Gaelic Games

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The Republic of Ireland will play their 2027 Women's World Cup qualifier with the Netherlands at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork.

The qualifier on 5 June will be the third time the Republic of Ireland have played at the home of gaelic games in Cork.

The Republic of Ireland defeated France in a memorable 3-1 win in front of 18,400 fans in 2024, and Carla Ward's side picked up a 1-0 win against Slovenia last year.

Ward said that her squad "love" playing in Cork and they will look to extend their unbeaten run at the stadium against the Netherlands in their final home qualifier of the campaign, before a final fixture in France.

"The team has won both matches at Pairc Ui Chaoimh so far, and we will be aiming to continue that run against the Netherlands," Ward said.

"I've no doubt that our supporters will come out in their numbers to back the team as we aim to move closer to securing a place at the World Cup."

The Republic of Ireland are third in League A2 and picked up six points against Poland in April's double-header.

Ward's side lost their opening qualifier to France at Tallaght Stadium, and were narrowly defeated 2-1 by the Netherlands in Utrecht in March.

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Man of the match Dessie Ward and penalty-saving hero Rory Beggan speak to BBC Sport NI after Monaghan's 0-27 to 2-14 win over Cavan in Sunday's Ulster SFC quarter-final.

Ward on Monaghan's performance: "We knew the job wasn't done at half-time the way the rules are now, a two-pointer can change a game big time.

"We knew Cavan were going to come out and hunt us, we have been on the wrong side of this result a few times over the last couple of years so we knew we were no means home and hosed.

"It was a bit hairy at times but we got forward and got crucial scores at crucial times."

Beggan on his penalty save from Paddy Lynch: "It was pure guess. It was a bit of pot luck and nice to get across. Good to make that contribution to the team."

On his save from Darragh Lovett: "It has to be [bread and butter]. A lot of those chances happened in a small period of time.

"Some days they go through you and others you make the save and are the hero, it's just making yourself big."

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI journalist at Celtic Park

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Antrim manager Mark Doran accepted the "levels" between his side and Derry told as the Oak Leafs powered to a 13-point win in Saturday's Ulster Championship quarter-final.

Two divisions separate the counties in the league and this was more than evident with Derry just quicker, sharper and able to dictate terms as they move into the last four.

Rank outsiders coming into Celtic Park, Antrim put up a credible performance for the most part, but also gave up some cheap scores including an under-hit pass which led to Lachlan Murray's goal, while also punished for 4v3 breaches.

They needed everything to go right to upset the odds and that wasn't the case according to the Antrim boss.

"After 20, 25 minutes, we were really happy," Doran told BBC Sport NI after the game.

"We've done serious work on our own kick-outs and our press, and probably didn't do that in the second half, but the first half, we felt everything we were working on was coming off.

"The disappointing thing is they scored 1-11 [in the first half] and 1-5 from turnovers.

"We did a lot right and going in at half-time you're trying really positive, but coming here we knew we needed to be perfect and giving away 1-5 was the biggest disappointment."

While disappointed their wait for a victory in the Ulster Championship will roll into a 13th year, Antrim will now set their sights on the Tailteann Cup.

Semi-finalists in 2023 and 2024, a return to this stage of the secondary All-Ireland competition is an ambition but Doran accepts that will not be straightforward.

"How do we close the gap? Head down and make sure we have a good end to the season which is trying to get to Croke Park, so we'll put our heads down and go for everything.

"Those boys live in the real world and knew they weren't going to win the Ulster title, but there is a bit of belief as they had a good run [in the Tailteann Cup] two years ago and they have a good chance.

"Those boys will hurt for a few days, but they will come back and go after the Tailteann Cup although a lot will come down to the draw as there will be some big teams on there."

David Mohan
BBC Sport NI journalist in Dunloy

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For the second time in four weeks, Donal Hughes was Down's hero against Antrim, finding an injury-time goal to snatch a 1-22 to 0-23 win in the opening round of the Joe McDonagh cup in Dunloy.

Hughes hit a last-gasp goal when the sides met in Newry in March, but it was not enough to save their Division 1B status as Antrim survived the drop on scoring difference.

This time, the Saffrons had a couple of minutes to turn it around, but Ronan Sheehan's side held firm to claim a famous win and get their championship campaign off to a flying start.

Down won the toss and opted to play into a strong wind, backing themselves to remain in touch by the half.

