Brendan O'Brien

Jayson Molumby: 'I'm not just some fella running around kicking people' “Angry, disappointed. Gutted. A lot of things go through your head. I'm just happy to be back."

Strikingly honest stuff from the Republic of Ireland's Jayson Molumby here

"I'm not just some fella running around kicking people"

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World Cup podcast: can the Boys in Green rescue the campaign? Brendan O'Brien and soccer correspondent John Fallon discuss Ireland's upcoming double header -- starting with a trip to Portugal -- and good news for the game in today's budget.

Latest World Cup qualifier pod with Irish Examiner soccer correspondent John Fallon

- Ireland fly to Portugal on a wing and a prayer

- Some light at the end of a (very long) tunnel with the govt granting 3 million for League of Ireland academies

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Ireland's William Tell: Fairclough takes dead aim at Athens, then LA Jack Fairclough has gone from discovering skeet shooting at his birthday party to being on the brink of qualification for the Olympic Games.

"We shoot our targets in 0.73 seconds so we really don’t have that time or freedom to step off the gas. It’s gotta be instant"

Ireland's Jack Fairclough is aiming for the LA Olympics in a sport where the margin for error is close to zero

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Fintan McCarthy fighting far above his weight with rowing's big boys A year of joy for McCarthy as he steps into a new class.

Fintan McCarthy is putting it up to rowing's big boys

Hard to overstate what a leap he has made to the heavyweight class in such a short space of time

Exceptional athlete

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Podcast special: What the NFL's arrival in Dublin means for America's game and Irish sport As the Steelers and Vikings face off at GAA HQ we examine what the landmark tie represents, what Irish sport can learn from the extravaganza and ask what we can look forward to at Croke Park on Sunday...

Chat with Conor Meany, Maurice Brosnan and Eoghan O'Sullivan on why the NFL is coming to (Dublin) town, whether it will come back, and what to expect in Croke Park on Sunday

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Watch: Reaction to Ireland's dramatic draw in World Cup campaign opener Brendan O’Brien and John Fallon talk through the Republic of Ireland’s comeback against Hungary at the Aviva Stadium

Sat down with Irish Examiner soccer correspondent John Fallon to try and make sense of last night's madcap World Cup qualifier at the Aviva Stadium

Was this a 2-2 win or a 2-2 defeat?

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Irish belief vs Kiwi beef: Ireland out to repeat famous win over New Zealand in Women's World Cup decider That win fast-forwarded Ireland’s recovery and the team’s journey from a nadir of failing to make the 2022 World Cup, but the flip side this week, as the sides meet for the first time since, is that i...

This one is bubbling up nicely ahead of Sunday's World Cup Pool C decider in Brighton

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Watch: World Cup qualifier special as Ireland prepare for Hungary Brendan O’Brien and John Fallon sit down to tee up the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign, starting with the visit of Hungary to Dublin on Saturday.

Sat down with John Fallon to tee up the Republic of Ireland's huge World Cup 2026 qualifying opener against Hungary on Saturday

- Needing a fast start
- The players Ireland can't do without
- Credit union here we come!

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Bosun Lawal looked up to Robbie Brady more than Beckenbauer Lawal was compared to the German Kaiser after a pre-season friendly for Stoke City and it was his club manager at The Potteries, one-time Manchester United striker Mark Robins, who delivered the kille...

Could Bosun Lawal be the Republic of Ireland’s Beckenbauer?

Or maybe the player the team has needed in the engine room?

The Dubliner is ready to do whatever job comes his way

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Ed McGinty: 'It's part of my job, I'm here to make saves' “Ah, yeah, look it’s part of my job, I’m here to make saves,” said the 26-year old in a manner that Roy Keane would love to hear.

Just like watching Brazil...

Lee Grace channelled Bobby Moore's tackle on Pele at one point of Shamrock Rovers' game against Santa Clara

And Ed McGinty went all Gordon Banks in denying the Portuguese late on in Tallaght

And it wasn't even his best save...

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League of Ireland underdog days are over, vows Stephen Bradley This is the first time that two Airtricity League clubs have made it to the group stages in the same season.

“Special, special night, both as a father and as a manager”

Stephen Bradley on Shamrock Rovers’ latest European high, serenades for his son Josh, and the late “legend” that was Ollie Horgan

Some great stuff here

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Front row move proved to be Niamh O'Dowd's 'golden ticket' to World Cup During the last Women's Rugby World Cup, O'Dowd was struggling for game time in the Old Belvedere back row. Now she's a fixture in the Ireland front row.

Niamh O'Dowd was struggling to make the Old Belvedere squad a couple of years ago

Now she's a first-choice for Ireland going into a World Cup

Some turnaround...

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'Keep my head and focus, don't get homesick': Irish ballers aiming High on America's hardwood Terry Okodogbe and Caedan Ash were two of the four players sent over last year. Another 12 have since been confirmed for the next academic year. That growth in numbers is reflected in the spread of sc...

‘The skill gap between the Irish players and Americans is absurd. It's crazy. But I know what I need to do’

The number of Irish basketballers playing ball at US High School level is multiplying

Spoke to two of them about what it takes

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Tiger Woods comparisons harder to ignore as Scottie Scheffler strolls to Open title All eyes will be on Scottie Scheffler at Shinnecock Hills next June and his first chance to join the game’s most select club.

The new Tiger? Scottie Scheffler isn't having it

“I still think [the comparisons] are a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up"

Some are thinking differently

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Lions Tour Special: Can the Lions now finish the job? Simon Lewis and Brendan O'Brien reflect on a first Test win and preview a busy week ahead.

