Messages

Its a fixture not a rule.
Ulster team v Connacht team should mean a Leinster venue with a Leinster or Munster Ref.

I agree. Cavan is the neighbouring county to Monaghan with the same radio station

€20m of 26 Cos taxpayers in grants to Companies in Tyrone.

LMAO

Pittance. We are owed BILLIONS

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025/10/31/justine-mccarthy-catherine-connollys-win-will-bring-irish-unity-closer-and-jim-ocallaghan-is-the-reason-why/
The current Programme for Government allocates €1 billion to the capital fund for North-South projects. Some of the most notable are the construction of the Narrow Water Bridge connecting the Cooley Peninsula to the Mourne Mountains, the cross-Border Ulster Canal, hourly trains between Dublin and Belfast and the preparation of an application for Unesco world heritage status for the astrological observatories in Birr, Dunsink and Armagh.
The fund's support for artistic, cultural, educational, tourism and infrastructural initiatives has, literally, been bringing people together. After all, a referendum in the Republic approving unification will be ineffective if the corresponding poll in the North rejects it.
Martin, with typical circumspection, has rubbished suggestions that the Shared Island initiative is a Trojan horse for Irish unity but its effectiveness in deepening cross-Border collaboration is undeniable

Incredible how concerned the News Letter is about antisemitism. Six stories up on the subject on their FB page since yesterday. The format.. ring someone who is likely to agree that Ireland is antisemitic.
Be interesting the response from PUL community if a load of Jews moved into their neighbourhood. One suspects their outrage about antisemitism is driven by the News Letter's anti-nationalist and hereby anti-Palestine agenda.
Is no effort at all to differentiate or even consider the difference between anti Zionism and antisemitism.
* Just blocked it. No point annoying myself with that rag.

The Newsletter is taking sides in a culture war.

Very exciting end to the camogie

Brilliant. Referee didn't give much to Athenry last few mins

Some finish there in the camogie.

One of Joe Rabbitte's daughters played with the ACL full gone.

I can only image the guts to play a game with that gone.

St Finbars camogs failed to close the game out, just like their footballers, but at least they get another go in January.
Their two corner forwards had serious pace.

Have to comment on the  National anthem singer  at the Camogie. Beautifully done.

she was very good indeed.

St Finbarrs went 6 points up and didn't score again. It was a great comeback by Athenry.

https://www.military.ie/en/public-information/publications/report-of-the-commission-on-defence-forces/report-of-the-commission-on-defence-forces.pdf

Defence Funding
Compared to our peers in western and northern Europe, it is very clear that Ireland is an
outlier in relation to defence funding. The scale of additional funding that is required for each
level of ambition has been illustrated on a single year basis by comparing the 2020 gross
outturn (representing LOA 1) against an approximation for LOA 2 and LOA 3. Based on the
Commission's own estimate of the cost of a step up to LOA 2, an annual increase of some
50%, bringing the funding up to approximately €1,500m4 per year, would be required. For a
further step up to LOA 3, which is based on the 2020 average GDP % of comparator countries
applied to Ireland's estimated 2020 GNI*, the Commission estimates that an annual budget
of almost €3,000m would be required. 
The Commission acknowledges the great challenge faced in managing the public finances in
the wake of the financial crash and more recently the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic. It
recognises that budgetary policy must be framed within a prudent macro‐economic
framework and in the light of many competing demands.
As has previously been acknowledged by Government in its White Paper and White Paper
Update, demands on defence capability are becoming more sophisticated and dynamic while
4This is an estimation based on indicative figures provided by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces for the
purposes of calculating the approximate cost of a step up to LOA 2.   
xii
present funding levels only allow for major equipment platforms and infrastructure to be
upgraded very sequentially, or over extended periods of acquisition. This implies a very low
level of ambition and the scale of the gap is clearly illustrated by the financial data in this
report. It is clear to the Commission that the current level of financial commitment (LOA 1)
delivers military capabilities which are inadequate for the Defence of Ireland and its people
from the threats identified in this report and staying at this level will also severely constrain
the capacity of the Defence Forces to maintain its overseas commitments and deliver required
levels of ATCP and ATCA supports. Providing a credible defence, on a par with comparator
countries, would require a Government policy decision to move to LOA 3 with the appropriate
budget. A Government decision to move to LOA 2 would address priority gaps in our current
capabilities to defend Ireland's sovereign interests, serve on high intensity missions abroad
and contribute to national resilience and security. However, it would not deliver the capability
required to develop full spectrum defence capabilities on a par with other sovereign European
countries. The Commission recommends that consideration be given to a step up to LOA 2, as
described in this report, in the short term pending the more detailed policy debate and
decision required for higher levels of ambition.

Can "He" just get to the punchline. Good lad. Can't wait.

There is no punchline.

We buy new fighter jets.

A Rusdian bomber flies in or near Irish airspace.

We launch said fighter jets.

Then what?

The Irish fighter jets intercept the Russian bomber.

If you think there is no need, do you advocate the Irish government informing the RAF that they no longer require their services?

That undefined intercept word again.

I'm saying if the sole purpose of a €500m fighter plane purchase plus maintenance is simply to fly beside a Russian bomber and go 'yep, that's a Russian bomber', is this worth the spend? Primary radar does that. Which we have bought.

As it happens I think we do need to spend a lot more, but we are clearly being targeted by arms companies with their doomsday scenarios. So do we spend that €500m on fighter jets or on cyber? Or on the Navy to protect against drones, drug smugglers and protect cables? Double the ARW, or create a tier 2 special forces?