They did just that with Caolan Taggart a rock at centre-back, battling, scrapping and turning over possession as Ronan Sheehan's men brought a huge appetite for hard work.

Antrim didn't help themselves in the opening half, converting just 12 of 23 shots - two of the wides hotly disputed by the home support - but just couldn't get a full grip on the game.

Seaan Elliott was on form from early frees, his and his team's first from play coming in the 15th minute, as Down kept in touch with Tom McGrattan and Daithi Sands complimenting the free-taking of Pearse Og McCrickard.

By the break, Antrim did have a 0-12 to 0-8 lead with seven different scorers including all four of the Dunloy contingent who registered on their home path, but there was a sense Down would have been relatively happy at the turnaround.

Like the first half, Tom McGrattan was first on the board for Down in the second with James McNaughton hitting back and that set the tone for the majority of the second period as the sides went score for score on nine occasions.

Just as it seemed Antrim were managing the game out, Marc Fisher broke the sequence when following up from McGrattan's fourth of the day and while Seaan Elliott hit back with his 10th of the afternoon - nine from frees - Down finished well, rattling off the next three with Owen McDermott's point added to by two McCrickard frees to bring his tally to eight.

When Antrim substitute Jack McCloskey nudged the hots ahead in added time, the subsequent poc-out was plucked from the sky by Ronan Beattie who popped outside to Hughes to finish low.

There was still some time for Antrim and they had appeals for a black card penalty waved away when McNaughton was hauled down outside the area and Gerard Walsh's well-struck 20 metre free was saved out for a 65.

Antrim sent a couple of balls in as the searched for the winner, but Down held out for a second win over the neighbours in succession.

Antrim: Cormac McFadden; Oisin Donnelly, Niall O'Connor, Stephen Rooney; Ryan McNulty, Paddy Burke, Joe Maskey; Eoin O'Neill (0-1), Paul Boyle (0-1); Keelan Molloy (0-2), Ryan McCambridge (0-2), Conal Cunning (0-2); James McNaughton (0-3), Ruairi Donaghy, Seaan Elliott (0-10, 9f).

Subs: Coanll Bohill for P Boyle (49), Gerard Walsh for E O'Neill (59), Ruairi McCormick for R McNulty (65), Scott Walsh for O DOnnelly (68), Jack McCloskey (0-1) for C Cunning (70+2).

Down: Pearce Smyth; Tom Murray, Ruairi McCrockard, Ben Teggart (0-1); Barry Trainor, Caolan Taggart (0-1), Niall McFarland; Donal Hughes (1-1), Liam Savage (0-1); Daithi Sands (0-2), Finn Turpin (0-1), Pearse Og McCrickard (0-8, 8f); Tom McGrattan (0-4), Tim Prenter, Shea Pucci.

Subs: Cahal Coleman (0-1) for T Prenter (27, head injury, not replaced), Ronan Beattie for S Pucci (49), Marc Fisher (0-1) for T Murray (52), Ronan Smyth for N McFarland (56), Paul Sheehan for F Turpin (61), Owen McDermott (0-1) for B Trainor (65)

Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)

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Dublin boss Ger Brennan will be absent from the sidelines for the county's Leinster SFC campaign after his 12-week suspension was upheld by the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).

Brennan was issued a ban for an altercation with Galway strength and conditioning coach Cian Breathnach McGinn - who was banned for eight weeks - during Dublin's relegation-confirming Division One defeat by the Tribesmen in Salthill on 22 March.

Having had an appeal knocked back by the Central Hearings Committee (CHC) and Central Appeals Committe (CAC), Brennan's final attempt to have the ban overturned was turned down after a five-hour DRA hearing on Saturday morning.

Dublin GAA, who said Dean Rock will continue to deputise for Brennan, described the severity of the sanction as an "unduly heavy burden".

"While we are disappointed at the outcome of the case, we will await the written judgement with interest and give due examination and consideration to changes required to improve the fairness and proportionality of our disciplinary system within our association," read Dublin GAA's statement.

"Ger Brennan did - at all times - accept that he should receive some sanction for last month's incident.

"However, the weight of the penalty imposed on a volunteer member is an unduly heavy burden."

Dublin begin their Leinster SFC campaign against Wicklow in Aughrim on Sunday (15:00 BST).

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For Antrim to upset the odds at Celtic Park on Saturday [17:00 BST], manager Mark Doran feels "it will take a lot of things to go right for us and a lot to go wrong for Derry".

