the last few months have been for her. The five-time world champion failed to reach the final of the European Championships or the World Championships over the last few months but says that gold in Rio would be her greatest achievement.
“It’s been a very challenging few months, for sure. And a very disappointing few months. But, at the same time, a lot of positives have come out of those few months as well. Thank God, I have Rio to look forward to and hopefully [I can]rectify things,” Taylor said.
Meanwhile, the continuing talk of the Zika virus threat has been played down by a number of Irish women athletes.
“I think everybody has been a little bit worried about it. They really are on the ball with it and have taken it seriously. I believe if there were any outstanding medical issues that could come from it they wouldn’t send us as a team.
“I just don’t think they would have an Olympics there if there were that many bad outcomes from this virus. I don’t think they would risk their athlete’s health,” said badminton player Chloe Magee.
GAA
In his column this morning Seán Moran looks at the effect on attendances the the European Championships might have.
“On the basis of experience – Euro 2016 is the sixth such event in which Ireland has appeared in the past 28 years – there is no great cause for concern. These tournaments are all consuming at the time but the aftershocks are limited, probably because there’s such a broad-based floating interest in sport that big events are just that – big, regardless of their constituency. Curiously the GAA has bounced back on a few occasions with memorable seasons within a year of high-profile soccer tournaments.”
Meanwhile, Darragh Ó Sé gets all nostalgic as he looks back at his days of playing in the Comortas na Galetachta.
“I couldn’t make it down to Baile Bhúirne for the Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta over the weekend but it was probably for the best. As anyone whose been to it down the years will tell you, that’s a weekend you have to hunker down for. Eamon McGee says he went to the Comortas in Baile Bhúirne in 2003 with €20 in his pocket, drank for three days and came home with a fiver. I have no trouble believing him,” Ó Sé writes.
Golf
Finally, the news broke overnight that Tiger Woods will not be competing in next week's US Open.
The 14-time major winner has not played for 10 months as he recovers from a back injury and says that he will also miss out on the Quicken Loans National – which he hosts – the following week.