Floor is yours, why spend almost half of the increased budget on fighters?

The budget will be bigger than 500m.
https://www.military.ie/en/public-information/publications/report-of-the-commission-on-defence-forces/

   https://www.ft.com/content/5cbedc56-b29a-4284-901b-aef5f6853135

   Britain's new head of MI6 will accuse Russia of exporting "chaos" and warn that the threat posed by Moscow will persist until Vladimir Putin is "forced to change his calculus", in her first public remarks since taking office.

Blaise Metreweli, who took the top job at the spy agency in June, will on Monday use a speech at MI6 headquarters to call Russia an "aggressive, expansionist and revisionist" adversary, just as the US is pressuring Ukraine to sign a peace deal seen as favourable to Putin.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/12/15/labour-must-return-dale-vince-donation-bondi-beach-comments/

The Labour donor Dale Vince has provoked a backlash after linking the Bondi Beach massacre to Israel's actions in Gaza.

The green energy tycoon – who gave Labour more than £5m last year – said after the attack that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, "wants anti-Semitism to be a thing" and "acts to make it so".

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sports/other/ireland-s-world-cup-play-off-opponents-czechia-in-disarray-as-slaven-bilic-set-to-turn-down-manager-s-job/ar-AA1Sk2vU

IRELAND'S WORLD CUP play-off opponents Czechia are in disarray as their search for a manager is set to drag on beyond Christmas.

The 42 understands that experienced boss Slaven Bilic will not accept any fallback offer from the Czech FA to lead them into March's game with Heimir Hallgrímsson's side in Prague.

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Czechia had hoped to strike a deal with Slavia Prague that would allow their head coach, Jindřich Trpišovský, assume control of the national side while combining duties at club level.

However, that plan of action now seems unlikely to materialise after legendary former player Pavel Nedved, who is general manager of his country's international department, said today that "it is a pit that this option could not be implemented" and that "our work on hiring a new coach continues and further negotiations await us."

Bilic is one of those who held talks with the Czech FA but The 42 understands that he will not pursue the opportunity any further and is content to wait for the right job having previously turned down three other national team jobs in recent months.

While Czechia are also just two games away from reaching next summer's World Cup through the Uefa play-off series, they have been searching for a manager since October after the decision was taken to sack Ivan Hasek in the aftermath of a defeat to the Faroe Islands.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/scotstown-are-blessed-to-call-upon-rory-beggans-star-quality-beams-david-mccague/a2124118474.html

Scotstown are blessed to call upon Rory Beggan's star quality, beams David McCague

Lee Costello
Yesterday at 21:54
Scotstown manager David McCague struggled to find the words to describe Rory Beggan's inspirational performance against Kilcoo on Saturday night.
After losing three provincial deciders in the last 10 years, the county goalkeeper scored an incredible 11 points to finally get them over the line and be crowned Ulster Champions in 2025.

A gale-force wind dictated how both teams played the game, but whether it was at his back or blowing in his face, Beggan managed the elements and was clinical either way in the 0-19 to 0-16 victory.



"It's phenomenal, really. He's an amazing man, Rory Beggan," said McCague.

"He's so humble, he's so modest — around the club he's quite a shy and quiet fella. But when it comes to training, he's really driving standards and really driving young people on.

"He's a brilliant man socially as well, with the young fellas as well. We're just blessed to have him. I don't have the words to describe how grateful I am as a Scotstown club man to have a player like Rory Beggan.



"The skill that he has is probably testament to how he has crafted that over a long number of years. I remember when he was a 15 or 16-year-old out practising frees. It's a gift that he has, but it's a gift that he has because he's worked so hard at it.

"His bravery, his composure; I don't have all the words to say how grateful we are to have him. Not just him, but a whole lot of them. They're great men all together."

Another county star who McCague is grateful to have is Conor McCarthy, especially as the team had to deal with his absence throughout this season.



The flying forward picked up a serious injury during the county campaign and only returned to action in the Monaghan Club Final, when he came on as a substitute.

They have had to manage him carefully throughout this season and, although the temptation to start him against Kilcoo would have been very strong, they held him back and sprung him into action when he was needed most.


Three points in extra time, including a sensational two-pointer, justified that decision.

"Yeah, it's amazing that Scotstown got to the Ulster Club Final and started without Conor McCarthy," explained the club manager.

"We spoke to Conor during the week about the impact that we wanted him to have. He had a specific role when he came in, and he did it to the letter of the law, and other players helped him do that in terms of getting him into possession.

We are gifted with Rory Beggan and we're blessed with Conor McCarthy as well.

"He's gifted — Conor McCarthy's gifted. He arrived in this country at 12 years of age from the USA and for him to develop his game into what he has become is just amazing.

That Cnt needs to look in the mirror.

He is odious. He drives antisemitism.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/14/shooting-on-bondi-beach/

The two gunmen involved in the Bondi Beach shooting were a father and son, police have revealed.

The 50-year-old father was shot dead by police during the attack.

His son, Naveed Akram, 24, remains in hospital under police guard, sources told the ABC.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/14/shooting-on-bondi-beach/

Benjamin Netanyahu said he had written earlier this year to Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, warning that recognising a Palestinian state would "pour fuel on the anti-Semitic fire".
"It rewards Hamas terrorists. It emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew hatred now stalking your streets," he said following the shooting on Sunday.

Very exciting end to the camogie

https://www.boylesports.com/sports/gaa/outrights

Ballyboden  4/6
Brigids     3/1
Scotstown   9/2
Daingean    10/1