The Saffrons enter the game as rank outsiders to end their wait for a first victory on the provincial stage since 2014, going into the backyard of an Oak Leaf side that rediscovered its spark in Division Two this year.

Last year, Antrim pushed then All-Ireland champions Armagh for 45 minutes at the quarter-final stage, but ran out of steam as Kieran McGeeney's side pulled away.

Sustaining a 70-minute performance is imperative if Antrim are to upset the odds, but Doran is "under no illusions about the size of the task".

"All we can do is prepare the best we can, embrace it and for 70 minutes, give the best versions of themselves and you never know what will happen," the Longstone native told BBC Sport NI.

"You'd hope the players would take great confidence from that [Armagh game]. It's another year and we're going to Celtic Park, but the one thing we can control is making sure we are set up right and hopefully go and give a massive performance.

"It will take a lot of things to go right for us and a lot to go wrong for Derry, but it's championship and we all love sport as you never know what can happen."

Doran is no stranger to Derry football, having managed Slaughtneil in recent years and will come up against some of his former players this week including Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan.

However, Ciaran Meenagh's side is littered with quality which Doran knows only too well.

"It's easy saying you can shut them down, but doing it is a different matter," he accepts.

"Shane is one of the top forwards in Ireland, Brendan one of the top midfielders but you can play him anywhere.

"My three years in Derry I've seen so many good footballers, but with Shane and Brendan, they are really good people and you put that aside for 70 minutes and see if you can stop them."

Derry v Antrim is live on BBC Two NI, the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport NI website & app.

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Jack McCarron will start on the bench for Monaghan's Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final with Cavan at Clones on Sunday (15:00 BST, live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and website.)

The Scotstown forward with take his place on a strong Farney bench with includes Conor McCarthy and Killian Lavelle, who are yet to feature for their county this season.

Rory Beggan will once again start between the sticks, with Dessie Ward at centre-back and the influential Michael Bannigan at centre-forward.

Cavan manager Dermot McCabe makes one change to the side which lost their final league game to Derry with Gerard Smith named at wing-back.

Smith scored a late goal to win the last Championship meeting between the sides.

Gearoid McKiernan will partner Ryan Donohoe at midfield, while Paddy Lynch is once again named at full-forward.

The Breffni men will be looking to further assert their championship dominance over their neighbours after winning the last three championship clashes between the sides.

Monaghan: Rory Beggan; Darragh McElearney, Ryan O'Toole, Dylan Byrne; Cameron Dowd, Dessie Ward, Aaron Carey; Michael McCarville, Louis Kelly; Karl Gallagher, Michael Bannigan, Stephen O'Hanlon; David Garland, Andrew Woods, Stephen Mooney.

Subs: Kian Mulligan, Thomas Hughes, Robbie Hanratty, Bobbie McCaul, Ryan Mohan, Conor McCarthy, Ryan Duffy, Killian Lavelle, Oisin McGorman, Jack McCarron, Shane Hanratty.

Cavan: Liam Brady; Jason McLoughlin, Brian O'Connell, Cormac Brady; Gerard Smith, Ciaran Brady, Conor Brady; Ryan Donohoe, Gearoid McKiernan, Tiernan Madden, Eoin Clarke, Emmanuel Shehu; Dara McVeety, Patrick Lynch, Oisin Brady.

Subs: Gary O'Rourke, Evan Crowe, Peter Corrigan, Ciaran Brady, Darragh Lovett, Favour Shehu, Ryan Tobin, Caoimhin McGovern, Cian Shekelton, Evan McIntyre, Niall Carolan.

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Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh is boosted by the return of Eoin McEvoy and Conor McCluskey for Saturday's Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final with Antrim at Celtic Park (17:00 BST, live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and website.

McCluskey returns at corner-back for the first time since late January, in one of three changes from the Oakleaf county's league win over Cavan.

McEvoy is named at midfield in what is set to be his first start of the season, while Conor Glass is named at centre-forward and Conor Doherty also comes into the side.

Shea McGuckin is set for his Championship debut between the sticks, with Ryan Scullion in reserve and Odhran Lynch still ruled out.

Mark Doran also makes three changes to his Antrim side for the trip to Foyleside with Marc Jordan, Adam Loughran and Conor Hand making the first 15.

