2019 will be remembered as a tremendous if torturous year for Irish sport. We saw highs like we never experienced before (Portrush) but our lows (the FAI farce, the Rugby World Cup farce) were pretty damn low. Here's the second part of our countdown of the top 30 moments of the Irish sporting year, going from #20 - 11. Here we tap into some of the highlights from the GAA summer plus some of the transcendent performances from Ireland’s future sport stars.
20. Laois beat Dublin
Every GAA summer serves up a mad result in a sun-kissed provincial ground that makes Irish sport seem like the epicentre of the entire universe. This summer it was the turn of O'Moore Park in Portlaoise to be the host venue for such madness. Few gave Laois a chance against Dublin when they met in early July but Laois hurling came of age in an eight day period this summer. In the space of two Sundays, Laois won the Joe McDonagh Cup and then shocked Dublin. And they did it playing blistering hurling.
Aaron Dunphy leis an críoch ach é cruthaithe ag Willie Dunphy do @CLGLaois
Laois fought for every ball on Sunday vs Dublin & this goal epitomised that attitude.@GAA_BEO ar @TG4TV @LaoistodaySport @TheGAAHour @MalachyClerkin pic.twitter.com/IgBrnWGNro— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) July 9, 2019
19. FAI Cup final equaliser
As soon as Aaron Greene was bundled over in the Dundalk box in the 89th minute, the 32-year wait for Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup looked set to come to an end. Aaron McEneff's deft finish from 12 yards had seemingly given Rovers the Cup.
Of course, football isn't as simple as we'd like it to be.
Dundalk, outplayed for the entire match, got a long overdue rocket up the arse. With 93:04 on the clock, Patrick Hoban whipped a last-ditch cross into the box, Dundalk's Georgie Kelly and Rovers' Roberto Lopes vied for the ball in the air, with ball skewing off the Rovers centre-half's back. The only man in Dublin 4 prepared for the second ball? Michael Duffy.
The winger's sweetly-struck half-volley nestled into the back of Alan Mannus' net, crushing the spirits of the green-and-white-clad masses behind it. Those fans had the last laugh though, with Rovers eventually winning out on penalties. However, in that one moment, Michael Duffy's left-foot had a visceral impact on all who were watching.
INCREDIBLE! Michael Duffy, with a moment of absolute brilliance, rescues Dundalk with seconds to go. It's extra-time in the FAI Cup final! https://t.co/3OeMqqfxm4 #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/xUIo5yws7V
— Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) November 3, 2019
18. Con detroys Mayo
GOAL Dublin!
Con O'Callaghan with a tidy finish to put Dublin 1-07 to 0-08 ahead after 37 minutes. Watch highlights tomorrow night on @rte2 from 9.30pm #rtegaa #dubvmayhttps://t.co/IGMOwzYsmu pic.twitter.com/6YUdG8k7Fe— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) August 10, 2019
It was inevitable that Mayo would stand in the way of Dublin's drive for five. For thirty five minutes in August, it seemed like Mayo might even halt it. In the first half of Mayo’s All-Ireland semifinal against the Dubs, James Horan had apparently hatched a plan to throttle the Dubs. It was hard to remember a half of football where the Dubs seemed so rudderless in attack. Dublin had scored six points by halftime and trailed by two..That halftime break must have felt like eternity for Mayo fans. To believe or not to believe, that was the question.
But as soon as the second half resumed, the tension broke, and the Mayo defence was swallowed whole by a Dublin tsunami. Con O’Callaghan broke Mayo’s spirit on his own with two ruthless goals. Wild hope had been replaced with grim acceptance. Some counties wait a century for one Con O’Callaghan. In Dublin, marauding forwards are rolled off the assembly line.
Con O'Callaghan is on fire for @DubGAAOfficial. Superb goal! pic.twitter.com/R3zBtjKOnw
— The GAA (@officialgaa) August 10, 2019
17. Ireland U21s prove they’re the real deal in Sweden
2019 would have been a fairly drab year were it not for the Ireland U21s. The Toulon Tournament was a sign of things to come for Stephen Kenny’s side, but it was the win in Sweden that let us know this was a special team.
Ireland have a poor record at U21 level having failed to take it seriously in the past. That was never going to be the case under Stephen Kenny, but it didn’t hurt that he had a genuinely special group of players to work with.
Troy Parrott is the catalyst for this team, and this was a game where his star quality was obvious. He didn’t even start, but he came off the bench to score two magnificent goals as Ireland overturned a 1-0 deficit.
If this was a glimpse into the future of Irish football, it’s time we all got very excited.
16. Craig Casey shows size doesn’t matter enroute to Grand Slam glory
Winning Grand Slams isn’t easy. Ireland know that better than any country, and the U20 team showed the type of resilience that is required to scale that particular mountain.
