“The news,” writes Malachy Clerkin, smashed “a blue-skied Sunday morning to smithereens”. The death of Ciara Mageean, at the age of just 34, “feels like an intolerable, preposterous reality to get your head around”. She was “funny, brave, smart and charismatic” and as one of Ireland’s greatest ever runners, “she was poetry in motion on the good days and she never let herself be caged in by the cruelty of the bad ones”.
Denis Walsh takes us through Ciara’s career, one that was blighted by so many injury spells. But “she never gave up on being the runner she believed she could be”. “She was one of those rare sportspeople whose spirit radiated far beyond the arena. That spirit is everlasting.”
After that news, the weekend’s sporting events seem incredibly small, but on we must go.
In rugby, Connacht suffered a sobering night in Galway at the hands of Leinster, Gerry Thornley reporting on their 50-5 URC defeat and hearing from both coaches after. Meanwhile, it looks like Leinster have found Leo Cullen’s successor, John O’Sullivan with word that Bordeaux Bègles backs coach Noel McNamara is being tipped to take over as head coach next season.
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There was no URC joy for Munster or Ulster, both losing to South African opposition, but Ireland’s women had a happier time of it, a Béibhinn Parsons hat-trick helping them to a second victory over South Africa in a week.
Ireland’s men are limbering up for Friday’s Nations Championship game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, John hearing from forwards coach Paul O’Connell who had kind words for both Tadhg Furlong and Gavin Coombes after a difficult week for both men.
In Gaelic games, Cuala’s footballers needed a late Con O’Callaghan two-pointer to get the better of Tullamore, a win that puts them through to the Leinster quarter-finals where they will meet the newly crowned Kildare champions Sarsfields.
In hurling, Aidan McCarthy’s 0-14 sent Clare’s Inagh-Kilnamona on their way to a seven-point triumph over Cork’s Glen Rovers in the Munster quarter-finals, while Loughrea and Dunloy collected the Galway and Antrim titles.
In football, Paul O’Hehir rounds up how the Irish abroad fared over the weekend, Troy Parrott making his first league start for Real Betis since September, while Ken Early runs his eye over Liverpool’s performance in their defeat by Arsenal at Anfield yesterday.
In athletics, Ian O’Riordan reports on a fine top 20 finish for Kilkenny man Peter Lynch in the New York City marathon, and in racing Brian O’Connor looks at Aidan O’Brien’s march towards a record number of Group/Grade One victories this year - helped by that triple Grade One haul at the Breeders’ Cup. His son Joseph is doing alright for himself too, his next target the Melbourne Cup in the early hours of Tuesday morning, in which he will have five runners.
And in his Tipping Point column, Denis Walsh looks at the return to the DP World Tour of the LIV players “who were shills for the Saudi regime”. “The lump sum of their betrayal is being written off against the prospect of their usefulness now.” Where’s the loyalty to the players who kept the wheels turning on the DP Tour over the last few years? Nowhere to be seen.
TV Watch: TG4 has highlights from the GAA club weekend, and at 8pm Sky Sports Premier League’s live offering is the meeting of Newcastle and Everton at St James’ Park.