Derry: Shea McGuckin; Diarmuid Baker, Ruairi Forbes, Conor McCluskey; Conor Doherty, Gareth McKinless, Padraig McGrogan; Eoin McEvoy, Brendan Rogers; Ethan Doherty, Conor Glass, Paul Cassidy; Niall Loughlin, Shane McGuigan, Lachlan Murray.

Subs: Ryan Scullion, Charlie Diamond, Shea Downey, Sean Kearney, Patrick McGurk, Ryan Mulholland, James Murray, Niall O'Donnell, Ruairi O Mianain, Niall Toner, Sean Young.

Antrim: John McNabb; John Morgan, Eunan Walsh, Kavan Keenan; Eoghan McCabe, Peter Healy, Marc Jordan; Paddy McAleer, Joesph Finnegan; Conor Hand, Adam Loughran, Ronan Boyle; Niall Burns, Pat Shivers, Dominic McEnhill.

Subs: Declan Heery, Tiernan McCormack, Ruairi Hagan, Benen Kelly, Jack Lenehan, Cathal Hynds, Tom Shivers, Oisin Doherty, Ryan McQuillan, Patrick Finnegan, Tomas McCann, Kevin Small.

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Derry manager Ciaran Meenagh says it is "madness" to install his side as favourite to reach this year's Ulster final.

The Oak Leafers open on Saturday against Antrim at Celtic Park [17:00 BST, live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer, website & app] and are odds-on to advance into a semi-final against either Monaghan or Cavan.

Meenagh was at the helm on an interim basis when Derry last captured the Anglo Celt Cup in 2023 and after a positive Division Two league campaign, they enter the provincial championship with raised expectations after a difficult few years.

However, the Derry boss is not buying into that and insists they can't look past this week's challenge.

"Monaghan have operated at a higher level than Derry for a long, long time; Cavan were more than a match for Derry in the last league game, a game that we just about won," Meenagh said.

"You look at Antrim last year against Armagh and they led by a point at half-time and after 45 minutes.

"It will be preparing to win one game and if you are lucky enough to win that game, it is about winning another game.

"What will help us is getting all our players on the pitch. If you look at the Derry team over the last two years, the reasons why it didn't go well, ultimately the management didn't have the full quota of players."

The sides met at the beginning of the year in the Dr McKenna Cup, a game won by Derry who pulled away in the second half.

The championship arena is a different proposition and with Antrim's new management team now settled into the role with the Saffrons winning their last four games in Division Four, Meenagh is not downplaying this week's task.

"You have to give everybody their due respect and I've a lot of respect for Mark [Doran], Paul Bradley, the McCanns [Mick and Eamon], I'd be a fool if I didn't.

"We played them in the McKenna Cup and both teams would have a good few players played that night. It'll be all focus on them.

"Winning's a habit and they've won four games in a row, so they go into the championship with a bit of momentum as well."

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Twelve new football rules have been passed by a Ladies Gaelic Football Association [LGFA] Special Congress on Wednesday after they were trialled during this year's National Leagues and Higher Education College competitions.

The rule enhancements were brought forward by a Playing Rules Review Workgroup and were voted through by delegates at the Special Congress in Tullamore.

They will come into effect immediately for adult inter-county championships at provincial and national levels and in 2027 for underage championships that have not yet commenced.

Six of the 12 changes mirror those introduced in the men's game that were brought forward by the GAA Football Review Committee.

They are the kick-out mark, the two-point scoring arc, the requirement to keep three players in the opposition half at all times, the solo and go as well as frees being brought forward for tactical fouling or dissent from the sideline.

The other half of the changes relate specifically to current LGFA rules including tackling and increased physicality.

Previously a player could only tackle when the ball was out from the body, but this has been altered to allow a player to tackle the ball even if it is in the body.

A player now may also use one or both hands to legally delay an opponent's forward movement provided the opponent is in possession of the ball and that the contact is made below shoulder height and is not a push backwards.

Three non-technical fouls by a player will result in a yellow card while another new enhancement permits a player to use her body to fairly contest possession of the ball provided the challenge does not involve excessive force.

The ball may no longer be played backwards from a 45m kick or a throw in will be awarded and for a set play an attacking player can now legally enter the small rectangle after the final play of the ball.

LGFA president Trina Murray said the introduction of these rules "represents a significant and progressive step forward for Ladies Gaelic Football at all levels".

"The feedback to date has been extremely positive, and we have already seen a tangible impact in terms of improving the speed and flow of the game," she added.