Their Six Nations campaign was nothing short of extraordinary. There was comebacks, quality defending, breathtaking attack, and an unbelievable team spirit. It had everything.
For all of the memorable incidents, no moment summed up the mantra of this team like Craig Casey’s tackle in the France game. Despite conceding 40kgs and 12 inches in height to his opponent, the Munster man absolutely left him on his arse.
Huge scenes.
15. Ailish O'Reilly finds the net for a second time
In the 28th minute of the All-Ireland camogie final, Ailish O'Reilly - who had already scored one goal and set up another - raced through on the Kilkenny goal.
Goalkeeper Emma Kavanagh advanced to close down the Galway corner forward but before she could reach O'Reilly, the ball had already hit the net.
It was another thrilling moment in what turned out to be one of the best camogie finals in years. In all, the game produced as many goals at the previous four deciders had in total.
Camogie needed a final which was more than a free-taking contest and O'Reilly's goal epitomised a gripping encounter.
Ailish O'Reilly has her second goal, and Galway's third, as the Tribeswomen make a big move against Kilkenny before the break - full highlights of all three All-Ireland camogie finals this evening on The Sunday Game on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player at 9:30 #RTEGAA pic.twitter.com/zwDQa9PQFV
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 8, 2019
14. Borris-Ileigh return to being 'Cocks of the North'
On the steps of the Páirc Úi Rinn stand, Sean McCormack and Conor Kenny lifted the O'Neill Cup as Borris-Ileigh wrote another chapter in an already momentous year.
In early November, the club had won its first county title in 33 years - a victory which lifted the tragedy-hit area. Three weeks later, they were Munster champions after defeating reigning title holders Ballygunner by a point.
From behind McCormack and Kenny was produced a cockerel named Paddy. To many, it was a strange moment but not to those in the know about the club's history.
Between 1949 and 1953, Borris-Ileigh won three county championships and became known as the 'Cocks of the North' in Tipp. In 2019, they regained their right to that title.
George Groom explains the history of Paddy the cockerel @Borris_GAA. Míniú ar scéal an choiligh... pic.twitter.com/lPV2lhjaY8
— GAA BEO TG4 (@GAA_BEO) November 24, 2019
13 Joe Brolly axed from RTÉ panel
The Derry firebrand has been involved in his fair share of heated discussions and controversies since he first became a resident of the RTÉ studio. But the national broadcaster clearly believed he went too far during the All-Ireland drawn final this year after a heated discussion between Brolly, Pat Spillane and Ciaran Whelan.
Our analysts are somewhat divided on Jonny Cooper's second yellow card. Live on @RTE2 now. pic.twitter.com/i1xqnHoKFX
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 1, 2019
When David Gough brandished a red card to Dublin’s Jonny Cooper, Brolly suggested the Meath referee may have been influenced by Kerry personalities who questioned Gough’s suitability for a final involving Dublin since he works in the county. In the eyes of RTÉ chiefs it was a step too far, even by Brolly’s standards, and the days of the brash and bespectacled pundit in the television studio were no more.
12. Katie Taylor post-fight scenes in Manchester
This was as much about the occasion as it was the performance. On the night that Katie Taylor secured the WBO Super-Lightweight World Title, it was events before and after the fight that illustrated her true legacy.
Before the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn announced he would host a world title fight in young prospect Terri Harper's hometown after her strong showing on the undercard. Harper is a huge Taylor fan and initially asked to buy a ticket before getting a spot on the undercard.
"Katie Taylor is opening doors for all women in sport,” Hearn declared.
After her victory, the short walk back to her dressing room was considerably delayed by a flock of young girls, all desperate for a chance to meet their hero.
“It was so cool to see. It is not your typical boxing crowd, walking back after the fight was over, we could hardly get back to the dressing room. There was all the fans, these young girls. You don’t see that at fights. That was pretty cool,” her trainer Ross Enamait told Balls.ie.
In a year that she became a two-weight world champion, it is extraordinary yet undeniable her achievements in the ring and rivalled by what she has created outside of it. A trailblazer, that November night is a testament to that.
11. Liam Sheedy channels his inner Ric Flair
When John McGrath was shown a red card during Tipperary semi-final clash with Wexford, it briefly looked like the Premier County’s chances of reaching an All-Ireland final during Liam Sheedy’s first year back at the helm had vanished. But Sheedy had instilled a wild and organic energy within the Tipperary players this year that cannot really be explained and, somehow, being a man down seemed to suit them.
The final 15 minutes of the game was among the dramatic minutes of helter-skelter entertainment right across the sporting landscape in 2019. But the moment that stuck out above all was the image of Liam Sheedy summoning the Ric Flair within as Tipperary zoned in on yet another All-Ireland decider. Woooo!!! It was one of those moments that will be immortalised in years and decades to come.