The Wallabies have 80 minutes now to save the Lions series and change the narrative over a tour that hasn't caught the imagination

Chatted to Simon Lewis in Melbourne about the first and second Tests, and what we might learn from Tuesday's last midweek game

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Shane Lowry turns focus to Bethpage and Ryder Cup after Open frustrations Lowry said that The Open being played at Portmarnock in the future, 30 minutes from his house, "would be amazing".

You can't always get what you want...

His second stint at an Open in Portrush didn't match his first, but Shane Lowry still has one huge career goal to aim for this season

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Shane Lowry hit by controversial two-shot penalty at The Open Slo-mo footage showed the 2019 winner’s ball move in rough on the 12th hole after he had taken a practice swing. There was no contact with the club, but a blade of grass appeared to make it move sligh...

Hugely unfortunate and controversial two-shot penalty for Shane Lowry at The Open last night

But its lucky for the R&A that he wasn't further up or down the leaderboard given the likely furore if he had been contending, of if he missed the cut

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Rory McIlroy's signs of progress pale beside Scottie Scheffler masterclass Scheffler leads The Open on 10-under after a seven-under second round. McIlroy is sevens shots off the American.

Rory McIlroy already knew he had work to do when he finished his second Open round in Royal Portrush

Then Scottie Scheffler went full Scottie Scheffler

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Rory McIlroy: 'I feel like I could be a couple closer to the lead' Rory McIlroy sits on three-under heading into the weekend at The Open .

Rory McIlroy is five shots off The Open lead after another up-and-down round at Royal Portrush

(Although Scottie Scheffler is on the sort of run right now that could make the chase a lot harder come the weekend)

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Shane Lowry hangs tough to set up another Open challenge at Royal Portrush The Offaly man was satisfied with his day's work on Thursday.

No guts, no glory

Shane Lowry played through the worst of the conditions on Day 1 of The Open and came through it with a one-under par round of 70

That'll do

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Padraig Harrington: 'I expected the nerves, I didn't expect the emotion' What he wasn’t ready for was the well of emotion as he approached that first tee, not least because he had spotted an empty grandstand coming off the range, but one that was quickly filled as those qu...

Great start for Padraig Harrington this morning, but little else went to plan for him after the first hole

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Portrush Open victory last of old monkeys to shake from Rory McIlroy's back There are five Irish players in the field here, and Shane Lowry will fancy his chances of a 2019 repeat and lifting that Claret Jug again, but McIlroy remains the North Star on this stretch of coastli...

The 153rd Open is over 3 hours into its opening day but most of us are still playing a waiting game until Rory McIlroy tees off at 3.10pm

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Fulfilment? Some golfers have come close by finishing second-best “What’s the point?” asked Scottie Scheffler rhetorically when trying to explain how the game is not the centre of a universe that for him revolves around his family and his faith

Final offering for today

Scottie Scheffler got everyone's attention here at Royal Portrush this week when he claimed winning isn't fulfilling

But some have come close to it by finishing second

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Pádraig Harrington not standing on ceremony for latest Open bid The job of opening these majors tends to go to players of an older vintage, guys once great who aren’t about to threaten the leaderboard come the thick end of the four days. Harrington’s competitive n...

"My goal is to hit the first shot and the last shot this week"

Padraig Harrington, handed the honour of getting this Open underway tomorrow morning, doesn't intend to stand on ceremony

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'Clearer picture' on Portmarnock's chances of hosting The Open expected later this year The Republic of Ireland has never hosted The Open.

Portrush this year and maybe Portmarnock in the not-too-distant future?

We're getting greedy now

R&A boss Mark Darbon here with the latest on the bid to bring The Open to Dublin...

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Tom McKibbin leading next generation of Irish hopes in golden Open era Tom McKibbin leading next generation of Irish hopes in golden Open era: A comprehensive series of articles on this topic

If there is no Irish winner at the 2025 Open it will be the longest stretch without one since Padraig Harrington ended the 60-year drought back to Fred Daly with his win at Carnoustie in 2007

What next for, and from, Ireland's golden generation?

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Royal Portrush feeling the love from stars aiming to conquer it Some will inevitably dim and disappear before the weekend, but one seems guaranteed to shine, whatever the winner or the weather, because the love for the Dunluce Links course this first few days has ...

Not a shot hit yet in anger and Royal Portrush's Dunluce links are already proving to be a hit

“I just think the whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly

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Scottie Scheffler: 'This is not a fulfilling life' “I'm blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life, or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that's going to be the l...

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler on the fleeting nature of success...

Really interesting stuff

“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family ... it's such an amazing moment. Then it's like, 'okay, what are we going to eat for dinner?' Life goes on"

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Rory McIlroy more at peace with his mind and his game on return to Royal Portrush McIlroy is encouraged by how's he played in his last two starts, including finishing tied for second at last week's Scottish Open.

Few sportspeople are quizzed and second-guessed more than Rory McIlroy

He's clearly in a good state of mind this week for what he hopes will be a better crack at an Open title in Royal Portrush than his 2019 experience

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Jon Rahm: 'Tom McKibbin has all the tools he needs to succeed in this game' “He's quiet by nature, but even in competition when things go wrong, he stays quite calm, and it's just remarkable and an incredible gift to have for a young player. I don't think I can relate to that...

Jon Rahm, one of the favourites at this week's Open in Royal Portrush, talking up the hopes of one of the local lads

Know your audience 101...

😉

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